Mindfulness and Yoga

Over the past few months, we’ve noticed a clear trend among our guests: More and more people want to find themselves, to “COME HOME.”
It’s no coincidence that they come up here to unwind and relax. Especially in times like these, when one crisis follows another, we all long to view events from the eye of the storm and remain calm instead of being overwhelmed by feelings of stress and being in over our heads.

Simple MEDITATIONS make it possible to transform difficult moods and view everything we encounter with a healthy sense of detachment. Fortunately, there are so many different types of meditation that you can sit down on your cushion no matter what mood you’re in—and come away feeling more relaxed than before.

That’s why we’re incorporating meditation even more actively into our program and inviting experienced meditation teachers to our center. One of them is FLORIAN PALZINSKY. He will be leading a retreat this August. To give you a sense of his KNOWLEDGE and DEPTH, we conducted an interview with him in advance.

• You lived as a monk in Asia for 12 years, 9 of which were spent in Sri Lanka. What were the most important insights about the human mind that you gained there?
  
  FLORIAN: For me, the most important experience and insight was how healing it is to spend extended periods of time alone in nature. I spent many months as a hermit in remote primeval forests, which is relatively easy to do there as a monk. During that time, a great deal of inner healing took place—both consciously and unconsciously. And it’s certainly no coincidence that Buddha recommended his monks spend time under trees, in caves, and in remote huts.
  
  In addition, after a certain amount of time, I also felt the urge to become socially active. As a monk, I was able to visit prisons to meet with inmates—some of whom had even been sentenced to death—and meditate with them.
  In doing so, I realized that even serious criminals are people just like you and me. And it was impressive to see how some of them managed to follow a spiritual path even under the most adverse circumstances.
• Which meditation methods from that time do you use today in your retreats?
  
  FLORIAN: Back then, my practicewas focused exclusively on Theravada Buddhism, andI’m glad that I was later able to expand my knowledge of meditation in many ways. What still influences my practice today from that time is the observation of the natural breath (Anapana-Sati), the meditation on loving-kindness (Metta-Bhavana), and insight meditation (Vipassana). Yoga has now become widely accepted in society.
• 
  Meditation is still a bit more challenging in that regard. Why do you think that is?
  
  FLORIAN: The strongest sense of identity we humans have is with our visible and tangible bodies. Furthermore, our society is very focused on and entangled with material things, productivity, sensuality, and speed. For many people, therefore, it’s not very appealing or meaningful to simply pause for a moment and let go of the exciting and distracting impressions of the outside world. How hard it is for many of us to do nothing—even for just a few moments—and simply be.
  Yoga is usually understood and practiced as a physical discipline—which is actually only one aspect of it. And for many, that’s easier to grasp than a meditative practice. Furthermore, many people don’t get enough exercise in their daily work lives… and that’s where asanas can have a noticeably balancing effect on the body—and thus on the mind as well.
• How exactly do you define meditation?
  
  FLORIAN: There are so many different types of meditation that it’s impossible to define it in just a few words. Here’s an example that also ties in with the previous answer: The goal of (meditative) yoga is actually to calm the mind. For many meditators, that is also the goal of meditation. However, the German word comes from the Latin “meditare” and means something like “to contemplate,” “to reflect,” or “to think deeply.”
  
  Such conscious contemplation is, in fact, also a form of meditation. And then there are other forms as well, such as “Vipassana,” the Buddhist insight meditation, open awareness, or even trance-like meditations. Therefore, given this diversity of meditation practices, it is not possible for me to define meditation simply and precisely.
• What makes your approach to teaching meditation unique?
  
  FLORIAN: What perhaps sets me apart from many other meditation teachers is that I’m not fixated on any one method or tradition, but rather integrate many of the different approaches mentioned above. Physical and energetic exercises also play an important role in this.
  
  Despite the complexity, I continually strive to bring participants back to the simplicity of the present moment. It’s also important to me that the experiences and challenges encountered during meditation are shared and discussed.
  Another thing that shouldn’t be taken for granted: Over the past three decades, I’ve acquired a great deal of knowledge and experience in Buddhism, yoga, philosophy, and psychology. That’s why my spiritual practice always takes a holistic and personal approach.
• What is your main focus when you guide people on a retreat?
  
  FLORIAN: My focus is to meet participants where they are right now, in this moment and in their lives. In doing so, I specifically address the questions, concerns, needs, and requirements they bring with them. I try to convey spiritual, yogic, meditative, and philosophical topics in a variety of ways that are relevant to everyday life and practical enough that everyone can take something away for their own lives.
• Who would particularly benefit from participating?
  
  FLORIAN: Those who come with a certain amount of curiosity and openness will benefit the most, regardless of whether they are beginners, experienced practitioners, or teachers themselves when it comes to yoga, meditation, and spirituality.
• Why do you think meditation is important for people today, given that we’re living in such a crisis-ridden time?
  
  FLORIAN: Meditation can be a brilliant tool and an important key to transforming theory into practice, knowledge into wisdom, problems into lessons, and crises into unique opportunities. That’s my own experience, and that’s what I want to share with the participants. For me, meditation isn’t just about calming the mind and reducing stress levels. Ultimately, it’s also about finding the love and courage to embrace our inner truth and truly live out our own convictions. Then we’ll be able to stay true to ourselves during crises without having to compromise our souls.

THE MEDITATION AND YOGA RETREAT WITH FLORIAN PALZINSKY WILL TAKE PLACE FROM AUGUST 20 TO 23, 2023, AT THE HUBERTUS.