Embracing Change: Yoga Retreat Recap
This retreat was an exercise in embracing change for us at Boreal Bliss. With Bryana caring for 6-week-old Graham, and Amanda 23 weeks pregnant and attending a wedding in the cities Saturday evening, this was the first retreat where we weren’t all together and present from beginning to end. While we obviously prefer to be present for the entire weekend, Joella and Stacy held down the fort like the champs that they are, and we all tried to embrace our current situation and make it work.
Friday night was a whirlwind. Per usual we had too much on the schedule (lol). Although we didn’t get to the creative writing or the sound bowls, we had a great opening night. We danced, jiggled, sang, practiced yoga, and connected with our omies.
Amanda’s class was all about opening the hips and heart, and being present for change. Notes from Amanda:
Feeling the Movement, Hatha Yoga with Amanda Imes RYT 200
My playlist is titled “Feel the Movement.” It can be found on Spotify here. The first song held an important message I repeated throughout class.
“Breathe it in. Breathe it out. Breathe it in, let it go.”
In my class, we learned to trust our own intuition and move from an emotional sensation rather than the strict, straight lines of a traditional vinyasa class. Moving organically, with eyes closed, to music that moves us, can help us tap into our gut instincts and learn to express our own creative language on the mat. Moving our body, breathing, dancing, sensing into our emotional, physical, and mental bodies, can help us be present for change.
A few takeaways from my class:
When moving through change
You don’t need advice. Trust your own intuition.
Be open and present for the change. Often we don’t ask for change- a death, a loss, a transformational shift- but it is important to be present for all the emotions that come with the change.
Be in the flow of the change- move with it, breathe with it, accept it. We often cannot change the circumstances, we can only control our reaction to the circumstances. Soften into the change rather than fighting and resisting.
Feel it all. Be present.
Control your chaos. Keep it in your space, it’s yours.
What do I mean by this? Change can be stressful and chaotic. It’s important to recognize that you are moving through change and going through stress. By acknowledging this, you can avoid projecting your stress on your loved ones, coworkers, and friends. Just because you feel stressed, it doesn’t mean you can bring that stress into every interaction. Owning your own season of change can help you avoid blaming others and creating conflict. It’s okay to say, “I am going through a period of stress right now. I can’t take on XYZ at this time. Thank you for understanding.”
For me, the best part of class was the 6 minute movement break. I assumed most would move through previously scripted chatarangas or yoga flows. Instead, what I saw were bodies simply moving, dancing, flowing. We danced to two songs, “Call” by Francesco Yates and “Que Sera” by Wax Tailor.
Remember- Que Sera Sera, whatever will be will be.If you are interested more in my perspectives on initiating change, check out this blog I wrote about it last year after a huge career transition: When Change is Brewing on the Horizon
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
— Jellaludin Rumi,
translation by Coleman Barks
Saturday morning we enjoyed sleeping in before the a.m. hike. We didn’t have to depart until 7:30am, so luxurious! Thank you late fall sunrises.
Purposeful Aging Vin+Yin with Karen Herborn RYT 200
Karen Herborn was our guest teacher for the weekend. Hailing from Nevis and Northfield, and a regular retreat omie herself, Karen taught for us for the first time. She shared that when she first tried yin, she thought it was a waste of time. But over time, she found she craved the slower movement and that yin practice improved her vinyasa practice.
She congratulated us on our yoga practice, and shared that yoga grows sweeter as we age. Yoga helps us avoid aches and pains, and when the inevitable aches and pains do come, yoga and our breath practice help us deal with them.
Karen reminded us that everything is more vibrant with a purpose. She shared the following mantra with us:
“I want to be good at growing older because that’s a privilege I am lucky to have.”
One thing she said that made me laugh (because it’s oh so true!):
“Coming out of yin posture you might feel delicate. You might feel like you’ve aged a few decades.”
Embracing Unexpected Change, Power Vinyasa, Yin Yoga, and Sound Bowls with Joella Miller E-RYT 200
Joella taught a Power Vinyasa class for us on Saturday afternoon, and a Yin Yoga class on Sunday morning.
Joella’s Power Yoga class on Saturday was all about embracing unexpected change. Over the past 8 months or so Joella has been learning how to find herself again through unexpected changes as she went through a very intense and heart wrenching breakup after 6 years of being in a committed and serious relationship. The main focus of this theme was geared towards our Solar Plexus (third Chakra), our center of self worth, empowerment, and love, so the asanas involved core work, twists, strength building, and balancing, all intended to help activate our third Chakra.
When it comes to unexpected change, learning to embrace it can have a powerful impact on the way we experience emotions. We notice that the less we attempt to control things, the better. Rather we crave change or dread it, we can’t escape it.
A few takeaways from this class:
Change is inevitable.
Life doesn’t give you breathing room, but if you stop grasping for control of the uncontrollable, you can learn to breathe through it all.
Separate your feelings from reactions
Accept disappointment the same way you accept delight. Negative emotions like rage, bitterness, and envy tend to spiral out of control when triggered. Try not to react right away. Take a moment to connect the breath, re-evaluate, and slow down.
Be in touch with your core
Change will occur and throw us sideways and upside down, but our core self is always right side up. Being in touch with your core provides the clarity to navigate life's loops with calmness.
This class was a challenging yet rewarding experience. It’s amazing what our bodies are capable of when we learn to embrace the unexpected with an open mind. We offer a variety of classes on our schedule for the weekend, and I was grateful for the yogis that were eager to step out of their comfort zone to try something more challenging within an already busy weekend. I had a few students lay in savasana and child’s pose the entire class, which also has an amazing effect on our minds and bodies. We are constantly absorbing vibrations and energy from everything and everyone around us. It was so nice to see and hear yogis honoring their bodies and opting out if it wasn’t something that they were called to experience physically. That’s one thing that is so great about these retreats, you don’t have to do everything to endure the best weekend, what's most important is that you honor yourself and do exactly what feels right for you.
Initiating Change, Gentle Yoga + Writing with Bryana Cook RYT 500, C-IAYT Trainee
Bryana taught a gentle evening yoga flow on Saturday, with writing prompts carefully threaded throughout the session. This was Bryana’s first time teaching since the birth of her son 6 weeks prior! She taught her last class at 40 weeks pregnant.
Bryana’s retreat class focused on the topic of initiating change, but also on accepting unexpected change. She initiated a huge change in her life in changing careers, setting plans into motion about two years ago. She also had a recent lesson accepting unexpected change as her labor and delivery went very different than she had hoped for.
When it comes to initiating change, there are two things that Bryana thoroughly enjoys as tools:
The book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The practice of setting a Sankalpa
The story, and applicable quotes for change in The Alchemist help one to really focus on creating a shift, and overcoming the challenges that one may face in doing so. It also helps to journal your reactions to the book, and plans for initiating change.
To learn more about setting a Sankalpa, read Bryana’s blog: Setting a Sankalpa. The practice of a Sankalpa helps one to truly identify values and a simplified goal, while also helping to stay centered on that commitment and path.
We enjoyed having baby Graham with us a bit this weekend!
“And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.” - Paulo Coelho
My sankalpa for the next 30 days or more is currently, “I am ready”. I must say, it felt GOOD to be back in the yoga world and teaching role, and very different. I am incredibly grateful to have shared the experience with such a loving group. I felt the caring energy from the women in the room. Change is easier when you have a great support system.
Speaking of support system. Shout out to my awesome teammates Amanda, Joella, and Stacy for helping me through this huge shift in life! I could not be more grateful for how great these friends and partners of mine are. In addition, I have an amazing family. My husband and my mom were there every step of the way with the baby over the weekend. It was very sweet, and reassuring, to know that they had it covered. It was also fun to merge the two worlds that I am very much in love with.
Stacy Nightwine - Essential Oils Guru, The Best Assistant Ever, and Friendliest Face at Boreal Bliss Yoga Retreats
Stacy is currently initiating change while she actively pursues her 200 hour yoga teacher training! This little Two Harbors girl is getting herself a flight to MEXICO and living it up this December. She flying for the first time in her life! She is going to be sleeping, eating, and breathing yoga and we cannot WAIT to see and hear all about it. Yoga teacher training is such a special experience. Stacy is a special person. We know she’s going to come back with the most amazing takeaways.
Joella’s Yin Yoga class on Sunday, a tradition we have kept for every retreat, offered time for reflection and preparing for life after the retreat. Yin yoga is a great way to slow down, something we all need a little more practice doing. In this class, we hold postures for a length of time that may be uncomfortable for some of us, but we try to use our breath and mental strength to breathe through every sensation we experience. It’s a challenge, mentally and physically, but we always feel a sense of release and rejuvenation when we bring ourselves out of savasana and take it all in.
In this class, I offered intentions for the yogis to repeat silently to themselves if they desired for each posture we held. I want to share some of these intentions with you, in case you want to use them for your own practice or daily mantra.
"I am worthy of love, success and happiness."
"Strength and courage flows through me."
"I deserve to go after my dreams."
When we repeat positive words over and over to ourselves, we begin to fully embody the meaning behind these words. Our spirits lift and we are able to release negative thoughts and sensations while replacing them with positive thoughts and sensations, we begin to feel the magic within us. This is why Yin is one of my favorite practices. It allows time for us to sit with the bad and to label the bad while providing us the strength to release the bad so we can make room for the good.
Combining everything we learn from the entire weekend and everything we experience, we move into our final savasana for the weekend with a sense of contentment, openness, love for ourselves, and acceptance of the present moment. This can be an emotional experience, one that is felt by everyone in the room. It’s a beautiful process.
I like to end my classes with the vibrations from crystal sound bowls, which are attuned to the 7 chakras within the body. If you have never experienced a sound bowl journey, treat yourself sometime, it is an experience like none other and one that can be rather challenging to explain. Most people describe it as other wordly, relaxing, and magical. I have had yogis share deep transformational experiences, visualizing colors, loved ones, and dream-like experiences while enjoying the sound bowls and we find that it offers a beautiful way to end the entire weekend. We are all made up of energy and crystals and these bowls offer a deeper connection to ourselves as the sound waves vibrate through our entire being. It is a beautiful and magical experience, one in which I hope lifts the spirits of all in the room.
Closing Circle Takeaways
Each retreat has a unique energy. This group was incredible mindful and calm. That’s not to say these strong women weren’t going through some STUFF!! Some women came as friends and family, and some came as strangers and left as friends, aka omies for life.
Some women were seeking their truth, grieving, finding respite during divorce, prioritizing self-care in motherhood, overcoming fears, bonding and empowering other women, healing physical injuries and/or emotional struggles, seeking quiet, and so much more. We laughed, we cried, we shared a common bond through breath, song, laughter, conversation, silence, and movement. We left a little different than when we came, bonded through our shared experience.
Post-Retreat Journal Prompts:
These are prompts we didn’t have time for at the retreat. We hope you’ll continue to make time for your writing practice at home!
Come up with synonyms for Change (Examples: resilience, fortitude, shift, going with the flow)
Write a haiku (5-7-5) about the messages fall has for us about change. Example:
Fall reminds us that….
It is okay to let go
Change is beautiful
What does balance feel like?
Write a letter to yourself: “Dear Joella, I am your persistence and I want to tell you about all the things I’ve helped you get done and complete….”
Is your sense of security tied to anything impermanent?
What would your body say if it could speak?
Listen to the sound of your breath, and feel your breath move in and out of your body. Listen to the sounds around you. Describe how you feel, just in this moment.
