Articles About Shambhala Mountain Center
Spiritual Retreats: The Inside Story
Yoga Journal - December 1, 2003
These retreats combine yoga and journaling in an
environment that gives voice to your creative self.
It’s been said that everyone has a story to tell – it’s just the telling part that’s hard. Retreats that mix yoga and writing free participants to develop their powers of observation and to uncover deep dreams and desires. Putting thoughts and fears into words can be a potent tool for dealing with unresolved issues, looking objectively at problems, and exploring the poet within.
“The combination of yoga and writing is very powerful,” says writer Patricia Lee Lewis. “For many people, it’s a new experience to combine a physical discipline with writing – and real magic comes with that. The combination helps them to tap into a deep, more unpredictable source.”
…
The Rocky Mountains of Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, provide a dramatic backdrop for the Shambhala Mountain Center’s summer yoga and writing retreat, “Mind-writing” with Bill Scheffel, poet and creative writing teacher at Naropa University in Boulder. The 600-acre center is located in a pine-filled mountain valley approximately two hours northwest of Denver. Besides having more than eight miles of trails for hiking, the space is replete with secluded areas that are ideal spots for private meditation.
The retreat, which lasts five days, is designed to meld yoga and meditation with breathwork to help participants tap into their personal reservoirs of creativity. “The most important element to this program,” explains Shambhala’s marketing representative, Dave Platter, “is to help people create space between their self-critical mind and the creative process, allowing them to write with a sense of spontaneity and discovery, rather than be obsessed by self-judgment.”
When putting pen to paper at home, some writers risk becoming lost in narcissism, fear, doubt, or other emotions that block the process. Shambhala’s workshops address some of the physical aspects of writer’s block by focusing on meditation instruction, specific asanas and sequencecs, and individualized help from Schefffel. “Participants will also be able to draw inspiration from one another and learn techniques that they can practice at home to disengage the internal monologue of self-criticism and doubt,” Platter says.
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