So, it's 2019, and gearing up to plan my next retreat.

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But funnily enough, I’d never ever actually been on a retreat myself.

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Has that ever happened to you? Where you’re doing the thing but you’ve never actually been on the receiving side of the thing?

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At the time, I was a little bit on autopilot, feeling so disconnected from myself. I had lost my best friend earlier that year. And after that loss, it felt like I would never find like-minded people on my path again.

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I wasn’t excited about my practice anymore.

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It felt like everyone was now coined a yoga or meditation teacher and no one could possibly teach me more than I knew (note: this is a very untrue statement. This was my ego and at the time my mind was fogged with doubt and grief).

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I craved to be in the presence of a teacher who had depth and soul. I craved a teacher who knew more than me from their years of unwavering commitment.

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But even with some of these thoughts, I still didn’t think I needed support. Or needed to attend a retreat.

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So in the name of “research,” I was curious about potentially leading a retreat in Leavenworth. So I blindly signed up for a “Women’s Mountain Meditation Retreat” in Leavenworth with Amber Tande at Mystic Living.

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Not knowing her at all. Barely knew anyone in Seattle for that matter since I had just moved there the year prior.

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Truly clueless as to who or what it was. Plus, I didn’t even have a car! This is about a 3-hour drive from Seattle, where I was living at the time.

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Again in the name of research, I rented a car for the weekend and drove myself up to Leavenworth.

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Windows down, music up, feeling tender and restless on the messy year.

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And so what’s my retreat confession?

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🤫 That I wish I had gone on a retreat for myself way sooner

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🤫 That when I have a desire for something, Nature presents me with it. Even if my stubbornness sees it as "research." I discovered new tools with Amber like journeying, new chants, and a way to silently commune with women. I can’t even explain how transformative this experience was for me. This is often called our dharma in play or the law of attraction. There are so many words out there for this. But I really like this straightforward explanation of Nature's play in our life.

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🤫 That like-minded humans are out there and when we get called, we show up. We’re weird, we crave intimacy, and we like mystical things or spiritual talk. We share our wounds openly. We hug not as strangers but as soulful beings.

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🤫 That being held in a container by an experienced facilitator is deeply needed for my life, no matter how many years of experience I have as a teacher. I am forever an evolving human that needs this type of support.

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I recently returned from attending a Vedic Meditation Rounding Retreat with one of my first and favorite mentors in LA, Patti Quintero (see if you can spot me in her Reel ☺️) along with Susan Chen.

Incredible women leading a beautiful movement of integral practices and living. Follow them.

And there’s something that Patty said that deeply resonated with me.

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“We don’t meditate to be good meditators, we meditate to be good at life.”

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Similar to retreats. Yes, we go for the sake of retreat, de-stressing, and resetting but with the intention to re-enter life with something new – a new sense of community and spirit. These experiences allow us to lift the fog. Maybe even overcome the resistance of our stubborn ego, like mine 🙈.

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We get to hear the wisdom of Truth. I firmly believe that every teacher, in their own way, is conveying the same message, rooted in Universal Knowledge. Sometimes, all it takes is one specific teacher for this wisdom to resonate with us.

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Teachers come into our lives at various stages, creating ripples or waves that influence our journey.

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It's as if we are all swimming in one Ocean Consciousness. We simply need that teacher to swim alongside us, guiding us, and helping us discover our unique wave and path.

— 🪷 —

Gentle reminder that Activating the Wise Heart is in Costa Rica next year June 23 - 29, 2024. Reserve your spot with just a $375 deposit, afterward payments are split into 2.

This is for you if you’re ready to embark on the wisdom of your own inner knowledge. Our heart wisdom is intuition: it’s renting the car when you don’t know anyone else there, it’s the willingness to yes to a new phase of life or business or career pivot even when you're not entirely sure why you're doing it, it's the strength to say no when you've been saying yes to the wrong things.

It's immersing ourselves in Ocean Consciousness for a few days, returning to our daily lives as the New Waves to our families and communities. 🌊

If you have more questions about what activating the wise heart means or what type of yoga & meditation there will be, book a short call with me.

Sending you so much love and grace.

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Brenda

🪷 Looking for something to use and integrate now? Check out this Inner Wisdom and Mindful Mastery Workbook. ​