Joyful Repose

Yesterday, I heard three things about my "vacation": The first was from meeting with Christine of BlissChick blog fame which highlighted the fact that there are things coming up for me right now that even though difficult I want to honor. In the Kripalu orientation the speaker actually said "This is not a vacation," and explained that it is actually a center for retreat. Seane Corn also said "this is not a vacation." The idea is that coming to Kripalu is an opportunity to study yourself and do whatever you think you need for physical, mental, and spiritual health. And it's not a vacation of my values-where I indulge in unhealthy habits or something. But I do see it as a time of joyful repose, where I enjoy being with myself, and where I can bring my healing space to myself. A break from teaching others, an a time to practice in a place that respects this sort of thing.

This is the kind of place where you can come with a "just do me" kind of attitude if you want. You participate in a program and the practice is facilitated, which is a helpful learning experience. However I felt the need to take some responsibility for myself, as well, and so I'm doing medition before the program starts in the morning and at the end of the day as well. It feels good to get back to this. It also feels really necessary, and am looking forward to sitting tonight.

The "Detox Weekend" I've been doing, facilitated by Seane Corn, is good. I'm definitely feeling it... I'm exhausted. I think I brought some tiredness with me. And any kind of detox process tends to liberate toxins so that they can be released by the body so you can feel kind of crappy at times. This is a detox through vinyasa yoga, healthy eating, and fresh air. I'm not doing any extreme diet or anything.

There was a moment of awe in the afternoon session today. Everybody was really tired, apparently, because we did some restorative work. After that Seane Corn had us gather around her and she told us about what she had seen in the vinyasa practice so far. The breath needed work. And she did a demo about the breath in Sun Salutations. I felt the breath work. As she breathed her way through the poses, a very positive, heart-opening vibe was generated from her practice. In addition to feeling this, I also witnessed the whole room shift--we are a big group in there. And when we practiced after that things were different, more mindful.


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