A reflective retreat journey to Holy Isle exploring mindfulness, nature, and inner resilience amidst life’s storms
Journey to Holy Isle Nature Retreat
I head proper north to Western Scotland, my final destination the island of Holy Isle Centre for World Peace and Health. It really makes sense as peace and health are two of the things clients tell me I help them achieve. Time to top up my own batteries and trust my instinct to revisit this beautiful island!
The waters are unusually calm on the first ferry to Arran but there there is a mist, no island to be seen.
I pause to reflect, this is just like life we have to trust the process as sometimes the answer we are looking for is in front of our eyes but obscured from view. Our mental thinking and emotional tendencies or habitual patterns or fears further obscure our view, our way forward. A bit like needing to clean the lens on our glasses or car windscreen to so the way with clarity and confidence.
Then out of the mist the island of Arran appears. I make my way to the bus stop and if by magic familiar and new faces show up, a sense connection as we drink warm drinks and share our journeys so far. I am joining a tribe of mindfulness practitioners gathering for a Mindfulness for Life Annual Retreat. Friends new and old bringing light and leadership to a complicated world. This time away in a curated space, definitely brings insights and wisdom. It’s not always easy but definitely worthwhile.
As I get closer to the Holy Isle, I am stunned by the view in front of me across the waters. People gather on the stone jetty for the small ferry that will take us over the beautiful calm waters. But like the calm before the storm, brewing on many levels, our outer landscape can be misleading.
Silence and Inner Weather
Each day we as we slow down and start to listen to our inner world. Away from the multiple distractions of day-to-day life be that family and work responsibilities, household chores, Netflix, digital technology or 24 hour news. A timely reminder it always starts with ourselves, our commitment to self and our capacity to take time out to practice. To master the art of holding the tricky and the more attractive with balance and acceptance.
To spend time in mindful silence, quiet reflection.
Here in the silence the physical aches and pains show up. Hidden mental and emotional disturbances in our inner weather systems start to surface. They become more vivid and call for our attention. Along with joy, connections and peace there is a space to be present with all that is showing up.
The teachers with divine synchronicity answering our unasked questions in their carefully planned or improvised teachings.
Surrounded by the sea in the beautiful energy of nature, the prayer flags blowing in the wind, the wild horses and sheep roaming without fear. Holy Isle is a place that has welcomed decades of prayer and pilgrims and internally recognised teachers and thought leaders; is it any wonder that wisdom resides here, I smile to myself.
As the week progresses, I chat to fellow participants dealing with ‘stuff’ be that their next steps, the state of the world or politics, grief and loss, sharing family concerns for aging parents or emerging adults finding their way. Together we unpick imposters syndrome (what does that really mean?).
We encourage each other to brave the Scottish waters jumping off the jetty into the cold waters delight, sprinkling childlike laughter and joy in nature’s playground.
The Storm as Teacher
You may remember I had mentioned ‘the calm before the storm”, well she arrived causing the retreat to end a day early. Storm Floris was silently brewing since our arrive. All but five of us were able to leave on the last small boats the ferry crossings halted for 3 days.
We brave Floris’s winds and walk and talk ascending the hill, through the abundant greenery to the lighthouse. Where before our eyes we witness an awesome sight, the storm winds whip up the sea spray, creating magical Tolken like rainbows of seahorses. We sit in awe, I didn’t want to move and offer natures auspicious gesture of sky art up as a gesture of prayer to all suffering in the world “May you be well, may you be healthy, may you be free of suffering.” Like the prayer flags blowing in the wind offering their prayer for compassion and care to all sentient beings. The energy was mesmerising.
Before arriving on the retreat, I was feeling a little under the weather, sad for all the suffering in the world, especially for the children. But the rainbows re-kindled my hope I was reminded me of a quote from an early Mindfulness Association Training on Compassion:
“When the sunshine of loving kindness
meets the raindrops of suffering,
the rainbow of compassion arises.”Clive Holmes
Connections, community and volunteering
Led by three wise teachers Vin, Kristine and Ian, I am one of 30 participants on the retreat; mix people of practicing, laughing sharing ideas, their lives both hardships, challenges and joys in our daily mindful movement, mediation practice. I smile at the range of professions in the room policemen, nurses, psychotherapists, youth workers, teachers, trainers, entrepreneurs coaching and management consultants, mediation and yoga teachers and lawyers. All committed to taking space and time out to charge their batteries in this unique experience. I feel inner hope to witness people resourcing themselves to share their treasures and craft in work in the wider world.
Visiting the Island and centre is made possible by a small team of volunteers and the careful coordination Grant and team from Lamlash Ferries working with the tides!
To help each morning, we all do Karmic Yoga helping the community; working in the kitchen or house-keeping, weeding in the organic gardens or collecting litter castaway on the nature reserve’s beach, plastics tangled in seaweed. I note the massive jellyfish washed up some ½ metre in diameter and smile and tell my old brain not to rush to fear (fight, flight or fight). I focus on my love of and joy swimming in the cold and wild Scottish waters, which fortunately cancels out the Jellyfish worry.
“Change happens one person at a time.” — Michelle Obama
Held by the islands beautiful surrounding, fearless wild ponies, sheep, goats and birds it is impossible not to be touched by the deep respect for life in all forms.
I sat watching the beautiful rainbows and realised my prayer for peace had been answered
in this beautiful space my hope in the amidst the storm was restored, and I offer this to you.
More information About the Mindfulness For Life Retreat.
The Sound of Silence
As part of the annual continuing professional development (CPD) requirements of the UK Good Practice Guidelines (GPGs) for mindfulness teachers, that 50% of your waking time on retreat is spent in silence.As well as a day of pure silence, we normally have silience each evening from 10 pm until 1pm the end of lunch. We are encouraged not to use technology or phones. For those of you who may be curious about what a Mindfulness retreat looks like here is a sample day.
7:00-7:30 Silent sit
7:30-8:30 Breakfast
8:30 -9:30 Working with the community
9:30-10:45 Morning Sessions including mediation and yoga
12:30-3:30 Lunch and rest (free time for reading, swimming, walking etc)
3:30-5:00 Afternoon Sessions
6:00-7:15 Soup
7:15-8:30 Final session or tutorial
Useful Links:
Mindfulness Training and Pathways including free daily online mediations with tutors: The Mindfulness Association https://www.mindfulnessassociation.net
Mindfulness for Life https://www.mindfulnessassociation.net/mindfulness-for-life/
Holy Isle Centre for World Peace and Health https://www.holyisle.org
https://www.holyisle.org/home/golden-rules Volunteering at Holy Isle https://www.holyisle.org/assets/Uploads/Volunteering-on-Holy-Isle-11.03.23.pdf
Getting to Holy Isle from Arran https://lamlashcruises.org.uk