Retreat Experience, Natalia Rodrigues

Retreat Experience

By Natalia Rodrigues (Design)

I arrived in Columbus in August, when the arrival of foreigners in the country was extremely controlled due to cases of COVID-19 cases in the USA and worldwide. So, like so many international students, I soon came across difficulties that caused me stress and anxiety, and I still had to deal with culture shocks. Since the beginning, I have been pressing myself a lot to quickly overcome the cultural barriers of the education system, as I wanted to learn as much as possible and guarantee good grades. The pressure I put on adapting was already enormous and intensified with the pandemic scenario. Although my teachers were super understanding, I still pressed myself a lot, putting me through many moments of anxiety, insecurity, and insomnia. That was my mental and emotional state when I had the opportunity to participate in the SKY retreat, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time!

The meditation retreat was offered online through Zoom for three consecutive days. Each meeting lasted three hours, and we were a group of approximately 20 people, mostly from Latin America. The mentors guided us in the meditation practices that SKY uses, and we even did yoga, which was great for relaxing. The meditations contained breathing practices that helped us be present. I had an incredible sensation of relaxation. I actually had feelings that I had never had before. I felt very aware of my body, feelings, thoughts, and breathing. Breathing exercises happened in a very conscious and active way, almost like a muscular activity, and the result was impressive! I had never felt my breath like that. For a moment, my breathing was so slow and calm that it seemed to be non-existent. The attention to the body was huge and it came with a great feeling of gratitude.

At the end of the three-day retreat, I felt like a new person, much more aware and relaxed. My mind was calm, even though the end of the semester was on fire. Before SKY, I used to meditate sporadically because “I didn’t have time”. Nowadays, I meditate almost daily (or at least try). It is more difficult than it looks like. Overall, my experience with SKY was very important in my self-caring journey, because only after those three days I did realize the importance of meditation in my life. Nowadays, I try to treat meditation as we all treat the task of brushing our teeth. Do you go a day without brushing your teeth? Probably not. Just like meditation, brushing our teeth is an act of self-care that requires only a few minutes to complete. Once it becomes a habit, those few minutes can help us to relate to ourselves and to others with more caring and respect.