I'm on retreat this week, while I think about ‘retreat,’ about the depth of experience and understanding that comes with immersing yourself in a place, in practice, in community.  

 Places I’ve been on retreat are places of which I have full-body memory, a deeply felt sense of everything it was to be in that place, in that time.  The morning chorus of birds, the weight in the air at nightfall, ancient stone under my fingertips, the way light moved through the trees … all of it.  

 There’s something about arriving in supported space - with no logistics to work out, itineraries to plan, reservations to make - that allows us to arrive more fully, to show up with the intention of just *being* in a place. 

 Oh, and to travel in community while also immersed in practice?  That’s a whole other level, friends.  Movement and meditation practices enhance our experience of place and time, while the sensory input and connection to a new place inspire new depth and discoveries in practice. 

At the same time, we’re not here to run away;  the realities of the world and the other aspects of life don’t disappear.  You might even feel them come more deeply into focus.  Retreat can be an opportunity to clarify what’s important, to rediscover how we’re connected.  And we're all in it together, moving together both on and off the mat.

We can’t wait to travel together again, to connect to new places in the world and within ourselves. We’ll see each other soon, friends.

//michelle