Hi,
I am supposed to go on a Goenka retreat in 12 days but have a few doubts because of a hip injury I have. I can sit for an hour at a time without too much discomfort but it is crucial that I do some stretches and moving daily and preferably some roller excercises (I have a travel roller which is pretty small). My question is how strict are Goenka retreats about things like this? Would it be a problem for me to do my physio exercises for 30-60 minutes a day when they give us our own time?

i've been on Goenka retreats in Ontario a few years back and they were quite accomodating.  I've heard that in some US centres they are less so, and in some cases that you required a doctor's note if you wanted to sit in a chair, for example.

In Ontario, you have plenty of alone time for stretches or catching up on sleep, for example, as you choose.

But i'm sure this varies by centre.  Is it possible to contact the centre where the retreat will be held and ask them?

Alex

I'll send them an email and see what they say. Thanks.

My experience at Dhama Dhara in Massachussets is that they will accomidate anything reasonable that they can.

The issue you may run into is the exercise disturbing other students. If the center has the ability to give you a private room, I suspect they will be accomidating. 

Each day the only "mandatory" sits are the three hour sittings (8-9, 2:30-3:30, and 6-7), the discourses from 7:15 - 8:30, and the final sit at the end of the night, from the end of the discourse to 9pm.

Many students have sat in chairs in the courses I've attended, and on one course, I was able to get permission for a chair simply because I wanted to try meditating in one. 

My understanding is that they will certainly do their best to accomidate any legitimate medical condition. 

Thanks for the tips guys. Everything went smoothly, they were extremely helpful. I got my own bedroom so I could do my exercises there, and was offered a chair from the start. I did it in Merritt, BC. Great experience overall.

I'm sure it was beautiful.   Any great insights or experiences you're willing to share?