I watched the full moon rise as the sun set from my mom’s backyard in Southern Ontario today. This Beautiful Earth.
I’m now thinking of Nova Scotia as I pack my bags for New York State, feeling gratitude for all that has been and all there is to be… I’m on my way to the Omega Institute to sit with Francis Lucille for a week!! It’s easy to have a lot of ideas about such a trip and why one would go, but every time I find myself doing that I smile, because, I don’t know. What a relief!
Actually, for those who receive the newsletters, you might know that I’ve been on retreat since July 1st. Not the kind where you put your feet up and get pampered (which would be nice to do someday...) but the kind where you dedicate your energy to daily practice. Some retreats are well structured and away from civilization, but this one… well, life told me that this one was going to be a month of ‘meditation in action’. I was called to attend to family matters on short notice. How was I to know that it was to be one of the most touching visits home ever?
The main thing I have asked of myself on this retreat is to remember my breath in each moment, to just notice it. I like to keep things verrry simple. What I’ve noticed most during this practice is how relaxed my body has remained, and the pace of my experience has been quite steady and patient. Even when discomfort or misunderstandings have come up… “Can I just remember my breath?” …and like magic, situations arise and fall in the open space of me.
Tomorrow I leave for the Adirondacks. I will spend a couple of nights in the mountains before arriving at Omega. The phone will be turned off, the internet out of reach and the retreat will continue to reveal itself to me, through me, until the plan to return to the Merrytimes in August. For those who may have been wondering about the recording of the June classes for Summer practice as promised, my sincere apologies. I was not able to complete this project in time. But then again maybe you are noticing the practice is alive in you too, in your every step, in your breath, in your day to day… stretching for the can of soup on the shelf, sitting in a balanced way, remembering breath and self-love… yoga in action. Setting simple intentions with me by the full moon light. I am with you, you are with me. Gratitude IS! …and big heartfelt blessings to each and everyone. See you soon!
namaste’
Mandee