Coming to California for a three month yoga retreat, residing on the hilltops well above Santa Cruz at Mount Madonna in the midst of the Redwoods, was a no-brainer once I put aside my hopes and fears for winter 2011. I was totally expecting to find myself lapping up the yoga asana lifestyle and community…
Dang, I almost cut my left thumb off in my first full-on kitchen shift today. I’m quickly discovering that chatting up a storm with my kitchen prep-mates while simultaneously cutting the greens is not a smart idea. I became a bit too involved in my skydiving conversation and wasn’t giving my immediate full attention to…
The Mount Madonna Center is a conference and retreat centre for those looking to get away and pursue workshops and programs set out within the confines of a gorgeous setting and property. For us, within the community that supports the centre, our assistance is within the context of selfless service. Living with the guidelines of…
slaDE and I have been at the Mount Madonna Center for one full week. So far the time on the mountain has given me a chance to: become evermore curious about Baba Hari Das (a silent monk) and this exciting community that he has built here at Mount Madonna; recognize familiar faces and associate the…
Here in Northern California, the sun sets later than it does back home. The glowing sunset over the ocean eases into finality around 6pm this time of year. A bonus to have an extra hour of daylight compared to our Toronto friends. Tonight the full moon shone brightly as the darkness settled over the valley. It…
Today was my busiest day yet here … 3 different duties kept me active through the day. At the end of it I was feeling quite exhausted as I’m not up to speed yet with this flu bug hanging on for dear life. However, I’m trying not to let the sickness wear me down too…
Technically, our first day of our 3 month yoga retreat of karma selfless service and yoga started yesterday. We arrived mid-day, driving up the mountain along this crazy narrow winding path / roadway that was ensconced by towering redwood trees. It was magical and quite scary (with the hurtling traffic flowing downward, NOT hugging the…
Christmas morning, and barely a sprinkling of snow. I suppose you could call it a white Christmas per se (here in the snowbelt area of Teeswater anyway; not-so-much in other areas around SW Ontario), but I’m thinking that there are a quite a few Canadian children who are disappointed by the barren dry grassy plains…
Our Winter Home! Truly a last minute decision … and we’re elated to be accepted to attend this glorious mountain retreat: Mount Madonna Center. http://www.mountmadonna.org Program Dates January 3rd – April 1st, 2012 All the information below comes directly from the Mount Madonna website @ http://www.mountmadonna.org/programs/ysc.html. If you are interested in an amazing opportunity for spiritual growth,…