A Fun First Retreat Day

Lynn and I had a little time before our retreat started, so we went and had a foot massage. As someone who hasn’t done a lot of massages, this was a new experience for me. We got to sit side by side and had two lovely Balinese women massage our feet and lower legs. It was lovely.

We then went and had an early lunch at a little cafe.

After lunch, our entire group met for the first time. Our Australian leader, Miriam Castilla, specializes in gathering groups of women and bringing them “on retreat.” She says it is a chance to look at your life and imagine “the life you desire.” Having worked with lots of women, she knows that often women have been so busy taking care of others that sometimes they can lose themselves along the way. Miriam will be sharing the practice of meditation as one way to quiet our minds so we can listen to some dreams we might have. In addition to daily meditation and yoga sessions, Miriam help us think about practices that will help us live our lives with more intention. We also have a quiet time each day to dream, journal, etc. - she recommends no phones, talking, or books during our daily quiet time.

We all are having the opportunity to have two full massages during the week. Lynn and I both got one of our longer massages today. It was really relaxing.



After our massage, we swam for awhile and then got ready for dinner by the pool. There are 12 women plus Miriam - each of us is in a “transition phase” and this retreat will be an exciting transformative experience.





Gusti, one of the friendly, helpful Balinese staff members at Sama’s Cottages.