Recreation

Leisure may be defined as that part of a person's life devoted neither to gainful employment nor to basic nonproductive activities such as travelling to and from work, sleeping, eating and so on. It covers those activities free from the demands of work or duty.

Recreation - literally "re-creation" - can mean simply the use of leisure time in a manner which will renew energies for more efficient working. In this context, the type of activities considered recreational will vary depending on the habitual work carried out by an individual - passive recreation to replenish the body's energy resources; or physical activity, sport, amateur dramatics and so on, depending on the physical, intellectual, emotional work load. Whether social or individual in nature, such recreation would promote harmonious development.

However, both leisure and recreation can be considered on a higher plane. Leisure activities may demand more energy and commitment than a job; they nevertheless are generally accepted to be those activities which constitute a person's happiness. This is because it is during leisure time that those activities connected with a man's highest powers are pursued, activities which transcend the workaday world and have the purpose of achieving self-realization. Re-creation and self-renewal are part of holistic development, perhaps precipitated by crisis, periods of transition in which to reorientate for the future. Holistic recreation centres and retreats offer opportunities for replenishing and reconnecting resources and reviewing alternative new modes, particularly for those facing transitions in job, family, growing-up or dying.