The word “mindfulness” comes from the English language translation of the Pali word sati. In Pali, the root of the word sati is “to remember.”
I can't speak for anyone else, but for me, contemplative practices that happen in community can make it easier to remember all kinds of things. Such as how the inquiry into truth (yoga) can seem to take infinite patience, how everyone else is also finding their way, and why good humor can save your life while it's busy coming true.
Solitude is one thing. Loneliness is quite another.
One of the reasons I've been so happy to be part of the creation of The Mindful Unplug retreat program at Feathered Pipe Ranch in Montana is that we play, practice, sing, dance, drum, and meditate together. While yoga and mindfulness are fundamentally inside jobs, it's a relief and a comfort to lean on one other for encouragement.
We give one another courage to live lives that we can love and stop postponing what it is we came here for.
Movement, Rhythm, and Nature: Only a Few Mindful Unplug Retreat Spots Remain
In 1865, the creator of scores of America's best parks, Frederick Law Olmsted, wrote: "Nature employs the mind without fatigue and yet enlivens it. Tranquilizes it and enlivens it. And thus, through the influences of the mind over body, gives the effect of refreshing rest and reinvigoration to the whole system."
Refreshing rest and reinvigoration to the whole system. That captures much of what we're after at The Mindful Unplug retreat, happening 13-20 July 2024. We do our best to take full advantage of the raw, wild nature that's all around us at the Feathered Pipe Ranch. Our mindful movement, yoga, and meditation practices - weather permitting - take place under Montana's big sky under the dappled shade of of pines. If you crave outdoor time, there's even more to love:
Guests can enjoy lovingly prepared delicious and healthy meals on picnic tables and chairs on the sprawling lawn by the lake, and watch the dance of light on the water. (You can eat indoors too, of course, if you prefer.)
Slow, lightly guided forest immersion strolls in the magical early morning light offer a chance to begin the day cradled by the natural world.
A sweet trek to nearby Skye Farm offers the reward of a spectacular view of the grandeur of the continental divide.
I'm tickled pink that Matthew Marsolek (Drum Brothers) and his talented family will be with us for the entire week at this year's Unplug. Matthew is such a warm-hearted, generous, and deeply skilled teacher! Together with his family, he will share hand drumming, rhythm awareness, and practices for opening and freeing the voice. Plus? this summer, we'll be dipping our toes more deeply into the liberating waters of freedom yoga.
Come as you are. If you're feeling depleted, consider this retreat a sanctuary for rejuvenation. You can find rest that cultivates the rare and precious virtue of patience. It's about nurturing a mindset of tranquility, enabling you to stay at least a little more serene whether you're chopping vegetables, repairing a flat tire (ask me sometime about my day today), immersing yourself in compassionate volunteer work, or simply navigating the tumult of 2024.
I just returned from a pre-season sneak peek at the Feathered Pipe Ranch, and let me tell you, it's luminous. Email me if you have any questions about snagging one of the few remaining spots, friends.
Free, Astonishing Inspiration to Know About
We all need infusions of inspiration. Most of us need to be reminded, over and over, about the fundamental truth of who we are and why we're here. I know I need help all the time with remembering all that when I'm not on the mat or the meditation cushion.
Erich Schiffmann's dharma talks - about consciousness, his own practice, what "spirit" is, the gifts that come a regular contemplative practice, and what yoga IS - offer some of the most potent and lasting life lessons imaginable.
Do yourself a favor and check out the large and growing collection of 100 percent FREE videos of his classes and workshops. Erich is also making sparkling fresh recordings of his newest downloads and insights. All of this freely available as a gift to all. Holy wow. Thank you, Erich.
