Retreat: The Evolution of Friendship Among Women

I spent this past weekend at the Women’s Wellness Retreat at Camp Mad Anthony Wayne. This weekend of yoga, meditation, self care and bodywork was organized by my lovely friend and yoga teacher Jenn Brooks.

I really want to write about this experience, but all that’s coming up right now is: Wow. When I don’t know what to say, I like to make lists.

• Thai Massage. I was offered the opportunity to use one of the camp’s cabins as a Thai massage space this weekend! Thai massage is a nourishing practice for me, and, after a long week, it was a restorative experience to offer that work.
• New friends! I still often feel like “the new girl” in Huntington. It is lovely to have the opportunity to connect with other women on a level above chit-chat. And that was what this weekend was about — living from the heart and speaking from that space.
• Birth stories! Many of the retreat participants, while they did not know me personally, came to know that I am a bodyworker/birthworker and also a new mom. I suppose that is why so many women of all ages felt comfortable to share just a little piece of their birth story with me, even just a general comment like “I had a __ birth” or “I felt __ when my baby was born” or “I didn’t know what to do.” It wasn’t until this morning that I realized I am attracting this sharing of stories, even when I do not bring up the topic of birth or parenting myself. I like to think that this is simply because I am open to holding that space — the one where you can wander through a self-inquiry on the topic of pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, or motherhood without editing out all the, um…very human-like pieces to the story. It was ALWAYS an honor for me to listen.
• Which brings me to Saturday’s keynote on The Evolution of Friendship Among Women. I loved this opportunity to hear from Anna Pittman of The Breathing Space in Blacksburg, VA; it was a reminder of the Love that is in our nature — rather, that is our nature — when we can be spacious enough to experience vulnerability to the shadowy side of ourselves and of life.

There’s more I want to say about this, but right now I’m becoming too preoccupied with saying it “right,” and that impulse is stifling. In this moment, I feel so blessed to have met all the women I shook hands with this weekend, everyone who took a moment to share a part of herself with me or to offer me a smile. I may still feel like “the new girl” in Huntington for awhile, but, this weekend, I have felt among my people.