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At 10:45 this morning, I successfully departed from the 120 acre retreat center which had been my home for the last 7 days. I got in my car and made a valiant attempt to back up out the spot it had been parked in for the last week. It would not back up. It was as if the car was saying “no, don’t go back…”, then I realized that the parking brake had been activiated when I arrived so that the car wouldn’t slip into the ditch ahead of it. I disengaged the brake, backed up and made the slow descent up the gravel drive towards County G.
I was still somewhat dazed as I traveled from G, to GG to M, finally arriving at Highway 29, headed towards Eau Claire. A bit of road rage struck somewhere around Chippewa Falls, but I snapped myself out of it with a bit of deep breathing. I am quite familiar with Eau Claire, having had accounting clients there for quite a few years, yet in my someone confused state, I managed to get lost twice on my way to my destination. I finally called the person I was to meet and had her direct me to her office on the cell phone. What did we ever do without them?
I was hungry by this time, wanting a bit of local Hmong fare, but was disheartened to see that my favorite Hmong restauarant, Noodle Wrap, is no longer in business. I think the long hours finally got to them…so I begrudgedly went to a chain restaurant called Noodles…good, but no Noodle Wrap!
After finishing up with a stop at GW Boutique (Goodwill for the non-cheapskates) to pick up some scrub tops for Kalika and a couple of books I couldn’t resist, I started the drive home. I am still in a state of calm and peace, which made the ride home quite comfortable!
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the house hadn’t burned down and the dishes were done, so all was well. My dog, Mary, was happy to see me, and is still looking at me like I was gone for a year!
So, Monday brings back the real life….I will go to the farmer’s market, wash clothes and plant some stuff over the weekend. I will also put in some reading time and try to stay on task with walking and yoga, forgoing TV as much as possible. Oh,yes, I am getting tattoo number 4 tomorrow! A mandala with an “om” sign in the middle…I think that will be a topic for tomorrow!
How long can I maintain this feeling of calm and bliss?? I guess only time will tell.
I am counting the days until I return to the retreat center on June 27th….yes, it is an addiction, just like tattoos….
yogajen
The next group run is Saturday, May 31st at 6 am (ugh…). It looks like they are leaving from the Y, so if you are deadset on getting in a run at the crack of dawn….
The next group run for mortals is on Wednesday, June 4th at 5:30pm. We will meet at Lake Winona in the usual spot. If you are new, shoot me an email at winonarunningclub@gmail.com and I will forward you more detailed directions! Again, there will be a variety of folks in attendance, so don’t worry about speed…someone will be right beside you!!
I have been lax at writing this week. Ok, I have been writing by hand in my journal, but have had limited access to a computer, so other things have consumed my time. I did not spend alot of time out walking and running this week, but did find a couple of afternoons for leisurely walks on dirt roads, past the hermitages that are scattered throughout the Christine Center. I know why we all like to walk and run. It gives us time to clear our minds, gather our thoughts and go on with “life as usual”.
I have met people this week that challenge the ideas of “life as usual”. I will probably be commenting on some of them over the course of time. The one I want to bring up today is a couple who I met last year at the retreat who came back this year. In 2005, they had met at yoga teacher training in California, arriving there through various channels. Although 17 years her senior, he “knew” when he saw her that she was the girl for him. As an astrologer, he had seen in his stars that he was suppose to meet the girl of his dreams in either March or April, and here it was April and there she was! They spent the month together, then went back to their respective homes. Correspondence continued at a rapid phone call pace! They talked for hours on the phone, creating the relationship from the mind and heart…..some intermittent trips to see each other ensued. Drew was in an accident, which brought Laura to know that this was meant to be….her ego and mind had at a few moments led her to falter in her commitment to Drew, but they were destined to be together. She flew to his side, and knew it was real…..
This year, they arrived back at the retreat, married for a year, and with Laura 7 months pregnant! They fit, they match, they belong together….I had not even noticed an age difference when I met them a year ago, as the fit is so overwhelmingly perfect, that it didn’t even occur to me! The happiness they feel is awesome….I asked Laura what they are doing for jobs right now, and she replied that neither is working, but they have some stuff in the works…it will be ok….Yes, it will!
When were you the happiest you have ever been in your life? Was it when you had the most stuff or when you had the most money? OR was it when you had not much of anything but friendships, peace and calm in your life…..
Ok, they asked me to write down some things I need to call to my inner guidance for answers to . Where do I start?
I arrived here this afternoon to absolute peace and quiet, just like I said it would be! There is no TV, but they do have highspeed internet now, which is really nice.
I am going back to my cabin now to think about what I need to know? Hopefully the questions will come to me once I sit down and start to think. The food was wonderful, the yoga was awesome, but the assignment for tonight is difficult at best. We don’t like to look inside of ourselves at things that we aren’t sure of, or don’t know the answer to. We like to just follow along the regular and normal path…..get up, go to work , work, come home from work, watch some TV and go to bed, with a little food in between…hmmm….off I go!!
yogajen
Tomorrow morning I am leaving for a 7 day retreat. This is my idea of the perfect vacation! All day today, I said I was like the little boy in the Disney World ad who said “I am to excited to sleep!”. The first 4 days of this retreat will be spent with two of my favorite yogi’s, Gyandev and Diksha McCord from the Expanding Light, Ananda Yoga in Nevada City California. They are wonderful people who offer a wonderful and enlightening experience every time I go on retreat with them.
They are actually coming to Wisconsin to spend time with about 20 of us, who will spend our Memorial Day weekend learning how to know and trust our inner guidance. Each year has a different focus, so even though I have gone for 4 years, I never know what to expect of the weekend outside of excellent food and a relaxing and focusing time.
The remaining days of my retreat will be personal. Spending time alone, with myself…no TV, limited computer (they have dial up internet) and random phone service. I will read, walk, run, do yoga, journal and think. For some, this would be a scary experience. It used to be scary for me, but the more time I have spent with myself, the more I enjoy the solitude.
To spend an entire day walking with just nature as your backdrop is an enlightening experience. It gives new perspective to every action of our days. To eat only whole foods for an entire week gives the body a chance to recharge. To spend 7 consecutive days without chaos, work, news or TV is like cleaning out the garage. It empties out the negative junk that you don’t need and helps one to come back to the world with a renewed sense of energy, lightness and space.
Having spent the last 5 months doing tax returns, I have found my mind becoming stale. I need the break to do something meaningful to me, and to get my stride back. I have found myself unable to concentrate and focus…lacking the ability to finish a task like I should. This break will bring me back to center and allow me to get back on track at work as well as in the rest of my life.
I will also be studying for a test for my MBA program. Having this amount of time to commit to getting ready for a test is wonderful. Normally, I would spend an hour or two a day for 10 weeks or more to get ready. This way, I can spend 5 or 6 hours per day, broken into one hour pieces with walks and meals in between and be ready in a week! By having total silence, total concentration and total focus, I can accomplish more in a day than I otherwise could in a month!
I am looking forward to tomorrow morning. I have my clothes packed and my car loaded. I am even looking forward to the drive to get to my destination! Another couple of hours of peace and quiet….
So you might not hear from me for a bit, although I will do my best to wander into the lodge each night, log on and get a few thoughts out….I might be to engrossed in the sound of nothing….and be lost in thought…..
Have a wonderful holiday weekend….
Namaste,
yogajen
We just had a great turnout for the first meeting of the Winona Running Club! There were those fast folks and then the walkers, beginners and everyone in between! How wonderful it was to talk with other people who are interested in running and walking for fitness!
We had over 30 people tonight, and I know there are more of us who want to get involved! If you missed the meeting tonight, no worries….we will be congregating again, same time, same place next Wednesday to chat and run! Oh, I won’t be there, I am off to a week long retreat! I will be running and walking while I am there, but in solitude I do believe!
If you came tonight, bring a friend next time! If you missed the first one, come and bring a friend next time!
Having spent a great deal of time running around Lake Winona alone, just me and my mp3 player, it was sure nice to chat with some people!
I am still looking for someone to train for the Des Moines Marathon with me! No time to start like the present!!!
yogajen
Today was resistance, weight training day. Not my favorite thing to do, but I know it is good for me, and I know that in order to lose weight it is part of the essential program! Some people can lose weight with just aerobic exercise, but I am not one of them!
I have a variety of dvd’s and books with resistance programs in them. The one I used tonight is by BeachBody.com. I really like their stuff. This was the Power90 boot camp dvd. It is an oldy but a goody. I think you can pick it up on Ebay pretty cheap now. I got my copy for free when I ordered 10 minute trainer, which is another one of their programs. Tony Horton is a hoot. He is the trainer in these videos, and I have to say, I love his style!
For those days when I really need a kick in the pants to do resistance training, a dvd is the ticket! You pop it in and follow directions…it couldn’t be easier.
If you are interested in Power 90 or any of the beachbody products, you can visit www.beachbody.com I have done Slim in 6, Slim Series and PX90. They are all awesome. A yoga student just ordered Turbo Jam, but I haven’t talked with her to see if she likes it or not. I am thinking she would, as I haven’t had a bad product from them. Again, if you are looking for any of their older products try www.ebay.com or www.half.com as I think there are a bunch of them out there cheaper.
Have fun finding a resistance program that works for you! Make sure to check out the ebook listings that I have in my link lists. Those are all ones I have personal experience with and would recommend…
Have a great evening!
yogajen
This is a link to the story about the new running club, and a picture of my husband Dan and I….
http://www.winonadailynews.com/articles/2008/05/20/news/03run.txt
I am going to try out some different training methods as I prepare for the Des Moines Marathon. Yesterday, it was raining, so I decided to do a treadmill session. Since I am not technically in marathon training mode yet, I didn’t do a great long distance, but instead focused on intervals. I went for 1/2 hour on the treadmill, switching speeds every 60 seconds. The time went pretty fast, I think because I had to concentrate on changing my speed so often!
I went from a percieved exertion on 3 to 7 or 8. So in my case, I went between a 15 minute mile and a 9 1/2 minute mile. I started slowly, then would do a quick minute, and kind of quick minute and a slow minute, alternating. It was really pretty fun, and I am going to plan on interval training for Mondays through the whole process. Next week, if the weather is nice, I think I will try it outside, and I would like to do it around the lake. So it will be longer, but I think I will walk the mile down, then do the intervals around the lake, then walk the mile back. That will get me close to 6 miles, which is a little closer to what I should be doing.
Tonight is resistance training night. I plan on a mile on the treadmill, followed by resistance, followed by another mile on the treadmill…..I will of course wedge a bit of yoga in, probably at the end.
Have a wonderful Tuesday!
yogajen
I walk or run almost every day. I was asked today, why do I do it? There are many reasons, but the most important one is that it helps to keep me sane. I started walking the same day I quit smoking. Walking gave me something to do to occupy my mind. It keeps me in shape (somewhat). I come from pretty heavy stock, so it has always been a struggle to keep my weight under control. Daily walks help to give me the ability to have a piece of cake every now and again without feeling guilty.
After walking for a while, I decided that I should set a goal, so I added “run a marathon before I turn 40″ to the imaginary list in my head. Keep in mind, I only had a year to go until I turned 40! I emailed my husband at work (he had never run a step in his life I don’t think) and asked him if he would like to train for a marathon with me. He emailed me back, “sure, I guess so”, and the rest is history. He has run almost every day since!
There is such thing as a runners high. If you are having a bad day, get out for a run or a walk. If you need to work through a problem, run or walk. If you just need some peace and solitude, get out for a run or walk.
I hear so much about how unhealthy and overweight we are as a nation. That is sad when there is so much good healthy food to eat and fresh air to walk and run in! We are especially blessed here in Winona to have a trail around the lake that is safe. We also have awesome hills and trails and unparalelled scenery.
If you haven’t been out lately, or you have never been out for a walk or run, get out there today…it is never to late to start!! And yes, you do have time in your day to get out there! If you have a dog, take it with you! Little kids? Put them in a stroller and go….find a way…it will make your day!!
yogajen
