Don't worry, I got this.

“Don’t worry, I got this.” Probably the best line in the middle of a story ever. On our recent retreat to the North Carolina mountains, lots of time was spent in storytelling. Yogi’s seem to excel at the art of the story, and this group in particular could be found laughing hysterically at all hours of the day and well into the night as we told each other the funny stories that have made us the people we are today.

The weekend started for many of us with a delicious lunch at Salsa in Asheville followed by a short drive up some very steep hills. We arrived at the naturally breezy and very simple Prama Institute. After unpacking, we settled down to plan the evening and have some tea. The weekend then proceeded to take on somewhat of a dreamy, nidra like quality. We had yoga, delicious food cooked by the very efficient Kyle, and lots of time to relax and unwind. The lodgings were simple but sufficient and made us feel like we were at the best summer camp for grown-ups. I think the two favorite desserts were the strawberry shortcake and the grilled peaches. To try to describe them using words would not do them justice, so I will simply use one letter ... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

So what about the yoga, you say? Well, Julee and Carrington led us through practices that were also yummy beyond my ability to put into words. A wonderful flow and stretch to get us grounded, a yoga nidra, a morning hip opening and chair yoga ( which REALLY kicked our butts – fear the chair dude, fear the chair!), a shoulder opening practice, and to round out the weekend, a chakra practice focusing on opening and channeling the energetic body…sigh…this was all a slice of heaven! The yoga was our anchor and helped to facilitate the unwinding of the chatter of the mind and find the absolute joy in being fully present and grateful in our beautiful surroundings. We all left the practice room the second evening, and after dinner simply sat and watched the fireflies in the garden. Does life get any better than that?

It is hard to believe we were there and together for less than three days. Maybe a two-day yoga retreat is really like a week-long vacation? Of course, the weekend was not without its hysterically absurd moments, and I think that is what made it all come together in the end. We knew we would have good yoga and good food, but the interactions with each other and the comfortable companionship we shared so quickly was the bonus. Some highlights include: Sophie “pushing” a car up the mountain – with two or three fingers no less; Carrington experiencing some water snake action ( Kyle told us it was a poisonous snake and we all shrieked in appropriate horror. I have since researched that there is only one poisonous water snake in North America – the Cottonmouth Water Moccasin - and I am not sure this was one of those, BUT Kyle was a good cook so he probably knows best); when our Asheville day trippers brought us back chocolate; and one member of the group's insistence that every person we encountered was up to no good and trying to kidnap us. (You can NEVER be too careful!)

If you were not lucky enough to retreat to the mountains, rest assured, another trip will be forthcoming this Autumn, October 14-16.

See you there!

Namaste~
Suzanne