Wednesday, February 24, 2010 As we travel we are catching up lots of friends who we see only when on this side of the planet... and we are, of course, creating new friends - yesterday we had afternoon tea with a lovely gentleman, John, that we met at the local Bakewell markets who was selling a book he had written on his spiritual journey. After talking he invited us to visit him. He was English Russian and a retired farmer of many years. His softness was beautiful. We walked into his house and the walls were covered with icons of the many Russian saints and other spiritual teachers who had influenced him over the years. We discussed spiritual practice and meditation techniques. It was an inspiring meeting.
 
Having returned from the silent retreat last week I have renewed my longer meditation practices which has influenced my wellbeing noticeably. Gaia House is a centre devoted to the service and care of others. The level of organisation and smooth functioning was admirable. The old manor house is set in a quiet part of the Devon countryside. I walked the hour and a half walk up from the Newton Abbot train station with pack on my back, happy to be making the journey. Arriving at the centre, I collected my welcome pack from the notice board which guided me to my beautiful single room in the Hermitage Wing. This is reserved for work retreatants (like myself) and personal retreatants (those who are not doing a group retreat). It was quiet and welcoming. I unpacked my things and then had a wander around the grounds. The welcome letter told me to meet my coordinator at 5pm so I had some time to find my way around.
 
At 5pm I met two of the coordinators who gave me instructions on what was going to happen and answered any questions I had. It was then time for tea at 5.30pm.
 
I only had two major challenges during my stay... one was the beautiful food. I had to make a conscious decision not to overeat as it was so yummy!!! Those second helpings can really reveal lots! I was happy once I got that sorted.
 
The other was missing Roger... twice during the retreat I wanted to talk with him, and both times I just sat still, watching the mind, the story... and then the peace would return.
 
As a work retreatant I did five hours a day in exchange for food and board. I was based in the house doing a mix of jobs, from laundry to housekeeping, to preparing the dining area for dinner to cleaning out linen cupboards. Nothing too onerous yet it filled five hours of the day... I got up early to do my yoga and meditation before breakfast and I joined as many of the 3/4hour meditation sitting sessions as I could during the day. There was a large meditation hall that you could go to in which the silence was palpable and there is something lovely about sitting with others that holds the focus. You could not enter the hall after the start time or leave before the close so it was also a commitment to that time frame of meditation.
 
I also set up a meditation sitting area in my room which was lovely. As part of the service they offered you had to meet with one of the residential teachers a week so they could ask how your practice was going and answer any questions if you had any. Rob Burbea was inspirational, lots of fun and I enjoyed both my meetings with him and also listening to his talks which were available on CD in their massive library.
 
Their teachings are very simple. Loving Kindness, insight into suffering and the release of suffering, and more loving kindness. The meditations were focused on giving this loving kindness, a sense of tenderness to one's self, to infuse the being, the heart, mind and body with a gentleness.... and then to offer it to others - you, other friends, people who are more neutral in my life (the busdriver for example) and then to those who maybe I have challenge with (or people in the wider world whose behaviour is challenging). It may sound very Pollyanna'ish yet, in light of having done the practice, I can report that it opened my heart and nurtured my own sense of compassion for self and others.
 
There were other meditations I explored including the experience of impermanence, the experience of self and beyond self. All very heart opening and nurturing.
 
Many people wondered how you could not talk for two weeks or how things were managed around the house. The silence was not to encourage sign language or whispering, it is in place to encourage deep meditative contemplation. Some people will keep very reclusive and bow their heads when walking around giving clear indication they didn't want any contact. Others would smile as you pass. Some you hardly ever saw. Others would sit in the lounge (still in silence) and just sit in the quietness.
 
There was a great system in place so you could post notes for example if you needed something, or wanted to speak to a coordinator. While the house is dedicated to silence, there was talking - the staff spoke (softly and quietly) to each other, work retreatants etc. There was an hour in the office when retreatants could go and use the phone /internet if absolutely necessary to make arrangements or discuss issues.
 
I spoke to my work coordinator but only on necessary house topics. The rest of the time there was silence. Eating together was relaxed and comfortable because everyone is there to enjoy this quiet.
 
You could take your food into other areas of the house, lounge, library, your room etc. I rugged up and ate outside on days when the weather was clear. The bird calls were the only sound.
 
It isn't for everyone however it was just my cup of tea and plan to go back to the centre in October.
 
Back to Monyash, and I was excited to see Roger. He had had a lovely time with his son, Osian, for two weeks while I was away and we have fitted back into our lovely daily pattern in this stunning part of the country.
 
It snowed again last night so all is white and clean. We stopped at the library to access out internet before we head off to the moors which is up in the high country. It will be fresh and invigorating yet heart opening. The blue sky is trying really hard to break through the clouds. We take a packed lunch with us so we can stop somewhere out of the breeze... and then an hour or so later we call in at one of the old English pubs and have a bowl of hot soup.
 
We are here in Monyash til next week when we head to Portugal to visit some friends, a couple in the north and a couple in the south.
 
We'll call in and see Roger's daughter, Jess and Julian, Isabel and Rosa... and give them all a hug before we go.
 
much love to you all, thinking of you and sending the pristine sparkly energy of fresh snow, the bouncing bubbly enthusiasm of the first born lambs and the courage and tenacity of the snow bells which have pushed their way up through the frosty hard earth to flower.