So these people PAY for quietness

[DaSharkie]

So there I am reading the paper this morning and lo and behold I find an article about people PAYING money to meditate.

Aparently the trend is to shut off the cell phones, blackberries, laptops, and get away from everyone.

Forgive me for being an uneducated dolt, but I do not need to pay $300+ for a week off and away from electronics. Some people just have too much money and not enough common sense to just go camping.

Some people paying $1,200 for aroma therapy. I mean geez, a Yankee Candle costs what? $20 if you want teh big overpriced one.

Maybe I am just too bitter and cynical.


http://www.telegram.com/article/2007...55/1157/NEWS03

Getting connected

In world of stimuli overload, meditation offers chance to actually listen

By Danielle Williamson TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Even as a leader of an organization that emphasizes the importance of alone time, Bob Agoglia often succumbs to the temptation to stay connected with everything and everyone.

“There’s wireless this, wireless that,” said Mr. Agoglia, executive director of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been on vacation without my computer.”

But Mr. Agoglia is also familiar with an alternate concept: shutting off all the gadgets and escaping to a peaceful, less distracting setting. He has attended spiritual retreats since 1979.


Getting away from technological, personal and occupational distractions can be rejuvenating, according to leaders of area venues that offer spiritual retreats.

Researchers have found that meditation, often practiced during retreats, helps people pay attention and make decisions. Spiritual retreat centers, generally located on large plots of land, give visitors a quiet place to meditate and relax.

Some retreats, like those at the Insight Meditation Society, are held in silence. Getaways at the Calvary Retreat Center in Shrewsbury and the Maharishi Vedic Health Center in Lancaster, for example, offer opportunities for verbal interaction.

Located on 200 acres, Insight Meditation Society offers two- to nine-day silent retreats for people new to meditation. Demand for these programs led to the opening in 2003 of the nearby Forest Refuge, where experienced retreat-goers stay in silence for periods up to a year, according to Gyano Gibson, communications director for IMS. Retreat fees are on a sliding scale; the cost for an Aug. 31 to Sept. 3 retreat, for example, ranges from $90 to $310.

Except in special circumstances, visitors can’t use phones. There’s no television or entertainment. The only breaks from silence include twice-daily meetings with the center’s teachers.

On a recent sunny afternoon, a dozen long-term guests at Forest Refuge walked on a covered platform attached to the main building, or sat, quietly, gazing at a grassy courtyard. The only sounds were of birds, insects and footsteps.

“Retreats allow people’s minds to settle,” Ms. Gibson said. “When we talk a lot, we get caught up in the future, planning, remembering — a lot of that stops us from (introspection).”

Richard J. Davidson, professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, published results from a study at IMS in the May 8 online edition of the journal PLoS Biology. Three months of rigorous training in meditation improved ability to detect a brief visual signal that most people cannot detect, the study found.

A later Davidson study, released in June, found meditation increases activity in brain regions used for paying attention and making decisions.

But committing to long periods of silence is not easy in a society preoccupied with external stimuli, said Sharon Salzberg, an IMS teacher and cofounder.

“It’s almost like a mental technology,” said Ms. Salzberg, a Barre resident.

The Center for Mindfulness at University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester offers a stress reduction program that some use to prepare for extended retreats.

“In any kind of mindfulness meditation training, people are helped with the natural tendency to move away from what’s happening in the present moment,” said Melissa Blacker, a senior teacher and director of professional training for the UMass center.

Worcester resident Merin Montalvo, 26, learned about IMS after completing the stress reduction program, and attended a five-day silent retreat at IMS in February.

Overwhelmed by the demands of planning her upcoming wedding, Miss Montalvo welcomed the break.

Even as she washed dishes with a fellow retreat-goer, Miss Montalvo didn’t speak.

“Silence was particularly hard for me,” she said in a telephone interview last week. “The first two days, I was really craving the connection. By the third and fourth, I got used to it. By day five, I was ready to leave.”

Miss Montalvo said she returned to her daily activities with a clear mind.

At Calvary Retreat Center in Shrewsbury, there are no periods of forced silence, said Retreat Director Ernest R. Rivard.

“We try to create opportunities for retreatants to dialogue among themselves,” he said.

Participants, most of them Catholic, are drawn to Calvary’s retreats for different reasons, including addiction, a loved one’s death, financial worries and the simple desire to recharge, he said.

“Once in a while, we’ll have someone who hasn’t been around church as much as others, and ducks out of the more formal parts.

“I think people need some of that pause time to try and reflect on, ‘What the heck am I doing in my life?’ ” said Mr. Rivard.

St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, a retreat house with 11 private rooms, requires visitors to book retreats six months in advance. The abbey says the retreat house "closely conforms to the atmosphere of the monastery."

For $650 to $1,195 a day, the Maharishi Vedic Health Center in Lancaster offers individually catered programs that include massage, aromatherapy, holistic health techniques and the opportunity for meditation and silence.

“We know that whatever happens inside, as far as personal fulfillment, depends a great deal on our health and stress level,” said Lucija Talijancic, Maharishi’s director of health education. “Many people say that after a week here, they feel 10 years younger.”

For some, seeking inner peace and relaxation is a far less expensive proposition.

Gardner resident Shaun Suhoski said that while thoughts of multiple-day, introspective getaways are intriguing, he finds serenity in the nature around him: mountains, rivers, quarries and twilight hikes around Dunn State Park in Gardner.

“You can’t always get away for three days,” said Mr. Suhoski, Ayer’s town administrator. “But you can find a couple of hours to allow your brain a break from the day-to-day trivium.”

Contact Danielle Williamson by e-mail at dawilliamson@telegram.com

[FlyingKiwi]

4 hours we spent sitting there like stunned mullets.

300 dollars an hour it cost us Mavis, and then what happens.

That mad sod Fred farts.


The whole thing down the drain, just like that.

[frenchfireball]

interesting article but i also think that you do not need to pay a lot of money to meditate.money is everywhere and spoils everything:relationship,enviro nment........

as far as i'm concerned,i think we can not "buy" peace of mind.i just think if you are bored with comps or cell phones,just stop them.if you need quiet moments,go outside(if you live in countryside),or go camping.

[Jessiesgirl1227]

Luckily, I need only put the leash on the dog and walk across the street to the beach. Of course, the dog goes tearing into the water, making everything in his path run squealing for the opposite direction...not really meditatating but it sure is fun!! It's pretty cool if we catch a dolphin swimming out there. It's peaceful.

[WaterbryVTfire]

I am sure this will store up a whole sh*t storm. But, it seems to me the people that pay for this are WAY TO EDUCATED. (ie: liberal?). Notice how most "uneducated" people (ie: conservative?), will pay $25 bucks for a fishing or hunting license and get the same thing?

[FrFtr28]

I am sure this will store up a whole sh*t storm. But, it seems to me the people that pay for this are WAY TO EDUCATED. (ie: liberal?). Notice how most "uneducated" people (ie: conservative?), will pay $25 bucks for a fishing or hunting license and get the same thing?

Sorry to hi jack, but...

Waterbry, I will be traveling around New England for my honeymoon in October and will pass through Vermont. Any suggestions on small, quaint towns to visit?

[hwoods]

I am sure this will store up a whole sh*t storm. But, it seems to me the people that pay for this are WAY TO EDUCATED. (ie: liberal?). Notice how most "uneducated" people (ie: conservative?), will pay $25 bucks for a fishing or hunting license and get the same thing?

Stir it up!! I got your back. And, where do we fish first??

[mvfd27]

I am sure this will store up a whole sh*t storm. But, it seems to me the people that pay for this are WAY TO EDUCATED. (ie: liberal?). Notice how most "uneducated" people (ie: conservative?), will pay $25 bucks for a fishing or hunting license and get the same thing?

Excellent point.....I love going hunting and fishing for peace and quiet, but, even if you don't hunt or fish...pay a couple bucks for a one day state park/state trail pass and go hiking. Better yet, find some free trails or wildlife areas and just get lost for awhile. Why pay $300 bucks when there are cheaper and IMHO much better options to unwind and get away????

Rich people...sheeesh

[Catch22]

I am sure this will store up a whole sh*t storm. But, it seems to me the people that pay for this are WAY TO EDUCATED. (ie: liberal?). Notice how most "uneducated" people (ie: conservative?), will pay $25 bucks for a fishing or hunting license and get the same thing?

It's not the $25 license that's the problem, it's the $400+ rifle/shotgun and the $30,000 boat.

I'm with ya man.

[DeputyMarshal]

the cost for an Aug. 31 to Sept. 3 retreat, for example, ranges from $90 to $310.

Erm... Not for nothing but, around here, you'd be hard pressed to find a decent hotel room for that price. It's not as if they're doing anything more or less than any other "theme lodging" and they're not even charging all that much money for it. Hell, I've spent as much or more than that going camping for a long weekend...

Some people camp in the woods to get a little peace and quiet; some go on "retreats." The one is ultimately very little different from the other.

To each his own, eh?

[WaterbryVTfire]

Stir it up!! I got your back. And, where do we fish first??

If you ever get this way, the river that flows through town is FULL of rainbow trout 15+ inches and some brown trout. The rainbows are stocked in the spring, but still are fun to catch later in the summer. And a few years later after they spawn. And if you want a fight, fish the little streams for brook trout. A 6 inch fish will feel like a whale!! They have more fight for their size than anything else bigger.. (in my opinion).

[MalahatTwo7]

4 hours we spent sitting there like stunned mullets.

300 dollars an hour it cost us Mavis, and then what happens.

That mad sod Fred farts.


The whole thing down the drain, just like that.

Dang near choked on my Starburst Lemon Chew over that one!

[DaSharkie]

It's not the $25 license that's the problem, it's the $400+ rifle/shotgun and the $30,000 boat.

I'm with ya man.

Yeah, but at least you can use them many times.

[DaSharkie]

Sorry to hi jack, but...

Waterbry, I will be traveling around New England for my honeymoon in October and will pass through Vermont. Any suggestions on small, quaint towns to visit?

Er um.........................Ver mont is full of nothing but.

Of course New Hampshire is better.........No sales tax in those charming little towns. (Sorry, it's just my cheap pr!ckness coming out)

[doughesson]

PT Barnum was right.There really IS a sucker born every minute.
These folks would go to a zoo and then pay to see the "egress"thinking it was a female bird.
On the other thing,I have a hard enough time buying a firearm or fishing gear and then convincing the g/f that I really DO need the accessories like ammunition,stronger line,holsters,licenses,and of course new tackle and a tackle box to tote it in.
Some women understand those needs but the ones I meet never seem to believe it.

[DeputyMarshal]

I have a hard enough time buying a firearm or fishing gear and then convincing the g/f that I really DO need the accessories like...

Deer Hunting Expenses Explained: http://www.bigducky.com/videos/funny_videos/deer.htm

[mvfd27]

Deer Hunting Expenses Explained: http://www.bigducky.com/videos/funny_videos/deer.htm

LMAO........too funny....Thanks!

[voyager9]

I am sure this will store up a whole sh*t storm. But, it seems to me the people that pay for this are WAY TO EDUCATED. (ie: liberal?). Notice how most "uneducated" people (ie: conservative?), will pay $25 bucks for a fishing or hunting license and get the same thing?

On second thought, let them pay their $300 meditation retreat. I don't want them filling up the parks, the mountains and rivers are already too crowded!

[voyager9]

Of course New Hampshire is better.........No sales tax in those charming little towns.

Or you can go see the real thing in Maine... my parents just got indoor plumbing last weekend.

[WaterbryVTfire]

Er um.........................Ver mont is full of nothing but.

Of course New Hampshire is better.........No sales tax in those charming little towns. (Sorry, it's just my cheap pr!ckness coming out)

Ahh...New Hampshire is nothing more than an upside down Vermont!! Even the Old Man of the Mountains left!! There is really nothing more to see anymore!