So lovely to have 12 women come to the evening of ritual and yoga last night at 7th Heaven.
I feel strongly about creating more ritual and ceremony into our current techno-obsessed culture.
It was literally a breath of fresh spring air to join together with intention and light conjuring ways.
Mondays class followed my 6 Bunny Head Yoga craft girls that were here Saturday as the rains pounded down outside.
We did yoga, had our own ritual of making “vision boards” and for yummy-fun – we made butter by dancing wildly with cream in a jar. That was quite a blast – and delicious to boot.

I think the grown women last night might’ve liked a little butter too! Maybe next time :-)

We are gearing up for the workshop on Saturday at Vara Healing Arts. My Co-leader, comrade and inspirational writer, Suze Allen, says it all about Women In Transition – Climbing Into Your Authentic Self. She has much to offer in the way of creativity, insight and guidance. Enjoy!

Everything is. The food, the sun, swimming, watching the stars…it all just seems to be better at Wilbur Hot Springs. Really. The place is just like that. It was such an honor to be spending my Labor Day weekend with Wilburites. Some have been coming for years, some for their first delicious time, but all happy to be making the billy-goat commute up to the yoga deck above the baths and pool. I am feeling more connected as an instructor these days – that I now know enough to break away from what my past teacher’s have given me and bring my own spin to it. I think of my past teachers and bow down to them – I still have so much to learn. I am a good teacher striving to be a great teacher and with students like the one’s at Wilbur this past weekend, I feel blessed with the opportunity to continue practicing what I know. It is a complete thrill to say “try this” and students dive in- saying “Okay!!” Just fantastic.

On Sunday April 11th – buckets of rain dropped outside but that did not keep 8 women from gathering at Vara Healing Arts to explore their personal mythic journey with Suze and I at the helm. Our class “Women In Transition – Climbing Into Your Authentic Self” was interwoven with yoga, personal insight, sharing and an adventurous spirit to delve into writing exercises inspired by Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With A Thousand Faces.

The five hours moved along with a sense of ease and spaciousness and by the days end I was moved by the stories of transition. I was touched by what these women brought to the class and filled with gratitude by what they were able to see in themselves. Such an honor to facilitate and witness this state of being together – both, individually and as a group.

If we can do so much in 5 hours, what will a weekend at Esalen do?!?! We’ll be there May 28th – 30th… I can’t wait.

Though I write and love to do so, I felt Suze went to the heart of what our up-coming workshop is all about…enjoy….

Teach What You Need to Learn or How I Came to Create
Women in Transition
A Workshop for Climbing into Your Authentic Self
by Suze Allen

Do you ever feel like you’re stuck between the confines of your own brain, the wiring of your hormones, the imposed boundaries of your life, or the expectations of your boss, co-workers, children or partner? If you said, “yes”, to any of the above, we have a lot in common. It seems that I have encountered a restless struggle in each decade of my life that renders me uncomfortable in my own skin, disillusioned and trapped by the world I set up for myself, and ultimately at a loss for knowing how to make the next step and go deeper into my life. And the transition keeps posing the eternal question – “What is “my life”? How is it mine and how does it intersect with the other people that I live amongst and between?

Over my 48 years, I have vacillated between yearning to move forward and being thrust into a change despite my Herculean efforts to stay the same. Each intersection of desire and necessity has made me stronger, more passionate, and wider-awake then I would sometimes like to be.

The paths to transition are many: surging hormones, complicated relationships, decisions about careers, college, spirituality, and motherhood, and about addressing the need to live a life of substance, whatever that means. Whatever kind of transformation you are undergoing, I can tell you unequivocally that you can benefit from taking some time for introspection, intention, and integration. That’s what has worked for me and why I designed this workshop about women and facing change.

No matter what age or path you are on, if you are a woman in the midst of change; yoga, ritual, and purposeful writing can help you to both open up and get grounded. Yoga (any level – beginner to advanced) clears the path to your inner desire, your spiritual self, or to your god, if you will. Purposeful writing chisels a road into your innermost thoughts and emotions and clarifies your intention. Ritual cements your intention and your desire for change into a sacred journey and gives you the strength to move through the difficult but rewarding phase of transformation. I know this. My lifelong study has shone this to be true.

Joseph Campbell, the author of “Hero of a Thousand Faces”, talks about the mono myth – the one story that gets told over and over again through the ages. The beauty of this story is that we are assured that we are not alone, that many have gone before us on this heroic journey and they have paved the way for us. Women in Transition – a workshop for Climbing into Your Authentic Self was designed by myself, Suze Allen, author, writing coach and teacher, and Jnana Gowan, certified yoga instructor and educator to meet women where they live in the uncertainty of change or evolution. We customized the class from our experience as mothers, spiritual practitioners, and teachers who know the difficulty and the power of the feminine journey. As women, who refuse to live our lives, “asleep at the wheel”, our approach to transition is, “keep your eyes wide open, embrace the darkness and the pain and find as much humor, and grace as you possibly can.” The workshop has lots of space, music, creativity, art, and contemplation. The yoga and writing aspect of the workshop is central and is for all levels and is appropriate for anyone from a complete novice to a seasoned professional.

What I find exciting about the workshop is that is creates space and time out of your busy world so you can actually hear the voices in your head, breathe deeply and honor what is happening to you, right here, right now. In this day and age of intense doing, it is imperative to take time to be, to feel, to intend, and to flow. As a mom and dedicated Capricorn, I find, that I have to coerce myself to feel the force within and without so I can grow and accept who I am. Workshops like the one, Jnana and I have put together, serve to make me a more authentic person. For me that means “being in my bones”, coming from a place of,” take me as I am” and “no judgment” of intention and creativity. This is not easy but whoever said easy was good? And the journey is intensely personal to everyone. The question I ask myself often and ask you now is, “What are you willing to live with and what do you need to lose?” That is the journey. Attaining and letting go. – Mind, Body, and Spirit, embracing the connection of our whole selves: Yin and Yang, Dark, and Light, Joy and Pain.

1 – No cell reception
2- No WiFi
3- No television/cable
4- Yes quiet
5- Yes nature
6- Yes delicious healing waters
7- Yes free yoga on the deck above the baths from May to end of October

There’s not a lot to do and isn’t that the point? Being at Wilbur gives you a chance to practice “non-doing” – and you can do that the whole weekend. I don’t know how many times I’ve taken a bag of books and a bunch of things to keep me busy and not touched them the entire weekend. It’s good for you to do nothing, it’s completely underrated.
Give it a try.