Thank you for joining the Holistic Homestead for our first annual winter retreat – it was a great success! Each of you took a moment or two to dedicate to healing on the spiritual level, and even if you only practiced one day or followed along for the full retreat, your health has benefitted.

This retreat has been personally intense, not just from the commitment of posting daily practices, but of practicing myself, and holding each and every one of you in my practice. I am so grateful for the feedback that you sent in, the questions and the encouragement – I really feel like we generated a powerful field of healing energy through our practice and our connection.

Between February 23^rd and March 1^st…

• 10 people “liked” Winter Retreat 2014
• 3 people RSVP’d
• Winter Retreat was viewed 88 times during the week
• “Seat of Creativity” by Aditi Devi was the most viewed article
• of the 210 followers, 11 are new since February 23
• The Holistic Homestead is popular is the US, Canada, Japan and Pakistan! (cool!)

Here are some of your comments –

“I am going to try this tonight. Am on a journey to find who I am. thank you for sharing”

“I spent some time today working with my feet and found it stimulating.  Thanks for sharing your routines.  I am a little overweight, and standing during my classes often bothers my feet.  I’ll try to spend more time with foot massage.

There two areas on my feet that seem the most sensitive.  Using the reflexology chart, I discovered painful knots in the areas of the kidneys and the liver.  I have been fighting a cold and cough for the past week, so that probably makes sense.

The final exercise using mindfulness of the feet is ironic.  I spent two hours in classes today, teaching mindfulness of the feet and balance using Tai Chi.  Feeling that little dance as the center of gravity shifts around doing our routines remains uppermost in my mind as I teach.  It was a very familiar practice.  I only wish my students were making better progress with it.  The more I teach, the better I get with mindfulness of the body.

I have a long background in Mindfulness and Meditation, but only 15 years in Tai Chi, and less than 10 doing QiGong on a regular basis. But I know enough to pose as a teacher and share what I know with the large number of retirees in my area. My classes serve two purposes: they give me a chance to serve others, and they keep active and fit.  But I haven’t lost any weight doing it.

I agree that the foundation of this work is the spirit, and I sit with a Buddhist group here in Portland on a regular basis.  In fact, a few of us who sit in for our teacher when he travels will be on retreat the third week in March.  Your retreat comes at an auspicious time.

I will continue to reflect on your blog as we go.

Thank you for quick response.  I feel welcome in the Holistic Homestead.”

And thank you, all of you for sharing, for praying, for experimenting and for healing. Have a success story from Winter Retreat 2014? Please share in the comments below!