I’d love to hear about the 'before and after' of your experience. When you arrived at Bonnevaux, what were you looking for, and what did you walk away with that you didn’t expect?"
My motivation behind coming to Bonnevaux was that I was looking for a spiritual retreat. But it is actually exceeded all my expectations. In a way, the environment is very welcoming and very beautiful, the scenery and the countryside. One of the most impressive things about this retreat is the people.
The residential team is very welcoming as well as the participants. The spiritual direction that I can get from here is something I particularly appreciate from this retreat. Bonnevaux is like a spring in the middle of a desert that helps me to calm myself down and maybe give me a space and time to think about my current issues in the room.
Has the practice of journaling changed the way you view your 'inner room'? Did it uncover any patterns or insights that surprised you?
I think one of the challenges of doing meditation is that once we sit down and calm down, there are lots of emotions coming up. And I think journaling is a way to help me to listen, because sometimes during meditation, you cannot be flooded with emotions. So both meditation and journaling helped me to first slow down and secondly to train my listening.
Bonnevaux is a unique environment. How did the setting—the silence, the community, the history of the place—play a role in your ability to dive deeper into these practices compared to meditating at home?
I do meditation, but yes, it is true that sometimes I can only do meditation alone in my room, but doing meditation with a group is very helpful in a way. First, it helped me to create a discipline. And second this place has a much more calming effect. And even when I’m thinking of stopping the meditation, the group gives me this invisible support in a way, to help with the practice and continue with faith.
Come and experience Christian meditation in community at one of our retreats in Bonnevaux, France.
