TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept.25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 100 people attended a recent meditation retreat in Tel Aviv, Israel: Physicians, journalists, holistic practitioners, cancer patients and meditation enthusiasts. They came to learn holistic, mind-body approaches to healing and find avenues to spiritual growth. The retreat was led by integrative medicine pioneer and meditation expert Isaac Eliaz, M.D., L.Ac. and was coordinated by Taatsumot, a non-profit organization. The in-depth, two-day retreat program focused on the mind's innate healing power.

Open Heart Healing "The theme of my retreat is connectivity and having an open heart," says Dr. Eliaz. "The heart has no concepts. It's our mind, our negative emotions, our thought patterns that put up barriers and don't allow our heart to just open. Real healing begins, continues and ends with an open heart."

One of the exercises that the group practiced was a form of meditation called Tonglin, during which participants "take in" suffering and generate love and compassion in return. The process allowed people to step outside their natural barriers, such as reluctance to interact with "negative" energy. However, as people overcame their fears, they embraced the practice and found it transformative.

During the retreat, Dr. Eliaz offered hands-on healing to participants while they were meditating, and taught them how to use meditation to heal themselves and others. Throughout the retreat, he answered questions and discussed related topics such as nutrition, natural cancer treatments, mind-body exercises, lifestyle approaches and other subjects.

Mind-Body Connections Dr. Eliaz's diverse background in Western and Eastern medicine, meditation, biomedical research and other disciplines gives him the ability to draw important connections between seemingly unrelated areas -- such as cellular biology, cancer metabolism and meditation. The results were palpable.

"For many people, this retreat was remarkable," says Dr. Eliaz. "There was a person with cancer who had trouble sitting and walking. During the retreat he was able to sit for a long time, and by the end of the program, he had less trouble walking. It's not that everyone heals completely from their physical ailments, but with these practices, everyone can have the potential to heal which translates into a deeper healing on all levels."

The Ripple Effect Though the retreat is over, Dr. Eliaz hopes the healing extends beyond this workshop. "Many practitioners have emailed saying that they are already practicing what they learned at the retreat," says Dr. Eliaz. "When you affect a doctor, you're affecting everybody they work with."

This retreat was so successful, Dr. Eliaz will be going back to facilitate a second three day retreat in Israel from November 1-3, 2012.

"Meditation retreats are my passion. It's an offering, especially in Israel. I feel both obligated and privileged to be able to reach people in this way."

Meditation Retreats and Classes Dr. Eliaz spent his formative years in Israel before moving to Northern California, where he founded the holistic clinic, Amitabha Medical Clinic and Healing Center. He specializes in the integrative treatment of cancer and chronic illness, drawing on his extensive training across a diverse range of medical disciplines. As a meditation practitioner with over 30 years of experience, Dr. Eliaz holds regular meditation and healing retreats and classes for patients, practitioners and anyone interested in mind-body medicine. Visit http://www.BetterHealthPublishing.comto learn more about Dr. Eliaz's upcoming retreat scheduled April, 2013 in California.

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Mind as Medicine: Retreat Brings Healing, Growth