Meditation Retreats

Meditation retreats come in all different styles but each method guides you towards the same goal: helping you focus on the now and learn more about yourself through a practice of introspection and self-enquiry.

These mindful retreats may simply offer you a space to sit in silence, or they may feature a more structured style, offering you guided meditation practices, mantra rituals or dynamic movements to support you in reaching a new state of consciousness. 

Meditation retreats lead you through practices in which you can disconnect from the stress and hubbub of daily life, instead creating space in your mind, body and spirit for growth and healing. 

Journey through pain, frustration, chatter and stress until you eventually reach a place of relief, peace and bliss.

There are thousands of different types of meditation retreat depending on the religion, philosophy or school of thought you follow, so no matter who you are you can benefit from the healing practice of meditation. 

Silent Meditation

Silent, seated meditation is the style that usually springs to mind when thinking about meditation retreats and is a common practice that is enjoyed all over the world. Vipassana, a structured 10-day meditation retreat, is a firm favourite among those seeking inner clarity and peace. This style involves spending around 10-11 hours a day in seated meditation with the length and intensity of the programme having been designed to really help participants make the most of the practice.

Dynamic Meditation

Dynamic meditation is a style created by Osho in which participants use structured movement and actions to break through limiting beliefs and patterns. Osho asks that you remain a witness to the practice throughout, experiencing alertness and awareness during the journey and ending with both peace and celebration. Most dynamic meditation retreats guide you through the same morning ritual every day so that it becomes a regular habit for healing.

Mantra Meditation

Mantra meditations use phrases or affirmations that are repeated throughout the practice, drawing your focus to the set manta and therefore releasing all other distractions. Mantras may include Sanskrit terminology or specific words and phrases chosen by your teacher, such as in the practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM). This form of meditation could also be practiced using singing such as during a Kirtan ceremony.

Qi Gong Retreats

Qi Gong is another moving meditation that helps you cultivate and control your life force through the use of intentional and conscious movement. This practice uses fluid hand and body movement to guide your chi around your body, creating calm and balance throughout.

Kundalini Meditation

Kundalini is a form of yoga that incorporates seated meditation and movement to unlock your divine energy and channel it through your body. The meditation focuses on uncoiling the metaphorical snake that sits at the base of your spine (around your root chakra) releasing it to raise your vibrational frequency, heighten your senses and encounter a state of bliss.

Religious Meditation

Each religion has its own form of meditation, be that prayer in the Christian sense, Taoist meditations which connect the mind, body and breath or Vedic/Hindu meditation, among others. These retreats allow you to centre and ground in a personal sense, while also connecting with the teachings and scriptures of your chosen religion.

Meditation retreats are usually located in peaceful settings that remove noise, chaos, technology and work, so that you can truly focus on the present moment. Ideally, meditation retreats take place in quiet environments that not only allow you to stay focused during the meditation practice itself, but also be mindful throughout your whole experience.

The joy of a meditation retreat is that they don’t really require much equipment so can be practiced all over the world. Popular locations for meditation retreats include India (the Home of Yoga), Thailand and China but there are also world-renowned sites across Europe, the UK and the US.

Do you sometimes wish you could switch off the chatter in your mind and the buzz of activity around you so that you could really listen to your inner voice and truest desires? We’re often so caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life that we never take time for stillness; the one place that allows us to really connect with who we are and what we want from life. 

Whether you’ve reached breaking point and don’t know where else to turn, or just have a niggling feeling that there must be something more, meditation retreats help you clear your mind, focus your energy, work through barriers and leave feeling calmer and more collected. Not only this, but meditation is also thought to release endorphins which help to elevate your mood and reduce stress, increase creativity, improve sleep and even lower your blood pressure.

Me Time Away understands that it can be difficult to stay present when you’re on the Tube to work, are looking after the kids or are running late for a meeting, which is why we have sourced a collection of wellness and meditation retreats that allow you to take a step away from your regular life to slow down, heal and connect.

Our meditation retreats are located in unique destinations around the world with blissful landscapes, quiet meditation spaces and shalas, experienced instructors and healthy meal plans so that you can have an all-encompassing experience that is beneficial to your health and wellbeing.