Quantum Leaps, Sept 2014 – Part II

Okay.

Round two of yoga went very well (knee wise) as well. I especially enjoyed doing my poses in the sunbeam that shone thorough the front window of the beautiful Rumi Room. Although, I could tell my body was getting tired… so I “took it down a notch”, to be safe.

Next, it was a beautiful tofu curry meal on the deck with some of the lovely ladies I met. I think this was my favourite meal of my stay – soooo delicious! (I still think about that yoghurt sauce…) I ate so much that I only had room for one bite of the apple crumble dessert (le sigh). And then it was time to get ready for the evening festivities – the infamous “firewalk”. It was a gorgeous night for it – the sun still happily shining and the temperature mild. But I was still somewhat nervous… (Pictured above: my cozy back room and the yard out front of the cabin).

Those of us who wished to participate made our way down to one of the teepees beside the river. Brian and Annette introduced the ceremony – and handed out waivers for us to sign! (Did I mention I was already nervous?) We then did a visualization meditation to connect with one of the animals from the entire animal kingdom. Mine was a playful elephant who informed me that she’d been with me all along (which is neat, in retrospect, as my childhood stuffed toy that I dragged everywhere was an elephant). We learned about the firewalking ceremony and then headed outside…

Next, we formed two lines between the two piles of wood that Brian had set up previously. He spoke about the trees and transformation and thanking them for their gifts… We then passed pieces of wood from one pile to the other in silence – taking the time to notice each and every piece and show reverence for them. It was surprising how different each piece really was. Once the logs were all in one pile, Brian called in the four corners – and we lit the four sides (I got to ignite the first, the East). The fire was soon ablaze – and ho, boy was it hot!

As the sky grew dark and the ceremonial fire burned down, we went back into the teepee and did another exercise. Brian relayed a story about the proverbial monkey trap – in which a monkey is captured by putting its hand through a small space to grab a banana, and then not being able to pull its hand out with the banana – but also not wanting to let the banana go, hence becoming trapped. He handed out 1′ square boards and asked us to draw our metaphorical bananas – the things in life which were holding us back from being everything we wanted to be. We were to also make lists of the things we wanted to let go of, and the things we wanted to invite into our lives. Then we broke off into groups of three and “witnessed” each others boards. And then we headed back outside to the big fire…

At first I thought “Hey, this will be very symbolic/therapeutic, burning these lists and all…” Except we had another exercise to complete first: breaking through the boards – with just our hands! Wait, what now?! Oh, and that wasn’t all! There was also breaking an arrow – with the tip of it at our throats – using only our body weight, AND walking through the “tunnel of love” (i.e. two rows of participants who either say nice things to you or are supportive of you with a gentle touch as you walk through). Long story short, once I got past the doubts and fear and just “pushed” my way through these exercises, they were extremely empowering!!! Nothing like breaking all that wood to make one feel ridiculously fierce. 😉 Except, of course, for the tunnel part. In truth, it was the most difficult challenge for me – I’m fabulous at being encouraging, but not so much at receiving kindnesses. Something to work on, I suppose.

By the time everyone had had an opportunity to complete these “trials”, the fire had burned down significantly. Brian and Annette raked out the coals, drummed, and petitioned for a “friendly fire”. We removed our footwear, rolled up our pant legs, and watched Brian demonstrate the firewalk. Going one direction – inviting the good things into your life. Going back the other direction – letting go of that which no longer serves you. Being transformed by the experience. Again, once I got past the negative chatter in my head, it was smooth sailing. Well, relatively. Inviting things in was a breeze, but on my very last step through letting things go, the fire “kissed me”. Nothing serious – no huge blister or anything, just a dent the size of a grain of rice. But a good reminder that I need to work on the “letting things go” part. 😉

Annette handed out “diplomas” of a sort, and I went on a quick photo expedition with Susi (not pictured). Then it was time to tend to my dirty, dirty feet! And my boo-boo. 😉 Yes, I was a little jazzed-up by the whole evening – “Look at what I can do!!!” – but my exhaustion got the better of me and I slept like a rock! Although I did find it difficult to warm up after all the festivities…

The morning of Equinox was stunning. It took a little musical motivation to get my sleepy body out of bed, but I made it to yoga for one last good practice.

I also flushed out a couple of grouse along the way – silly birds. More hip and glutes release, more tears during savasana. Ahhhh… Another delicious breakfast with lively conversations. And already our linens were drying on the lines. 😉

Then it was time for a mindfulness walk. We met Tracey and Dave down by the teepees – and admired some Bald Eagles across the river while we gathered (see Part III). Now, I’ve got to admit, I was a bit of a poor student at this point. I had my camera with me and was repeatedly torn between just “being” in the moment and capturing it. It was just such a beautiful morning and everywhere I turned, there was something I wanted to share… Yet, I tried to stay focused. Really, I did! Kissing the earth with my feet. Connecting with my steps. Offering awareness and gratitude with each breath… But…

… the dew covered spider webs were RIDICULOUS!!! And EVERYWHERE!!! Ahem. Mindfulness. Yeah…

First, we headed north to investigate the spawning Kokanee Salmon. Then south, along the Bald Eagle peppered river. And then east, into the forest, through the property of the sled dog outfitters… So much to appreciate!

We headed back to pack up our rooms, have one last amazing meal together (savory scones and soup and snaps of ginger!), and then wrapped things up in the Rumi Room. While I was waiting, I went up to the loft area to check out the meditation space. I drew a card from the Eckhart Tolle deck – talk about mindfulness reminders! 😉 We shared stories as we passed around a piece of history, and set our intentions for what to “bring home”. And we laughed. What an amazing weekend!!!

Then Tracey’s husband Dave was kind enough to take group photos – for a bunch of us. =) As it is, I am still trying to figure out how that light seems to be emanating from his feet… and casting shadows on the wall behind us. I just can’t seem to grasp the physics of it. 😉 Thanks, y’all, for an amazingly wonderful weekend!!!!!

Of course, I wanted to linger as long as possible, so I loaded up my car and then headed down to the labyrinth for one last spin – barefoot, this time, as that is what I’d heard the group had done on their walk.

One last nature walk: spawning salmon in a different light, exploring the river and mudflats, collecting rocks…

And a quick stop at the nearby Wolf Centre to get my interpretive ya-yas out… which was, uh, interesting. And then it was time to go.

A relatively uneventful drive home – except for the 35-40 minute delay due to traffic/an accident outside of Banff. At least it offered me an opportunity to snap the hoodoos without going 90 kph. 😉

When I finally got home, there were lots of hugs… and even a “welcome home” cake that my 5 year old insisted on making. <3 I’m a lucky lady.