We were headed to our annual few days retreat at Breitenbush Hot Springs in Oregon. It is a place of great spirit, such beauty, and the quiet of nature that is all encompassing, only interrupted by the rushing Breitenbush River and frog song at night.
The intentional community of Breitenbush is owned and operated by its inhabitants, providing a year round calendar of programs and workshops, rustic but comfortable accommodations, and organic homemade creative healthy meals three times a day, so bountiful it is impossible to get hungry in between. Also those hot springs -- bubbling up into pools that soothe the weary muscles of a weary I-5 traveler.
Our reason for going this year, same as last, was to spend three days with Shantala, the duo of Benjy and Heather Wertheimer who sing sacred chant, lead Kirtan, and dazzle with musicianship extraordinaire. Joined this year by an outstanding musician in his own right, Sean Frenette, and yoga led by Seattle's Elizabeth Rainey, we knew we were in for a welcome respite from the tensions of the "real world".
The weather was cooler than expected, but still lovely. Flowers bloomed, hiking trails beckoned, the soaking pools especially welcome. Our two daily sessions with Benjy and Heather were filled with sharing, music, meditation, and grounding into a place of peace and calm. Morning yoga helped get our bodies moving in ways that honored our individual needs and prompted us to be gentle with expectations and outcomes, accepting and loving our unique "earth skins".
We stayed two days beyond our workshop with Shantala to continue to soak in the Breitenbush magic, then it was back on I-5 again for the trek home. We timed it mid-day, mid-week, so it wasn't quite so bad, but still noted aggression on the highways. It's a wonder there are not more accidents and road rage incidents! Everyone really should take a Breitenbush break to find out what is truly important -- and it's not speeding to any destination faster than everyone else!
So, do you wish you could get a taste of what we had? YOU CAN! And absolutely NO long road trip (if you live close to Yoga Circle). Shantala is coming to AngelArmsWorks in Snohomish on June 25th. Visit the Yoga Circle Studio website for more information under "workshops" or click here: http://www.yogacirclestudio.com/events/ You will be enveloped in love, beautiful music, sacred song, and a sense of peace you may be craving. It's a rare opportunity to have these folks in our community. Come!
Namaste, donnajurene
PS. What's Kirtan? Here's a link to a previous blog post. http://circlingthemat.blogspot.com/2015/12/make-joyful-noise.html
Benjy and Heather offer a great introduction to the practice and even if chanting isn't your thing, they weave in more instrumental music than many Kirtan artists do, so you can sit back and drink in the soothing, mysterious sounds they create with their variety of unusual instruments. Try it.
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