Retreat Inspiration: “we learn from our body how to be...”

Photo from the beach in Palm Coast Florida Title quote by Jame Finley from The Contemplative Heart

From March 4, 2025 Newsletter

Namaste Friend!

Today is my day of transition back into everyday life after a weeklong retreat. When I left the intense and ever-changing demands of working for a startup after four and a half years, I promised myself a retreat. So, last week I attended Panchakarma (5 Actions: pancha means five, karma means actions) in Florida. The downtime away from the news and attention to my body, mind and spirit were meaningful. Below is a passage from The Contemplative Heart by James Finley that I enjoyed reading on my retreat. 

And why do we find present moment attentiveness to be so difficult? In part, because we are trying so hard to get there! Somebody told us back there inner childhood, back there at yesterday’s ultimatum meeting, what we ourselves have come to believe—that unless we are able to “get there,” finally arriving at some required degree of efficiency, compliance, virtue, holiness, or spiritual attainment, we will not be real enough to lovable enough to be, at last, in the winner’s circle of the game of life. Having grown weary of this ignorance of failing to see in all we gain and lose the divinity of all we gain and lose, we now sit still. In this stillness we learn from our body how to be. For while our mind in its restlessness is prone to lag behind and lurch ahead of the present moment, our body is always still in always bodying forth our oneness with the one unending present moment in which our lives unfold.

 —The Contemplative Heart by James Finley

If questionnaires support you to contemplate your life and wellbeing check out this quiz: https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/questionnaires/well-being-survey