Retreat Recap and Random Other Things

This past weekend was our teacher training's retreat to Pendle Hill, near Media, PA. Actually I think it might have been really close to Swarthmore College. Pendle Hill is a Quaker community, with various walking paths, ponds, gardens, recreation centers, lodging spaces, meeting centers, etc. It was a really nice place -- modest, accommodating, and perfect for our group.

We were only there from Friday night to Sunday afternoon, but it felt like we were there for a lot longer than that. In a good way, though. It's hard for me to sum up the experience, but I do think it was transformative for all of us.

Mostly, I feel purified. Saturday and Sunday morning, we got up at 6 and 6:30, respectively, and practiced pranayama for about an hour. On Saturday night, I used the neti pot to clear my nasal passages, and my pranayama practice felt better the following morning as a result of it. Actually, I attained a deeper state of absorption on the first day, but on the second day, I had a kind of clarity of consciousness. When a few people complained that the room had been very cold, I realized at that moment that may have contributed to my alertness, too.

My other favorite part of the retreat was the recitation of 108 Oms, led by Julie on Saturday morning, before our Vinyasa practice. That was a very powerful experience. Julie has a beautifully deep and resonant Om, which had a way of grounding me and letting me lose myself in the process. We probably Omed for about 45 minutes -- much longer than Julie had anticipated. She said she led groups in this practice before, but maybe it was because their individual Oms weren't as long, she was able to complete it in half the time. I thought that was pretty interesting. I think I got a bit tired from it, but not too much. I would have been able to sustain it for much longer, I think.

A lot of people reported having transcendent experiences during the Oms. Most people heard sounds, like tinkling bells and overtones. I heard some overtones in the beginning, but mostly I became hyper-focused on the act of Om-ing itself. I felt like my whole body was Om-ing.

Anyway, I'll write more about Om later. It's our essay assignment for this Wednesday. I'm not really sure what I'm going to write. We need to write about our experience with Om, and what it means to us. Another way Corina framed it -- if you were to explain Om to a lay person, what would you say?

Lastly, I would like to talk about the crazy dreams I had while away at the retreat, and also on Sunday night after coming home. The first night I was there, I couldn't sleep at all. I was keenly aware of every sound moving through that house, and even more so of every toss and turn my roommate Mey engaged in. It was torture. But it was also okay. I lay in a Savasana state for several hours, knowing that I needed rest if I were to make it through the next day alive. And while in that state, many visions came to me.

One -- I had the distinct sense that there were spirits in the room, and on the grounds. I wasn't sure if the spirit in the room was Mey's or Amanda's, or if it was someone else entirely.

I could also "feel the energy" of the place. That also kept me awake.

I also had a vision of Julie, dressed in Navajo clothing, sitting in the Lotus position. What I remember most was her eyes. They were luminous and large, penetrating into my core.

On Sunday night I had the strangest dream involving Corina. I dreamed we were in a public bathroom, and she was somehow transmitting knowledge to me that would teach me how to remove my attachment to my gross body. It was very cosmic.

Anyway, until next time...