Hi Loves,
Back from Silence. Always an adventure especially on re-entry when the retreat really begins. There will be more to share as it unfolds, but what I want to share is what I observed with the group. Adyashanti and his crew at Open Gate, plus the Granlibakken crew hold a very sweet container. The lay of the land and how the facility sits is perfect for a silent retreat. I highly recommend attending. What got me excited this year was seeing how many men were present. I would say there were probably more men than women out of the 300+ total. And Adya has such a beautiful way of helping men make the journey down into their heart wisdom. I think he is easy for men to relate to in that he was a competitive athlete with a lot of drive and personal will that men can relate to. He also spent a lot of time in Sierras climbing and backpacking. He calls the Sierra Nevada mountains his cathedrals. He always has a Q&A in the evening. The first night he chose 3 men to come up to the mic and then the second night 4. No women. I was psyched that spirit was calling for him to help support the men too. Because truly this will help the whole. How can women be honored if the men can't honor themselves? How can the men be honored by women if the men can't honor themselves? It was so beautiful to see so many men walking around with a hand on their heart. On the third day at lunch the retreat manager said someone had written a note asking if Adya would be working with any women and she reminded us all to just trust. And boy did he address the sisterhood the next night. Had tears streaming down my face. Too complex for me to articulate the transmission that took place. But it's the women that are generally more willing to be with the despair and grief. He brought in that it was the women that were at the bottom of cross with Christ. The disciples were not around. Who are there for the births, the deaths? Generally the women. Again like I have been sharing in the last few newsletters. It's not really gender, but the archetype of the masculine and feminine. When we wake up we are getting broken up to the wholeness of life including both the masculine and feminine. And that takes diving into the tough stuff. Something the men haven't had as much support doing because it wasn't safe before. So I am called to hold the safe container with Ben starting this Wednesday night. I am really excited about the guys that have already courageously signed up. We are allowing men to dip their toe into the first class and see for themselves if they want to commit to the following five.
Also Ben got interviewed by my friend Kali Cathie for her podcast It's Time to Talk. Maybe you will want to hear part of why I love this man so much. Listen here to their conversation she titled The Art of Presence.
Lastly, I teach tomorrow!
The Practice
Tuesday, Oct.1 6:30-8:30 a
Namaste in Truckee
***Come on early birds!
Yin
Tuesday, Oct.1 5:30-7:00
Tahoe Yoga in Truckee
***I am not a strict yin teacher. But I got the meditative vibe. :)
Hope to see you on the mat some time soon!
Love to you all!
Namaste,
Shari
