Hood River- Day Four

Today the theme will be contemplation. We'll do a walking meditation followed by our asana session, then lunch, and our afternoon discussion. As I sit here with this beautiful scene before me I have such a range of feelings: excitement, anticipation, hope, faith, connectedness, sadness, and yet somehow, more than anything, peacefulness. Will I be able to return to my life with everything I've learned and be able integrate it, to apply it?

More on today's session later.

Update

The theme for our morning was contemplation. We walked about a mile and a half (I think) through the morning traffic, around the marina, past the park, to the little sandy beach where we put our feet in the Columbia River. The feeling of expansion was overwhelming to me. A little too overwhelming, and so I had to take a step back with my awareness and snap a few pictures of the scene. First, one of us walking toward the beach (I didn't actually photograph the group standing in the water, in Tadasana, taking it all in; seemed too sacred a moment):



Then, a shot or two of the surrounding area:


And finally, the walk back:


After the three long days of asana, satsang, kirtan, and so much more, which brought my emotions very much to the surface, even just a quiet walk was enough to bring tears to my eyes. Once we returned to the training room, our asana began again, this time with the theme of courage, which brought me back full circle to my realization on Day One. It's hard to convey the sense of beauty that I experienced on my trip to Hood River. The connection I felt to the group and to the lessons learned will be with me forever. I now know I have the courage to allow myself to be connected to people in meaningful ways, regardless of the risk. I know I have the strength of wisdom and the beauty of inner happiness to withstand any outcome.