The Magic of Retreat//

I just returned from a sweet weekend in community with some yogini sisters in Sisters, Oregon. My teacher, Kira Ryder, and her friend Kari Sims Anton, hosted a deeply meaningful retreat called Our Wild & Quiet Dharma. We hiked, we sat, we laughed, we cried,

we yoked.

Although my personal philosophy on beginning and maintaining a practice (any practice: yoga, meditation, knitting, fermenting) is to simply begin where you are (warts and all), there is something truly transformational and deeply restorative about going away to immerse yourself in practice. (I’ve written about retreats in the past, some of my favorite impressions live here and here. I highly recommend the Ojai Yoga Crib for a retreat that feels like a family reunion.)

Our practice finds its groove in the bit-by-bit approach of daily commitment. Here we skillfully integrate our contemplative practice into our Dharma, our singular and yet multiple responsibilities to the integrity of the universe.

Retreat, on the other hand, twirls us out of ruts and shows us attachments we couldn’t see amidst our diligence. The raga//dvesa blindspots we shelter in daily life see the light of day when a new friend asks simply, “Why?” This is so good.

And it was so beautiful.

Walking silently through the woods, with eyes at half-mast yet able to see the similarities in how the universe expresses itself as different forms: lungs and trees; ovaries and ponderosa pine bark markings. This inspires us to see similar magic walking from the front porch to the compost bin.

And the connections.

My yogini sisters. We are sisters.

And the exhale.

And I’m getting so excited for my own retreat in Minnesota in September. Paddling a canoe at dawn, knowing the intricacies of the animal calls, connecting with new and old friends.

THE SAUNA.