Shambhala Mountain Center Blog

The heart that is broken has been broken open.

- Susan Piver

Practically everyone has an opinion about the healthcare debate currently raging in Congress. Undeniably, it’s a heated issue. But despite all the discussion, it seems that one critical element is consistently overlooked: compassion.

Dr. David R. Shlim, who will be teaching our upcoming Medicine & Compassion retreat, has devoted his life’s work to making compassion a more prevalent focus of Western medicine. In the introduction to Medicine & Compassion: A Tibetan Lama’s Guidance for Caregivers, Dr. Shlim explains:

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Last week a friend sent me a Wall Street Journal article by John Freeman entitled “Not So Fast,” an excerpt from his book The Tyranny of E-mail. Freeman’s article points out the bitter irony of today’s media: the faster we communicate, the less we understand; our incessant interconnectivity has actually done little to connect us.  Instead, as Freeman explains, social media has “isolated us from the people with whom we live” and has encouraged “flotillas of unnecessary jabbering, making it difficult to tell signal from noise.”  Living in a “constant state of digital jet lag,” he concludes, we have become largely unaware of our bodies and minds.

This article is a reminder of the need to slow down and remember what’s really important. Freeman sees the frantic speed at which we text, chat, and type as a way to stave off the specter of our own mortality, a temporary relief from the reality that our lives are finite. “Busyness,” he says, “numbs the pain of this awareness.” But both body-based practices and mindfulness disciplines teach us that in the heart of this pain is the possibility of freedom, the opportunity to face the fact of our impermanence, and to live our lives accordingly.

With society increasingly wired for instant communication and remote networking, it can be difficult to remember to slow down. At Shambhala Mountain Center we offer you refuge from the speediness of modern society. Our programs provide opportunities to transform busyness to mindfulness — a chance to rest and renew your mind, body, and spirit.

Consider this blog post a beautifully-wrapped paradox: delivered via its speedy efficient medium, it is an invitation to stop, turn the laptop off, take a breath, and rest — truly rest.

Best,

Brian Spielmann

I asked a friend what his favorite retreat was and he jokingly said “Germans, summer of 1942”. Ha ha I thought, nice pun.

But then I thought more carefully. Maybe he was on to something. In the world of doing we are constantly bombarded, day in and day out, with people, places and things literally fighting for our attention. There is a sort of war going on, and it is a war for your consciousness.

We all know the drill. We wake to alarms, scurry to get ready, chug down some Joe and we are out the door to accomplish our myriad missions for the day. There is a barrage of information, sights and sounds that come at us and vie for our attention: Family, Friends, Bosses, Co-Workers, other drivers, the garbage, the laundry, the cooking, the yard, the shopping, the environment, the news, commercials…

And if we are very, very lucky, there is also a small chair or cushion that asks us to finally place our attention inward, to take a 15 minute break from it all and push the reset button before we collapse into bed.

Our mind is silently begging “Retreat!” as our bodies keep pushing forward on the front lines of the world of illusion, answering “No Retreat!”

A respite from the madness sometimes takes more than a quick session of stillness. The constant fires we have to put out pull our consciousness away from the spiritual retreat we quietly long for. Soon we begin to sense that the only real way to quench the deep thirst for the still waters of pure spirit is to disconnect from the world, leave town and head for a more conducive space to balance out the world of doing.

A retreat center may be found in most cities, but a mountain retreat has a special quality all its own. Traveling to such a place starts the retreat from “the war”. As the miles pass beneath the tires of the car, you can literally feel the war for your consciousness wane. You can begin to Re-Treat yourself to who you really are.

A meditation retreat is like a spa retreat for your soul. It is a space to cleanse yourself from the dust and crud of the attacks of life. Having this type of country retreat brings your inner world back in alignment. Instead of handling the destructive forces of the world, you have a chance to tend to your inner sanctum as if a master gardener on a garden retreat.

Shambhala Mountain Center is such a place. However it is more than just a Buddhist Retreat. It is many retreats in one. What are you looking to treat yourself to? Are you looking for a couples retreat or a health healing retreat? A women’s retreat or a yoga retreat? A Shambhala Training retreat or a silent retreat?

Whatever type you are looking for, this Colorado retreat center can help you achieve the peace of mind you deserve. Just imagine whole days filled with diving deep into the silence, lighting up from the inside and being buoyed by the grace of love within. Ahhh, you are healed once again…

So next time you are fatigued by the battle for your consciousness, DO something for your well BEING. Think of Shambhala Mountain Center and sign up to Re-Treat yourself…to your true Self.

Tiffany Weller

From the diagnosis where you feel completely out of control, overwhelmed and over saturated to the place where your life is turned upside down, you need someone to talk to. Cancer causes you to deal with body image, confusion over treatment, side effects, infertility and more. There may be issues in the workplace, access to medical care issues and emotional issues after cancer. There may also be questions like, how do you integrate this experience into your life, how do you live with the memory, recurrence and relationship issues? Cancer support groups are here to help you cope.

Join Shambhala Mountain Center for Courageous Women, Fearless Living. This cancer retreat will provide you with the guidance and companionship you need to assist you on your way. Integrating body, mind, and heart, you will discover ways to meet all of your experiences directly and courageously. Led by an extraordinary team of experts in the field, this cancer program will include meditation instruction, healing visualization practice, yoga sessions, whole-being health care and nutrition tips, small group discussions, art therapy, ritual, sacred dance, and community building. Contact Shambhala Mountain Center to learn more.

There is an emerging field called yoga therapy where psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers incorporate yoga and meditative breathing into their clients’ sessions.

While there may be some emotional release in a group yoga class, individual sessions with trained mental professionals can really unlock stored emotional memories. Within such a personal setting there is attention given to both the physical and emotional experiences.

Many studies have proven the connection between mental health and physical exercise. However, it is now becoming clear that such health concerns as stress, anxiety and depression are all linked to physical activity. It only makes sense that yoga and therapy would be a beneficial combination.

With new found popularity, the number of schools offering yoga-therapy training now reaches close to 50 and the International Association of Yoga Therapists has more than tripled its membership from 2003 to 2009, to about 2,500 members.

There are some that are concerned about the safety of the patients in this combination therapy. But Bo Forbes, a clinical psychologist, yoga teacher and found and director of the Center for Integrative Yoga Therapeutics in Boston says that it is perfectly safe for a medical professional to teach yoga as long as he or she has gone through extensive yoga training. She believes that psychotherapists should have in-depth study of yoga and a strong background in anatomy and alignment to limit client injuries.

Join Bo Forbes and she teaches Yoga for the Emotional Body: Healing Anxiety, Insomnia & Depression through Yoga. Using Integrative Yoga Therapeutics (therapeutic vinyasa, restorative yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises), Forbes will help you log in to your innate healing power and create the blueprint for emotional freedom. Contact the Shambhala Mountain Center to learn more.

What happens in a cancer support group, like those offered by Shambhala Mountain Center, is that you get great emotional support and information. You’ll receive empathy and be able to share your experience with people who are dealing with the same thing. And while you may be scared to see people sicker than you, you learn that everyone’s cancer experience is uniquely theirs and just because someone else is going through a bad time, doesn’t mean that you’ll go through a bad time. Essentially, our support group helps validate your own personal experience.

It is within Shambhala Mountain Center’s cancer retreat where real friendships form, where a one on one relationship becomes truly beneficial. Our cancer retreat provides an opportunity to find humor and compassion in the experience.

Within our cancer retreat setting, you can inspire hope in each other. You can teach each other how to distinguish the difference between healing and curing, and support each other through each step of the journey.

When dealing with cancer, it’s very easy to feel isolated. But when you sit with someone who has empathy, you exchange information and the meeting takes on a life of its own. People who meet in cancer support groups look and realize that the odds of each other meeting without the cancer would have been remote. So you find these unlikely relationships that develop as a result of this cancer.

To learn more about Shambhala Mountains Center’s cancer retreat, Courageous Women, Fearless Living, contact us today.

When dealing with cancer, joining a cancer support group can be one of the best ways to help heal. Aside from a place to exchange information about side effects, resources and what’s happening in clinical trials, a cancer support group can help you live a better, fuller life. Cancer brings with it a huge wave of emotions that include anger, fear and loss. While there is this whole wide range of emotions to deal with, there are now places to openly and freely express those feelings.

Studies have shown that cancer patients who attend cancer support groups survive longer than just receiving medical treatment alone. While medical attention is often considered necessary, the addition of emotional support helps you cope and gives you a safe place to share your innermost feelings. With a safe haven to share what you’re going through, your emotional self can heal along with your physical self.

Looking for a cancer support group? Join Shambhala Mountain Center’s cancer retreat, Courageous Women, Fearless Living. Contact Shambhala Mountain Center to learn more.

Tai Chi is a good way to reduce stress and clear the mind. It’s a great exercise because it can be done by the very young and the very old, at almost any place. Here are a few pointers to help you use Tai Chi to reduce stress.

1. Start with the basics. Slowly inhale through each breath and feel the positive energy entering your body; and as you exhale, imagine the stress leaving your body.
2. Try to practice in a quiet corner with little distractions, so you can focus your energy.
3. You can learn more about reducing stress through Tai Chi by joining a Tai Chi class or Tai Chi retreat like those offered by Shambhala Mountain Center.
4. Take it easy. Practice in a way that makes you feel comfortable and helps you feel relaxed.
5. Finally, try to do these exercises in the morning and the night, because it’s a great way to begin and end your day on a positive note.

Ready for the next step? Come join Larry Welsh as he leads Meditation & Tai Chi: Finding Stillness Within Movement. In this weekend-long retreat join together the wisdom of Tai Chi and sitting meditation. Contact Shambhala Mountain Center today to learn more.

Tai Chi is a wonderful exercise as well as spiritual practice because it combines the moving form of yoga with the mindfulness of meditation. There are a number of forms of Tai Chi, all of which consist of a sequence of movements that are performed slowly, softy and gracefully with smooth and even transitions in between.

Like yoga and meditation, Tai Chi is an excellent way to relieve stress. In fact, Tai Chi has become increasingly popular as it has been clinically proven to reduce blood pressure and stress levels. Unlike other forms of exercise that might put unnecessary strain on joints and muscles, the gentle movements in tai chi are safe for people of all ages and levels of fitness.

Aside from reduced stress, Tai Chi can help:

• Increase flexibility
• Improve muscle strength and definition
• Increase energy
• Reduce anxiety and depression
• Improve balance
• Improve sleep quality

Want to give Tai Chi a try? Come partake in our weekend-long Tai Chi and meditation retreat. In this Tai Chi retreat, led by Larry Welsh, beginning practitioners will learn the basics of sitting meditation and Tai Chi. Advanced practitioners will focus on integrating these two wisdom traditions. Contact Shambhala Mountain Center to learn about Meditation & Tai Chi: Finding Stillness Within Movement with Larry Welsh

Cancer patients who suffer from severe pain, fatigue and mental stress can use sacred movements to calm their nerves and empower their souls. In Shambhala Mountain Center’s retreat, Courageous Women, Fearless Living, attendees practice breath and movement exercises that can help them get though times when they are suffering great pain or feelings of discomfort. Patients use sacred movements to eliminate the negative thoughts they have about cancer and being sick, so they can then concentrate their energy on healing.

Join  Sofia Diaz, a gifted teacher of sacred movement, and feminine spiritual practice, as she explores ways in which you can help relieve the stresses and discomforts that come from cancer.

As a renowned writer on sexuality and spirituality, Diaz derives her form of teaching and body philosophy from the South Indian Temple Arts and their accompanying scriptures, making her well connected to the body and the way in which movement, breadth and meditation can heal the body and mind. For more information on Courageous Living, Fearless Living and the teachings of Sophia Diaz, contact the Shambhala Mountain Center today.