Rest, Reflection, and Renewal

In just a few days, I will be returning to Feathered Pipe Ranch, a beautiful and remote retreat center in northern Montana, where I will be studying yoga for scoliosis with senior Iyengar Yoga teacher Elsie Miller. This will be my tenth visit to the ranch. It was there that I did much of my formative teacher training with Mary Dunn and Dean and Rebecca Lerner from 1999 – 2009. Sixteen years later, I am filled with joy to be returning to this beautiful and sacred land.

The yoga retreats I attended at Feathered Pipe made a huge impact on me as a practitioner and teacher. In those early years, I craved knowledge. As I moved through a series of Iyengar Yoga certification assessments, I was building my skill and understanding, pose by pose. I took copious notes, studied, practiced and thought about yoga all the time.

While that period of intense effort was a necessary part of my journey, in some ways, I was grasping for learning, instead of allowing learning to take place. Now in a different phase of life, that fiery energy has changed into something steadier.

I have been teaching Iyengar Yoga for 27 years. I continue to study and practice, but my approach feels different. I am more patient, more absorbed in the moment, and more willing to allow new discoveries to emerge spontaneously.

In preparing for the retreat, I have been reflecting about what I hope to get from the experience. I realize that my priority is to rest and relax. I am imagining merging into nature, and soaking in the beauty of the ranch. Ponderosa pines, aspen trees and a beautiful lake. A dark sky, and bright, countless stars. The smell of the pine bed. The quiet.

Rather than chasing after knowledge, I hope to simply allow it to happen. I know from experience that Elise creates a wonderful and supportive atmosphere for learning. All I have to do is show up, with an open and attentive mind, and the learning will take care of itself.

The last few years have been challenging ones, with various health issues arising as obstacles to my physical and mental well-being. Of course, yoga has helped immensely in navigating these concerns. This retreat will allow me to restore and renew my energy, reflect on my life and my practice, and reemerge with new clarity and contentment.

I know that going back to the ranch will bring many memories of my beloved teacher Mary Duun, who was a beacon of light and knowledge, and trained a whole generation of teachers like me. I am grateful to Mary, and to my teachers Dean and Rebecca Lerner, who have guided me step by step from the beginning of my yoga journey. I am grateful to my colleagues Amy, Evelyn, Naaz and Nick who have stepped in to teach my classes.  I am grateful to the Feathered Pipe Ranch Foundation for their support of my attendance.

I’ll be posting during the retreat, so watch this page or subscribe below to see a few posts from the ranch!

Namaste,
Karen