March Online Retreat

Note: If you are unable to join us on March 24 or 25 for the retreat, register anyway!

You will receive a complete "Retreat Kit" with all of the materials and mp3s for "Cultivating a Heart of Compassion" to do at your convenience. Easy! 

" ... I must try to be alone for part of each year, even a week or a few days; and for part of each day, even for an hour or a few minutes in order to keep my core, my center, my island-quality."

~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea

Are you in need of rest and rejuvenation? 

Are you in need of "me time" to reconnect with your sacred center? 

If so, I invite to you consider my Annual Online Retreat. This year's theme is:

"Cultivating a Heart of Compassion"

It is a guided day "in" with women from around the globe ...

March 24 OR 25

You pick your day!

This one-of-a-kind at-home retreat is a time to step away from your busy life and spend precious time with you—to stop, rest, and restore yourself.

This is a guided "day in" —a gently paced day based on a theme with guided activities to support it. You will be informed how to prepare for it and provided with all the materials you need to create the perfect retreat for yourself. It is a day that will allow you to rest, yet also to learn and grow.

It is a special time for
"Cultivating YOUR Heart of Compassion."

We will be retreating at the same time together—in the privacy of our homes around the world—around this wonderful theme.

Women from all over the globe sending blessings of lovingkindness— all at the same time!

Just imagine!

What will we do on this retreat?


This "day in" will involve exercises of ease-filled meditation—we will be learning “Metta,” or Lovingkindness Meditation— and practicing in very short increments. No long, uncomfortable sittings!

The retreat is designed for those who are new to Metta practice, as well as seasoned meditators.

There will be an opening ritual, video, guided meditations and exercises (mp3s), articles to read, and a complete Schedule with suggested times for: rest, reading, reflecting, mindful walking and mindful eating, all around the theme of cultivating compassion—compassion for yourself, first and foremost—then for others.

The retreat is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You choose your day, Saturday OR Sunday. I will be retreating both days and holding sacred space for you. 

In the morning, you will be guided through how to create a "Metta Map," courtesy (and with permission) of my Metta teacher, Sylvia Boorstein. I teach Lovingkindness Meditation in the Vipassana style with her blessing and guidance.

We will learn to direct compassion toward and accept compassion from ourselves. We will also explore the roadblocks women often encounter in doing this practice. We will soften and open our hearts. We will refill our personal reservoirs of love so that we can effortlessly offer compassion to others.

In the traditional style of Metta, you will also earn and practice how to offer phrases of well-wishing (blessing, unconditional friendliness) to 6 categories of people:

Yourself
Benefactors
Loved Ones and Friends
Neutral People (Strangers)
Difficult People
All Beings

Please know, however, that because this is a retreat—a special time to re-treat yourself—there are no shoulds or have to’s in terms of activities. I will make suggestions about how you can use your day kindly and wisely, but only do what feels right to you in that moment. Listen to your wise heart.

Group Call

On Sunday evening, March 25 at 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. EST, we will have a Group Conference Call with a Closing Ritual. I'll answer your questions and we'll share our retreat experiences. Fun!

Participation in the call is optional. If you wish to participate but can't, an mp3 recording of the call will be sent to you the next day. No worries!

Common Questions About an Online Retreat

Do I prepare for my retreat?

Yes! Everything you need to prepare for and engage in your retreat will be sent to you once you register, including my article, "How to Prepare for Your Retreat."

How will I know what to do on my retreat?

Your retreat “Schedule,” including readings and audio recordings, will be included in your "Retreat Kit," which will be sent to you 2-3 days before the retreat.

What if I have questions or need help?

You can contact me anytime by filling out this form. 

Now what?


Register by making payment below. The cost for the retreat is $18.00 

You'll receive a confirmation email with pre-retreat materials. 

Your Retreat Kit with Schedule, handouts, and audio recordings (mp3s) will be sent to you 2-3 days before the Retreat so you will be fully prepared.

I am honored you have chosen to spend this retreat time in spirit with all of the women around the world who have chosen to do the same.

In a sacred community of the heart, we will find ease and joy.

Blessings upon our retreat. May true compassion be ours!


With metta (loving-kindness),
Jan Lundy

Praise from previous participants:

 

It was brilliant! I could write volumes (I actually wrote about 10 journal pages) about the day. The retreat got me to re-realize that this is who I am. I want to do a retreat now on a regular basis as it's so important to me. I'm delighted that you offered this one and look forward to more in the future.

~Sheryl

Thank you for so much for having this at home retreat. It couldn't have come at a better time. I feel so much at peace now and loved. Throughout the day I journaled, drew, meditated, walked, and surprised. I learned to let go, even though it is not easy.  Sending blessings out was another release and I felt love wrap her arms around me. This is an experience I will treasure and may take a day to relive it again. 

~Ellen

I am new to all this and I learned more in ONE day about my essence as a woman than I have in my entire life.  I have chronic illnesses and I have learned that I have to love MYSELF and show myself self-kindness.

~Mona

I retreated both days and I am blessed by your wisdom and the way you wove the material together was beautiful. I feel my divine Spirit within and will treasure this day forever. Thank you for your creativity and wisdom to bring this retreat to me and other woman.

~Cindy

Love, Love, Loved my retreat day! 

~Brigitte

I kept telling myself I didn't deserve a retreat because I didn't get enough housework done yesterday, but I did it anyway.  I am so glad I did. Thank you so much for your generosity in creating this retreat. I think it got me back on track again. It was an empowering feeling knowing that other women were doing the retreat at the same time.

~Gayle

My sister participated in the retreat (one state away) and we talked about it for an hour and a half afterwards. We each had a different intention going into the experience, explored it in our own way, and benefited greatly from it. What a wonderful way to "share" the day.

~Diane

Thank you for coordinating the retreat and sharing the day with us in such a special way.  I thoroughly enjoyed the mp3 recordings and intend to listen to them throughout the coming weeks. I am excited to report that I had a great and productive day TODAY because of the retreat yesterday.

~Anonymous

What sweet rest for body, mind and spirit. An inestimable gift for which I am so very grateful. This was a very worthwhile and enlightening way to spend my day. Thanks again for providing the resource materials and encouragement.

~Anonymous

Photo Credits (top)
Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot

(Side) FreeDigitalPhotos

Home, Learnings, and A Bit of Discernment

I'm back.

Back to my beloved nest in northern Michigan, just in time to witness the first flowerings of spring. The lilacs are not out yet and the birds are busily dashing to and fro re-building their own homes of comfort for the arrival of new little ones. I do love spring.

After a true 30-day sabbatical so much is brewing in me that I hardly know where to begin. Suffice it to say it was a time of great discovery. Exploring new terrain in the tropics, diving deep into my own inner landscape. Detangling old patterns and establishing new habits.

I wrote in my journal every day, sitting beneath the protective bows of a 100-year-old "Bodhi Tree." It was heaven on earth. (And, yes, a book was born. Hurrah! Now for the rewrites ...)

I stayed away from the computer. Walked. Read. Filled my well with a beautiful blend of silence, bird song, and recordings of Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes' new offering, "The Dangerous Old Woman."

I re-created myself. Enough so that I cannot be and live as I did before I left ...

I wish every woman on earth could have the luxury of going away for an extended period of time like this to learn who she really is.  Nothing to do but what she absolutely wanted to do. No obligations, tugging hands, or "shoulds" looming on the horizon. Each of us deserves this kind of time away because we give so much of ourselves to others, to life, in service to the betterment of this world. We can so easily lose our selves along the way.

And even though I consider myself a conscious and awake woman, the time spent under the Tree showed me that there were bones I needed to collect—life force I needed to breathe back into myself—and that only I could do this. I did ...

Yet, when we re-enter the stream of life we are apt to slip and slide once again. We pick up our old habits as easily as one bends to gather up a twig or a weed, without even thinking. We jump back into the fray, get on the computer, make appointments, and fill our days with bustling activity. Before we know it we are tired all over again and in need of another retreat.

I have witnessed that tendency in myself this week and vow not to flail about in the headwaters of life. I will float free and unencumbered so that I can stay faithful to this wildly creative self who emerged in the tropics. And so, because I have made this vow, I have made some difficult decisions. Good for me, perhaps challenging for others.

~ One of the decisions is to maintain this website simply as a website—one which is updated regularly—but does not contain a blog. I wish to continue to simplify my life, give my all to the books which are being birthed, and not spend so much time online. So, I invite you to visit my other blog: Awake is Good. I will be there, fairly regularly, with news from my nest.

~ I will be "teaching" minimally for the rest of the year. Traveling very little. Which means fewer program offerings out in the big wide world. So please stay tuned to my Calendar so you can find me when you need me. :-) Mostly, I'll be home writing—either at the beach or in the garden.

One of the passions that was resurrected in me during the time under the Tree was the art of the reflective essay—based on what Nature was revealing to me about life in that moment. It is the type of writing many of you say you enjoy and I will be doing more of that.

~ I will be blogging less. I discovered that so much time online "jazzed me up." Made my mind very cluttered and busy. It prevented deeper musings from coming forth and, you know me, I'll all about plunging the depths and writing from that magical place. So if you have a blog, please don't feel offended if I appear absent. Though, who knows, I may take up lurking and just send you whooshes of love through the air waves. You are always in my heart ...

That's it for now. Dinner duty calls. Yes, some things never change and I have a hungry husband who does love my cooking. Despite what some may think, there is much sacredness in the mundane—even in meatless meatloaf!

Beginning next week, please visit me at Awake is Good. I will look forward to catching up with you there. I'll be sharing some of my retreat insights ...

With Love and Joy,
Jan

p.s. And don't forget to check out "Return to Your Center," the only weekend retreat I'm offering this year. June 25-27, Grand Rapids, Mi. We'll be walking a sacred journey on a labyrinth together. Click here for details. 

p.s.s. I've just sent out my Spring 2010 Newsletter. If you would like to receive it, you can subscribe by using the Contact Box. The theme, no surprise, is the importance of rest, renewal, and Sabbath time—retreat! 

Women Retreat!

You will remind me that woman must be still, as the axis of a wheel in the midst of her activities; 

that she must be the pioneer in achieving this stillness, not only for her own salvation, 

but for the salvation of family life, of society, 

perhaps even of our civilization.

~Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea

When was the last time you took a day off to fill your own “well”? A “well” is your personal reservoir of physical, emotional, and spiritual energy. It is the source of your well-being, determining how you feel. How you respond to daily life depends on the condition of that well.

Actual wells found in the ground, as we know, can run dry from overuse, especially if there is not an adequate source of replenishment. As busy people today, we run the same risk. If we do not refill our wells with time away or self-care activities, we can dry up, even become ill.

Taking a personal retreat day is the perfect way to refill our wells - body, mind and spirit. Yet, because we are busy people, rejuvenating ourselves must be scheduled in, put at the top of our priority list if we wish to remain emotionally balanced and in good health. Seizing the day to retreat is a wonderful gift we can give to ourselves, and it’s fun!

Read the rest of my new article on retreat published in Healing Garden Journal. It includes information on how to build and create a custom day-away for yourself, too! Read it here.

Perhaps you are in need of a retreat? Consider crafting one for yourself, or finding one to attend, resources for which are offered in this article. 

And, if you live in Michigan, and would like to experience a mini-retreat this Saturday (Jan. 23), I'm facilitating one:

Reclaiming Our Bodies as Sacred

A Day Retreat for Women

Our subject: Do you believe that your body is sacred? Do you like it, honor it, and trust its wisdom? Most women today have a tempestuous relationship with their bodies and do not perceive them as a vessel through with Spirit flows. Instead of embracing our physical form, we dislike, distrust, even wage war on our bodies in a myriad of ways. Yet, it is only through the body that we can ever have an intimate relationship with God—through our mind, senses, heart and more. Together, we'll explore how to heal the rift between our body, mind, and spirit and recreate a loving relationship with our body.

Format: Group interaction, personal reflection time, meditation, and prayer.

Suggestion: Wear comfortable clothing, bring a journal to write in and a mat/blanket for meditation/relaxation.

Time: 9 a.m. - 4 00 p.m.

Cost: $45, includes lunch and materials.

Location: Dominican Center, 2025 E. Fulton St. N.E., Grand Rapids, MI

To register: Call (616) 454-1241 or visit www.dominicancenter.com. (There are still a few spots left. Registration is capped at 30.)

I'd love to see you there!

NO matter what format you choose, may you find time and space in your busy life for YOU, so you can re-fill your well!

(Image courtesy of jenningspoint.com)