Escaping the pandemic for a whole weekend. My first yoga retreat away with lovely real people!

Last weekend I actually went away for a much needed yoga retreat.  It was all the more exciting and poignant because I have not been to any kind of "group thing" since the pandemic reared its head.  Having delayed getting my vaccine for six months and then being ill for weeks afterwards, this was finally my chance to escape.  It wasn't even far away, just over an hour's drive but that was enough.  I packed a weekend bag (full of thermals) and left my house alone, for the first time in nearly two years!

I arrived at my retreat destination, a lovely Quaker House in Surrey, checked into my spacious, warm room and wondered what on earth do I do now?  I had turned my phone off for the retreat, there was no cooking or tidying to do, no work on the computer, no internet, no micro-managing, no yoga books to study.  For a moment it felt rather unsettling and unfamiliar.  And then I remembered, I was supposed to rest, relax and enjoy the present moment.  Or failing that, I could go for a walk and hope that being out in nature would help the process.

Fortunately, the retreat house has the most wonderful garden with a plethora of incredible trees and a winding path where you can stroll undisturbed.  This became my haven during the weekend, wrapped up against the chilly temperatures, where I enjoyed being next to enormous, ancient trees who seem so steady and supportive.  As I sat next to a sequoia tree, I wondered how old it must be and what changes in life it has seen.  The trees aren't paying attention to the pandemic, I thought...  they are just there, full of health.

Being with a small group of nine of us for a weekend was initially a little daunting, especially as it was too cold to be outside very much.  But I was determined to find the middle-path, between extreme caution and hoping that covid has gone now.  The Quaker House had numerous measures in place, lots of open windows, masks and testing beforehand.  So with all that in place, I managed to actually relax on my yoga mat and remember how nourishing it is to be with people.  When Leah (lovely yoga teacher) started her sessions, it felt like coming home.  From my yoga mat, I could see the trees and soaked up some of their steadiness.  It was wonderfully restful and I felt like I was dusting off part of my "old-self" who used to regularly escape and switch off this way.  One evening we even sat outside around a fire, drinking hot chocolate and singing and I actually felt "normal" and happy being with others.

Just as nourishing as the yoga was the food.  Like most of us, I have cooked my way through the pandemic, getting slowly tired of my rather repetitive home-cooking.  Suddenly, I was being brought food that I hadn't shopped for, planned nor needed to clear up afterwards.  The first evening, we had a tasty nut roast with roasted vegetables and I felt a deep sense of gratitude for being able to get away, finally. 

Just outside the garden, an early frosty morning 
After three days of yoga, endless delicious food and time walking outside in the garden, I remembered what it felt like to fully relax.  And then, all too soon, it was time to face the world again and leave my quiet space.  As I left, I was sure that some of the calm would come home with me.  And while the latest pandemic drama unfolds, I am trying to be more steady and unflappable like the ancient trees, knowing that "all will be well".  And when I'm looking at the internet too much, I know it is time to get back out into nature to help remember this.

 

"Non-doing, no agenda time is the cure for the feeling of overwhelm" (Jon Kabat-Zinn)

 

Top photo: Garden at Claridge House

Middle photo: The huge trunk of the sequoia tree 

Comments

  1. Sue WalkerDecember 14, 2021 at 1:47 PM

    "Thank you Sue! Another cracker which goes straight to the heart."

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sue WalkerDecember 17, 2021 at 8:58 AM

    "Ooh this sounds like bliss. Lovely piece. I want some of your calm."

    ReplyDelete

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