The Fruit of a New Season

It is a strange phenomenon in the universe that when you are not meant to do something, you can work and work, and nothing will come of it. By contrast, when you are meant to be somewhere, there is absolutely no effort involved and things just fall into place. This has been my experience in this magical land. I found myself here on a 3 month contract a year ago, and one door after another opened, so that now I am based out of the gorgeous Zhiwa Ling hotel, offering classes and retreats during the fall and spring seasons. Summers are now reserved for Colorado, with the possibility of classes there. What has come out of my 2 year sabbatical is a realization that periodic retreat is a necessity for advancing on the path of practice. People often ask me what it means to do retreat practice. The answer to this question depends on who is asking. For those new to practice, retreat can be as simple as taking a few days out from the daily routine and engaging in a more disciplined schedule of practice or resting with awareness in a peaceful location. For seasoned practitioners, retreat can mean 3 years of solitary meditation, silence and seclusion. There are endless variations in-between. The aim however, is a reconnection with the basic intelligence of the mind, that mine of wisdom that guides us in our journey toward enlightenment. This journey looks different for everyone, so taking time to check in with this inner wisdom is essential if we are to consider ourselves practitioners of yoga or meditation. What are the fruits of practice? As my root teacher, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche said, “The path is the goal.” So the practice is to enjoy the path.