I personally identify as hippie-adjacent. I'm not into crystals or hard drugs, but do enjoy going a few days without a shower and, when the occasion calls for it, wearing paisley. Still, I suspect my decision to sit on a lumpy cushion in silence for three days had more to do with a temporary delirium brought on by too many emails and not enough life direction. Before this, I'd never been on a meditation retreat of any kind. My record for silence on solo hikes was about five hours. At that point, I usually started talking to myself. Still, I'd heard some good things about mindfulness. Allegedly, sitting around in the woods listening to birdsong (i.e. "forest bathing") can lower blood pressure and even boost your immune system. And meditation in general has been known to alleviate anxiety and depression and reduce chronic pain. All that sounded good to me. Plus, the venue for the retreat looked pretty. The temple was perched amid the Colorado Rockies and the website said