peace and quiet, in pictures
Last week at this time, I was with a lovely group of lovely people in lovely Yogaville, on my Yoga, Peace, and Quiet retreat.
Each day during the retreat, we agreed to be quiet - to practice silence - from bedtime until our 4p practice the next day. This eighteen-hour span of silence made our daytimes so spacious. In the absence of chit-chat, we fully immersed in individual pursuits. We hiked, napped, read books, colored mandalas, soaked in the hot tub, knit, drank coffee and tea, painted, meditated, journaled.
Here and there, we exchanged appreciative nods and quiet smiles, enjoying our agreement to just let one another be.
We practiced yoga in a room with a spectacular view, and the silence stretched into our very meditative afternoon practice.
At dinner, and before bedtime, we had meaningful, delightful conversations. We so enjoyed hearing one another, as we'd already spent ample time in the company of our own thoughts.
Perhaps because the experience was largely wordless, I think it's best conveyed in pictures:
excellent beginnings: what I was up to as I waited for everyone to arrive.
she used really fancy pencils, which everyone coveted.
the trailhead was at the edge of our front yard.
they conquered this puzzle in a day. next year: 1,000 pieces.
our tea corner, with afternoon light.
there was quite a bit of tangling.
and on breaks from tangling, there was reading.
reading happened in our beautiful yoga room, too.
there were several knitters and also a yarn-spinner among us.
also a painter.
the view was pretty paintable, though my photo doesn't do it justice.
more coloring: it's the new meditation.
on the path to the river.
yard, veranda, and view, in delightful afternoon splendor. next year, come see for yourself!