07/03/2025
💪 Intense. Insights. Peace. Calm. Tranquility. Discomfort. Pain. Questioning. Bliss. Freedom. 💖
I’ve reemerged after a 6 night (online) silent insight vipassana meditation retreat. The greatest gift we can give ourselves, even for a moment or two each day, is to listen to our breath, our body, our mind, noticing what arises with curiosity, not judgment. Trying to put the experience into words feels too insignificant for it, as it was immeasurable, but the experience will not be forgotten. What felt most special for me was to stay at my Nonna’s home for the duration of the retreat, which was very nourishing and wholesome on so many levels. The images attempt to capture the mindful experience;
☕️ morning coffee on the stovetop,
🍈 fresh figs for breakfast picked from the tree,
🍃 noticing new life emerging from the cut tree stump on my walks,
🫶🏻 priceless quality time with my 88 year old Italian grandmother who made sure I was never hungry 😋
🐓 💧 seeing the joy in the chickens frolicking in the sprinkler
What stayed with me was a quote “Suffering is not your fault, but it is your responsibility”. We have the ability to always choose our response; we may not like any of the choices we have, but we can still decide how to respond, from a place of loving awareness, rather than a reaction.
Thank you to the beautiful teachers on retreat, Mal Huxter & Lisa Brown from their teachings & insights.
And a huge thank you to the village it took to allow me to step away from home to embark on this retreat 🙏