Courses and retreats.

Note! It is not the location that makes your course /retreat worthwhile or not. It is the teacher!
Information about mindfulness is easy to come by, but if the teacher does not have at least five (preferably 10 or more) years of experience in meditation, then your experience will be poorer. Even if India for example, has a long tradition of teaching meditation, that is no guarantee for a successful training.
Personally, my best experiences are with teachers who both have a long meditation experience and who knows the other parts of mindfulness, compared to e.g. buddhist monks who only have been practicing meditation for many years.

Extended periods of continuous mindfulness practice leads to a deeper openness /awareness since it takes time for the mind to switch from a stressful presence to a mindful. Therefore, it is very inspiring to participate in courses in general and retreats in particular. It is advisable to have passed a basic course or somehow got the basics of mindfulness, before participating in a retreat. You don't necessarily learn new things at a retreat (besides occasional insights that you find along the way), but the aim is that over a few days in the community devote time for yourself to increase the presence /openness. There are also so-called "mini-retreats" that lasts for a single day, which is also beneficial, but a retreat for at least 3 full days (or preferable more), brings a completely different experience and inspiration for continued daily practicing at home. The silent retreats might be more challenging but you will go much deeper in your awareness.

If some people around you without experience of mindfulness, believe that your planned course /retreat in mindfulness will make a big impact on you, then it might be better not to talk about your plans or preparing for them that you may not changed at all since you started your mindfulness training so recently. Building up expectations for others or pressure on you to show a positive change, has a negative effect on your ability to open up. Much like when you go on holiday in the sun and come home as pale as when you left. Only worse. On holiday in the sun, you may still got the relaxation you longed, but expectations put up obstacles in your path to clarity at the retreat.

Thoughts that may arise when you are a beginner and attend e.g. a course is: "Oh, what a nice feeling this brings. I want more of this." My thoughts at the beginning sounded rather: "But why isn't anything happening?" "What am I doing wrong? Everyone else seems to get this but me." "I feel no difference compared to before the exercise" "If I sit a little straighter and breathe slower, maybe it will happen."

Please share your experiences / insights during the course / retreat if given the opportunity. This exchange enriches both you and the other students.

Recommendend teachers

- Bob Stahl - A well known mindfulness teacher from CA, USA: insightsantacruz.org  »

- Florence Meleo-Meyer - A well known mindfulness teacher from NY, USA: Oasis Institute »

- Saki Santorelli - A well known mindfulness teacher from MA, USA: CEO, Center for Mindfulness     »

- Melissa Blacker - A well known mindfulness teacher from MA, USA: Melissablacker.com   »

- Christina Feldman - A well known mindfulness teacher from England: Dharma.org   »