Lean Into Gratitude- Retreat Recap
This retreat was themed around Gratitude and offered a variety of ways we can weave gratitude into our everyday life. As a group, we were extra grateful that all four of us were able to enjoy this retreat together with Bryana having just given birth to her beautiful baby boy, Graham, only 7 weeks prior. It was such a treat to have Graham a part of this weekend and for all of us to be together enjoying what we love doing.
Photo by: Shawna Vine Photography
Amanda Imes, RYT-200 | Friday Evening Funky Flow, Saturday Meditation & Saturday Hip Opener Flow
On Friday evening I led a funky yoga flow. For many, it may have required stepping outside the comfort zone. I love getting outside the comfort zone- that’s where everything interesting happens.
I invited yogis to practice with their eyes closed and to tap into their own creative moment as we worked through the sequences. I used to practice vinyasa in front of a mirror, trying to get every posture exactly right. Over the years I’ve softened into a practice that is often done with eyes closed, and even in the dark. I love when I can tap into free movements within my own body. My class Friday was intended as an invitation into that style of practice, one that can be fun and freeing. That can be practiced in any yoga studio or in the privacy of your own home. Our yoga practice is our own. Our body is always the first teacher, and the yoga teacher the second.
Yoga means to yolk, to join the body and the mind, the breath and the body.
On Saturday morning, a small group of us gathered around a crackling fire in the upstairs lobby before sunrise. I led a meditation and creative writing workshop.
We discussed how meditation and breathwork teach us to:
Photo by: Shawna Vine Photography
Use the breath to release tension in the body
Use the breath to find space between action and reaction
Use the breath to ground
Use the breath to relax the body
Use the breath to release stagnant air
Use the breath to release emotions
Make the breathing process serene
Calmly witness the objects traveling in the mind
Inspect the quality of the thoughts and promote those which are positive and helpful to growth
I invited yogis to use the mantra “I am breathing in, I am breathing out.” It was an intimate and rejuvenating morning. When we opened our eyes from meditation the first light was just hitting the bluffs all around. A special guest even joined us (my mom!)
Saturday afternoon I led a class that tapped into our hips. I had a lot of ideas of things I wanted to say and share during class, but sometimes the yoga itself takes over and poof, 90 minutes have passed!!!
So I will share two things I wanted to cover in class but didn’t get to.
The first two limbs of Patanjali’s eight-fold path are the yamas and niyamas. The eight-fold path comes from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The remaining six limbs include asana (physical postures), pranayama (breath control), pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), dharana (focused concentration), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (contemplation, bliss).
In the Western world, we are very familiar with asana, the physical postures of yoga. You’ll notice that the yamas and niyamas are the first two limbs on the eight-fold path, falling before the physical postures of asana. Whether you’ve been to one yoga class or ten-thousand, the yamas and niyamas are gifts of wisdom to provide guidance on the path to a contented and peaceful life.
Two in particular have helped me with my gratitude practice: Santosha (contentment) and Bramacharya (non-excess).
Santosha (contentment)
““The future that we want - this is it. This is the future of all the previous thoughts you’ve ever had about the future. You’re in it. You’re already in it. What is the purpose of all this living if it’s only to get some place else and then when you’re there you’re not happy anyway, you want to be some place else. It’s always for ‘when I retire,’ ‘when I graduate college,’ ‘when I make enough money,’ ‘when I get married,’ ‘when I get divorced,’ ‘when the kids move out.’ It’s like, wait a minute, this is it. This is your life. We only have moments. This moment’s as good as any other. It’s perfect.” ”
Photo By: Shawna Vine Photography
Mindfulness can remind us to find gratitude for the abundance all around us. We are already enough. We already have enough.
Bramacharya (non-excess)
We are heading into a season of excess- wrapping paper, lights, trees, gifts, candy, dessert, holiday parties, hoorah!
Bramacharya reminds us to honor all as divine. To honor every bite, every item in our home, every walk outside, every sip of clean, cool water, every interaction, as an opportunity for gratitude. The Ted Talk on Gratitude by David Steindl-Rast is one of my all time favorites. I’ve listened to it at least 100 times by now…
“How can we live gratefully? By experiencing, by becoming aware,that every moment is a given moment, as we say. It’s a gift. We have no way of ensuring there will be another moment given to you, and yet that is the most valuable thing that can ever be given to us.
They say,opportunity knocks only once. Well think again, every moment is a new gift. Over and over again, and if you miss the opportunity of this moment, another moment is given to us, and another moment.
We can avail ourselves of this opportunity or we can miss it. And if we avail ourselves of the opportunity, it is the key to happiness.
Does that mean we can be grateful for everything? Certainly not. We cannot be grateful for violence, for war, for oppression, for exploitation. But I did not say we can be grateful for everything, I said we can be grateful in every given moment, for the opportunity. And even when we are confronted with something that is terribly difficult, we can rise to the occasion and respond to the opportunity that is given to us.
We can rise to it by learning something, which is sometimes painful. Learning patience, for example. To learn, to suffer, to stand-up. All these opportunities are given to us and those who avail themselves to those opportunities are those we admire. They make something out of life. And those who fail, get another opportunity.
We always get another opportunity- that’s the wonderful richness of life.”
-David Steindl Rast
Bryana Cook, RYT-500 | Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude
In my Saturday morning class we moved softly and slowly. I carefully weaved in journal prompts throughout the session. We deliberately worked to develop an attitude of gratitude…..we can’t be hateful and grateful at the same time.
Sometimes gratitude flows to us easily, and sometimes we really need to work at it. Every season brings about different challenges and strengths. In particular, fall is a season of change, where we tend to feel ungrounded coming off the busy schedule (or lack thereof) of summer.
It takes 21 days to develop a new habit and 66 days to develop a new “groove” or a new neural pathway, also known as neuroplasticity. In order to work on developing new habits, or solidify existing gratitude habits, we did the following journal prompts throughout our asana (yoga poses) class:
Warm-Up: 60 s each (4 minutes total)
What am I grateful for?
Who am I grateful for?
When am I most able to recognize the things in my life I am thankful for?
How can I incorporate gratitude into my daily life?
Journal Prompt (7 minutes): How can I create a habit/routine in my life that allows me to recognize the things I’m grateful for more often?
Journal Prompt (7 minutes): What is one word that may be calling to you throughout this practice? Write it down. Now create a positively stated, short sentence that represents the direction you would like to see your path take. State it as though it’s already set into motion, because it is. On this New Moon, it’s the time to plant the seed, set your Sankalpa, and watch your vow grow.
If you want to learn more about setting a sankalpa, read my blog here: Setting A Sankalpa.
Gratitude benefits us in many ways. A few of the benefits of a regular gratitude practice are:
25% happier
Sleep ½ hr more per night
Exercise 33% more per week
People with high blood pressure can achieve up to a 10% reduction in systolic blood pressure and decrease dietary fat intake by 20%
Increased feelings of energy, alertness, enthusiasm, and vigor
Success in achieving personal goals
Better coping with stress
A sense of closure in traumatic memories
Bolstered feelings of self-worth and confidence
Solidified and secure social relationships
Generosity and helpfulness
Prolonging enjoyment
Improved cardiac health
Greater sense of purpose and resilience
Longevity
Gratitude Works! A 21 day program for creating emotional prosperity (Emmons, R. A, 2013)
Photo By: Shawna Vine Photography
Saturday Morning Flow with Joella: Acknowledging Gratitude & Sunday Yin: Reflecting and Preparing for Life After Retreat.
We started the beginning of our Saturday class by mentally listing three things we are grateful for. It’s easy for us to lose sight of the things that bring us joy. Taking some time out of our day, preferably right in the morning, to visualize and list a few things that bring a smile to our face can help set the tone in a positive way for the rest of the day. Combining this list during a meditation practice has a powerful effect on the mind and body as well.
Photo by: Shawna Vine Photography
We had the opportunity to add two mudras to the beginning of our practice to help the flow of energy. Anjali Mudra, a mudra representing our love for self, connects the left & right hemispheres of the brain; or unites the opposing sides of ourselves (masculine and feminine, logic and intuition, strength and tenderness). Padma Mudra, also known as Lotus Mudra, inspires purity and perseverance by representing the lotus flower floating above the muddy waters of desire, fear, and attachment. Both mudras help us channel energy to ourselves creating abundance and happiness from within.
When we are happy we spread happiness
After setting our intentions and visualizing the three things we are grateful for, we moved into our pranayama exercise.. As we have expressed, our breath is one of the most important activities we can endure in any given day. It is our anchor, and without it, we are unable to relax and experience any form of gratitude. We created space and allowed our breath to flow freely while focusing on the gratitude we have towards our breath and our life, helping us create a safe environment for our asana practice.
On Sunday, we ended the retreat with our Yin Yoga practice, a tradition we have kept within our retreats since the beginning and one we plan on continuing for as long as we host retreats. There is something magical and unexplainable about slowing down after an exhilarating weekend; one more moment for introspection and taking the effects of the weekend and our yoga practice all in.
Yin allows us to slow down. When we rush, we avoid feeling the sensations that come with certain emotions. Yin allows us to stay present, to focus internally and to transform bodily tension into trust and surrender. Just like with any yoga practice, what we learn on the mat is intended to help us better prepare ourselves for uneasy situations off of the mat.
As we held asanas for an extended period of time, we had the opportunity to repeat specific mantras for each pose which allowed us to move even deeper into our practice. After class, I was humbled by how many students came up to me to let me know how greatly this impacted their practice in a positive way.
Photo by: Shawna Vine Photography
Throughout each class, we focused on The Yoga Sutras: Abhyasa (Practice) & Vairagya (nonattachment)
Abyasa - Practice:
Our yoga practice is more than just movement. We combine many different elements to create a well rounded practice, movement, breath work, chanting, mudras, etc. The asana postures, breath work, and other elements that we do in a typical yoga class will change our lives, this is inevitable. These practices provide us with the energy we need to take on hard choices and to endure the inevitable highs and lows. The more profound we become within our practices, we begin to realize that our old behavior and negative mental activity must be faced and dealt with and our yoga practice can offer support for these challenges and the journey.
Vairagya - Nonattachment:
“Vairagya is the elimination of whatever hinders progress and refinement” - B.K.S. Iyengar
It is human nature to rationalize, overanalyze, generalize and minimize. The more we practice and stay committed to our practice, the obstacles suddenly come into clear focus and letting go becomes a little bit easier with time. The reality of existence is ever changing.
Within each class we focused on how cultivating feelings of gratitude will help us recognize the fleeting beauty of the present moment. It provides us the strength and support to let go of the things that are no longer serving us. We see it, breathe it, and feel it fully. Gratitude helps us see what is already working in the present moment, even if we are experiencing intense sensations.
The key is that gratitude must be genuine. If we can find authentic gratitude for our lives then we can transform any emotions to align with our spirit.
Closing Circle
Each retreat is unique. We work REALLY hard at creating each weekend. We truly do put our all into this important work. From the planning process, to the pre-retreat communication, venue coordination, event execution, partnerships during the weekend, and post-retreat follow-up/review, and post-retreat communication. It’s all very intentional. It’s all very time consuming. There’s a quote that says, “love what you do and you’ll never work a day of your life”. In contrast, there’s another quote that maybe more accurately states, “love what you do and you’ll work every single day of your life”.
We know we aren’t going to get it all perfect. We are human, and that’s okay. We work really hard, and we are always striving for improvement. We love these retreats. They really are our babies. To see in the end that our guests had a meaningful experience… well, it means everything to us.
At this circle in particular, things got very emotional. Joella ended the weekend with a powerful yin yoga class + sound bowl session. This had many yogis in the room feeling emotional already.
Bryana started us off in the closing circle with sharing something she wrote during Joella’s class:
The circle included stories from the yogis around the room. Mom’s recovering physically and emotionally….re-discovering their passions. A couple bonding after a surrogacy journey. Women, and men, finding strength and courage, relaxation, healing, and connection back to their inner selves. A Navajo prayer in song was shared: Now I walk in beauty.
We love what we do and are so grateful you are joining us on this journey. Thank you for the incredible weekend, Yogis.
THANK YOU SHAWNA VINE PHOTOGRAPHY!
We are so grateful for your stunning capture of our weekend together.
More info on Shawna here: https://shawnavinephotography.com/
Resources:
The Yamas and Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice (Deborah Adele, 2009)
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (Sri Swami Satchidananda, 2012
Gratitude Works! A 21 day program for creating emotional prosperity (Emmons, R. A, 2013)
The anatomy of hope: How people prevail in the face of illness (Groopman, J, 2005)
Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment (Seligman, M.E., 2004)
Interested in a boreal bliss yoga retreat?
More information on each retreat can be found on our website: borealblissyogaretreats.com .
We also have a blog about our 2020 retreats: 2020 Retreats and Exciting News. (we will be sending out information on really fun summer options soon!!)
Lastly, our retreats vary in group size, venue, food, location, price etc. We like to have something for everyone. We have a page on our website that compares each of our retreats: Which Retreat is for Me?
