SR101 – Preparation & Guidelines

Introduction

This one day retreat starts upon waking up and ends the next morning upon waking up.

We recommend you follow all the guidelines for the  best possible experience. They are there to help you get the deepest experience for your effort. 

Preparation

• Let people you are living with know what you are planning so they can be considerate and give you the necessary space or even join for the retreat.
• Mention that you will be in silence so that they don’t think you are being rude. If need be you can allow greetings and acknowledge their presence just avoid any further conversation.
• Let anyone who will freak out that they can’t get hold of you know you will not be contactable.
• Get ingredients and plan 3 meals: 1) A light breakfast, 2) Lunch is the main meal 3) A light dinner.
• Prepare the space where you will practice.You should not be disturbed when in this space.
• Have a yoga mat, a blanket and a chair or meditation cushion for sitting.
• You will need to plug into a sound system you have or comfortable headphones to listen to the practices and music for dance.
• Keep a journal for epiphanies/insights.
• Gather some art materials or other creative means of self expression.
• Saturday is a good day. It gives you Sunday to relax and integrate.

Let these go for the duration of the retreat (from waking up to waking up the next day):

• Technology other than streaming of the practices on the Academy. (Preload this page so you don’t even have to navigate to it in the morning) 
• News, social media, phone calls, what’s app or any communication with the outside world.
• Movies, series, documentaries, books, or any other sources of intellectual/mental input.

We are not trying to be ascetic or hardcore with this. Rather we are setting up a container that will allow us to experience aspects of ourselves and the world around us that we would otherwise not usually notice. We are opening up the parts of our being that are able to perceive and know through means other than our usual mental/intellectual means. Until we are familiar and connected to these other means of perception it is simply easier not to engage with the above mentioned things.  Allow this day to be an opportunity to discover aspects of yourself and get insight/information from sources you haven't even imagined yet.

Guidelines and Focus

Mindfulness

Awareness - the witnessing consciousness - being - here - now - I am Loving Awareness

These are all words pointing to the state of being that we call mindfulness. The aim is to put all our attention into the present moment, into reality as it is, right now. We then allow our awareness to expand into this reality and experience it more fully than we can even imagine.  As we  free ourselves from the great effort required to not be present, this saved energy can be channeled into the here and now.

An important aspect of mindfulness, is equanimity. We are fully prepared to be present, even if we don’t like it. We let go of judgment and suppression and allow the moment to unfold exactly as it is. Equanimity implies not reacting to the present moment. It is not detachment, rather it is non attachment. If we don’t like what we are experiencing we don’t run away from it or try escape into something else. We face it and keep moving.

Instead of blind reaction which is based on our habits and conditioning, we now have the opportunity to respond. To be responsible. We are supported by our practices. Cultivating awareness and equanimity helps us to stay present and face even the most unbearable aspects of our lives when they surface.

Silence

We will keep silence during this retreat. This means we will stop using words to communicate. This silence is a blessing. It enables us to have experience and then deepen it by keeping the experience within for sometime. Please set a strong intention that you will keep this silence and respect other people. The aim of this silence is to learn to really listen and hear what is actually being said. And to learn to trust this to be more true than words. Outside and inside. Beyond the labels of words. We advise you to switch off your cell phones give yourself this time to be on your own. Keep silence for the whole retreat from when you wake up until the next morning when you wake up. 

Pushing Edges

This self retreat allows us to be in a totally different routine to our normal. We will be moving a lot and using the body in ways that may not be familiar. There may be times where you may feel overwhelmed, tired, exhausted and generally edgy. You may experience swings from bliss to anger and other negativity. This is all normal and part of the process. The invitation is to move with it and allow it to change. Maintain a sense of humour, and push the edges gently. This simply means, whenever you get caught up in resistance, or narratives like not possibly being able dance anymore, simply relax, focus, and return to the practice. Trust the process.

If we go beyond our comfort we open to the possibility of knowing where our limits actually lie, rather than what we perceive them to be. We also open up possibilities of moving into new and exciting territory within our being. Pace yourself in the practices, there is a way to move through everything we are doing this weekend, effortlessly.

Journals

You are encouraged to keep a journal handy. Its purpose is to record any epiphanies, insights, flashes of wisdom or intuition, downloads, solutions to challenges, and visions to do with your life moving forward. These can be recorded in a few short words, poems, and/or artworks that will enable you to recall and unpack them after the retreat. The journal is not for further processing of the above, doing any analysis or recording memoirs. Try not to use it for anything where we engage with intellect, beliefs and/or reason. There will be time for that after the retreat.   

Cooking and Eating Mindfully

This is another important practice we will be doing while on retreat. Take time to really be present to the experience of preparing and eating your meal. Notice through all your senses the food you eat. Smell, taste, touch, look and hear it. Feel the sensations it creates within your body as you chew, swallow and assimilate it. Be aware of your thoughts, moods, and feelings before during and after the meal. Be aware of all the likes and dislikes, and preferences to the food. Observe your breath and body and inner and outer landscapes through the mealtime. Remember the practice requires no real effort. All these experiences are there anyway, we are choosing to be conscious of them rather than zoning out, or getting distracted.

Being

There is time allocated to simply be. Sit in the garden, go for a silent walk in nature if possible, sit with your pot plants if not. Tend to your house or garden. Journal, do some art. See everything as an opportunity to be mindful. Take it as such. In this time really try simply to just BE and allow the doing to come from that. Open up to the being in communion with yourself and the natural world around you. Practice listening.

Conscious Dance Guidelines

You cannot get it wrong! It doesn't have to look like a dance, or like somebody else’s dance. You are free to move how you feel to move and dance like you dance. 

Stay in movement. No matter what is going on inside your head, no matter what you are feeling, whether you are exhausted, full of energy, stay in some form of movement. It can be small, or big, fast or slow, in time to the music, or in time to something else.

Stay present. Keep yourself present by focusing on the body and the breath. Whenever you are distracted into thinking about past or future, or day dreaming, simply return to the feelings in the body, the movement of breath and keep moving. If there is a focus that we are working with in the dance, you can also return to that. As many times as you get distracted, just return whenever you notice your are no longer present.

Eyes Closed or Open. Dance with your eyes open or closed as much as you like. Closing the eyes is a great way to deal with being easily distracted or feeling self conscious. When our eyes are closed our other senses become sharp and we can feel and listen more and sometimes opening the eyes helps to ground an experience.

Respect Others. Be mindful of the other dances and where they may be in their experience. Sometimes we are moving through “Stuff”. There is no need to rescue anyone, we simply respect and give them space to move with it. Other times you may find yourself dancing in a connected way with another dancer. This is great, provided the other is also there willingly. When these dances end, and both parties are free to bow out at anytime, let them go. Sometimes we share a moment of intimacy with another. Do not attribute any meaning to this other than what it was. Let it go when it ends and move back into your own dance.

No words. Everything we need to say is expressed through movement.

Time Keeping

It is wonderful to set an intention that you will wake up naturally and early and begin your retreat. You can start the retreat when you naturally wake up that morning, unless you tend to not wake up early. (In which case set an alarm).  Ideally to get through all the content in a day, it is ideal that you start the early morning session between 7 and 8am. (Earlier if you wish and are so inclined). And go through the sessions according to the schedule.

Here is the structure of the Retreat:

• Wake Up
• Practice Session 1 (1 Hour)
• Breakfast and Being Time
• Practice session 2 (2-2.5 Hours)
• Lunch and Being Time
• Practice Session 3 (2 Hours) 
• Dinner and Being Time
• Practice Session 4 (2 Hours) 
• Sleep Time
• Retreat ends upon waking up the next morning.

Start tomorrow morning with Session 1. You will be guided through the timetable accordingly.

May you have a beautiful retreat!