Loose Leaf Notes

What could be sweeter than to be surprised with a free hour of sleep at a self-care retreat?  Not only that, I had a room of my own and was awakened the morning after the daylight savings time change by a Tibetan bowl being rung outside my door, calling me to meditation.

What could be sweeter than eating breakfast in silence with other retreatants, putting my fork down in-between each bite of scrambled eggs, noticing each spontaneously whispered ahhh after each sip of hot Earl Gray tea, smiling at the juicy taste of a grape snapping open in my mouth, and watching the habits of my own mind with loving amusement?

Because of my propensity to sensory overload, it’s not easy for me to be with a group of people for an extended period of time (the weekend).   But I knew I was in the right place when I discovered I was in lucky room #13 with a trampoline (my preferred mode of exercise) on the grass directly in front of my bedroom.  I knew I was in the right place because there was a perfect blend of silence and sitting with talking and walking in a B&B atmosphere with a mountain view, a trail to a creek, and enough rocking chairs on the porch for everyone.

There were two mindfulness educator/counselors (including my husband Joe) gently guiding the group of teachers, a school principal, a homesteader, a publisher, a counselor, a retiree and more. There was encouragement to take time, to make art, to learn about passage meditation and Qi Gong.  There was a Laughter Yoga workshop to laugh our way through and nourishing food ready and hot at each meal.  Even the lows were shared and supported, until they happily passed.  Rounds of appreciation, birthright gifts and life seeds not yet planted were bravely expressed.

As important as the silent sitting and instruction on mindful meditation were to the focus of the retreat, small discussion groups were as equally important.  An integral component that made the experience more complete, they provided a chance to develop skills of compassionate listening and to build trust and community through thoughtful  inquiry and conversation.

“How rich the world is when we are present to receive it,” our facilitator said when grass jeweled with dew, the sound of a scurrying leaf, a bird, a plane, and the smell of pine in the air were described by a retreatant after walking meditation.   People smiled and nodded in agreement at the group closing on Sunday when a retreatant who had arrived particularly frazzled on Friday summed up her weekend by saying, “I came for work and leave for myself.”

Post note: The retreat was held at Spirit Wind in Floyd.  For more information on iBme (Inward Bound Mindfulness Education) self-care retreats visit the iBme website HERE.