EMC Editorial - Have you ever felt the need to just get away from it all and recharge for a few days? As one who is infamous for overflowing emotions and overreactions, you could say that I've been due for an exercise in stillness for a while now.
A friend and I had been dreaming about going to the Shanti Yoga Retreat on Wolfe Island since it opened last year. When I realized I had a rare free summer weekend in my schedule that coincided with a retreat date, I jumped at the chance to fill it with 48 hours of serenity.
Despite feeling a little intimidated when my friend ended up not being able to make it, I decided to suck it up and go stag. Happily, I wasn't the only one to go it alone, and my fellow retreat-takers were all incredibly friendly and kind.
Plus, worrying about petty social protocol kind of went against the entire idea behind the retreat, which provided a break from the everyday. For me, this meant no work, no husband, no pets to feed and walk, no food to prepare or order, no house to clean, no schedule to plan. I also loved how the entire weekend centred around yoga - one of my favourite activities in the world.
I've been practicing yoga for years, although lately not as much as I should. I gave up my infinity membership at Samatva when we briefly moved to Toronto last year, and wasn't able to renew it upon our return due to time and budgeting restrictions. These days, a visit to a studio is a treat. Otherwise, I get my yoga fix at home through DVDs, which is not the same thing at all.
The retreat weekend included, among other things, four two-hour yoga classes and delicious, homemade food, and was thus exactly what I was looking for. The fact that the location was absolutely beautiful, and that everything was experienced through the rose-coloured glasses of a perpetual yoga high only added to the weekend's blissful, relaxed mood. There's something about stretching, twisting and moving around on a mat while surrounded by willow trees, docks and calm water that leaves you feeling impervious to any sort of mental turmoil.
To be honest, part the schedule was a teeny bit heavy on two things I've personally never been a big fan of: silent meditation and breathing exercises. The latter took up the first half hour of each yoga class, which for me essentially meant 30 minutes of sitting cross-legged on the mat. I've tried to do similar exercises in the past, but for some reason holding or altering my breath for any extended length of time always prompts a near panic attack, and I prefer to abstain.
As for the silent meditation - well, last weekend made me realize once and for all that I am simply not cut out for it. The overarching idea is that it's okay to have thoughts, but you're somehow supposed to separate "yourself" from them, and mentally visualize the thoughts drifting in and out of your perfectly clear mind. As a relatively thought-oriented person, I find it much easier to meditate when I have something else to focus on, like a book or music or some sort of physical activity. The last place I'm going to be able to separate myself from my thoughts is a silent room, where they scream at me like a petulant child.
And you know what? I'm perfectly fine with that. I'm confident that I experienced just as much release as anyone else there when I skipped the final meditation session Saturday evening to hang out with a book on the dock overlooking the tranquil Brown's Bay.
Either way, I'd highly recommend Shanti to anyone who enjoys yoga and needs to take a little break from the world, meditation ability not required for a perfectly fulfilling and renewing experience.
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