Meditation Practice
At the Guanock Retreat Centre we teach of form of meditation which is deeply routed in the ancient Indian tradition of Yoga. There are two aspects to the practice of Yoga meditation. The first is understanding or knowledge and the second is direct experience. Knowledge is needed to make sense of what is essentially an experiencial process. The two aspects: knowledge of meditation and experience of meditation come together and with practice become wisdom.
Meditation is not supposed to be difficult. It is not supposed to be reserved for an elite caste of monks and recluses, practiced in secluded ashrams deep in the forest away from the hustle and bustle of life. It is intended for normal people, for everyone, in fact. It is intended for those living busy lives, every day lives in the world.
Meditation is the quiet centre at the heart of busy life. In a spinning wheel the outside edge is moving fast but at the very centre of the wheel there is a point which is always still.
We also hold it to be true that life is for living at its fullest, for savouring all the experience that life can offer. Meditation enhances and deepens life’s fullest experience. We do not hold with the notion that you must avoid pleasure or that desire is wrong or will lead to suffering. The ancient scriptures have been misinterpreted and misunderstood. In our teaching we restore the correct understanding that by being routed in the stillness at the centre of all life we can fully appreciate the flow and movement that life in action, as a human being, is all about.
So at the Guanock Retreat Centre we encourage enjoyment and pleasure. We provide an experience that is rich end enjoyable in every way, whether it be the food, the bedrooms, the gardens. It is all part of fullness of life.
