Spending a seven day retreat at Plum-Village was quiet and peaceful. Plum Village is an international practice center where many people come to the monastery to practice mindful Buddhist practices. Everyday the nuns, monks and folks there would wake up at 4:30 am to meditate for an hour, then we would go on a mediation walk and have breakfast. Our mornings consisted of rising and starting the day early and we would usually end our day around 8 at night.
Throughout the day the focus was mediating in silence with walking, eating, sitting and working mediation. The work was gardening and cleaning, nothing too bad. There was a bell that would go off every fifteen minutes and that bell indicated to everyone to stop what one is doing, breathe and relax in the present moment. I found myself having a hard time with waking up early and having a busy schedule but being surrounded with compassionate people made it easy. The nuns and monks were very welcoming, sweet and taught Carpe Mundi students and myself to find peace within ourselves. Being in an environment where people live in a slow-mindful pace really made me reflect on my life. The retreat allowed me to live in the wonderful energy of mindfulness and peaceful energy.