Retreat Wrap up
It's Monday evening and I'm still enjoying a sweetness in my heart after being away for the weekend leading a retreat with one of my good friends.The weekend was Jam packed with yoga, food, meditation, yoga nidra, a talk on home practice, a fire-circle and well, more yoga. And as the instructor I was was awed and humbled by watching our amazing participants transform before us. It is such a lesson to me to again and again watch as people awaken and amaze themselves with their capacity on the mat... and then to see them walk that walk off the mat as well.
On Saturday evening we came to a pose that was a total pretzel pose. One of those ones that when you see someone do it you think: "That's some serious yoga right there!" and follow that with "and there's no way I'm going to be able to do it" The room took on that feel of deep doubt and fear that comes when everyone collectively doubts themselves. And then. SHIFT. We gave them straps, we told them how to help each other and then watched in wonderment as each and every single person bravely stepped forward to attempt and master that pretzel of a pose. (even the 60 year old woman who distrusted her practice, and the breast cancer survivors, and the newbie beginner, and the "tight" limbed man, and the yoga teacher, and the marathon runner) Everyone kicked that pose's asana. The elation, wonderment, joy, and confidence that spread through that room could have lit the entire sky. We all talked about that pose for the rest of the weekend.
It is such a reminder to me. Don't sell yourself short. Don't give up before you even try. Having a friend to help is a good thing. You can do more ... WAY more than you think... especially if you allow yourself to go into the wild mystery of three powerful words : "I Don't Know" and then just watch and see what happens.
I am grateful to the man and women who came and bared their hearts and pressed their bodies and showed me (again) how powerful this yoga stuff is. I am grateful for my friend who let me come along on this journey, and her friend who produced this whole thing. I'm grateful to my mom and my husband who stayed home with my kiddos allowing me the freedom to do this thing that I love. Mostly I'm so grateful for Yoga, and for the Grace-filled energy that drops these reminders in my lap sometimes. What an amazing job I get to have this lifetime.
