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Week 3: chop wood, carry water

There is a Zen Buddhist saying – “chop wood. carry water” – the meaning has been debated as summarized here. The way I am applying it is that the daily tasks of life help us to become present through focusing on simplicity and can become a moving meditation. In a communal living situation, I also…
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Week 2: Retreat 2 – heat wave 2

I had escaped the worst heat wave and arrived in Europe just as it was coming to an end… but the second arrived just as guests arrived. This time we had 6 lovely ladies (2 of them repeats from Retreat 1) and our creative in residence was here to teach ukelele! I did three pickups…
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Week 1: Retreat 1 – between the heat waves

When I arrived it had been over 100 degrees for most of the week prior and the other volunteers were telling me how crazy it was. This week we had lovely temps, mostly in the 80s and low 90s and dropping into a cool 50s/60s overnight. There were 5 lovely ladies that arrived Tuesday and…
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The Deets & Miscellany

The retreat is focused on women and non-binary adults to experience fun and creativity in the style of Summer Camp. It is in the little village of La Petite-Marche which is about 4 hours from any place you might have heard of in France. To get here I flew into Lyon, FR and took a…
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Origin Story: How did I get here? All the stars aligned!

Now this is the story all about how,My life got flipped-turned upside down,And I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there,I’ll tell you how I got a gig as a yoga teacher in France! Picture it, Seattle, Spring of 2026… My contract as a Project Manager at Alaska Airlines was coming to a…

