Why Yoga Retreats Matter.

Summer Camp for Yogis

June 22 - 27th

at Breitenbush Hot Springs

5 night and 6 days to tend to yourSelf with nourishing yoga practices, healing spring waters, and conscious community tending.

I don't ascribe to the idea that after a yoga retreat we're going back to the "real world." I think the inner spaces we drop into, and the meaningful encounters we have with the Natural world and our retreat mates are showing us what is Real in this world.

To be in the world but not of the world, is to remember who we really are, and what that space is really like. Retreat is something that makes this possible. 

When I look back over my time each year--it's often these periods of retreat and time away that I look back on as the most meaningful events I experienced. 

Sometimes it feels impossible to step away from all we have going on in our lives. And then we do it anyway, and awaken to why it's so essential. The world so rarely opens up time and space and a flashing sign saying "this way."  We have to remember how nourishing these times in deep awareness and spaciousness are, and go anyway, to re-experience how essential this time and space is for our health and sanity and that of our collective. 

This was true for me a few weeks back...

I was invited to attend, Earth Day Revival, a long weekend event of music and village tending out in neighboring Quilcene— 

I had some things on my to-do list for that weekend, and wasn’t looking for something to give my whole weekend to. But, when my friend Connie sent me the details, I found myself drawn to  the intimate gathering out on acres of land. After hemming and hawing, a discounted ticket became available, and I jumped in.

Because we had a bunch of extra rain in March and April, the parking field for the event was partly flooded. That meant there was much less capacity, so everyone had to carpool, and parties of 3 or more were encouraged. Organizers strongly discouraged any of the 250 of us to come and go from the event, and so the option was to camp and be there all weekend. 

Camping in April, OK. I can do this. 

No shower for a few days. No problem.

No car to store all the extras I might need. I can handle it.

So I fished out my camping gear and made decisions about what to bring and was blessed to narrowly escape being cold at night by just enough warmth. One item less would have been pretty miserable; and the rain only just got in my sleeping bag a bit, and only on the last night, so grateful for the towel I brought. 

Arriving on the land, late Friday afternoon, a sunny warmer than average spring day, was so grounding. Moving into the opening circle after setting up my tent, and being welcomed by a two Native American elders who opened our circle, I took my place on the ground with all others. The energy felt warm and inviting, and I settled in right away near the  fire that was burning in the center of the tent. That fire was tended by two, and burned without interruption all weekend. 

I didn’t receive the schedule of events and timing, because I hadn’t ever signed up, but had gotten a ticket from one who could not attend. So, rather than knowing what all the events were, or making a plan, I heard from others what was happening, and went with the flow. 

There were events happening in the 3 outdoor tents and large indoor space centered on community building. Each evening after supper, there was music that went on past midnight. Many west coast and international singer/songwriters came and shared their music with us. Most of the music was participatory, so we were singing together as community, in the cold but decked out barn, for hours at a time.

I found my  way to wonderful community events and was more in touch with my body knowing. And it was a stretch to simply drop into being mode with so many others, many of whom I didn't know. But it was a good stretch, and I found I was able to freely come and go from things, and had an absolutely magical time dropping into conversations with others of all ages as we intersected.

It was a great experience of moving from inner flow and instinct rather than my normal  plan. Many synchronous events and timings unfolded as I moved in sync with my inner promptings. Such a good reminder of this other way of functioning. 

As a solopreneur, there's so much thinking, planning. organizing, deciding and scheduling. It often feels like such a drain of mental energy. The simplicity of dropping into my body, and moving from there for the weekend, without schedule, was exquisite.  For those last few who join the summer retreat, you'll be able to  simply drop into rhythm with our daily schedule. You can turn off the over functioning of your beautiful mind, and feel the animal of your body, and what it needs and longs for.

Summer Camp for Yogis is coming up June 22 - 27th. If you feel like this might be exactly what you need, there's a place to make a deposit to sign up on that link above.

XO,

Shannon