by Anne Douglas

The pursuit of wholeness and freedom, for many of us, can last a lifetime and pervade every aspect of our lives.  We can strive enduringly toward physical, emotional and relational well-being, and work unendingly for freedom, be it financial, social or spiritual.

And yet the perennial depth teachings of yoga and meditation suggest that what we truly seek is who we already are.  Our deepest longings are as if a beacon calling us home to our essential nature, that has already and always been perfect and whole.

Unknowingly, we can be so consumed with what’s wrong or not working in our daily lives, that we neglect to notice the home ground of essential harmony and peace that actually forms the very foundation of our existence. Underneath all the chatter of our negative narrative thoughts, our conditioned struggles and strategies, our perceived unmet needs and desires, lays the true self that is utterly content and free of want or need.

Our regular practice and study of yoga, meditation and the like, can help to remind us of who we truly are, and deliver us to the firsthand experience of it.  Retreat, however, can offer a deepening of our understanding and be a potent time to withdraw from the usual distractions and habits of our daily lives.  We can let go of our old identities, self-descriptions, and the usual grasping for something more.  Because our essential needs are being met with comfortable accommodation and nourishing food, we are free to turn inward to steep in the waters of Being.  Simply Being. 

On retreat we make Being our devotion.  We whole heartedly attend to the stillness, peace and freedom that are ever present qualities of Being.  We become increasingly undistracted by the movements of the mind and discover that this peace is more of who we are than anything else. 

If the lure of retreat beckons you, join master teacher, Anne Douglas for this special retreat. Engage in meditative inquiry and the timeless yogic teachings of body-sensing, tandava, breath-sensing, sitting, walking, and co-meditation. Practice iRest® Yoga Nidra, inner and outer silence, and commune with likeminded practitioners in intimate and spirited dialogue into our essential nature. Answer this invitation to recognize that you are already whole, free and HOME.

Anne Douglas has been teaching yoga and meditation for over 30 years.  She is an iRest – Yoga Nidra Senior Trainer and creator of the iRest Daily Meditation Program.  Anne is a certified Kripalu RYT500 Yoga Teacher, a certified IAYT yoga therapist and a Holistic Lifestyle Coach.  She draws upon these skills to facilitate private coaching, workshops, retreats and teacher trainings.  Her depth of wisdom, gentle humor and skillful instruction facilitates inspired learning.

Anne Douglas
Anahata Yoga
www.anahatayogatherapy.ca