Individual Retreats

Many Options

There are an unending number of different ways to organize a time of retreat and you may already have an approach in mind. We are not encouraging you to abandon your prior plans and pursue an approach we are offering you here. But if you are looking for assistance, here are some of our suggestions. This Personal Retreat Guide contains a number of different ideas. Do not expect to use all of them on a given retreat. In our go-go world there is a tendency to try to cover “a lot of ground,” rather than take time to reflect and pray about whatever “ground” we are on at the moment. What particular plan you choose to follow is not as important as being sure to allow lots of time for reflection and prayer within your approach, whatever that may be. “Less is more” applies to your time of retreat.

Spiritual Conversation

The primary communication during a personal retreat is between the individual and the Holy Spirit, but often the individual also would like to have some communication with another person for a period of time. It is common for retreat centers to have people available for this purpose. Traditionally and most commonly referred to as a spiritual director, in today’s culture the best label for this person may be a spiritual friend, spiritual guide or spiritual companion. We have two people trained as spiritual directors at Easy Yoke Ranch if you would like to meet with one. Typically you would meet with this person for a half hour to an hour on a given day, or all of the days you are on retreat. This person is not only a “listener,” but someone who can offer valuable suggestions of “next steps” during your time here. Simply ask and we will attempt to make this time of conversation available. Click here to learn more about spiritual direction.

The final step in planning an individual retreat is to choose some type of focus. One may choose a direction that they feel they have been lacking in, or merely want to expand their vision for a fuller spiritual lifestyle. Click here to see some examples of retreats, and then ask God for some guidance as to what direction you might take.