Attending the Universal Medicine Vietnam Retreats is a yearly commitment I make with myself. Apart from this particular retreat (one of the three Retreats offered by Universal Medicine every year), I seldom attend other just as amazing courses that Universal Medicine offers in Australia or the UK. So far, I have attended the Vietnam Retreat for the past 6 years.

There are many points of universal laws and truths that I enjoy offered at the Universal Medicine Retreat – anyone who has attended such Universal Medicine retreats knows the gems that are presented by Serge Benhayon and Natalie Benhayon, as well as all the sharings that we receive from students from all over the world. Anyone who is interested in what life is truly about is offered a foundation to understand themselves and other people in life – which I value as a precious opportunity.

And yet these are not the only reasons I attend the retreat. To be honest, every time I attend, I am given many opportunities to know and understand myself even more. A commitment to know myself more is a daily endeavour: however in the retreat, this process is intensified.

Sometimes the experiences in the retreat are not the easiest to accept. I am constantly being shown parts of myself that I want to remain blind to ‘seeing,’ but through other people, these parts of myself can be more clearly understood. Here I am given opportunities to see the ugly part of myself – by this I mean, the parts of me that did not come in and/or with love. I treasure deeply these opportunities, so that when I address them, I am able to step closer back to the truth of who I truly am –  that which is love. As stated, at times what I see about myself is not the easiest to accept, and there have been many times when I felt I would never go back.

But I still keep coming back to the Universal Medicine Retreat, so what makes me do so?

• As part of my daily life, I sometimes catch myself at times feeling less of myself. When I feel this, I shrink from the confidence and joy that l know I am: however in the Retreat, I choose to be constantly very honest with myself why I am feeling this way.

• It is very challenging at times to allow myself to feel how others have chosen to express themselves, and to still hold myself in equality and appreciation; this is a very precious opportunity to have. What I get to live and practise every day in the Retreat is the activity of not holding back my natural expression and the connection I feel with myself and others.

• What I experience with the way the Retreat is presented, is a way to live and practise this every day. I feel an added openness that, with the support of Serge Benhayon, Natalie Benhayon, and from every student present, as well as with the food prepared for us, the rhythm we go through on our every day, and even the environment of the resort we stay in… inspires me.

Sometimes I do not immediately get what has been presented to me during these Retreats, but when I feel into it, I realise I actually do know, but there is a part of me that does not want to admit that I know. So in addition to listening and watching the presenters, I allow myself to join every presentation and group discussion and be open to the experiment of “what if I knew.” I usually surprise myself with the wisdom and truth of what comes out of my mouth from the awareness I clearly felt within my body… which is within us all to express.

For the past 6 years while attending the Universal Medicine Retreats, I have found putting up my hand and asking a question in public to be one of the things I am least comfortable with, and so I allow myself to feel this discomfort and sometimes just to challenge myself, I will do it. I often still feel a lot of self-judgment when I ask a question, however with support from other students, I am open to the possibility of doing it more: who knows, maybe one day I will be absolutely comfortable with this, or even be on stage!

I enjoy and keep coming back to the Universal Medicine Retreats because this event is so much more than just a Retreat. There is no start and stop as every day in my life is preparing me for this Retreat. And it is not just the 4 days I am there, as everything I experience there is brought back to my everyday life to further experiment with. I am presented a living way that is there every single moment of my day, a more committed way I am able to bring to every aspect of my life.

This unfolding and way of living is asking me to be constantly more open, more in fullness, to deepen my love consistently for myself and with other people and very simply, to be more of the true me. Every time I attend, I see myself being more of all of the above, and even at moments when I feel I have not moved much or have even gone backwards, I have the choice to deepen my self-love. From a woman who has been very much protected in the shell of perfection and aloofness, I have grown to become much more real with an acceptance of my imperfections, which has opened a deep connection with myself and with people: this process has deepened the fullness of beauty for me.

When I do not delay in honouring how I feel, how I communicate, how I take care of myself, how I lovingly and gently address my emotions and reactions, this results in what I have asked for my whole life – a way I can be and live in truth. This is a simple dedicated commitment, a dedication that Universal Medicine has supported me in deepening.

By Adele Leung

Further Reading:
UniMed Retreat
Before and After the Universal Medicine Lennox Head Retreat
Inspired by Universal Medicine… Just Being Me