Experience sharing

Self-Reflection on a One-Day Retreat

On June 22, I had the privilege of attending a one-day retreat. The reason I wanted to participate was really simple. I just wanted to spend some time organizing my thoughts without distractions and learn how to get along with my own thoughts. I didn't really concern myself with anything else. I know my reason for participating in this retreat is probably different from many others around me, but spending the day in silence, surrounded by people who were very good at meditation, made me feel very calm.

During this retreat, we started with 8-form moving meditation to help our minds connect with the actions of the body. We then did the first session of sitting meditation. This was a guided meditation that went through the steps of sitting meditation and how to relax and focus on your breathing. After this, it was lunchtime and everyone got to enjoy a delicious lunch in peaceful silence. After lunch, we did a few chores to help maintain the cleanliness of the retreat center. After the chores were done, everyone gathered back into the Chan Hall, and we transitioned to learning about the most effective way to rest, which could be considered sleeping meditation. In the afternoon, we did a combination of walking meditation, yoga, and more sitting meditation.

Throughout all the types of meditation, I learned that meditation can be easily applied in our everyday lives as long as we remember and try. We can change the way we do little things in our lives to help us be more aware of the life we are living.

I know I don't know a lot about meditation, and I know I'm only barely reaching the surface of meditation when I meditate, but for me, this experience was really helpful to help me realize all the thoughts in my head and how to get along with them. I would like to say this retreat was almost like taking a break from the rest of the world, and just living in a different dimension for a day.

During the sitting meditations, I became clearly aware of all the thoughts inside my head and tried my very best to constantly bring myself back to the present moment and become aware of what my body was doing. There were always many voices in my head, and I found I could not sustain silence in my own head for very long. However, to my surprise, at the last sitting meditation, I noticed the frequency of the thoughts in my head decreased by a noticeable amount, which made me really happy.

If you asked me what I learned throughout the whole day, I would say I learned how powerful the voice in my head is. If I had to take away one thing from the whole day, it would be to slow things down. I know the lifestyle I live is already pretty slow, but sometimes I can feel myself getting tangled in a mess and lost in my own thoughts. I guess it's just a nice reminder to slow things down. Even if it's only a few seconds, I can bring myself back to the present and manage to deal with the situation a little bit better. I don't know why, but of all the things I could have learned, the thing that stood out to me the most is the reminder to slow things down. I know it's a really simple thing and may be forgotten a lot, but I think this reminder is really helpful to stay aware of the present moment and the thoughts inside your head.
 
Written by a 16-year old high school student who attended the 1-day retreat at DDVC the first time. 2025.06.28

Photo: Dharma Drum Vancouver Centre