My work in progress novel, Somewhere In Between, is a romance set over a series of beginners meditation classes and (slight spoiler alert), towards the end of act 2, the class decamps to an outward bound centre for a residential meditation retreat. It doesn’t go well for Perry and Rob, the romantic leads. Retreats can be difficult – I know, I’ve been on dozens – and while a few extra bits and pieces wouldn’t have helped Perry or Rob, a couple small home comforts packed away at the bottom of a boho meditation bag could make all the difference.
So, here’s a few of my favourite packable retreat comforts.
Snacks – especially chocolate
The meals will be provided but they might not be to everyone’s taste. They’ll almost certainly be vegetarian, possibly vegan and definitely lentil heavy. To take the sharp edges off the tofu curries, I pack a few foodie treats, like smoky almonds or savoury biscuits. They’re easily packed and won’t leak over my harem pants.
And even though I rarely eat chocolate in my normal life, I always bring few bars along anyway. It’s surprising what days of meditation can do to my desire for something sweet. I’ve even been know to hide in the woods and share a chocolate frog with a friend. Best tasting frog ever.
Thermal underwear and a woolly hat
I live in Australia so you’d think that it would always be warm. Wrong – it can be bitterly cold on a morning and that’s when the first meditation invariably starts. Frigid digits are an unnecessary and entirely avoidable meditation distraction.
Also, the accomodation is often very basic, with minimal insulation and ill fitting windows, so I’m always grateful for a few extra layers – it’s good to rug up. A hot water bottle is also a good idea and can be filled from the gigantic tea urns that all retreat centres have – always freshly boiled, to keep the retreatants supplied with gallons of herbal teas.
Ear plugs
It’s highly likely to be sharing a room with one or more strangers, and those strangers might well snore like power drills. They might not even realise it, but when they are blissfully and beautifully asleep, they may sound like two possums fighting in a sack. So I bring along really good earplugs. They are tiny lifesavers if I’m struggling to sleep. There’s nothing worse than sleep deprived meditation so I do everything I can to avoid it.
Crocs
Not the large aquatic reptile (though since I’m meditating in Australia, one might already be there), but the comfortable slip on shoes. Much time is spent shuffling towards sleeping quarters, across to the meditation hall, or into the kitchens in search of snacks because I forgot to bring my own. It’s much better to be able to slip on and off footwear in moments, rather than constantly tie and retie my laces. It’s always footwear off in meditation spaces, so ease of removal becomes surprisingly important, and as things slow down, even putting on proper shoes becomes an effort.
Laxatives
The toilet block will probably be shared and it could be on the (very) basic end of what is acceptable to humans. I’ve been on retreat where compost toilets were the only option and there weren’t that many of those. When I had to do the necessary, a queue built up outside, which was super off putting. And it always seemed to be the same people in that queue, which somehow made it worse – I think our cycles must have been synchronised.
So I always bring some laxatives to ease the way. They might not always be necessary, but there is nothing worse than sitting down for some stillness, simplicity and contentment, knowing that I haven’t been for a poo in days. Then it’s a forty minute sit, being hyper-aware of the ever growing blockage in my guts. Highly unpleasant – so a few laxatives in the bag is always wise.
Pen and notebook
It’s good to strip down all entertainments and focus solely on meditation and general shuffling around. My exception to this is a pen and notebook. A small amount of creative writing, perhaps a poem or two, can be lovely. Alternatively, a meditation diary for the duration of the retreat can help in deepening the sits. Also when I get stuck thoughts, a good trick is to write them all out in a stream of consciousness style prose. That can unstick them or help me narrow down what is really bothering me.
And my love of writing was kick started by bringing a pen and paper to a retreat, and that turned out to be unexpectedly life changing.
Torch
I can be pretty dark in a retreat centre as they tend to be out in the sticks, so it’s a good idea to bring a torch for those midnight toilet excursions. Even though everyone’s phone has a torch function, I prefer to bring the actual physical torch – the less I touch my phone on retreat the better. I just bring a small pen torch though, not a giant club like construction as wielded by the NYPD when fighting off urban criminals.
Alarm clock
In the same vein, it’s good to bring along an alarm clock rather than rely on s clock. It’s so tempting to check emails first thing on a morning when turning off the phone alarm, so I find it better to remove the temptation and have a proper alarm clock instead.
An alarm isn’t strictly necessary though, as there is always a bell rung well in advance of the first meditation. But I like to make the porridge as one of my retreats jobs, so it’s good to be up early for that.
Mornings are the best, so its lovely to make the best of them.
Water bottle
An easy one. It nice to have a simple water bottle. The kitchen will be a distance away so I like to keep water in my room, and depending what’s appropriate, some water in the meditation hall can be good too, though it’s sometimes better to leave everything other than yourself outside. Also, taking afternoon walks is a popular retreat activity, so a water supply is wise for that, especially if it’s hot.
Swimmers
An odd one, but my favourite retreat centre has a creek running through it, and a cold water swim is an excellent mind reset, especially if I’m feeling a bit stuck or anxious. The solitary retreat spot I was in earlier in the year, also had a water hole for some excellent cold water swims. No swimmers needed that time though – I was by myself so I just jumped in naked.
Favourite pillow
Some people pride themselves on packing light for a retreat. Just a few changes of underwear and a spare T-shirt in a small backpack and they are all good for the ten day duration. I’m completely the opposite and pack heaps, and even check in additional baggage if I’m flying.
Therefore, I’ve plenty of room for the more bulky comforts, such as my favourite pillow. There is nothing worse than being left with substandard pillowing and sleeping on a anaemic scrap of material masquerading as adequate head support. I demand the plumpest of all pillows so I bring my own memory form one along.
My own meditation gear
All retreat centres will provide meditation gear, but I like to bring my own. When I’ve been sitting for hours, even the smallest discomfort can magnify into an all consuming pain fest. It’s always an option to meditate on a chair, which a lot of people do, but I still like to do it seated – it’s just what I’m used to.
Previously, I brought a meditation cushion (zafu) and three foam yoga blocks, but that took up most of my suitcase. I’ve now invested in a meditation stool, which folds away nicely and is much easier to pack – and so I’ve now got space for a second pillow (and I’m definitely tempted to pop a second one in).
And leave behind …
Almost as importnt as what to bring, is what to leave behind. I try to leave these items at home base:
- Electronic devices such as laptops, tablets and so on
- Any personal projects such as current writing or work stuff
- Books, especially novels. Small book of poetry can be nice, but the retreat centres I go to have small libraries so its not really necessary to bring the written word with me.
And since I’m a human being in the first half of the twenty first century, I’ll have my phone with me – but I’ll really try not to touch it for the duration.
Photo by Sören Funk on Unsplash
