On Retreat

I’m nesting. Cloistered in my hill-top villa over looking the Gulf of Nicoya, I rotate between my writing desk, my easel, my books and the pool.  I wake with the sun, breathe, walk, swim and do asana. Then, breakfast with my husband and back to my solitary work: writing and researching my book on the breath. Painting provides space for my mind to reset so I can re-enter the world of words fresh.

Evening meals are simple, there just aren’t many options in rural Costa Rica. We play cards, Rummy or Cribbage. We read, maybe take a moonlit swim. Cuddle. Then it’s sleep and repeat. In less than a week this time out of time is restoring my inner rhythm, reminding me what it feels like to move at my own pace. My introvert gets to stay quiet with plenty of outlets for personal expression and reflection that don’t require interacting with others. If that sounds impolite, it’s unintentional. It’s just that rarely are we encouraged to indulge ourselves in quiet. Yet the mind, the essence of our being, hungers to be ‘left alone’.

Retreat is like this.  In many ways it’s the opposite of vacation where excitement rules. Leaving the world behind to go on retreat invites Stillness, a shy guest to come and pull up a chair. It’s here that we can really hear our heart and sync ourselves to it’s call.

This is my life for the next 8 weeks.  After Costa Rica, retreat participants from all over the world will join me in Nicaragua for 10 days of nourishment. Quietly together, we can share meditation on the beach, practice with friends, and watch each other’s vital light emerge from under Stillness’s expansive gaze.