Nourish
“I mean nothing more intimidating than taking a few minutes out of every day, or a few days out of every season, in order to sit still long enough to find out what moves you most, to recall where your truest happiness lies and to remember that sometimes making a living and making a life point in opposite directions.”
I shared the quote above after our group practice on the large green yoga field Friday evening. I was surprised to hear multiple groups of women discussing the quote.
A retreat highlight for me was watching the sunrise over the lake while a beaver swam along the shore and an eagle fished in the distance. Truth be told I have avoided leading the sunrise hikes at retreats for years now. I am so thankful I had to get up to lead the hike!
I found myself thinking, “how often do other people get up to see the sunrise, lay on the earth and feel the blades of grass, or wear a headlamp to a bonfire?” I am so grateful retreats provide this space. A space to be my capital S Self, without obligations or expectations of roles that define me when I’m at work or at home. To be present and alive in nature without disruption or distraction. To reconnect with my physical body through asana while also creating more mental and emotional space.
I live for a tablescape moment and Liza, aka Nosh & Gather delivered. I was also beaming with pride at the way we all worked together to clean up to help Liza after she had a migraine. “Many hands make light work!” as they say! If you would like to support Liza, consider writing her a review on google or following her on instagram @noshandgather!
The Green Scene brought crowd pleasing meals once again. Someone said, “wow is the food at your retreats always this good?” To which the answer is, Green Scene delivers spectacular food that delights. If you come to our Longville or Hackensack retreats - the food is out of this world!!! I’m still dreaming of that honey butter and fresh bread….
Sonja’s singing while we again practiced yoga under a wide open sky and the last warm rays of summer sun was a splendid treat- the ultimate treat yourself moment.
We closed the day with a fire on the shore. We chatted and told stories while listening to the waves and the folks in the sauna running into the lake and exclaiming in delight.
This was also our first combination of running a retreat and yoga teacher training simultaneously. I am immensely proud of the work Bryana does to put together a truly unique educational experience for our yoga teacher trainees. Running the two experiences together allowed our yoga teacher trainees to enjoy some of the highlights of the retreat, and also allowed the retreaters to soak in the energy of the trainees.
THANK YOU
Thank you so much to Sarah Miller of Whispering Willow Photography for capturing this magnificent woodland weekend.
Thank you to the Boreal Bliss teaching team - Stacy Nightwine, Jessica Baumhofer-Frank, Bryana Cook, Amanda Imes! Thank you to Sonja Bjordal-Martin of Feeding Leroy for heavenly music AND massage. And thank you to Green Scene and Nosh & Gather for incredible meals. Thank you to Camp Olson staff for helping us create this vision in the most beautiful corner of the northwoods. This whole collaboration was a dream come true.
It was a weekend of presence and joy. I am carrying it with me. I hope you are too, friends. Until next time. XO
Below are the other two readings I shared during yoga.
“When the world unravels before you
and even your dreams are crumbling stones
when everything you dare to touch
is set on fire
and all around you is ash and smoke
remember this
rock bottom
is a perfect place for rebuilding
Remember that you are your mother’s daughter
your grandmothers answered prayers
a whole bloodline of women who bend
in response to raging winds
there is nothing broken here
nothing damaged or discarded
each scar is a badge of honor
every misstep is a victory dance
waiting to happen
You are a woman becoming
learning the complicated language
of forgiveness
the intricate lessons of the universe
Your heart is just a muscle
it needs exercise
and you were born for this sort of heavy lifting
you were born one part saint
one part warrior woman
Loving yourself without shame
is the most important thing
you will ever have to fight for
”
