Why Should You Go On A Meditation Retreat?

The idea of a meditation retreat freaks people out in the best possible way.An in-depth meditation retreat, something longer than just a weekend, is almost always a worthwhile and transformative experience, both for our relationship to meditation practice and for our life in general. We build confidence in our own mind, and clarify our intention for moving forward along our path in life.In less than a month, I will be co-leading my only in-depth meditation retreat of 2014. I can't wait. I notice, that as I talk to students and friends about their practice, people often meet the prospect of a longer retreat, say a week of mostly silent practice, with both inspiration and trepidation. Sometimes their resistance is palpable. But slowing down and getting away like this, and also building trust that we can actually handle our mind during long periods of practice, is an invaluable experience. I personally think everyone should have it at least once, possibly every year.So I thought the best thing to do would be to hold a discussion forum about retreats below. Would you do me a favor, pretty please? If you have attended a meditation retreat, let's say of five days or longer at a residential location, could you leave a comment and share your experience below?And if you have any questions about doing a meditation retreat, such as how to work with your resistance, or when to know if your practice is ready for this kind of immersive experience, could you also post those below? I will be checking in from time to time and will be happy to share my thoughts and feedback on your questions and comments.