Wonderful Way to Bring in the New Year!!!

December 28th 2007 - January 1st 2008, marked the first of what will become an annual event sponsored by the Mind Body, Institute of Athens Regional Medical Center. MBI offered their first New Years Silent Retreat and to say it was a success is quite an understatement.

The retreat was held at the Center for New Beginnings nestled in the mountains of northwest Georgia near Dahlonega. Retreatants found themselves in a beautiful natural setting perfect for reflection and creating a clear vision for the New Year. The center is conveniently located about an hour and a half from Athens. The vegetarian fare far exceeded everyone’s expectations with cheerful attention to accommodate all special dietary requests. We were provided with a classroom that was perfect for our needs.

“The accommodations were very adequate; I appreciate the proximity to home, also the feeling of being away from it all.”

“I never thought vegetarian could be so good.”

The daily schedule supported group spiritual practice, beginning with early morning meditation, gentle Hatha yoga and a program that included guided exercises designed for self inquiry and a deeper understanding of mindfulness.

The retreat was designed to keep the group engaged in the meditative process even during the spaces provided to walk, journal, reflect, explore, rest or read. The incredible Hatha yoga classes lead by Manjula Spears helped participants to make major breakthroughs in their practice. Each day was spacious, enhancing the experience of what it is like to be with oneself in silence. Evening programs were lighter and reserved for fun. This seemed to support the open heart created by the mindfulness exercises and the silence.

The participants were a marvelous blend of people with different levels of experience in the practices of yoga and mindfulness. Everyone met their goal of observing silence for this extended period of time. The result was a real sense of accomplishment as well as transformation. It took no time at all for the development of a deep sense of connection between the members of the group. Each person involved including the teachers and support staff reported a meaningful and transformative experience.

“I am definitely leaving here with a better grasp of mindfulness and the desire to live with an open heart. I appreciate the spiritual growth and look forward to living it”

“I appreciated all I learned in yoga-there were some real changes over the days in flexibility as I relaxed into the postures.”

A spontaneous reunion occurred at MBI on Wednesday (the day after the retreat ended) and the joy the participants felt in seeing each other was quite evident.

Learning with Rich and Manjula is wonderful. They have the ability to lead the participants into deep transformative places and at the same time make learning these principles so much fun.

“Rich makes the process of meditation seem accessible… He is so encouraging that he makes me want to deepen my practice and open new vistas.”

“Manjula is a breathlessly effective teacher. I am so lucky to have weekly classes with her.”

“Hatha Yoga was a joy! Manjula was great teaching the movements and I appreciated her open loving kindness.”

“This was more beneficial than what I anticipated. I would definitely recommend this program to other people.”

“This retreat is a wonderful way to start the New Year.”

We want to thank Helene Santoshi Hendon for her contribution to our experience. She was energetic and very effective. She also debuted as a yoga teacher providing a fun exercise to break the silence. We would also like to say thank-you to all the participants for making this a very special way to bring in the New Year.

If this program sounds interesting to you, let us know and we will be happy to make sure you receive information about our next retreat. Contact Helene Hendon at 706-475-7329 or by emailing hhendon@armc.org