Retreat at Home – Guidelines

To allow best benefit from your Online Retreat with Pema Salem, you are advised to allow all attention to aim towards your resolution and dissolve ~ both in preparation before and during the online retreat. A set of guidelines are here presented, giving you the option of preparing yourself optimally for a genuinely deepening retreat.

Prior to Online Retreat

Make the Necessary Preparations in your living life, which allows for a fully focused retreat of peace and non-disturbance. This means taking care of business such as clearing out your home, ensuring all is in its right place, the bills are paid, the groceries bought, letting friends and family know you are unavailable for the duration of the retreat and possibly preparing some warm healthy meals for easy heating. Practical things are, if not attended to before retreat, a source of energetic drainage and mental distraction.

Make Conscious Choices around Food & Drink, which you choose to acquire for the duration of the retreat – and optimally the time after. Choosing food that is healthy, un-processed and varied is a good idea. Clean spring water, rather than tap-water is also preferable. Choose Herbal teas and as far as possible avoid coffee and other stimulants for the duration of the retreat.

A Few Necessities, are a notebook and pen, a space for privacy of Movement Meditations, Online Streaming, Contemplation etc. (in case you do not live alone), a water-bottle, decent internet connection for streaming, loose clothes for movement meditation and a few places in nature, picked out and ready to aim for, when it is time to walk in nature. A few nice extras are; Candles and a bit of incense (Palo Santo or Sage recommended). Deciding in advance where to commence with movement-meditations, makes it easy for you to move straight to it, once it is time to Move.

Choose your Spot, by creating a space for your attendance in the online-meetings. The spot must ensure both good visual and sound as well as a place for you to sit upright during the meditations and meetings. This sitting-spot will be significant during your retreat and is beneficial for use afterwards, as a spot for you to engage in meditations.

Reduce Activity and Embrace Relaxation, in the day/s right before the retreat, preparing your mind and nervous system for deep engagement with your Self in meditation, satsang and contemplation.

During Online Retreat

Encouragement of Social Silence ~ during the retreat. If you can be alone it is easier, but in case of living with family or friends, give yourself the gift of making them aware, that you are unavailable. Whenever using speech – use it for practical purposes, and allow yourself a few days on your own, without social interaction.

Eliminate Entertainment ~ and stay retreated! Let the meetings and nature feed your Soul and Silence fill your ears. You are encouraged, to spend every moment relaxing and Listening inwards, to what is going on with your clarification. Allow the part of being in Silence and without continuous stimulation, to play its part during the retreat.

Minimize the impact of other energies ~ Pull the plug on otherwise open lines (cellphones, social media on the internet etc.). Consider setting up an automated reply on your email account and temporarily deactivating your Facebook account, if necessary.

Keep a Journal ~ during the retreat-period, through which you become acquainted with your inner movements; Ways of thinking and moving with your Life. Your notebook can be a good tool for your digestion, as well as to later on implement the depths of Being, uncovered during the retreat, to your living life.

Drink plenty of Water ~ and refrain from ingesting impure substances (the stuff you usually think you need, but is actually feeding the dragon). Avoid ongoing snacking, and give your digestive system the opportunity to rest between meals, so that energy can be used for integration rather than digestion.

Spend time in nature ~ to the extent that weather, time and surroundings allow, during the time for contemplation and digestion. If things feel like they are standing still, all is waiting for you to let your body move, for the translation between energy, mind and body.

And then please note…

~ That Pema is being recorded during online Meetings and that any recordings are likely to be published in full or partially.

~ That you are required to read the Terms and Conditions for attending events with Pema.

~ That you as participant hold full responsibility for taking care – which comes prior to following the Schedule. If you are experiencing strong openings, it is more important that you take care by listening to your body and integration, than that you continue deepening.

 May your surrender be prosperous and your Silence Great…