Meditation can hardly take the credit for all the changes in the life of German artist Henrik Nolte, but it has played an important part. He sleeps better, and he paints better too. In particular, his watercolours are full of sensitivity and psychological depth, but have retained some of the sharp edges and humour that used to be typical of his earlier works. I met him at a summer retreat in Acem in 2011.
I recently returned from 3 weeks’ retreat in Acem meditation. It was a retreat with very long meditations that allowed the meditators to explore new aspects of the mind. Periods where the mind wandered through thoughts and emotions regarding present and past life experiences were intermingled with more silent hours where the mind became quiet although awake and present. The long duration of the retreat allowed the experienced meditators to meditate “around the clock”
The first summer retreat in Spain, led by Acem's founder Dr. Are Holen, provides plenty of time for meditation and self reflection, helping to alleviate deep layers of stress and muscular tensions, and to increase inner calm and receptiveness.
When a friend recommended Acem Meditation, Josefina Prieto decided to give it a try. She soon discovered this was something she wanted to go for. “It gave me a different perspective on important areas of my life.” Then she went to the summer retreat.
“Some of the best things in my current life are effects of meditation,” says Jacqueline Robert, a medical doctor from Alicante, Spain. “I now even get along better with my boss! Acem Meditation is not always easy, but always interesting.”
The Acem Retreat Centres in Scandinavia are located in stunningly beautiful surroundings.
Cool, calm, and collected. That's how Anup Jayaraj, 18, sums up the qualities of a good chess player.
This new book contains useful information for the practice of long meditations, both at regular retreats with 3-4 hours meditation and deepening retreats with 5-6 hours meditation. Long meditations yield insights into meditative processes and enhance the quality of everyday meditations.