In October 2020, I arrived in the Greek Islands with a small group of kayakers from Israel. We rowed around three lovely islands – Then, I still didn’t imagine in my mind that this trip would change my life forever. It was in the midst of the global COVID epidemic, when in most countries of the world strict laws of closures, restrictions on freedom of movement, socializing and contact between people were put in place.
An epidemic was accompanied by a media epidemic on social networks. Many fell ill and many died. Many suffered from loneliness, mental distress, exhaustion, anxiety, stress – which further weakened the immune systems. All this is happening at the beginning of the frantic 21st century – when new technologies upgrade themselves every few months. Everything is frantically fast, digital, cellular, virtual and personal.
The challenges posed by life, including career and work, are extremely demanding. It has not been the same since the beginning of civilizations. Women and men are torn between work/education/career and family, leisure and life. Capitalism must profit or at least not lose! This is the system – and when it does not make a profit it has only one law – efficiency – it has long been unpleasant and unfair – but this is the reality. The situation will worsen and even change completely according to the accelerated development and the merger of key technologies, InfoTech as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and learning machines (ML) – Biotech and Nanotech. As we move forward in time we will more and more determine the inability to balance – as an inaudible cry of billions in the world. The grinder does not stop even for a moment. We become addicted to the demanding work habits and the reward from them just like the pleasure of some kind of Sex, food and drugs – we find out at the beginning of the journey that this is too expensive. Damage to health, safety, family personal security, children’s education and other important issues and areas.
On April 22 I crossed the floating bridge to the island of Lefkada for the first time, this after a year of almost building a villa in a fishing village on the island of Kalymnos. I drove on a winding road to the village of Asprogerakata – there, on the side of an evergreen mountain I walked into an isolated complex that we purchased, renovated and upgraded to host 365 days a year Summer Autumn Winter Spring – named Apanema Mindfulness Wellbeing Retreat -my greatest love, out of other occupations Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Tibetan and Taoist yoga – I acquired the skill as a teacher and therapist in the last 15 years at a college in Israel and a Taoist monastery in China.
People ask me what is Mindfulness Retreat? My answer is simple – learn practice training the breathing Qi every moment to reach the 50 billion cells in our body – to do one thing – metabolism. Inhaling Yang through the nose to introduce oxygen into each and every cell – in exhaling Yin through the nose to emit carbon dioxide from each and every cell. Exactly what we did in the first moment after birth in the first breath. A breath in which the eternal spirit Qi entered us. When we breathe correctly through the nose, we are quiet, peaceful, calm, flowing with life and fulfilling the creation of our lives – we are Mindfulness. Life is breath and breath is life. Every correct breath is a Mindfulness retreat – correct breathing is a retreat that gives life to each and every cell – Anyone who practices this way at any age, especially at an advanced age, will not suffer from pain sensations, disease syndromes, and a healthy body is proper – care and maintenance of each and every cell and of all the organs and systems of the body.
We built Apanema Mindfulness to allow every being to stop relax and breathe where time stands still… from time to time Be aware of the need to slow down and stop the race of life for a few days (recommended at least 7 days) away from home away from the family and to take a break from the routine like we put the car in the garage for maintenance. Mindfulness Retreat can be focused on any mind-body art such as yoga, tai Chi, Qi gong and others – in any method of practice and training conscious breathing through the nose is our story.