What If Quarantine Was Our Best Opportunity For Growth, Healing & Self-Development?

A few weeks ago, when I found out about the lockdown, I told myself:
“Alright, we can do this. I’m a meditation teacher so let’s use this time wisely and focus on mental health and personal growth.” Guess what happened next? I woke up bombarded with memes and toxic messages on my phone. I felt paralyzed with  information overload. Sounds familiar? How have you felt during self-isolation?

From Self-Isolation To Self-Discovery

Imagine you could turn this whole situation around. What if you could transform self-isolation into self-discovery? In this article, I’m going to share three keys to help you create your own meditation retreat at home.

Read more: Learn how your brain reacts to quarantine and how to cope with it.

This is for you if you’ve been meaning to take a break from your busy life, but you haven’t had the time or money. Well, you no longer need to pay an expensive retreat fee in a distant location. What you do need is a clear intention and the commitment to give yourself one day for meditation. First, pick a date for your retreat and mark it in your calendar! Create a safe and sacred space where you can meditate. You might want to light a candle, burn some incense or surround yourself with beautiful imagery. Allow yourself to rest from distractions, social media, and information overload.

Practice with these guided meditations by Daniel Matallana during your retreat:

Now that you’ve set a clear time and space, here are three keys to creating your own meditation retreat at home:

1. Prioritize Physical Exercise & Nutrition For Immunity

Meditation is not just about sitting still for hours. It’s about feeling good and finding a balance between your body, mind, and spirit.

A gentle exercise routine in the morning will reduce stress and contribute to a sense of overall wellbeing. Furthermore, it will help you wake up and kick-start your metabolism. You don’t need to go anywhere. Just find a comfortable space where you can stretch and move. I personally start my day with uplifting music, dance, and neurobics (a series of simple exercises that activate both hemispheres of the brain). Physical movement is also a great way to strengthen your intention for the day.

If you want to take it a step further, here are some great supplements you can incorporate to boost your immunity: Vitamin D3 and C, Zinc, Ashwagandha, Medicinal Mushrooms, Garlic, Echinacea, and Turmeric.

Read more: Discover how to practice yoga at home with four simple steps.

2. Dedicate Your Retreat For The Benefit Of All Beings

Remember you’re not alone. Connect to your heart, to the energy of unconditional love, and spread it around the globe. Visualize the whole world bathed in healing light. Send your love and prayers to your friends, family, doctors, nurses, patients, and every living being. Just like the sun, shine your unconditional love. Dedicate your meditation for the highest good:

May those who are sick be healed. May we be restored to full health. May we create a new earth filled with love peace and harmony.

3. Define A Daily Routine

It takes discipline to be a free spirit. Before you start your retreat, make sure to communicate with your family and friends in advance, to let them know you’ll be focusing on meditation. You can even persuade them to join you if it feels good! Remember the benefits of meditation are often amplified when we practice together.

Here’s a suggested program for your home retreat, which you can adapt to your own needs and interests. You can even stretch it for as many days as you want!

• 6am Wake up: Smile, give thanks and set your intention
• 7am Morning exercise: Mindful walk or dance while feeding your mind with positive affirmations
• 8am Light breakfast: Green juice or ceremonial cacao
• 9:00 Gentle yoga and loving-kindness Meditation
• 11:00 Free time to relax and declutter! Play nice music while tidying your home
• 1pm: Healthy lunch to boost immunity (eat mindfully and in silence)
• 2pm: Free time to relax and awaken your creativity. Read, journal, paint or study something you’re passionate about
• 5pm: Evening meditation: chanting and sound healing
• 7pm: Light dinner and intimate conversation with family or friends
• 9pm: Lights out. Self-Reflection. Evening gratitude prayer

Commit to starting your retreat the evening before the scheduled day: make sure you go to bed early and get enough rest. Put your phone on airplane mode so you’re not bombarded by social media when you wake up. As you lay in bed, tell yourself: “Tonight I will sleep like a baby, have wonderful dreams and wake up feeling amazing!” Give thanks for your breath, this gift of meditation and the joy of living.

Here’s one important tip: don’t just think about gratitude. Take a moment to FEEL it in your body, and remember how incredibly lucky you are for all the amazing blessings in your life. Flood your heart with infinite gratitude for the past, present, and future. You can even upgrade your feelings to the level of reverence, worship , and devotion. Tell yourself: I ADORE YOU!

Read more: Explore Elliott Dacher’s reflection about what we can learn in times of quarantine by shifting inwards.