Just returned from leading my first Yoga Retreat. I rented an amazing 100 year old renovated barn in Greensboro, VT. Leading a Yoga Retreat is so much more than just teaching yoga twice a day, it involves all the organization, group facilitating, marketing, and holding space. It was amazing and I did great! That's me gliding from bed to teach yoga at 8am Saturday morning! So many feelings and thoughts going through my mind right now. I wish I could narrow it down to a few words so perhaps a list might do of things I'll savor and remember! I will post photos soon!
1.) Bonfires (one each night!)= sharing circle
2.) Sunny and nature infused yoga classes (Gazing upon trees and the blue blue sky while doing "Tree Pose"
3.) Amazing Food and Presentation (Creative and Cooked with Focus and Love!) can you say "edible flowers?!?!
4.) Laughs (lots of them!)
5.) Honesty (holding space for differing views)
6.) Silence (We had a silent breakfast and took a silent walk up the mountain and back down)
7.) Opening (Watching students open up and expose themselves through yoga and sharing)
8.) Acceptance
9.) Outhouses? Yes. Squatting and Skinny Dipping was also preferred.
10.) Impromptu Meditation with Sunset in the Mountain Peak Gazebo (ooh la la!)
11.) Meditation and Pranayama Workshop (first I had ever done!)
12.) Reflections, Sharing, Impressions (group facilitation!)
13.) Beautiful Poems Read and Shared (Students brought these to the bonfire!)
14.) Sheep (very cute pet sheep behind my room I slept in)
15.) The "weird sounding" Rooster VERY early in the morning. errr er errrrrrrr!
16.) Tea, Tea, and more Tea!!!
17.) Family and Friends
18.) Impromptu Tai Chi and Yoga Practice with Jessie
19.) Energizing and Grounding Massages done by THE Jessie Kern
20.) The top lesson I brought home with me was to honor my own personal journey and to live in the now. I also came to terms with several issues surrounding loss and gain and seeing them as pure illusion. Abundance is here. Abundance is NOW!
Namaste!!!
Natalie XOX
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