Hygge Yoga Retreat Recap
Warm greetings dear readers!
I will attempt to sum up the weekend we shared in Ely, Minnesota, but as I had to leave early, I’m sure to come up short.
One thing I noticed this year is the resistance I felt leaving my comfy, cozy home the weekend after the holidays. As someone that embraces hygge wholeheartedly, my home is full of blankets, twinkle lights, and creature comforts. I found it difficult to load up all my snow gear and venture into the unknown after the epic snowstorm experienced last week.
I think next year we’ll have to call this retreat Friluftsliv, a Norwegian word that means embracing the outdoor life or free-air life! Other interpretations mention that Friluftsliv captures the attitude, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.”
I had to channel my love for free-air life to get on the road! I knew that once I arrived, I would love it!
As you know, this was our first retreat at Camp du Nord. While we missed Maplelag, we also fell in love with all Camp du Nord has to offer. The xc skiing is first rate. For anyone lucky enough to have skied into the BWCA, it is spectacular. We love the charm of the yoga space and the food was healthy and wholesome! It was such a treat to enjoy vegan options and delicious meals without having to do any of the prep!
One thing that was a bit confusing was the sprawling layout of the campus. The grounds are large which makes for great adventure, but can also create many opportunities for getting lost (cough, cough, Cindy & Erin!)
I felt like every time we were about to go somewhere someone would say, “Okay so we get on the road and turn right?” and I’d laugh and tell them the opposite direction.
I was able to teach an opening class to our early arrivals Thursday night. My voice slowly left me during the class. Class was held completely after sunset and we all had the delight of watching the stars smatter the sky out the large windows, and the full moon rise above us through the sky lights overhead. We practiced by a crackling fire and the tone for the weekend was set- we could just feel it was going to be special.
That night our staff-designated cabin was without heat. We think it was somewhere around 50 degrees. Whatever the case, it was bone-chilling cold. Between teaching in front of a crackling fire and a night in a basement without heat, my voice left me further on Friday.
We enjoyed a class with supportive props led by Julie Welle Friday morning. I loved her quote, “no prop shame!”
I also wrote down the following quote from Julie, “Props allow you to improve your alignment as you skillfully build your practice.”
I love Julie’s classes and I only wish I hadn’t missed the rest! I am sure they were equally delightful!
In the afternoon Amal led us through moon salutations and a guided meditation later in the evening. Jessica held a relaxing sound bowls session before bed.
We were fortunate to be at Camp du Nord under the light of the full moon. I hope you had the opportunity to walk or ski after dark on the frozen lake. It was life-giving!
On Friday evening I decided to leave Saturday morning. It was a difficult choice, but the right one as well. I did not want to get anyone sick and I wasn’t sure if I was experiencing something contagious or not. Covid tests were (and are) negative, but no one wants a cold of any sort. Bryana and the other teachers were supportive. “We’ve got this!” they assured me. And what unfolded was a surprising delight better than anything we could’ve planned! I practiced non-attachment to my own ego that wanted to stay, and trusted that all would be excellent in my absence.
On Saturday retreaters enjoyed a smorgasbord of classes led by Alison, Bryana, Amal, and Julie. It’s a pleasure to experience a variety of teachers and teaching styles. In the afternoon, nearly everyone enjoyed the wood fired sauna followed by plunging in the ice-cold lake.
We learned the delightful new word, “avantouinti” or ice-hole swimming in Finnish.
These weekends fly by in a flash, but the memories and experiences sustain us for weeks and months afterward.
Thank you for climbing out of your hygge hollows to join us in the free air of Ely! The Minnesota Magic was abundant. Thank you to the teachers who stepped up to help out after I left. We benefit deeply from your gifts of time and energy!
As you move back to your routines, I invite you to invite non-attachment to your mindset. Journal (or ponder) on the following:
What ideas or expectations are you clinging to?
When the unexpected arises, as it so often does, how can you invite a mindset of non-attachment to help you roll with the punches?
Are there items in your life you are clinging to? Perhaps practicing gratitude for the memories associated with the item can help you thoughtfully send those items to a new home.
Are there stories you are telling yourself that may no longer be helpful? Perhaps you are clinging to an idea like, “I am not strong enough to lift weights” that could benefit from a new story! We tend to cling on rigid distinctions or labels about ourselves that we can get stuck in.
We need flexibility in life so that as things change, we can change too. <3
The lovely Julie asked me to share the following with you. This is a metta blessing she often uses to close class.
May you make friends with your body
May you know you are enough
May you be patient
May you be grateful
May you be content
May you be joyful
( I start it with “May I …” then repeat with “May you…”)
<3 “Just Julie”
I’ll close by sharing a poem I wrote
Racing beneath the full moon
She is whole
She is holy
I take a bite
Crisp! Like an apple
She crackles in the rigid air
Tonight I am greedy
I move faster
Part coyote
Part woman
I am nobody
Just this body
Right here
Right now.
Warmly, Amanda
And finally… Bryana had the joy of leading two retreat yoga classes and a closing circle. To share space with you is always a treat. THANK YOU! Bonnie Thoe-Austin for your photography. Julie Wellie, Amal Karim, Alison Olson-Cox, Jessica Baumhofer-Frank, Colombe Anderson, the staff at Camp du Nord, and all who came out for a beautiful weekend on the edge of the BWCA. Wow what an experience! Between our yoga teacher training program Tuesday-Sunday and our Hygge Yoga Retreat Thursday-Sunday my heart is full to the brim.
I promised I’d share this reading from my closing circle with you all:
FOR A NEW BEGINNING
by John O'Donohue
In out-of-the-way places of the heart,
Where your thoughts never think to wander,
This beginning has been quietly forming,
Waiting until you were ready to emerge.
For a long time it has watched your desire,
Feeling the emptiness growing inside you,
Noticing how you willed yourself on,
Still unable to leave what you had outgrown.
It watched you play with the seduction of safety
And the gray promises that sameness whispered,
Heard the waves of turmoil rise and relent,
Wondered would you always live like this.
Then the delight,
when your courage kindled,
And out you stepped onto new ground,
Your eyes young again with energy and dream,
A path of plenitude opening before you.
Though your destination is not yet clear
You can trust the promise of this opening;
Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning
That is at one with your life's desire.
Awaken your spirit to adventure;
Hold nothing back,
learn to find ease in risk;
Soon you will home in a new rhythm,
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.
