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Spiritual retreat centers serve a great function in this over-stressed world of duality. When my life seems fragmented, or stressful, that’s where I go. After a few days, I return home rested, relaxed, renewed, and revitalized. It’s a transforming experience that I want to explain.

Just as computer hard drives need to be defragmented and jet engines need to be overhauled, so too does our inner life need some special attention.

Too often, in a world of frenetic activity, we lose focus. I know I do. Too many bills, deadlines, pressures, and obligations. My perceptions become skewed. My poise becomes unpredictable.

That is not unusual. Stress and pressures of meeting financial obligations tend to make people forget that they are spiritual beings having a physical experience. Priorities become skewed. Values become distorted. There is no sense of wholeness, of being connected to other human beings.

Sometimes my consciousness becomes overwhelmed with deadlines. I used to be an editor of a union newsletter in Washington, DC. I know about deadlines. Sometimes I would even find myself thinking about a bumper sticker I once saw: “Life’s a bitch; then you die.”

That is being jaded. But I still find it funny. However, if you start to think that that pretty much sums up your life, then I highly recommend visiting a spiritual retreat.

Here’s what you can expect to happen: Life will become fresh again. Your heart will open. Your inner life will blossom. Life will once again have a meaning more than just surviving.

If you find a spiritual retreat that provides a rich spiritual atmosphere, you are in for a consciousness-changing event. The spiritual atmosphere is the key. Some exist for the same reason that a resort exists—to make money. But some truly exist to elevate the spiritual life of the planet.

The first time I ever visited a spiritual retreat was 29 years ago. I had driven alone for 10 hours to spend time at one of the most beautiful spiritual retreat centers in the world called the Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. When I arrived I could feel every cell of my body change. This is no exaggeration. It was instant bliss. I couldn’t sleep that night because I felt so alive. A total revolution took place in my consciousness in the experience of oneness.

The spiritual vibration of the grounds changed me. I wasn’t taught anything. I was awakened to a higher vibration than I had previously known. It’s as if I were an unstruck tuning fork brought into the presence of a million other tuning forks, all of us keyed to the same pitch. It was quite an experience!

The idea behind any spiritual retreat center is the renewal of the spiritual life. Sometimes that just means slowing down. Some people like to sleep late. I remember the first several times I went to the center I just mentioned. I would be eager for everyone else to get up. I was in a brand new world and I wanted to share the experience with everybody.

Be cognizant of the fact that different people are at different stages of the spiritual path. If someone is negative or talking politics, just politely excuse yourself and find some solitude. A spiritual retreat center is not the place for negativity or politics. It’s a place for upliftment.

People receive many benefits visiting a spiritual retreat center. A basic one is relaxation. Without relaxation, nothing in life works, except maybe some prescription drugs. So relaxation is important. When you go to a retreat center, whether it is from meditation, yoga, silence, nature, or just from slowing down, you will de-stress. And it is a type of de-stressing that comes not from being distracted from the stressors of life, but from focused awareness.

More than likely, the deeper sense of relaxation will become a new way of life, that has positive effects for the rest of your life. If you find the perfect retreat center for yourself, you will find that what used to stress you in life no longer will. This new way of life might come about due to a deeper perception of life, from developing a relationship with your higher self, or of seeing the connectivity of all things in life. It might come from learning how to meditate, or from doing yoga. And it might come about due to a deeper relationship with your spouse. It might come from just getting out of your head and becoming a whole person, a holistic person.

Another benefit I want to mention is more sublime. It is an awakening or a renewal of the spiritual life. Some people will be more receptive to this experience than others. Some people require only a slight touch to be awakened to the inner life while others have many layers of unconsciousness to peel away, and it can be a longer process. Be patient with others, and with yourself. Everyone is destined for the same goal.

This inner renewal or awakening can happen when you least expect it. It might come from someone’s smile, or a hug, or a song. It might come about from a lecture. It might come from a dream. And it might come in a way that you never figure out.

I remember once I traveled from the United States to India to visit a retreat. It took me about 30 hours to get there. And after being there just five minutes, the inner work was done. My wine glass was filled and the intoxication was complete. I told my wife that I was ready to go home. That is an experience that the mind can never explain. Magical things happen when you connect to your inner source.

Oneness or the perception of oneness is a common experience at a spiritual retreat center. And when that happens, love happens. That is the basis of the inner relationship with your source of being. You realize the oneness of all souls. You realize that your soul is eternal and infinite. Not mentally, but deep down, in your heart, you feel this.

This new perception can bring to life the mundane after you return home. Awareness and love replaces unconsciousness and monotony.

There is a famous Zen story you may have heard: The monk was asked what he did before enlightenment. He replied that he cut wood and carried water. Then he was asked what he did after enlightenment: “Cut wood and carry water.” Life might look the same to an onlooker. But inwardly, something has changed. There is a new sweetness, a new awareness.