Mindfulness Retreats

Last summer, I attended my first-ever meditation retreat. It was in Plum Village monastery in the heart of Bordeaux's wine region in the south of France. Founded in 1982 by the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, Plum Village is home to 250 other monks, nuns and resident lay-practitioners, as well as Hanh himself.

Plum Village opens its doors to the public several times a year with the aim of immersing its visitors in 'mindful' living. Mindfulness is bringing awareness to the present moment and is done through meditation while sitting, walking and eating.

These practices, combined with a vegan diet and seminars on Buddhist psychology, resulted in me feeling relaxed, happy and well-nourished.

Hanh's instructions on how to meditate are straightforward: "Follow your in-breath from the beginning to the end, and follow your out-breath from the beginning to the end."

In principle, it's a simple concept, but once you try it you will realise how overly-busy the mind can be. The tendency to think about the future and the past is very powerful. Hanh advises that when we find our minds moving away from the present moment to "gently bring your awareness back to the breath".

Scientific and medical evidence has shown that mindfulness can exert a powerful influence on one's health and wellbeing. Research has found that people who meditate regularly have reduced levels of anxiety, depression and irritability. They are also happier, and have more fulfilling relationships.

There are 10 mindfulness sangas (communities) in Ireland under the umbrella organisation Mindfulness Ireland. Last October, they staged a three-day mindfulness retreat in Kerdiffstown House, Co Kildare with over 100 people in attendance. It was Halloween weekend, when my usual activities would involve changing my external self through body paint or some freakish costume. But this year I focused on transforming my internal self, and I was interested to learn if the beauty and tranquillity of Plum Village could be replicated in Ireland.

Typical of the day's activities was a wake-up call at a very unmindful 6am for morning meditation. This was followed by optional exercise classes in chi kung (Chinese practice of movement to the breath) and yoga. It wasn't a silent retreat but silence is requested during certain times, such as 10pm until after breakfast the following morning; and at meals times for 'eating mediation'.

The nuns instructed us to "eat with mindfulness and gratitude" and to "savour each bite". At first it seemed strange to share a meal with people in silence. But after some time the reasoning became apparent as I developed a deeper appreciation of the flavours in my food and my tendency to over-eat diminished.

While Kerdiffstown House is the property of the St Vincent de Paul Society, Mindfulness Ireland did a good job at dressing the space and transforming it into a Buddhist sanctuary in a subtle, but effective way. The chapel became a mediation hall and the location of our morning meditation. And even in a sleepy state the colourful cloths hanging from the wall, cushions and dim lighting made it an inviting place worth getting out of bed for.

By the end of the weekend, I was satisfied that the grey skies of Kildare could indeed replicate the joyful feeling I had enjoyed in sunny Plum Village some months earlier. After all, mindfulness teaches us that the inner environment has the most power over our experiences - and it is largely independent of weather conditions.

Four-Day Retreat in Killarney
Mindfulness Ireland has an even bigger organisational feat ahead as Hanh is due to visit in April to lead a four-day retreat in Killarney Convention Centre. Organisers are expecting around 700 people to attend as the centre becomes a 'pop-up' monastery and home to 36 of Plum Village's monks and nuns.

Hahn, who does not look all of his 85 years, is well known for his peace and human rights activism. In the 1960s he campaigned for an end to the Vietnam War and was subsequently exiled from his home country. In 1967, Martin Luther King, Jr. nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize.

He is now at the centre of the growth of mindfulness and spends his time giving public talks and retreats in different parts of the world. Just a few days after the attacks on the World Trade Centre in 2001 he addressed the issues of non-violence and forgiveness in a speech at Riverside Church in New York City. He has lead retreats for and lectured to US Congress in Washington in 2003 and 2001 and he will address members of Britain's House of Lords this Spring. He is also a prolific author, with 85 titles to his name covering topics such as social justice, climate change and poetry.

The retreat will be an all-inclusive residential package and participants must stay in either the hotels or apartment buildings on campus. There will be an emphasis on community living and participants will be expected to eat and meditate together.

Atheists, agnostics and followers of all faiths are welcome to attend the retreats and there will be no attempt to convert visitors to Buddhism. Hanh says: "We have enough Buddhists in the world; we just need more people to live mindfully."

Everyone will be required to attend Hanh's daily talks based around mindfulness and personal development. He teaches in an uncomplicated and accessible way, often returning to a theme about our inner gardening. He says our emotions are like seeds, some of which need more watering than others.

No experience of meditation is necessary and the retreat is open to all ages, and families. There will be special programmes for children (aged six-12), teenagers (aged 13-18) and young adults (aged 18-32). Everyone on the retreat, including the monks and nuns, take part in 'dharma sharing', which is a small group where one can explore insights and questions in relation to mindfulness. During these discussions the monastics share their wisdom and insights. They create an atmosphere of harmony and openness but there is no pressure to talk; listening is mindful, too.

Modern life is often defined by busyness, stress and anxiety and if you're someone who wants to experience peace and happiness at a deeper level this retreat might help. It's not just for those who feel dissatisfied with their lives; I went to the retreat in Kildare already in a contented state, and I came away feeling enhanced with a more open view of myself and the world.

Hanh's teachings give tools on how to live a joyful existence; something which many of us in the western world seem to have forgotten how to do. Considering all the difficulties that Irish society is facing right now, it may be the perfect time to embrace this way of thinking.

Hahn will give an evening public talk, The Miracle of Mindfulness, in the Convention Centre Dublin on April 11, 2012.

He will lead a four-day retreat, Living Mindfully Today, in Killarney Convention Centre, Killarney, Co Kerry from April 12-15, 2012.

For more information, visit: www.mindfulnessireland.org or call: 089-457 4305 or 089-445 5235.

Deirdre Mullins

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