Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with retreat

What are examples of workplace retreat exercises that were actually useful/interesting?

rev- — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 08:03:39 -0800

Any examples of annual retreat exercises that didn't suck? So, somehow I got tasked (again) with planning our office's annual retreat meeting. This is probably because I was the loudest complainer for the previous two retreats which were ungodly wastes of time. Having managed last year's I know planning is the key and I wanted to get a head start now.

But have any of you had experiences with exercises at retreats like this that were interesting, engaging and not complete wastes of time?

We are a non-profit organization of roughly 40 people. We have the standard spread of demographics (we're not some under-35 startup or over-60 knitting circle), and I am at a loss.

Exercises can just be about having fun, about learning about each other, discovering each other's skills, problem-solving, teamwork, etc. I just hate the idea that I've inherited a program that will suck as bad as before I was involved.

Any help?

Weekend getaway near Vancouver

miles1972 — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:15:31 -0800

Where can I go this weekend from Vancouver? I would like to go away for a writing retreat this coming weekend. Probably Thursday to Tuesday morning.

Parameters: within 4 hours of Vancouver BC, power, cell coverage, ability to cook meals. Ideally, somewhat inspirational in terms of setting, just a good place to write and not a ridiculous amount of money.

The ideal spot would be someone's empty summer home on a Gulf Island, you know what I mean? (but I've used up my favours for this year)

This is my brain on no vacation

messica — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:38:32 -0800

Help with productive vacation ideas? Of all the things to avoid, I have been putting off taking vacation and now suddenly the summer is slipping away... I've now committed to taking off the first week or two in September, and I need a plan! I've got no traveling companions in sight, and while in the past I've gotten a lot of enjoyment out of solo travels and adventures, this time I'm not feeling it.

Ideally I would like to be in a relaxing, outdoorsy setting while doing something productive: developing a new skill, creating something tangible, or pursuing one of my existing hobbies (which include playing fiddle, singing, yoga, crafts, baking.) I mention those to give an idea of my interests, but I am very open to exploring something new. I do public interest community work by day, and much as I love the idea of a "volunteer vacation," I'm looking for something a little more...oh, self-centered :)

Hanging out in a cabin by a lake and playing fiddle for the geese has its appeal, but really I'd love to be in at least a semi-structured environment where I can learn with and be around other friendly people. I don't require much in the way of accomodations; the simpler the better, really. Given these (admittedly somewhat vague) criteria, does anyone have recommendations for a nature-y yoga retreat/music camp/craft collective/fill-in-the-blank in early September? Or, since I probably missed the boat on some great camps and retreats this summer, ideas for next year? I am in Brooklyn and would prefer to remain within a 5-hour driving radius.

A good retreat is better than a bad stand.

Sophie1 — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:37:52 -0800

I'm attending a writer's retreat from Oct. 15-18 in Ancram, NY and need some info on staying around for a few more days. I think Ancram is near the Hudson River looks from Google like it's near Catskill. I have booked my flight home on the 22nd because I would love to spend a few days somewhere continuing my writing after the planned retreat.

So. I have 4 days in upstate NY. I'm assuming that the leaves will be changing and it will be difficult to book anywhere soon. Where should I stay? Anything I shouldn't miss? Any other good tips I need to know while I'm there.

As a bit of information, I'm not a huge fan of B&Bs - I don't enjoy forced social interactions or floral prints. I'll be alone. I'd love a quiet town with a little hotel, a diner and some shops where I could wander, write, read, knit and watch the leaves turn.

Also, I'm taking a planned bus in from Manhattan so I expect I'll need a car once I get to my destination. If the hive mind has any suggestions for that please include any information.

Thanks!

Marriage Seminar or Workshop

gm2007 — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 22:34:24 -0800

Looking for a marriage/couple's retreat or seminar. I am looking for a way to reconnect and build a stronger marriage with my wife. We've been married for about 10 years, and I really feel that we need to reconnect. We have three children, but that's not the only reason for this. I really want to be closer to her, but I feel that we need some relationship work. Ideally, I'm looking for a long term program where we can really work on our relationship, but I'm not opposed to starting it off with a workshop or retreat. I'm not looking for any particularly religious-based counseling, although not totally opposed to that either.

How to plan a quick and cheap workplace retreat

RajahKing — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:43:49 -0800

Can you help me plan a one-day workplace retreat in New York? A group of colleagues at my nonprofit workplace are planning to do a one day (or half day) retreat, somewhere in New York City, hopefully before Labor Day.

Here is the basic framework:

1. The goal is "team building" and "fun" - no work-driven goal beyond that. Its been acknowledged that we all do good work, like each other, etc., but don't really know each other, collaborate much, or socialize much.
2. Can't be very expensive, but we have some money to spend (approx $300).
3. This will be for a group of six co-workers, all of us are managers, on the same horizontal level of the organization, along with our supervisor.
4. I don't think it should be SO fun, like going to see a movie or barbequing at the beach.
5.It can be anywhere in NY, preferably centrally located in Lower Manhattan or Brooklyn.
6. We do want it out of the office.

Anyone have any good ideas? Thanks so much, hive.

Help me remember a mountain clearing

grateful — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:10:53 -0800

Help me remember a mountain clearing. A long time ago - something like 25ish years ago - I went on a weekend retreat with some quaker friends in the Catoctin mountains. (At least, I think it was the Catoctins.) At one point, we all went for a walk through the woods, and came upon a clearing. The ground was covered with white rocks - each about the size of a large book - arranged in various formations - some like a mini-stonehenge.

What is this place? Have any Mefites been there, or can you link to pictures? I've remembered this place - which seemed magical at the time - ever since I saw it. Help me find it again!

Solitary Buddhist Retreat.

hazyspring — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:05:46 -0800

I'm interested in going to a buddhist monastery or retreat for two weeks to a month. Preferably somewhere in the northeast US. I'm looking for suggestions of Buddhist monasteries in the northeast (New England or New York). I'm looking to take a retreat for two weeks to a month.

I'm not looking for something fancy or cushy. I'm looking for a place I can have peace and quiet, work on my meditation skills, maybe study Buddhism and learn more about it, and also be in nature.

Also, I'm hoping it can be at a reasonable price.

What is a writing retreat really like?

different — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 04:25:26 -0800

I've been awarded a place in a month-long writing residency/retreat in the countryside. But I'm scared! What if I'm no good at it? I have managed to get a place in a prestigious writing retreat program in the north-eastern US, where I don't have to do anything except for write. I still have a few months to go before the retreat begins, but I'm already terrified. I'm worried that I'll have trouble getting anything done when I have such a huge empty block of time ahead of me. I'd really love to hear from any Mefites who have successfully completed such a retreat. Googling hasn't turned up much except that I shouldn't plan to finish ten novels and make detailed outlines for another ten.

All I have to do on the retreat is write; all cooking, cleaning, washing and everything else will be taken care of for me. Have you been on a writing retreat? What was it like?

Writers retreat in SoCal/Mexico

TigerCrane — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:03:50 -0800

Help me find a retreat to write near los angeles. I'm looking for a weekend getaway where i can get away to write. When I was in New England, I'd rent a cottage. I'm not wure what the equivalent is around LA. Maybe somewhere in Mexico?

I'm looking for a place where I can rent for a weekend that is quiet and isolated, with natural beauty so I can go for walks, but mostly just write!

Looking for an e-guitar boot camp!

lord_yo — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 07:14:15 -0800

My wife and I are looking for a "boot camp" to learn to play electric guitar. Can you recommend any kind of retreats, workshops camps, schools, that offer intense one- or two-week e-guitar training in a pleasant, vacation-like surroundings? We are based in Switzerland; European workshops - if there are any - would be our first pick, but we're open for other options as well. We speak English, German and French.

weekend trip from Boston?

lalalana — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:40:51 -0800

My boyfriend, our two small dogs, and I would like to take a weekend trip in the Boston area soon... We want cost-effective, swimming opportunities, quaintness, dog-friendly, nature... Any suggestions? It's a been a crazy summer for work, and we just want to go somewhere relaxing with the dogs. We also want somewhere CHEAP if at all possible. I know it's the season, so cheap is not the easiest, so any places that aren't necessarily big tourist destinations would be fine.

Saw this one, but emphasis on cost-effectiveness and dog-friendliness rather than commute...

Can you incorporate a "jump to conclusions" mat, maybe?

Stewriffic — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:50:27 -0800

Help me plan a (fun!) scavenger hunt for my organization. I'm in charge of planning a staff team building retreat at the non-profit I work for. We're a small organization, and there would be fewer than 15 people attending the retreat.

An external facilitator will run the morning's activities, and then we'll have a "just for fun" afternoon. I polled all the employees about what they'd specifically like to do in the afternoon, and the consensus is a scavenger hunt.

I'm going to avoid the "follow the clue" type of scavenger hunt and go for more of a points-for-finding-something-or-doing-something approach.

Considerations:
1) I want to avoid or limit driving if at all possible.
2) At the same time as avoiding driving, I want to keep the scavenger hunt inside as much as possible. August in NC is hot.
3) There is a pretty big discrepancy in education level among staff. We have many MD/PhD level staff as well as high school graduates.
4) Has to be free--no buying q-tips or whatever
5) Three hour time limit, approximately
6) As fun as possible.
7) What do I put on the list of things to "get?"

I've looked online at some of the lists that have been used for other scavenger hunts, but they seem to be either way difficult, require driving, or are just plain inappropriate for the context.

I thought of perhaps doing the scavenger hunts in museums. There are 3 free state museums in the area--art, history and natural sciences. Two are in the same block. Is this uncool for the museum staff? We'd be well-behaved.

This previous question gives some ideas about the planning, but doesn't address many of my questions.

So, summary: Where to have a scavenger hunt in or around Raleigh, NC and what to put on the list of things to find. Fun, free, mostly inside, little driving,

Find me a nice retreat spot

falameufilho — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 17:07:47 -0800

I'd like to spend a week or two of vacation in a kind of "intellectual retreat". Let me rephrase that and try to make it less pretentious - I want to get away from it all and read/write in peace. Please help me find a suitable place. These are the requirements:

0) Preferably in the US of A. But if you have ideas of offshore locations I will gladly listen to them.
1) Very, very cheap. I mean dirt cheap.
2) Accommodations can be spartan, but cleanliness, electricity, hot water and hot meals are non-negotiable
3) Accessible from New York by public transportation (bus, train, ferry, whatever - I'd just like to avoid renting a car if possible)
4) Beautiful nature setting a big plus
5) Weather is not really an issue, but let's try to avoid life threatening situations and try to stay on the warm side
6) Time of the year is not really an issue

I was thinking about somewhere in the Southwest but maybe there's somewhere a little closer. Anyway, be creative!

Meditative and healthy vacation ideas?

NikitaNikita — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:10:42 -0800

Looking for personal retreat/solo vacation ideas, combining meditation, fitness, and relaxation. Could also use some tips on how to plan such a vacay. Any ideas? In a similar vein as this fellow, I'd like suggestions for a personal retreat/solo vacation which combines opportunities for exercise, contemplation, and meditation. I've been feeling severely burnt out for various reasons, and would like to find a place to take a personal retreat. Fitness-wise, I enjoy yoga and hiking (but I am a little out of shape), beaches or mountains, would like access to healthy eating options, and would also consider more organized programs.. like, things of a boot-camp-y nature, or sessions on self-esteem, -awareness, etc. I also enjoy writing -- i can do that on my own, but iof there's something writer's retreat oriented you have input on, that'd be great too. I'm a 29 yo female likely leaving out of the southeast USA, and since I'm sort of limited on funds, cheap and/or spartan living would be fine by me. I guess about a week would be a nice long enough stretch of time.

I'm trying to figure out how to build such a trip, on my own, perhaps combining a drive with a visit to an ashram? or something of that sort. So, anecdotes on how one might have gone about planning this are welcome too, since taking/planning vacations is not my forte.

In fact, if there's something you know of that can be quickly planned and embarked upon... say, in a week or so? that'd be extra cool, for the spontaneity factor. (see, told you planning is not my forte.)

Thanks! (and if more info will help, lemme know...)

Temporary asceticism

Cucurbit — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:28:31 -0800

Looking for examples of temporary asceticism. I mean "asceticism" in a loose sense -- any sort of programmatic self-denial will do. By "temporary" I mean that the ascetic regimen is entered into for a limited (though not necessarily pre-defined) time period.

Lent, Ramadan, the monastic tradition in Buddhist Southeast Asia (under which many young men become monks briefly in youth or young adulthood), and a Westerner's retreat at a monastery would all qualify. Links and/or information related to any of those are welcome, and examples need not be religious in nature: I'm interested in hearing about anything that meets my definitions of "temporary" and "asceticism."

peace and purpose in the rain?

paradoxflow — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:54:43 -0800

How would a westerner go about participating in the Theravada tradition of Vassa in Thailand? First a bit of background: I am a 24 year old recent university graduate living in Canada who has been looking to take a trip since finishing school, and before perhaps returning and studying law (to be honest I have no idea what I want to do). I have been to Europe, and have never really been interested in the whole backpacking through Europe and seeing the sights trip, nor have I been interested in taking a strictly hedonistic vacation. I would like to take a long-ish trip (three months sounds about perfect) to really change my life and my perception of the world, I am a very spiritual person and my idea of this trip has always included some kind of extended stay at a monastery.

I have always been interested in Buddhism, but especially what I see as the more individual and self-reliant tradition of Theravada/Hinayana. I had been considering going to Japan to study Zen, or Tibet to study Vajrayana, thinking that Theravada monastaries were mostly only existent in countries which I would otherwise not really be interested in visiting. After having heard of Vassa/Phansa/Rain Retreat in Thailand, I think it sounds perfect, in terms of the duration, timing, and experience.

From what I have read, it is common for locals to take up the vows of a monk for the three month period of Vassa only to return to a lay life afterwards. I'm wondering if it would be possible for a westerner with good amount of academic background in Theravada Buddhism (and of course some practice in following the tenets and practices, including meditation), and next to no knowledge of Thailand to do the same? I have the money, I have the time, and I have the desire. To me the idea of spending three months in a monastery developing personally and spiritually is so much more appealing than seeing historic places or lounging on the beach.

I would like to avoid the tourist trap type places which would offer a watered down experience, and have tour-groups constantly wandering through (that would really defeat the purpose of the trip). The more remote and the better the reputation of the monastery and teacher/s the better. I don't really care about comfort, that isn't the point, I want an authentic experience.

Where to hold a small writer's retreat in the Southwest

vraxoin — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:43:36 -0800

I'm looking for an out-of-the-way place in the U.S. Southwest to hold a small writers' retreat. Four writer friends and I are starting to plan our second annual retreat for sometime in the Spring of next year, and I'm looking for something fairly specific, which is hard to google for.

Here's the info: the ideal place would be somewhere in the Southwest, ideally Texas, New Mexico or Colorado. It would be fairly secluded, would house five comfortably for a week, and would have all the amenities for cooking meals and such. It would also be picturesque, possibly even otherworldly. The one we did last year was held at Rudyard Kipling's house in Vermont, which was fantastic for a lot of reasons, mainly the history of the place, the natural beauty and the lack of distractions such as tv, radio, Internent and other human beings.

I'm primarily interested in personal recommendations from those who've stayed at such places. Recommendations from other parts of the U.S. are more than welcome.

Gimme an open road...

pazazygeek — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 13:24:29 -0800

I want to plan a long road trip by myself. I'm not sure exactly where I want to go, but I do know that I want to take some pictures, and have an adventure. This has been an incredibly crazy and big year for me. I made some huge changes this year and for the first time in my life am on my own. I know I won't always be in this transitional state, but right now I want to take advantage of the freedom that I've created for myself.

I'm very busy at work and will be until around the 18th. I don't have any holiday plans with my family, and they will live if I tell them I won't be around this year.

I was thinking about taking a vacation somewhere, but now that it's so late, I don't think it's really feasible for me to book a flight anyplace and I don't have a lot of time to search for deals or plan.

I can, however, easily plan a road trip. I'd like to rent a car, bring my iPod, and head for points uncharted. I'd like to stop off places on the way where I can meet people, talk to them, just making brief connections with interesting people along the way. I'd like to take pictures, write about what comes up, what I learn from people.

I live in Southern California. I think I will probably go for driving up the coast, all the way up to Seattle and back, my best friend lives in Seattle. Along the way I may visit some family in Sacramento. Other than that, I don't really have much else to plan for.

I've seen most of the sites of the Pacific coast already -- The Madonna Inn, San Simeon, Hearst Castle, San Francisco, Lassen National park, Crater Lake, etc etc. I took a road trip up the coast to Bend, Oregon when I was a kid, and it was great fun. Still, I'm not looking so much for sight-seeing as I'm looking to stop in interesting towns, find a bar (or something else) and talk to some folks, and hit the open road and listen to music in between. I do think I'd like to stop and take a hike at some point, or spend some time alone in nature as well.

I can have up to 12 days to do this if I want, so time isn't really all that important. I could go up to Seattle and even go east from there.

Here are two things I'd love to hear suggestions on:

1.) Any interesting towns between LA and Seattle that you would recommend stopping in, any interesting bars, clubs or coffeehouses or other community places?

2.) As gregarious and extroverted as I am, I haven't really done the "go into a bar and make some friends" kinda thing. If I'm alone in a bar it's usually because I'm waiting for someone. I've had a few times when I've been on a business trip and wound up having a conversation at the bar with the bartender or someone who's sitting there, but it's not something I do regularly. Any tips?

I roam around and round and round and round and round.

miss lynnster — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 14:45:24 -0800

Possible girl & her dog roadtrip retreat over the holidays. Nothing too expensive. Suggestions? Over the past five years, my Christmas holidays have always been spent either working grueling overtime hours, taking care of my mom or hiding out in the company of other people's (more functional) families. I'm in the process of officially turning over a new leaf and am in a mood to really enjoy my holidays and do something special for MYSELF this year. Just today I was wandering through an Asian supermarket and I started to daydream about travel... so I know I'm craving a getaway. It's too late for me to book the kind of trip I'd really love to take, but I'm considering that maybe I just need to clear my head in unfamiliar surroundings, relax and be free of all stress and pressure.

I was thinking of just hopping in the car and heading out on an aimless wandering adventure with my puppy in tow... but since it'll be the holidays I don't want to end up finding myself sleeping in the car when I can't find a hotel room or something. So even though it's against my nature a bit, I guess I should probably make some kind of a basic game plan at the very least.

I am in San Francisco and I used to take constant road trips from LA but I've only done a few from here. I've gone to wine country, gone through Tahoe through to Virginia City and up to Reno. I have never headed North up towards Portland or anything, but everything South of here I've seen A LOT of... so I don't want to head South. I don't know how the snow will be, but I even thought of taking myself snowboarding (which I used to love and haven't done in years). I drive a Miata and it's not good for driving anyplace that's too rugged though. My dog's never been in the snow so that might be fun for her. We've been hiking around Bay area trails on a regular basis lately and she just LOVES it. (Good exercise for me too.) I love discovering local treasures in cool little hidden towns, but I also love cities. I just like exploring!

So tell me... If I DO decide to go a holiday roadtrip with my pup, where should I wander? Any ideas? Keep in mind that I'm not necessarily looking for fancy, pricey pampering stuff... this is mostly about the getaway, the clearing of my brain and the recharging of my drained batteries.

Cheap Site for a Spring Student Conference

Amy Phillips — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 09:35:12 -0800

I need a cheap, semi-professional place to hold a week-long conference for college students in late March or early April 2008. We usually hold them over the summer on college campuses and stay in the dorms, but since this one is during the school year, students are living in the dorms, so I can't find a college willing to rent us space. The conference is for about 70 people. Help! I'm investigating the possibility of holding a week-long conference for 60 college students and 10 staff in spring 2008. I've run several of these conferences during the summer, but I want to figure out whether we can pull off the logistics and cost of running one on the students' spring break this year. We cover all of the costs for the students, so we have to run things as cheaply as possible.

The location can be anywhere in the U.S., but it should be near enough to a major airport or major city, preferably one that is a hub for an airline or otherwise has cheap flights from a lot of different places in the U.S. (we want it to be cheap and convenient to get to from a lot of different places in the U.S.), that people can get to the conference by public transportation or an inexpensive cab ride.

Some possibilities that I have considered include summer camps, corporate retreat sites, lower end hotels, college campuses that might have weird schedules with students moving out of dorms at odd times, and small convention centers. Are there others I haven't thought of?

Basically, what I need is the following, which should all be within short walking distance of one another:

-Space for about 70 people to sleep. Nothing fancy, but must have central heat/air conditioning as needed for the weather in the area. Students can share bedrooms like they do in dorms. Staff (about 10 of the 70 people) should have private bedrooms, but can share bathrooms with one another (their bathrooms should be separate from the students'). This requirement makes me think that a summer camp might not be appropriate.

-A large conference room where we can hold lectures with the whole group during the day and evening. Access to A/V equipment (DVD players, projector for presentations, etc.) in this room is required. We'll need this room from 9 am to 9 pm.

-5 or 6 smaller conference rooms where we can hold group discussions of 10-15 people apiece. We'll need these rooms from 9 am to 10:30 pm, and they must be in the same building as the main conference room.

-3 meals a day provided. Vegetarian and kosher options. Food need not be 4-star quality, but it should be at least as good as your average college cafeteria. Basically, good enough that college students won't complain about it, and with enough options so that people with dietary restrictions won't starve.

-Space and permission for parties. We want to hold a party each night with beer, soda, and food. They either need to cater the party for us at a reasonable price or be okay with us bringing in our own beer and other refreshments. The parties are always low-key, no one drinks underage (our attorneys are very strict about that), and we've never had a problem with anyone getting out of hand, but we must be allowed to have alcohol at our parties.

I'm interested in running this as cheaply as possible. Generally, our budget is about $500-700 per person for the week. College campuses over the summer make that easily doable, but the "corporate retreat" sites I've been looking at seem to charge much more than that. Is there some option I'm not thinking of that might allow me to pull this off? Are there colleges that have empty dorms over spring break? Summer camps? Hotels? Where can I hold my event?

Getaways near Cincinnati?

LobsterMitten — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 14:44:40 -0800

Nice weekend places near or within 2 hrs' drive of Cincinnati OH, for small group getaway? Trying to find a place where a group of thirtysomething friends can go for a relaxing weekend. There will be 4 to 6 of us, maybe with a couple of babies. Could be a rent-a-cabin/cottage deal, maybe a b+b, maybe even a hotel in a town.

Idyllic quiet setting preferred, but all recommendations welcome - including in Cincy itself. (I don't know the town; we're arranging an easy, peaceful weekend getaway for someone who lives there and is stressed out.)

Where can a girl go to get her head clear for free in this country?

rileyray3000 — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 17:34:19 -0800

My girlfriend wants somewhere to, in her words, "detox" in the USA. But it's not drug or booze related. She wants somewhere go, chill, clear her head, be quiet for a while and concentrate on starting her life again. And she wants to do it for free. Any ideas? She's had a really rough year. She's taken her lumps, professionally, personally and familywise. Now she's ready to move across country and start again. But I think she wants to reset her clock somewhere before she dives into something with both feet. Thus her "detox" plan. I know she'd like something in the pacific northwest - mountains, fresh air, etc.

But...she's poor.

I offered to pay for something I knew about but she's kind of against it. I mean, if it's not too much, I'm happy to spring for it on her behalf. I want a person to better themselves. But I don't think she wants to start her new life in debt to me. She says it'll take away from the experience.

So it's up to you folks. I waited two weeks to ask this question and gave up on my fairly important question I had ready (something about program replacements for Norton Ghost) but if it's what it takes to help her, well then I just gotta use my question for her.

So in the spirit of the new year, give me your best: what buddhist monasteries, 60's communes or special programs does anyone know about that might help her to get her head clear? She's up for anything, but, at the same time I want to steer her clear of anything that might end up with me calling an anti-cult counselor in six months. I don't want to trade one spiritual monkey on her back for another.

Help me find a boot camp vacation retreat to lose weight and develop my self awareness

csg77 — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 05:47:42 -0800

Can anyone recommend a boot-camp style vacation retreat suitable for men where I can kick-off a fitness programme to get me in better shape and perhaps also spend some contemplative time? I have been considering for some time spending a vacation in a meditative retreat to do some soul searching. What I would like to do is combine that with a physical exercise programme so I can also get in shape.

I am a guy in my late 20's, 6ft tall and around 210lb, so not grossly overweight, but I know it is time to so something about it now rather than later.

I do exercise occasionally, but I can never motivate myself to go to the gym - partly because my negative self-talk convinces me not to, or to give up when I get there. I think an intensive week or two in a boot camp where I could not give up would enable me to kick-start healthier habits.

I am based in London so UK would be great, but willing to travel, so MeFites, please let me know your thoughts!

Retreat in Japan?

cda — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 15:07:42 -0800

Can you recommend a retreat in Japan for an American? My friend wants to go to a retreat in Japan that would be something like the one he wanted to go to several years ago but couldn't get away from work. And now can't remember the name.

Although probably buddhist , (I assume), the retreat did not require guests to meditate or know anything about Buddhism. But you were supposed to work while you were there. My friend liked the idea of having to work like everyone else while he was there.

A non-sectarian retreat would be great if there is such a thing.

Easy access from an airport would be important since my friend has never traveled in Japan.

My friend is an accountant and feels like if he doesn't get away and go on this retreat he might not survive (he is worried about a stroke or heart attack). So any help you can offer would be so appreciated!