“For ages, I’d heard about meditation—that it calms the mind and heals the body… that it can strengthen the immune system and speed up the recovery process.

“Some people make it sound practically miraculous.”

Amy had been a health food retailer for ten years; so, her interest in general holistic well-being and meditation was strong. She thought it might be an important element in a balanced lifestyle. When a friend recommended the Canada Bodhi Dharma Society, Amy decided to sign up for the autumn 2005 Meditation and Fitness Retreat Program.

New To Meditation

Before the Retreat, Amy’s daily life rarely left time for rest—having no partner, she ran business alone… and to most people, she still managed to present an image of vitality and confidence.

However, at the end of each day, she admits that her professional mask would fall and exhaustion was all there was left. She saw both traditional Chinese and Western conventional doctors about her poor health and low energy, but their recommendations provided little relief.

She was chronically unwell.

After so much disappointment, she turned to meditation, hoping for a sign that things could improve.

Amy had never meditated before and was very stiff when she started: practicing the postures made her feel sore, and the lotus position was entirely beyond her in the beginning and she found the first two days of the Retreat particularly challenging. Nonetheless, as time passed, she was surprised by how flexible she became.

A Successful Loss

During the Retreat, the dry cough and swollen feet she’d been dealing with also disappeared. Also, she experienced diminished fatigue and hunger, even though she was already sleeping and eating less than usual. Counter intuitively, she felt much more energetic.

Another benefit from her time at the Retreat was cosmetic—her appearance had changed.

Friends told her that she looked better; she had lost some weight and her skin was smoother. Grinning, she told me, “I’ve been overweight for years, but I successfully lost 15 pounds.”

Amy notes that, certain moments of the Retreat were particularly “special” for her—like the group exercises in which students worked with one another on health issues; or when Master JinBodhi performed music as they meditated.

At several points, Amy found herself crying without obvious cause: “There wasn’t any real reason for it; I just felt like crying… It was relaxing, not sad or stressful. By crying, I feel that I released stress that had accumulated over time. It was a welcome change—as a ‘business woman,’ I rarely had the opportunity to express myself that way. I cried freely, and realized that tears could also be healing.”

The 12-Day Retreat brings each participant different results—some people find emotional fortitude, while others recover from long-standing illness. Amy admits that the physical effects were not first as “obvious” as she had hoped, especially as she observed the improvements in some of her classmates.

Amy didn’t give up. She expected to see a profound change and she continued to practice at home.

Amy signed up again for the Retreat, and has now been to three consecutively. She feels that she has shed years of frustration and fatigue… as well as 10 to 15 pounds per Retreat—she’s down 35 pounds in all.

Now, she says that everything about her life has changed, leaving her energized, healthy and eager to share her experience with others.