Forget sausages and beer. We may be heading for nature, but it's not going to be that kind of vacation. What can you expect from a meditation holiday and how much will you pay for a week that promises to bring you a peace of mind?
Lying in a sun lounger on the beach of a busy resort is not the only way you can spend your vacation. How would you enjoy a week surrounded by Czech nature, getting up with the sunrise, cooking vegetarian meals together with other people, meditation and daily yoga? A meditation holiday should prompt you to rediscover what is important in life! Are you in?
Experience a week in an ashram
Most people don't see community life as their personal path. But if you want to experience something completely new, you should definitely give it a try. Pack the essentials and head off to an ashram!
You will be staying in a house (or rather a complex of buildings) in nature together with another 15 - 20 people, cooking with them in one kitchen, meditate, practice yoga or look after the garden. The main goal of such a stay is for you to decompress, learn to relax and gain new experiences and acquaintances. You will learn to practice yoga, cook healthily, grow organic vegetables and generally live in a community. Getting curious yet? Alright, but be warned: cell phones must be turned off (or at least set on mute), alcohol is not welcome here and neither is smoking. (Not even IQOS!). Even perfumes are a big no.
The Czech Republic offers several options for you to choose from. Renowned ashrams can be found, for instance, in Dolní Čermná, Střílky or Žďárec. The most famous ashram in the world is the Indian experimental city of Auroville with a large temple for meditation called Matrimandir.
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Chrám Matrimandir v utopickém městě AurovilleSource: pixabay.com / Peter Anta
Dům na prodej 7kk - Praha 6, 307m2, Praha 6
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Meditation holiday near Mácha's Lake or in the Beskydy Mountains
If you feel like an ashram is a little too much for you, you can choose a meditation holiday with a program. You'll be attending a workshop that focuses on meditation and exercise, and when there's nothing on the program, you can spend time however you like. You can spend a week like this amidst the forests of Chodsko, among other places. You will enjoy meditation at sunrise and sunset and connect with the energy of nature.
The Meditation House in Doksy near Mácha's Lake offers a holiday for the whole family, too. The traditional program here is based around music. In addition to exercise and meditation, you'll get drum, dance, play Tibetan bowls and didgeridoos. You can sing, indulge in massages or go on a meditation walk in nature. All for 4,000 CZK.
In the Beskydy Mountains, in addition to yoga and meditation, you can enjoy quiet moments spent in your own company. This kind of relaxation is called "mauna". It's believed that there is a great power in silence and that staying in silence can help us find ourselves. And how much does finding oneself cost? Be ready to pay 7,500 CZK.
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Meditace při západu slunceSource: pixabay.com / Felix-Mittermeier.de
Some "meditation stays" offer comfortable accommodation, others expect you to sleep on a mattress in the hallway together with other people. It's up to you how far you want to take your asceticism.
A weekend may be enough
Feel like a week would be way too much? Here's an idea: try a weekend meditation stay for beginners. You should experience deep understanding and relaxation of the mind at a beautiful place, for instance in the former parish house near Humpolec, where these weekends are regularly held. 4 rooms are prepared here, ideally intended for accomomdating men and women separately. Such a stay costs about 3,600 CZK.
It's said that nowadays, we've completely lost contact with nature, that our mind is riddled by an excess of unimportant information, and that we even consider natural relaxation a luxury we simply cannot afford. But guess what, we actually can! It's a pity that we often have to pay others to help us realize it again.
