Well, I have done my three week long yoga camps, and what an amazing experience...
I began the trilogy at Orchard Hill. We were the Yoga Peace Warriors - 19 campers, one amazing scene. Orchard Hill is a schoolhouse, a bakery, a main house, an 'old' farmhouse, gardens, and an apple orchard - 400 apple trees planted in the '70's by Eleanor and Anton. The bakery is run by their son Noah, and the school and gardens are run by countless amazing people who care for children, each other and the land.
Throughout the week we learned about the principles of yoga - practicing peace, trying our best and not giving up, being happy with what we have, being generous, being honest - lots of yoga poses, how yoga can help us to quiet our minds and bring inner peace, the power of positive thinking, and more. We also learned a chant, or mantra, foundational in yoga it is: Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu which means 'may all beings be happy and free, and may my thoughts, actions and words contribute to that happiness and freedom for all.' We hiked on the nature trails, made friends, laughed a lot, swam in the pond, played in the woods and made prayer flags.
A definite highlight of the week was the story Eleanor told me of she and her grandson, Asher, who was in my camp. Wednesday night of that camp week we had an intense thunder storm. Eleanor and Asher were in the yurt during the storm and noticed two hummingbirds trapped in the ceiling window. The yurt was getting wet from the rain, and so Eleanor ran to the house to get towels. On her way back, over the sound of the thunder and rain, she could hear her grandson singing 'Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu' in hopes it would help the hummingbirds...
The week at Bow Rec yoga camp was amazing as well. 7 campers, several of which I knew from yoga and school programs, gathered for this half-day camp. They got to know each other well, became very comfortable with me, and learned a lot about yoga.
And then there was Sowing the Seeds of Yoga @ Owen Farm camp. Where to begin. I guess I could begin with the amazing natural space we got to practice in, or all of the magic that seems to permeate the farm, or the 14 amazing children. Either way, it was a wonderful week. We fed the pigs and chickens, collected eggs, met horses - including the new colt - spent time in the gardens and picking cherries, swimming and catching countless frogs and tadpoles, making ice cream with cream from their cows, Ruth Owen's amazing hospitality and helpfullness (organizing and leading a felting activity for the children, and ice cream making activity, making blackberry sauce for the ice cream, asking the children to come in and watch her make butter, etc., etc., etc.) and, of course, learning about yoga - similar as above mentioned for Orchard Hill.
Things that stand out for me about this camp were the friendships made, one child giving another a good tip on swimming, one child's extreme enthusiasm and excitement when, on the last day of camp, she finally caught a tadpole with the net, their enjoyment and wonderment over being close to farm animals, and how one child, when told we could plant seeds of love, friendship, kindness, etc., said 'We can really do that?'
In all of these camps, as I mentioned earlier, we talk about the principles of yoga - practicing peace, being content, being generous, practicing moderation, feeling our connection to all living things, etc. I was on the river yesterday thinking about what these principles, or practices, mean to me, and how I am passing these teachings on to these children. They are not rules, but guidelines for living that allow ourselves and others to be happy and free. Each day we would discuss a new principle and review the ones previously discussed. The children would always remember them, and remember the sanskrit names (I typically haven't used the sanskrit names but will from now on!). I was thinking that theydo not understand these principles the way that I do, but as they grow and develop their understanding will also grow and develop, as mine has. And whatever their understanding is now, it is still an understanding that is now part of who they are. I can't help but feel really good about what I am doing...
