Dear friend,
I recently went on a 4 day silent retreat with my sons Mahdi and Kazim.
I hadn’t seen them in 8 months and felt it would be a good opportunity for us not just to connect, but to reboot and get support on an individual level and together as a family.
To my surprise, the kids did not resist, and despite it being their first time embarking on a silent retreat, they did not find it too challenging and are keen to do it again. Maybe without me next time…
During the retreat, we only spoke to Dr. D, who was there to support us during the experience. Every morning and late afternoon we did yoga, meditated and swam. We would take a nap after lunch which was a first for the boys. We were all vegetarian so as to keep energy consumed by digestion to a minimum, and had early nights.
It took the boys two days to feel a shift in their energy levels. As they were still spending a lot of time at home, with Kazim having his classes online, the continuous time spent indoors and online had really impacted their energy levels.
Daily physical activities during the retreat kept us alert, combined with the yoga and meditation which helped calm the mind to find our inner stillness. We also took the time to reflect on what needed to be purged – writing down all that no longer served us, and things we needed to let go of. It took me 2 days, and the boys 3 day to let go but after, we were able to write down what we now wanted to invite into our lives.
The retreat allowed us to go through an internal cleanse and feel grounded again. We were able to press “control alt delete” and reboot our system.
I was pleasantly surprised as I shared with families post retreat, their interest in wanting me to help them create something similar for themselves and their family, and a number of others who requested if they could join me on my next silent retreat.
As we are halfway through the year, please consider taking some time to reboot. I invite you to reflect on what you need to let go of, and what you want to welcome into your life.
With love and gratitude,
feisal