During the Palo Alto YMCA Women’s Retreat, Allen explained that an advantage of “mindfulness meditation” is that there are no time restrictions. You can practice it any time—regardless of whether your stomach is empty or full—and for any length of time, however short it may be. If you are stuck waiting for a friend to arrive, instead of getting angry with your friend, make good use of those ten minutes to meditate. Allen also introduced us to “walking meditation”—a method of walking slowly and meaningfully, thinking about a particular phrase. For me, walking meditation was the most accessible, since I have an unfortunate tendency to fall asleep when I sit still and silent.
On Saturday and Sunday morning of the retreat, Allen prompted us to get out of bed at 6:30 a.m. by walking through the corridor ringing a small bell. We had the option of ignoring the bell and some women made that choice. But I wanted to explore the experience of starting off my day with yoga and meditation before breakfast. So I responded to the call of the bell. It turned out that both the yoga and the meditation gave me ample time for additional relaxation, and those exercises were probably even more restorative than an extra hour of sleep would have been.
Allen encouraged us to remain silent until after breakfast in order to delve deeper into self-reflection. After breakfast, we had a group meeting with discussion, journaling, and drawing. On Saturday afternoon, we had more yoga, more group exercises, and more meditation. At night, we had a little party with music and refreshments in a cozy room with a large fireplace. Leffler had brought potting soil, small biodegradable pots, and nasturtium seeds as gifts for each of us—the physical act of planting seeds and nurturing the new plant being yet another way of encouraging us to nurture the spirit within ourselves.
Eleven women, ranging in age from early thirties to sixty, participated in the retreat. Two of us had taken yoga classes with Leffler. Others had taken meditation classes with Allen. A few women were involved in yoga classes at other branches of the YMCA in Redwood City or Los Altos. Two women had never done any yoga at all. They came out of curiosity, intrigued by the concept of a “women’s retreat.” During sessions, Leffler offered suggestions for adapting poses to suit the individual’s own capabilities and gave the inexperienced women a little extra coaching. Yoga is not a competitive sport.
