Court, Stella, and I drove up together and rocked out to G Love, Tristan Prettyman, Donovan Frankenreiter, Ben Harper, and Jack Johnson...the perfect pre-yoga retreat mix if I do say so myself. We arrived in the afternoon and were given a tour of the grounds. Courtney stayed in the main house, while Stella and I made the trek out to our fabulous yurt (think teepee looking thing) about a million yards away...yes I'm exaggerating. The distance to the yurt worried me at first, but I came to realize that it was even more tranquil in the yurt than anywhere else.
The first night we joined Valinda and Julie (the retreat leaders) and the rest of the group in a Kundalina yoga class ( http://www.kundaliniyoga.org/) and then a Vinyasa flow class. Both were awesome and invigorating. That night the retreat chefs made us amazing vegetarian lasagna full of eggplant, zucchini and other scrumptious veggies. Then came the best peach cobbler ever, followed by our organic wine tasting. Our first night in the yurt was interesting...Rachel heard some coyotes and got a little freaked...making it even harder for me to head the outhouse at 2 am.
Day #2 started with a zen meditation with Julie followed by a light breakfast. After breakfast I toured the grounds a bit and did some journaling and picture taking. I decided to skip that morning's Kundalini class after deciding the night before that it was not my cup of tea. Instead I trekked up to the yurt for some reading and then headed to the pool for some relaxation in the sun. The yellow jackets were out in full force which made relaxation a bit difficult, but luckily I didn't get stung (I think after 13 summers in Catalina I've experienced enough bee stings to last a lifetime). Our lunch of vegetarian falafels and cucumber and tomato salad was followed by a bit more sun-time and then an awesome Vinyasa class with Julie. Yoda Nidra Meditation (or yogic sleep) was divine and almost sent me into a blissful coma. Tonight's dinner was nut loaf with nut gravy...it sounds strange, but was so freaking good. However, not as good as the cheesecake! The night ended with the option of going to a deep stretch class with Julie or making a vision board with Valinda. I chose the latter, but unfortunately didn't get much out of it. I did enjoy the fellowship and laughter with the others though, which is always nice.
Day #3 started with Kundalina meditation which again I skipped. I guess my issue with Kundalini is the chanting. It's just not my thing. Some people loved it though and I can see why, it's pretty powerful stuff. After breakfast I had some time to journal and relax in the hammock before partner yoga which was quite possibly my favorite part of the weekend. I partnered with Courtney and we had some fun! Check out the pictures to see what partner yoga entails. Following our partner yoga we did an exercise which was so freaking hard. We had to sit facing our partner and answer them when the asked "Who Are You?" After the initial instruction Courtney and I both got teary eyed just thinking about what we had to reveal. It was hard for both of us, but I'm definitely glad I chose a partner I already knew because it made it easier to be open and honest. Some of my responses were: I am: a child of God, a daughter, a lover, a survivor, one who has compassion for others, a goddess, fabulous, and a yogini.
Our trip ended in a bit of a rush since Court had to make it home for work. We took some group photos, got some food for the road and headed back to the real world. The whole ride home I was completely blissed out and had the feeling that my head was not attached to my body. I was involved in the conversation but only at the bare minimum because I was not really all that present. That feeling lasted until the next day at work when I obviously had to be present and ready to do my job.
To top it all off, I came home to hear some awesome news that my good friend Therese got engaged over the weekend! YAAAY! Overall, it was so surreal to be in such a blissful place. I can't wait for my next yoga retreat whenever that may be. It was a wonderful weekend of yoga, prayer, meditation, fellowship, food, laughter, relaxation, and friends. I am so blessed to have been a part of that experience.
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