retreat

Last Friday I jumped in the car and drove up to Vermont for a yoga retreat with Lori Flammer, at Sky Meadow Retreat Center. Lori and I met at Omega this summer. I posted excerpts from her letters from India a few months back where she was studying Ayurveda.



In between a wonderful range of yoga sessions, ranging from restorative to intensive, we had plenty of time to wander the land, which was dusted with a few inches of freshly fallen snow. After an invigorating walk, I sat on a rock by one of the many ponds, mesmerized by the water, thin coat of ice and woody reflections.



It was wonderful to have the opportunity to spend so much time outdoors. Even though it's so accessible when I'm home for the weekends, I get so wrapped up in my many projects and laundry that I often skip the hike that I long for all week in Buttercup Sanctuary. Breathing all that fresh air and having the time to just walk and sit in nature was really restorative. As was being in the company of such an inspiring group of women, so open hearted, easy to talk with, easy to be with. Natalie, Yana and Jennie are 2nd year med students at University of Vermont. Michelle is a grad student there, who schedules labs there while she raises two young sons. Lisa is an alternative energy grad. Beckie works with at risk youth and is an amazing massage therapist. Here's a few pics of the divine yoga goddesses.




Driving home, I chanted for almost 4 straight hours, the last two of which were lit by an almost full moon. So after a little supper with Larry, I called my friend Claudia down the road, and the two of us took a lovely moon walk, a beautiful end note to a weekend of quiet contemplation and active yoga practice.

I'm still struck, three days later, and in the midst of a cold that came on fast and furious, how important it is to get away from our daily routines and immerse ourselves in nature and practices that unite our bodies and hearts. I have a tendency to deny myself the opportunities to escape and blame it on lack of time or money, but it's really so important to our well-being. I always slam head-first into my life on re-entry. Deadlines real and self imposed are always looming. But I found myself in an irritating meeting on Monday, calming breathing to myself "hum sah, hum sah" - the Sanskrit mantra of the life breath - and relaxing into the conversations swirling around me, without clinging to any outcome, just watching and listening to the universal chatter.

Lori talked about the beauty of sunset in India where this satvic time of day is honored with ceremony of puja and incense wafting through even the busiest restaurants. And though stuck in that meeting on Monday unable to begin a little ceremony of my own in the office, I hope to be able to light one of those aromatic Aveda candles that are everywhere in the office and do a little puja of my own.