Take a little time out this winter for your mind, body and spirit, writes SANDRA O'CONNELL
THE LONG NIGHTS of winter can invite introspection – too much of which can put anyone in a grump. It’s also much easier to veg out in front of the fire than to get out and do something. All in all, it can amount to a pretty unhealthy recipe for life.
That’s why winter is the perfect time for a retreat of the mind, body or spirit – or all three. And happily, you won’t have to go abroad to do so.
Cloona Health Retreat, which is three miles outside Westport, in Co Mayo ( cloona.ie), was established in the 1960s. Today it's the place to go if you want to de-stress, detox or even lose some fat. Programmes include a mix of guided walks, yoga, sauna and massage.
“If you are stressed out you can take time in a hotel, but that doesn’t always help the problem,” says owner Dhara Kelly. “Working on de-stressing is an art in itself, one that takes a little rigour or discipline, but which can also be enjoyable while resting your mind.”
A week’s residential programme costs €590 and, with 60 per cent of its guests returning, they must be doing something right.
Ard Nahoo ( ardnahoo.com) in Leitrim also offers a retreat programme, where you can stay in your own eco-cabin and soak up the peace and quiet. A two-night visit there includes outdoor hot tub, massage, organic food and yoga. It costs €260 per person mid-week, whether sharing or not, and €360 at weekends. While you are there, you can opt for add-ons such as a one-to-one yoga class, more food, or an infrared sauna for an additional fee.
Glendalough in Wicklow is particularly gorgeous right now and even a simple walk there will do you a power of good. For a more concentrated dose, however, check out Glendalough Hermitage ( glendaloughhermitage.ie).
“We welcome people of all faiths and none,” says Margaret Prendergast, one of three nuns who run it. Visitor numbers are up significantly. “We have seen a very definite increase in recent times. It could be that in a recession people like to get back to their spirit, their centre, their God,” she says. “Maybe they just want to get off the merry-go-round a little and take time for solitude and reflection.”
It costs €45 a night for one person to stay at the centre, which can accommodate seven, or €70 for a double room. Many visitors are couples and the average length of stay is four days. The minimum stay is two and there is no maximum.
“There is no preaching but there is spiritual guidance if people want it. Or people can be part of the prayer that we offer, it is entirely up to them,” says Prendergast. Just being in Glendalough is soothing. “The lower lake’s second name is the healing lake,” Prendergast points out.
If you can spare only one day, check out The Old Rectory Centre in Donard, Co Wicklow ( theoldrectorydonard.com), where Ann Maria Dunne runs one-day retreats of guided meditation and body awareness exercises including chi gong, yoga and deep relaxation. The price is €60, including lunch, or €50 for the unwaged, or a donation you can afford.
If you have a few days, check out Marjó Oosterhoff's Passaddhi Retreat Centre ( vipassana.ie) in Adrigole, West Cork. Passaddhi means serenity in Pali, the ancient language of the first Buddhist texts. This October bank holiday she is running a retreat combining "practice of mindfulness and loving kindness".
Mindfulness is about being fully present in our own lives, she says, and, by extension, more there for others. Loving kindness means being compassionate not just for others, but for ourselves too. “It means that when times are hard, we can have compassion for our own predicament, and not get into a negativity spiral,” she says.
“It’s not about sitting on a cushion or at a shrine either, but about taking time to stop. Whether we have jobs or not, it’s all run, run, run. We are bombarded with information and seek constant stimulation. It’s a way of breaking from this and taking time to stop and look out a window or, equally, look inside and see what’s there, in order to lead to calm, clarity and contentment.”
Oosterhoff’s bank holiday weekend costs €150 plus “any more people are in a position to give”. As she runs the courses from her home, booking by phone is essential. It includes three nights’ accommodation, guidance and food, from Friday evening to Monday lunch time, with the entire weekend, including meals, conducted in silence. “It is not a social event,” she cautions. As with any good retreat it’s not social, it’s personal.