FAITH RETREATS
Meeting God Mindfully
Here I am Lord– 1 Samuel 3:4
Bringing together the practices of Christian Contemplative Prayer and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Meeting God Mindfully is a series of 4 retreats running seasonally through the year.
These retreats aim to support people in learning to calmly abide in the present moment, experience more of who they are, reduce anxiety and stress and gently come home to the still, quiet presence of God at the centre of their lives.
Coming to our Senses
“Finally he came to his senses” … and turned towards home. ”
Mindfulness, sometimes called, ‘wakefulness’, ‘heartfulness’ and occasionally ‘soulfulness’ is a way of intentionally stopping to listen, staying alert and coming to our senses. Over time as we practice we learn to quieten the mind and connect to a spaciousness of heart that allows us to become more fully and wonderfully ourselves before God and with others. By simply stopping, breathing, looking, tasting, smelling, slowly walking and taking in the world with all of our senses we can find a safe and sacred space on our own and with God and over time deepen our relationships and nurture a soul friendship with the whole of life and creation.
Let Go and Let God
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Most of us are so busy that we hardly ever stop. More often than not weare lost in the past or the future, churning worries, plans or regrets over and over in our minds. All this worrying and fretting about so many things is commonly called stress and it can be soul destroying. Practices such as stepping into stillness, resting in silence, paying attention to the breath as it comes and goes and being fully present to one thing at a time allow us to encounter ourselves in the present moment.
There is a healing in stillness and in nature. Sitting within stillness, sometimes even a sense of emptiness, and listening deeply helps us to connect with ourselves and to be fully present to whatever we have to be with in the moment. This kind of gentle presence often helps to reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety. We learn to surrender and as we ‘let go and let God’ we come to an experience of deep and lasting peace.
These retreats begin with tea and coffee at 9.30am and finish at 5pm allowing plenty of time to gently awaken our hearts, nourish our souls and encounter God already and always waiting for us in every moment.
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: They neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his span of life?
If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest.
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