Finding myself and losing weight in a three-week retreat

I just finished a three-week retreat. It has been hugely transformational for me. It was held in a place called Hidden Valley in Australia. Hectares of isolated property teeming with life. It felt a little bit like paradise because there are animals and they don’t run away. I did a few minutes of eye contact with a kangaroo and was actually quite surprised that he/she seemed quite intrigued by my presence.

A friend told me he was meditating on a hill and had a fruit near his knee — and when he opened his eyes, to his utter amazement, he saw a 20-foot lizard inch up to him and eat the fruit with much gusto. Just at his knee! I remarked it was a good thing the lizard did not bite him because I don’t think lizards are vegetarian.

The property owners just let the animals be. They don’t kill them. They are just allowed to be part of the eco system.

The sounds, ohhhh the sounds of the valley — I heard different sounds of birds. At times, it felt like a symphony of sounds orchestrating across the valley.

The system that operates the valley has a commitment to the environment. Their toilets in the bush are waterless and use sawdust. I found that pretty amazing because it has no smell.

The most wondrous aspect of the place is the stars. The tapestry of stars — I’ve never seen anything like it anywhere. Magnificent is putting it mildly.  My meditation teacher said that Australia, because of its position on the planet, has the best access to a starry sky.

It was amazing to me how it could be sooo very hot one day (36 degrees Celsius) and then drop to 13 the next day!

The place is almost literally cut off from the outside world. Because it is a valley, the signal is quite erratic, which makes it conducive to meditation, but it’s frustrating when one has to communicate with the outside world.

My bones must have improved while I was there because we climbed up and down the hill six times a day. And the climb was not easy. I was happy to note though that by the time the retreat ended, I could feel I had made progress. I was able to climb the whole hill without stopping!

I also decided to go on this water therapy because a dear friend sent me this link: http://www.theboredmind.com/health/woman-drinks-gallon-of-water-every-day-for-four-weeks-and-the-final-picture-results-are-shocking/.

Drinking water makes a lot of sense to me. I would put drops of this flower essence (Freedom Flowers Blend and Pure Potential), which is supposed to remove negative patterns in life. If it works, it works (I have it in G Stuff.) It must have helped because aspects of myself, which I had not noticed, are now very noticeable to me.  Having had one day of meetings and having faced challenging situations, I did not lose my cool. Yes! So maybe the essences did help. I feel super healthy. I lost five pounds. Well, I didn’t eat much during the silent meditation week. I feel really strong. Despite the loss in weight, my bone density has not gone down. I have never drunk so much water in my life!  I was doing the prescribed three liters a day; I am still on it because I want to finish a month. I will probably keep it on for life because it feels really good. The quality of water is of great importance. I have this gadget that restructures water. At home, I use Kangen water plus the flower essences. My bowel movement has definitely improved.  I noticed that the white film that comes when I scrape my tongue in the morning has visibly diminished.

What’s interesting to note is that when I got there, I put my things in the room. As the retreat progressed, I noticed my room getting neater and I was getting more organized. Usually, so many things are on my mind. My surroundings reflect it.

Finally, there was the six-day silent retreat where we were doing seven hours of meditation daily. And no speaking AT ALL. This was significantly profound for me because I felt the Divine Presences in me. It was like I had friends ... company even while in silence. And I could feel them giving to me. This is when I saw aspects of myself that needed changing. I also learned how to do my meditation in a deeper way.

I am back home and ready to face 2016. Let me share with you lessons I got from the retreat.

• The need to be very aware of oneself — on a deep level. You can’t bring on the light if you are not coming from it. In other words, you can’t bring on love and understanding if you don’t have it inside. Often, the mind has a way of convoluting things. Purity needs keen awareness.

• Will can bring on physical health. It’s like a surge of energy that goes through your body. The most ideal situation is to connect this Will to the Divine.

• We need to receive from the Divine. We are usually asking, but don’t pause to receive. The relationship to the Divine is a heart-based one. We receive, we offer… Divine Presences or Angels give and give and give ... And we extend what is given to us to those around us. Love is what makes the world go round. A  cliche but it’s true.

Life is never easy. It’s designed to be that way. It’s how we take it that turns the corner. My wish for all of you is to plant the seeds for a very blessed 2016.

To help you, I would like to invite you to our first health and wellness session for 2016 at the Luna Gardens in Rockwell on Saturday, Jan. 30 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. This will be a session on homeopathy. This was hugely applauded last year so we have decided to do a repeat and are looking at focusing on specific ailments each time. So, it will not just be homeopathy, it will be lifestyle and other bits of advice just on health and wellness. For those who don’t know what homeopathy is, it is a system of accessing the energies of plants and minerals for health benefits. Homeopathy addresses the holistic health of man —mind, body, and emotions. The instructor is Ivan Piccio, a certified homeopathic doctor who had his training in England. He practiced there for 12 years and now, he wants to give back to the country. We have many stories to share so I look forward to seeing you there. Please call Ric Cortez at 09175861440 or Anna Dolendo at 09154650759 or email salesandmarketinggstuff@gmail.com to reserve. Entrance fee is P250, which includes a healthy snack. See you!

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I can be reached at regina_lopez@abs-cbn.com.