In my last solo/silent retreat on Kangaroo Island, there was a monk there who had been on retreat for 3 years (so far!).
This means he hadn’t spoken or really seen anyone over this time and his stay was dedicated to meditation and deepening his practice.
After I finished my own retreat, I talked to the retreat centre manager about the monk.
He said that it was common practice for them to do retreats “within” the retreat. This meant that his typical month while there might consist of 10-15 days straight of very intense practice. Maybe 10-12 hours per day.
Then, the other times during that month he might he might have 3-4 hours each day of formal meditation, with the rest of the day focused on mindfulness, but not as intense.
In our training, our work and even our relationships, it can feel like we are spinning a lot of plates at once. One strategy is to take a deep dive, or a “sprint” in one area once in a while to take it to a new level.
It then almost goes on maintenance mode as we re-group and get ready for the next plunge.
