Yoga and Art.....in Words

Meeting a new group of women on a retreat never fails to surprise, delight, and excite me.  And often, especially the day after they leave I am pensive; reviewing in my mind what the retreat meant to me and what I think it meant for them.  Each retreat I lead leaves me feeling blessed that I can share this special place and it's magic with other women.  It also allows me to reach out to both experienced and beginner yoginis and offer my perspective of the practice.

This group was cohesive and engaging and introspective.  It was interesting to teach them yoga in an effort to open their heart center and to see that translate onto their papers in an art studio.  I realized how I share their craving to express myself creatively, but my right brain rests in the beauty of words on paper where theirs spilled onto the pages of art journals.  There is something really beautiful about watching a person create art.

The other aspect of joy came from seeing how Madeline Island inspired them.  I challenge anyone to come to this island and not feel a spark to his or her creative center.  Prior to hiking the State Park I mentioned to them that we would probably be walking for a good 6 to 7 miles.  However, I quickly learned that hiking with artists is a completely different process.  They lie under trees and shoot cameras up to capture their majesty.  They take pictures of clouds, rocks, wildflowers, and mushrooms. They pick up rocks and our nature to incorporate into their art.  We spent two and a half hours on a two-mile hike.

As always, wrapping up a retreat was bittersweet.  I was satisfyingly exhausted.  Despite Madeline having treated  "us to days of sunshine symbolically, the rain came down hard on the day they left. One of the women shared this sentiment,  "As the Ferry pulled away from Madeline Island I couldn't help but be reflective of the wonderful retreat and new group of friends I had made there. I also had to say goodbye to an Island I am growing to love more and more."

Thank you Lynnae Burns for guiding them on their art journey and Hannah Stonehouse Hudson for teaching them a new perspective in photography. Thank you Madeline Island School of the Arts for hosting the creative yoginis.

Lake Superior Snob

Harvest Stompede Walk/Run: Hills of Vineyards

Strength and Support in Numbers

41 children at home with their Dads........

Beautiful historic Fishtown

After wrapping up a great summer on Madeline, I hit the ground running back in Eau Claire, Wi.  Our first week back included prepping four children for back-to-school and re-opening Clean Spirit Yoga Studio.  So understanding that life would be a mini-tornado for at least the first couple of weeks, I still wittingly walked further into the storm when I accepted an invitation to go away for a long weekend to Traverse City, Michigan with eleven girlfriends. 

Adding insult, I'm keenly aware of the impact of traveling with my girlfriends, who not so secretly double as both runners and seekers of fun. As I write this, I'm still feeling the sore calf muscles and the heavy eyelids. It was worth every second.

Most surprising to me about the trip was the beauty of Lake Michigan.  I am not only a Madeline Island aficionado I am also a Lake Superior snob.  I mean, there's a reason it's called Superior, right? When the dunes of Lake Michigan were voted Most Beautiful Place in America I gave a little hmmppff under my breath.  How could a sand hill compete with our incredible rock outcroppings?

Again, lesson learned.  It was fantastic to experience the vast uniqueness of another great lake town.  We did the Harvest Stompede walk/run through the vineyards of Leelanau Peninsula, wine tasted our afternoon away at local wineries, and of course in good girlfriend fashion shopped and ate our days away, while soaking up the beauty of another great lake.

I'm tired; but still smiling.

"Ice, Be Gone"

Spring cleaning in our home is a joyous occasion. No, really……..

The Nichevo Awaits...

Every spring when the ice melts on Lake Superior we head up to Madeline Island to dust the cobwebs and wash away the winter dust.  It’s a lot of work and I usually am met with resistance from our kids over the full day of cleaning expected on Saturday. But the promise of summer months ahead is only a fresh clean scent away.

On Friday, as we boarded the ferry in Bayfield, Lake Superior was full of glassy ice chunks.  As the ferry plowed through the mini-glaciers, (my kids term), the rifts of ice would crash into each other and create the illusion of sparks.  It was beautiful.

By the time we left on Sunday almost all of the ice had melted.  I heard one of the ferry guides yell gleefully, “Ice, be gone!”  Seems like for many of us, the idea of melted ice is the spring cleaning of Lake Superior.