Namaskar - July 2009

Retreat Review
Yogini Power!
Joanna Pearce
One meaning of the word ‘retreat’ is
‘to step back’. This was certainly
applicable to my first yoga retreat
in Chiang Mai, Thailand in January. As one
Chinese lunar year drew to a close, and
another began, a group of yoginis from all
corners of the globe gathered for the annual
women’s yoga and meditation retreat led by
Sara Avant Stover and Ouyporn
Kournkaew. For those living in Hong
Kong, we are so often drawn into the hectic
and energetic vibration of our city that we
sometimes lose sight of the inner peace we
seek in our yoga practice. A yoga retreat is
the perfect opportunity to step back and reconnect.
The retreat was held at the centre created by
the International Women’s Partnership for
Peace and Justice founded by Ouyporn
Kournkaew and Ginger Norwood. This is a
local, spiritual-based feminist organisation
working to support grass roots women’s
activism in Thailand and Asia. The village is
located 40 minutes north of Chiang Mai
and the land surrounding the village has a
long history as a gathering place for female
healers. All the mud buildings within the
centre, including the guest house, were built
solely by women.
We soon settled into the spirit of
communal living and opened the retreat
with a candlelit circle on the first night. Each
woman shared her hopes and intentions for
the retreat and you could already feel the
potential for growth and discovery within
the group. Our daily routine for the
duration of the 10-day retreat began with a
self-led dawn meditation, followed by a
dynamic morning yoga session led by Sara.
After a delicious authentic Thai breakfast, we
met with Ouyporn to discuss the emotional
blocks we experience in our lives and how
Buddhist teachings and meditation practices
can help us to overcome the problems we
face. Each woman opened her heart to
express the struggles she has faced in her life
and, as a group, we helped each other to
release and let go. At first, it was difficult to
open up with people that we had only just
met but gradually we bonded and
supported each other in our own unique
ways. Every woman brought her own
strengths to the group and it was truly
humbling to come together in a circle and
share our love and compassion.
Women have been gathering in circles for
centuries and it is a very powerful experience.
During the afternoon break we were free to
explore the local village where Ouyporn was
born and enjoy traditional Thai massage
from the local women. We gathered for late
afternoon sessions daily with Sara including
yin yoga, women’s health, ecstatic dance and
sacred feminine rituals. At sunset, we began
our practise of noble silence on beautiful
walks through the surrounding rice fields.
This is such a magical time of day and now
that I am back in Hong Kong, I close my
eyes whenever I am at that busy zebra
crossing in Central and imagine myself back
in the serenity of the rice fields at sunset
walking with my fellow goddesses. We
closed each day of the retreat with a
meditation session led by Ouyporn in the
temple, including a powerful ‘loving
kindness’ meditation on the final night.
Having the opportunity to connect with so
many inspiring women and fully participate
in a community of feminine energy was
wonderful. We laughed together, cried
together, danced together, and, most of all,
we supported each other along the journey.
If, like me, you have never been on retreat
before and are nervous about making the
leap then I encourage you to have
confidence and self-belief. At the end of the
retreat, we all agreed that there truly is a deep
valley of feminine power within each of us
and we rejoiced in being women!
For information visit:
www.fourmermaids.com /
www.womenforpeaceandjustice.org
Joanna has recently
completed a yoga
teacher training and is
a volunteer writer and
editor for Namaskar.
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