My POV on the Finding Home Yoga Retreat
Over the weekend, The Fearless Om facilitated our first ever yoga retreat! The weekend getaway is part of a larger course, Finding Home: A Course in Yogic Perspective for Inspiring Positive Change. Finding Home is a 3 month study that give participants concepts and tools pulled from yogic tradition that aid in understanding, self-awareness and compassion in order to release old or stagnant behavior patterns. The material covered over the weekend focused on Svadhyaya (self-study), as well as a mindful approach to setting intentions and the roadblocks we face when trying to make or break habits.
We spent the weekend at New Water Farms on Lake Martin. Practicing yoga in the wee hours of the morning on a beautiful, quiet peninsula as the world around us began to come to life was definitely a highlight. Together, we enjoyed silent time, rich discussion and vibrant food designed to balance our bodies and mind to the season. The entire experience was truly remarkable. This weekend solidified the changes I ignited nearly a year ago in my 300 Hour YTT program.
Elemental Yoga Therapy Training, Bali, 2016
Last fall I spent a month studying Elemental Yoga Therapy in the northern coast of Bali, Indonesia. There is no way to describe that experience without sounding completely cliche; as you can imagine it was life-changing. Nearly a year later, I still have not blogged about it or given any sort of recap mainly because I have no clue where to begin. I did share a post about how the whole journey came to be. You can read that here, if you're interested.
Sobriety. Reflection. Action. Passion. Anger. Joy. Boredom. Overwhelm. Awakening. Distraction. Isolation. Disconnection. Introspection. Adventure. Expression. Growth. Doubt. Fear. Elation. Centering.
Those are a handful of words that come to mind when I think about my time in Bali. So, what does all that have to do with a weekend retreat on Lake Martin? Everything. It doesn't matter if you fly 42 hours around the world or never leave home. The trust it takes to commit to all of those words is where your journey begins.
Having that experience myself, then creating an environment where I could hold space for others is the most profound thing I've done so far in my life. There was a time not too long ago when I was so scattered and disconnected I couldn't have imagined feeling grounded or self-aware. Let alone trusting myself to stay centered while holding space for others to go deep in their own journey. WOW. What a gift! It's moments and reflections like this where I have to pause and pay attention to how far I've come over the years. How my priorities have changed. How clear my purpose feels now.
To the beautiful souls that have trusted Annie and myself to facilitate this journey -- THANK YOU. I will forever cherish our weekend together and look forward to rest of the course!
To Annie -- We have just scratched the surface of our potential together. :)
