My Happy New Year

Well, I've just returned from my retreat at Kripalu, and it was fantastic. The title of the program that I did was called Refilling Your Well, and it was all about nurturing yourself and doing what best serves you in your life. After everything I've been through in the past couple of years, it really spoke to me. Kripalu is great in that you can really completely relax, as everything is designed to make you be conscious of yourself, your thoughts, and your actions. Just getting back to doing yoga again was a great blessing. I have done it off and on (unfortunately, more off than on) in the 20 years since college, and this reminded me that I really need to have it be a part of my life.

Priti Robyn Ross, the director of the workshop, was great in so many ways. She's got boundless energy, and at first it seems like it must be for show, but it's really her. She's also very knowledgeable about stress management and how to put together a great program. I mentioned at the end of the workshop that all the things we did in it were things I already knew intellectually, but there was something about the way it was put together that really made it click at a gut level. She really cares about everyone getting all they can out of this. We did yoga, journaled, and shared thoughts and activities that got to some of the core issues about why we don't take care of ourselves. One of the greatest activities for me was looking at what at the things that nurture you, and why don't you do them. Seems easy, but it's very easy to forget this. That's the biggest thing that I got out of the workshop is that I've always tried to take care of everyone else, but not done a good job of taking care of me. I likened it to being a string on an instrument, but without the body of the instrument to contain me and to let the music resonate and travel. I need to take care of me more on that.

Some of Priti's good comments were:

What would be the loving thing to do?
I'm not saying no to you; I'm saying yes to me!
What you put your attention on grows.

I'm reminded that I have to do yoga more. I've been doing it for 20 years, but more off than on. While I was there, three people all suggested I check out The Arlington Center, a holistic health center. It's within walking distance of my apartment, and I found out they had an open house with free classes the day after I got back from Kripalu. I've already bought a 15 class pass!

At the end of the session, we needed write out a statement about ourselves that encompassed all we had learned. Mine is:

I, Ken, respect and acknowledge my needs at every moment and choose to nourish myself so that I am strong and protected, and my resonance sings divinely to all corners of the universe.

I've got a lot to do to keep on track of nourishing myself, but I hope that 2007 is the year for that!