The Fern Tree Refresh Your Self session with our new teacher, Larissa, was booked out to capacity, and those who came were treated to a stunning day on Kunanyi, amongst the trees and blue wrens. The theme of the day was finding ease in life, and practices flowed gently from the body in stillness, movement and walking, to sitting open awareness practices making room for rich moments and glimmering insights.
Larissa described the three motivation systems drawing on Paul Gilbert’s work: the dopamine system that has us seeking out resources we need. The threat system has us rising to a challenge or avoiding it. Meanwhile, the soothe/compassion system enables us to heal and reset. This three hours was part of our daily tally of ‘soothe’ time. It is often limited to only 20% of our time, including sleep! We were encouraged to notice the ‘glimmers’ of value that break through in our ordinary moments. This was reflected in the poem she read from Pat Shneider.
The Patience of Ordinary Things
It is a kind of love, is it not?How the cup holds the tea,
How the chair stands sturdy and foursquare,
How the floor receives the bottoms of shoes
Or toes. How soles of feet know
Where they’re supposed to be.
I’ve been thinking about the patience
Of ordinary things, how clothes
Wait respectfully in closets
And soap dries quietly in the dish,
And towels drink the wet
From the skin of the back.
And the lovely repetition of stairs.
And what is more generous than a window?
Pat Schneider (1934-2020)
Larissa’s notes from the day are available, along with some extra references you might like to follow up. If you were one of the lucky attendees, feel free to send us your own reflections on the day. We are happy for these to be shared as well. Several noted how lovely the venue was, with its opportunity to be close to nature. Some mentioned how they could ‘let be’ their busy thoughts. They had permission for their thinking to just be as it was. Others experienced the peace of connection. Besides, some experienced confirmation of their regular practices. The word ‘refreshed’ was mentioned several times!!
So if you haven’t come to a Refresh Your Self mini Retreat yet, please consider treating yourself and giving your ‘soothe’ system some time and attention. You’ll find a Refresh Your Self event on every month somewhere in Tasmania, so take a road trip or wait for one to come your way…in fact, don’t just wait, tell us where you are and where you would like us to hold one and we’ll do our best to support our Mindfulness community wherever you are in our island State.
Tracy