John Howie, Director of GilChrist in Three Rivers, says they have two categories for retreat goers. “One is around some kind of training and a spiritual practice,” he says. An example of that would be a yoga retreat where people would learn yoga as a spiritual practice. The second category is individual retreats. “I think the primary purpose in that is just to reconnect to yourself and to some kind of larger vision of the world...or larger vision of yourself,” Howie says.

When it comes to further describing individual retreats, Howie said people who visit GilChrist have the opportunity to find their own natural rhythm. “Most people’s lives are dictated by things other than their bodies,” Howie says. Work schedules and schedules with kids dictate when many people get up and when they go to bed.

“When someone’s on an individual retreat they have the opportunity to rediscover their own natural rhythm because there isn’t any structure to dictate anything,” he says. How that connects spiritually is that through rediscovering your natural rhythm, you also rediscover your own natural connections to the divine, Howie explains.

“It’s not about discovering something new, it’s just about discovering what’s there.” GilChrist has eight retreat cabins, six of them are designed for individuals, two of them are designed for two people. They have 67 acres with gardens, a labyrinth and walking trails. There’s a community building that includes a meditation loft, a chapel and library. “We also have organic gardens during the summer that people can come and get vegetables from,” Howie says.

The length of time people stay at retreat centers varies. “We’ve had people stay over a month, but typically we have groups in for the weekend and individuals come during the week,” Howie comments.

In addition to popular yoga groups, GilChrist has hosted teachers as well as other groups. “We had a Hindu group come to practice together,” Howie says. “We’ve had Jewish Rabbis come, we’ve had Buddhist priests come, so it’s pretty diverse.”

Marie Warner, Marketing and Public Relations for Transformations Spirituality Center, acknowledged that retreat centers offer people an escape from the rigors of daily life.

“It’s a chance to get away from the hurly-burly of everyday activities and spend some time reflecting on one’s spiritual journey,” she remarks. Spirituality doesn’t necessarily mean focusing on one religion over another. “It’s however one defines their yearning for something greater than ourselves,” Warner says.

Both individual and group retreats are offered at Transformations. There are directed retreats where a spiritual director meets with a person daily and private retreats where a person provides their own structure, according to Warner. They have group retreats on various topics, including a couples retreat, retreats on examining different prayer methods and 12-step retreats based on the principals of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Transformations offers a comfortable environment. “We have about 2,200 square feet here that have recently been renovated,” Warner says. There are 20 guestrooms in an “old world” style, yet completely up-to-date building, food service, meeting rooms, prayer center, large chapel and individual prayer rooms, Warner said. They have 55 acres of property, half of which is wooded and includes nature trails.

When asked why retreat centers often have labyrinths, Warner explained that it’s a very ancient practice. “Many labyrinth-like structures have been discovered around the world that are dated to antiquity,” she says. “But as it has come into the 20th century they’re used as a tool for meditation.” Warner said that although people walk the labyrinth for many different reasons, it can become a metaphor for life. “It can be the tool for calming and healing, for seeking inner peace as you walk along the paths,” she says. “Ours is a unique labyrinth.” She explained that many labyrinths around the country today are fashioned after the labyrinth in a French cathedral, but theirs was designed by a woman in South Africa and it’s called the Reconciliation Labyrinth. “Its design facilitates and encourages the process of reconciliation in so far that is has two separate entrances, she says.

“And as people walk it they can make choices about walking first in their own path, then walking in the other person’s path.”