20-Minute Retreats: Revive Your Spirit in Just Minutes a Day with Simple, Self-Led Practices [Paperback]

Rachel Harris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0805064516 | ISBN-13: 978-0805064513 | Edition: 1st

This collection of step-by-step practices from ancient cultures, world religions, and psychological disciplines provides readers with the self-renewing, spiritually, uplifting rewards of retreat anytime, anywhere. We all crave periods of silence and introspection, but with lives lived at an ever-increasing pace most of us find fewer opportunities to fill that need. Now, psychologist Rachel Harris has come to the rescue with this unique collection of 20-, 5- and 1-minute mini-retreats-short periods of meditation, contemplation or self-discovery drawn from traditions and practices as varied as Buddhism, the Quaker faith, Sufism, art therapy, ritual magic, Gestalt therapy, and Jungian dream analysis. Provocative sidebars, stimulating quotes, and touching first-person stories make this book as inviting to read as it is practical to use. With these brief retreats, readers of any age or occupation will be able to catch their emotional breath regardless of what is happening in life, to pause to listen to the sounds of their souls, and to reemerge balanced and refreshed.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What can you accomplish in a few minutes? Eat a meal, fold laundry, talk on the phone--or refresh your spirit. Just 20 minutes a day is all it takes to retreat in tranquility and reconnect with your soul, according to Dr. Rachel Harris, a practicing psychotherapist and associate of Big Sur's (often celebrity-studded) Esalen Institute. "In our fast-paced lives, we desperately need retreats to regain our perspective, help us balance our inner and outer lives--a retreat gives us a chance to just say no to incessant stress and time pressure...." she writes.

Incorporating into her book the wisdom of multiple world religions and spiritual masters from Buddhism to Jung, Harris offers a variety of flexible approaches to finding that quiet place. She provides practical advice about finding the right retreat setting, as well as the appropriate tools to enhance the experience. Organized around 12 universal themes--faith, forgiveness, gratitude, healing, intuition, joy, love, patience, peace, relaxation, self-acceptance, and self-care--each chapter provides step-by-step instructions on structuring a self-led retreat to fit one's personal needs. Because "a retreat can be anything that allows us to intentionally enter another world," Harris advocates such varied practices as expressive drawing, journal writing, and dance as well as centered prayer, ritual magic, and music. Liberally scattered throughout the guide are personal observations and intriguing case histories drawn from Harris's 30 years as a practicing psychoanalyst.

Recognizing that setting aside even a small amount of time each day can be a challenge, Harris also includes suggestions on how to "retreat" for just one to five minutes at a time. What's a one-minute retreat like? Look at babies, she suggests--gazing into one's eyes will make you feel instantly joyful. -­Marianne Painter

Review

"An elegant blend of ancient wisdom and modern psychology..." -- Daniel Gottlieb, Ph.D., family therapist, host of Voices in the Family, columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks; 1st edition (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805064516
• ISBN-13: 978-0805064513
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #337,426 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 20 Minute Retreats....by Rachel Harris...THANK YOU !!, January 24, 2001

By 

Gail Cameron Emery (Gore Bay, ON Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 20-Minute Retreats: Revive Your Spirit in Just Minutes a Day with Simple, Self-Led Practices (Paperback)

This precious book is not just another pretty face offering penny candy for a life gone awry. I was dealing with a serious health situation with my son, had disappointments with my birth family....many things building up and nowhere to hide. Well....What can I say...I did hope for some light, some help from this book as the cover alone is promising in this regard with the beautiful water lily inviting one to just turn the cover and get started. And getting started is so easy with the clear and gentle leading by Rachel Harris which is in complete opposition to what actually happens when one does turn past the cover. HEALING begins...soothingly and gently and lovingly. Thank you Rachel Harris for caring enough to share the best with those of us struggling with inner issues. I have just ordered two more copies for my two best friends...It IS that good!

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple and Clear, August 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: 20-Minute Retreats: Revive Your Spirit in Just Minutes a Day with Simple, Self-Led Practices (Paperback)

Rachel Harris offers meditations on many different topics that are easy to find and simple to do. With the hustle and bustle of our lives today, it is hard to find time to fit 10 minutes in for peace, quiet and connecting to our spirit. Rachel Harris helps us finds that time.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast and simple ways to improve your quality of life., January 15, 2005

By 

NW Reader (Washington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 20-Minute Retreats: Revive Your Spirit in Just Minutes a Day with Simple, Self-Led Practices (Paperback)

This book offers a lot of very SIMPLE things you can do to recognize areas of need in your personal life and easy things you can do to improve them. The retreats last in length from one minute to twenty minutes. Very easy ways to relieve stress and improve your quality of life.