This week, ‘this week’ offers a post by guest bloggers Macall & David. They have been at Indralaya on fellowship since late April. Macall was also here last summer and this year she brought David along. They will be leaving soon on a voyage of discovery along the west coast, with plans to get as far south as Big Sur before heading back home to Utah. You can keep up on their progress by following this link.
David, Rose, and Macall
We are David and Macall, two
wandering kids from the Salt Lake area in Utah. We came to Indralaya to
participate in the fellowship program. For the month we have been here, we have
seen so many great people come through. It’s awesome to get to make so many
friends from such a wide variety of backgrounds and ages. Not only have the
people been rad, the programs have also provided new experiences and a chance
to open up our minds and drink in some good knowledge. The food has been most
excellent, and has given us a chance to try an all vegetarian diet with some
vegan and gluten free meals thrown in occasionally. We’ve been able to try so
many new things and discover some favorites. As fellowship members, we work in
the garden or kitchen every day, both are full of learning and enjoyment. Kitchen
duty is cool because we get to see the hard work that goes into the delicious
food, while garden duty is nice because we get to see how the things we eat
grow and need nourishment and care. When we aren’t working, though, there are
multiple trails and beaches to explore.
David, Miriam, Leonie & Gale
During
the first week, Lama Glenn Mullen came to teach about Tibetan healing
meditation. He discussed a lot about compassion and equanimity, and how each of
them can enrich our lives. We practiced breathing in the good, clean energy and
letting it cleanse us of our bad energy as we breathed out. It was quite
interesting to see a new side of meditation and to learn of some new cultures.
Barred Owl
The
second week brought Jason Siff, a man who has formulated a meditative
practice called recollective awareness. In this form, the goal is not to let go
of all thoughts to find inner peace, but to let them flow and pass through
freely without restraint. The practice is supposed to help with accepting
thoughts and how they make you feel and realizing that everyone is human. One
interesting thing about his program is that it was silent, which was a bit
difficult for us simply because we are too talkative and staff requires a bit
of discussion to be sure the food doesn’t turn out scary.
Qigong practitioners draw down the chi
Kim Ivy
came third, and taught us all how to gather energy, called chi, with a slow
motion martial art called qigong. It was a blast! Kim was very easy to learn
with and the program participants really enjoyed gathering chi and learning a
new “formless” practice that leaves you feeling well stretched and energetic.
Qigong was our favorite program of the three we participated in.
worker bee
Over Memorial Day weekend a work party was running round the clock to get everything
officially ready for the summer season. Cabins were repaired, garden beds were
prepared, the dock was installed, and worms were sifted out of many wheel
barrels full of compost. We got the opportunity to meet many of Indralaya’s
oldest friends and a few new ones.
We’ve
had a wonderful time. Minor and Leonie are incredible and are such a huge part
of the beautiful environment and community that Indralaya has become and
continues to grow into. It was a joy to spend time with them and Carole, the
kitchen manager, and become part of their small, but happy little piece of
heaven. Have no doubt, we will return soon!
