Chick Yoga Weekend XIII

Bold baby bunny

I had a much smaller group at Kripalu this year than other years.  After picking a date that most everyone agreed on, half the group was unable to make it because life got in the way.  But the five of us that attended this year had a wonderful time.  It was a quiet weekend, with plenty of room in all of our classes.  The weather cooperated as well.

Bunnies!  We arrived and were greeted by the very tame bunny rabbits that hang out on the front lawn.  They were cute and so blase about humans walking right up to them, even the young ones.

I attended a few workshops: an evening class of yin yoga and qigong, one on food and inflammation, another on writing haiku, and lastly a class on Mitahar (moderation in eating).  The last one was not at all what we expected, and was very interesting.  The Haiku Stew was entertaining (and I found out that haiku doesn't have to fit the 5-7-5 syllable format).

Meditation room, overlooking Qigong on the Lawn class

Because I skipped so many workshops, I did lots of reading and writing.  I spent some time in the meditation room on Sunday morning (and watched Qigong on the Lawn).  I love the new meditation room - it's such a pretty view out the window and so airy and bright.  The benches are very comfortable - it was the most comfortable place for crossed-legged sitting I had all weekend.

With the great weather, I got a chance to walk the labyrinth.  The wildflowers were in full bloom.  So many daisies and lots of purple and pink flowers.  It was wonderful to wander through them all.

Labyrinth daisies and meditation garden pebble decorations

I hiked around the grounds.  There's a newer trail down by the pond that a group of us explored one evening.  It was an entertaining hike, due to a student teacher singing in the woods just ahead of us.  We thought he might be singing to keep the bears away, but it turned out he was testing the acoustics of the woods.  He planned to organize a group of students to sing.  His voice was beautiful and he found a great sounding spot in a stand of trees on a small hill. 

I also hiked to Swami Kripalu's Meditation Garden, which I discovered last year.  The prayer flags were down, but people had gotten creative with the white pebbles in the middle of the garden.  There were swirls and words spelled out along edges, such as love, breathe, hope, peace.  I was rather amused that someone embellished the word grateful with the word dead.  The Surrender Dorothy made me laugh out loud. 

This year I found a path that led away from the meditation garden, and followed that for a while towards the main road.  It was a real pretty trail.  Another new discovery!

I tend to go barefoot the entire weekend, wearing my shoes only in the cafeteria (because they won't let you in barefoot).  I tend to leave my shoes in a rack nearby, but someone must have kept thinking they were left by mistake.  I found them moved somewhere else one day, and had to retrieve them from Lost and Found the next day.  There are labels available to mark food if you keep any in the common fridge.  I ended up taking one of those labels to stick on my shoes to keep them from wandering off!

2015 Kripalu Chicks

I had great meals, shared with good friends, trips down to the whirlpool and interesting discussions.  All of us enjoyed the weekend.  We bumped into the Bristol yoginis (the other half of our group that come each year - they also had a really small group!) several times over the weekend.  I am grateful for the time I got to spend relaxing and learning with my friends.  They are all wonderful women. 

And oh!  I must have accumulated some good karma!  I arrived home after a 2.5 hour drive to have my brakes fail just as I rolled into the driveway.  Whew!  Within minutes there was a puddle of brake fluid under the car.  But I was home safe and sound, and a call to AAA had the car towed to the mechanic within an hour.  Now I just keep my fingers crossed that it won't be an expensive fix.  What a welcome back to the real world!