HAVING emerged from an Arhatic Yoga Retreat by the Pranic Healing Foundation of the Philippines, which gathered pranic healers from all over the world, there is no other word to describe it but rejuvenating.
I guess, that’s what retreats are for, and the appreciation of these times for meditation, purification, and learning away from the daily concerns of life grows as one advances in years.
I don’t blame the younger self for being leery about retreats. Being among the lucky few to attend schools that hold annual retreats in childhood and teenage years, retreats have been associated with bawling our eyes out in front of our classmates. That’s just how retreats have been designed, and it can be wearisome.
As an adult, retreats have become a breathing space, a time for greater illumination and growth.
And that was what the Arhatic Yoga Retreat at the White Rock Resort in Subic, Zambales was.
It was my first face-to-face retreat as last year, the retreat was held online and we just stayed home for three days connected to our laptop. The act of going away is by itself already liberating, and the activities made it even more so.
So, here I am, writing again, after realizing that I haven’t been writing that much in the past weeks. Life’s concerns and events have just overtaken me and there was no time to sit down and write my thoughts. But then came the reminder: Make time.
Whatever it is we have chosen to do in our lifetime, we have to make time. Whether it is writing down our thoughts, maintaining a blog, reading, studying, meditating… make time and do not allow the daily rigors of life to distract you. Why is that? Because the rigors and distractions will always be there, and being the distraction that they are, sooner than not, you will come to realize that days have passed and you have nothing substantial to show for it. Sayang.
Enter social media and our mobile phones — the greatest distraction ever invented so far.
More time is wasted.
No wonder Grandmaster Choa Kok Sui, the Cebuano founder of Pranic healing listed Constancy of Aim and Effort and Non-Laziness as one of five characters a Pranic Healer has to develop.
Pranic healing being a spiritual technology is a path toward spiritual development, and one of the tools is character-building.
“Character is the manifestation of the degree of soul contract. When you are out of balance, the connection between you and your higher soul becomes minimal,” Master Choa wrote in “Compassionate Objectivity: The Golden Sutras on Character Building”.
“Weak character reflects the weakness of the soul. When soul connection is not strong, the chakras (energy centers of the body), rather than the soul, control the lower bodies. Ask, ‘Who is the boss, the soul or the chakras?’” Master Choa continued.
Among many teachings reviewed and recollected during the retreat were the five characteristics a Pranic Healer Arhatic Yogi has to develop. These are Loving Kindness and Non-Injury, Generosity and Non-Stealing, Honesty and Non-Lying, Constancy of Aim and Effort and Non-Laziness, and Moderation and Non-Excessiveness. The list is self-explanatory, although deeper teachings can be derived from these. Suffice it to say, Master Choa, who in his lifetime was able to simplify and make practical deep esoteric teachings has likewise condensed into just five characters what a student needs to develop to accelerate spiritual growth. As we always say: Don’t panic, do Pranic.
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