It has been a week since returning from my retreat in Costa
Rica. I have had a little time now to
let it settle and reflect on it all.
The week is difficult to put into words….to explain….to give
others a sense of what a week retreat truly does. The difference between going on a vacation
and going on a retreat.
I take several vacations a year. A time to relax. A time to see things, do things and experience
new places. Vacations often involve more
sleep, less responsibilities and time with the family or friends. Typically good food and perhaps a few more
beers around the pool than usual, or that afternoon bag of Cheetos on the beach….just
because I can. I love my vacations. I return refreshed, but what I find is that 2
or 3 days back into the routine I am basically back where I started. Vacations remove us from our day to day
routine (although the unfortunate consequence of technology is that we tend to
keep one foot somewhat back in the office), but can cause a sadness when we
realize it is time to go back. And there
is that old adage that “I need a vacation from my vacation!”
A retreat however, has the ability to offer us true change……………
Our
View
On the first day, as Jill and Bob, the owners of Amatierra, described the
multitude of excursions we could choose from, we all quickly voiced the ones we
really wanted to do and tried to figure out how we could fit them all in. Our “vacation” minds were still in
action. Bob told us we could simply decide
what we wanted to do Monday and then make further choices later. And then he made a comment which snapped me
back to center and stuck with me all week………”the excursions are wonderful, but
the real magic is right here on the property, up there in the yoga space. That’s where you want to be”.
The small wellness center of AmaTierra – lovely earth – has amazing
healing energy. A hum. And as the days began to pass, that hum began
to settle into my bones.
During morning yoga as the sunrise would reach the tree
tops, the cicadas began their vibration which remained steady and strong until sun
set during evening yoga. And as we would
lie on our backs in Savasana, watching the moon rise over the mountain, the bats
would swoop down into the studio from the glass cupola on their way out for the
evening. The 3 toucans would land daily
like clockwork on the solitary tree we faced as we practiced, resting for a few
moments as if to greet. All of our
surroundings simply moving in unison with the natural rhythms of the sun and
the moon.
Once the dark had settle in, we sat up from Savasana to be led in evening meditation
by Jill, bathed by the vibration of her crystal singing bowls. A time to soak. To take in all of the sensations of the day. To
feel and go inward.
I had a Thai massage by free spirited Rebecca and an extremely healing hands
on session by Tanya, an incredible young woman trained by shamans. Her touch released deep emotions being held
in my body, inviting me to dive even deeper to uncover what it is that I
want. She brought things to the
surface. Unplugging from society to tune
in to what is always inside….but often low on the priority list.
By Wednesday evening we had decided we didn’t want to go on
any more excursions. That yes, the magic
was right there.
Neva kept reminding us to bring the hum around us, nature’s
song, inside. To open up to resonate
with our surroundings, so there is no longer an inside and an outside. No longer separate. Union with all that is. And we would all stand
there together and breathe that in.
Organic home cooked meals, movement, meditation and
breath. A retreat nourishes……the body,
the mind and the soul. So on Saturday
morning when it was time to prepare for
the journey home it wasn’t with that let down that I often experience at the
end of a vacation. Instead it was with the
anticipation of taking this new rhythm home with me to see what I am capable of
doing with it. A lightness.
So I returned to Storm Janus – the Roman god of January –
who represents transitions and beginnings.
Entrances and doorways. And I
returned different. My vibration has
changed. A shift. Another new beginning. Yes, I had to go back to work. Yes, I am doing laundry and cooking
dinner. But all from a different place.
Thank you AmaTierra! Thank
you Universe!
Bob was right,
SARAH
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