The Fourth Walsh

The yoga retreat started with a vigorous class at 7am.  It was chilly so we opted for indoors. 

(SIDENOTE:  the weather is unexpected for me.  Apparently, Central Oregon is a desert.  It’s a sunny, 80s-90s, gentle breeze during the day.  Then, it’s chilly in the morning and after sundown.  I expected more of a rainy and cloudy climate. Nice surprise.)

The yoga class was a quicker pace then I’m used to.  I felt equally challenged and proud.  I kept up.  Although I modified for my own body needs, I couldn’t do anything even close to this side crow pose (pictured)…yet.  Still, I was dripping sweat and more limber at the end then at the beginning of class.  Brooke and Jenny tag teamed it again as instructors.  And the class had a nice balance of core work and hip openers. 

While she was guiding the class, Brooke said something out loud that I had been thinking silently.  She said, “We need to not just practice yoga.  We need to study it.”  When she and Jenny call out a pose’s name in the ancient language of Sanskrit, I don’t always know it.  And if I know it, it takes me a moment to translate it in my head so my body can respond.  In my Chicago studio, the flow is slow enough that I have the extra time to figure it  out and adjust accordingly. I want to understand the practice on a deeper level.  I need to study and be more mindful. 

Following the class, we had a quick breakfast at Sunriver Resort. I had this delicious fried egg sandwich with arugula and tomato… yum!  And then, the retreat folks that opted for the volcanic hike headed out with Wanderlust Tours.  We hiked a volcanic caldera.  A ‘caldera’ is a volcano that has collapsed.   The collapse happened over 1,000 years ago.  And now NASA uses the national monument to train astronauts.  They practice walking on the moon by walking on these rocks. And they do it in full gear.  I did it in sweats and sneakers.  It’s still pretty precarious.  We climbed up to the peak by walking  on top of pumice and obsidian (black volcanic glass).  The way up and the way down I was glad for the early yoga class so I was more limber.  And I was thankful for working out with Josh for this past year.  Our training helped me tackle the rocky climb especially in the altitude. I gingerly stepped up and down these still moving rocks.  The pictures don’t really capture the impressive and unsettled rubble mountain. 

Later, our guides took us over to Paulina Lake, a lake created by melting snow.  We hiked some more along the crystal blue lake and into the forest which had these 400+ year old hemlock trees. It’s gorgeous here!  And our guides were the perfect hosts to the splendor.  Courtney and Nick are both naturalists and enthusiastic about it.  They love their jobs and it shows.  They pointed out various plants of interest.  Who knew you could make tea from a grand fir??  That it smells and tastes great?  Or a ponderosa tree smells like butterscotch? Lastly, we stopped at a spectacular cascading waterfall.  So much natural beauty here in Oregon.    

When we got back to the resort, we had an hour respite to eat lunch and relax.  At 2pm, Jenny facilitated a more restorative yoga session outdoors.  This time, I situated myself under a tree for shade… game changer!  The session was an ideal stretch post hike.  It also helped my still puffy ankles from the flight.  At home, I like my restorative yoga with more props and less movement.  My favorite pose is reclining mountain that uses two blocks and two bolsters. The props help hold the pose without the body working,   Since we are all traveling from Chicagoland with limited props, today’s restorative yoga was more reliant on working through the kinks without benefit of props.  It actually was probably better for me in my continued focus on re-connecting my mind-body-spirit.

The later afternoon/evening activity on the itinerary was going into Bend to shop and have dinner at a local joint.  I declined and opted to relax and write poolside.  This is my fantasy of my life as a writer full-time.  🙂  I ended the day watching the Blackhawks tie the series at the lodge bar.   The day was a complete winner all around!