Six steps to turn confinement into a spiritual retreat

Experiencing lockdown differently

With the lockdown, you're likely experiencing two seemingly contradictory emotions: fear and boredom . The first is a perfectly normal reaction to a potentially deadly and invisible threat over which you probably have no control. The second can seem inevitable when you're stuck at home , whether alone, with family, or with housemates. Even if you're working from home, you have many hours to fill . And even enjoyable distractions like reading, watching Netflix, browsing the internet, and playing video games can get old pretty quickly.

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A spiritual retreat

One solution is to transform your confinement into a spiritual retreat. This will automatically shift your isolation from a "must-do" to an "achievable" task. What a relief ! After all, how often do you have the opportunity to focus on your spiritual practice for more than a few minutes each day?

Focusing your attention on your religious or spiritual practice can help you control your fear. A suitable prayer or mantra for practitioners of any belief system is: "Replace my fear with faith."

A shrine or an altar

If you don't already have one, create a shrine or altar on any piece of furniture. Altars have been used by many religions and spiritual traditions for hundreds of thousands of years. An altar can serve as a focal point for spirituality and contemplation. Your altar can help you ground yourself and reconnect with spirituality when life becomes difficult or chaotic . Altars are simple to make and allow for a great deal of creative expression. An effective spiritual practice is simply to sit in silence at your altar for 5 to 10 minutes each day. This can be done first thing in the morning or at night before going to bed. Altars can be made on shelves, tables, bookshelves, and even around your bathtub! Just place objects on the altar that have meaning for you . These can be religious objects or items you associate with your own spirituality, such as crystals, flowers, seashells, photos of loved ones, sayings, and/or other objects that hold personal significance for you. Many people also choose to include candles or incense on their altar. Having an altar can be beneficial to your work in a subtle way. Your spiritual workspace could simply consist of a live plant, paintings, and/or things you've found in nature, such as sea glass or stones. You can also designate your computer background as a simple digital altar by choosing an image that has spiritual meaning for you.

Six suggestions for your spiritual retreat

Here are six simple suggestions to help you design your spiritual retreat:

• Decide how much time you wish to dedicate each day to your retreat. The duration will necessarily depend on your professional and family obligations, as well as your prior experience with prayer and/or meditation. For example, it may not be realistic to commit to four hours of meditation a day if you have never meditated for more than 15 minutes before.
• Consider learning a new prayer or meditation technique . For example, if you are Buddhist and usually practice breath meditation, try Metta (loving) meditation. Metta involves silently repeating wishes for yourself, for someone you love, for a neutral person, for someone you dislike, and ultimately, for all beings everywhere. Some examples of wishes include: "May you be happy," "May you be well and free from chronic pain," and "May you know peace."
• This is the perfect time to read spiritual books . Highlight passages that resonate with you. Take notes and write down questions to share with your spiritual teacher, pastor, priest, or rabbi.
• Make sure you won't be disturbed during your retreat. Turn off your mobile phone and close the door so your housemates and pets don't bother you.
• Even if you are confined to your home, you don't need to be completely isolated during your retreat . Many churches, synagogues, and meditation centers are offering online services and classes during this time. You can stay connected with like-minded practitioners through emails, texts, and bulletin boards.

Daily energy cleansing

If you don't feel able to dedicate time to a daily spiritual routine, try incorporating a daily energy cleansing each time you take a bath or shower . Simply take a few moments to breathe deeply and then imagine all stress and/or other unwanted emotions or physical sensations being washed away by the water . Imagine all these negative energies flowing down the drain with your shower or bath water. Then, take a moment to visualize what you would like to replace those energies with. How would you like to feel? What could you consider doing today that would be beneficial for your spiritual, emotional, and physical health ? For added benefit, you might consider adding Epsom salt or sea salt to your bath or adding a drop or two of water from a natural source such as an ocean, river, or stream. Both are known for their healing properties and their ability to absorb negative energies.

Conclusion

By using your time in lockdown as a spiritual retreat , you will significantly reduce boredom. You will refine your spiritual tools and add new ones to your spiritual toolbox. And, most importantly, you will learn that you can, in fact, replace your fear with faith in the most difficult times .