Yoga Retreat Day One

Wow, my three weeks is almost over - and my yoga weekend just ended.

The yoga retreat was awesome. I met some really neat people, learned more about Semperviva, where I have been going to yoga class, did 5 really good yoga classes, and had a very, very good time because the retreat was exactly what I thought it would be.

I went on the Gulf Islands ferry at 10 am Friday, Aug. 7, as a foot passenger. I hooked up with some of the yoga people and, especially, our leader, Gloria, whom I had not met but who is the owner of Semperviva. Her husband, Scott, gave me and another woman a ride from the ferry to the resort where we were staying: Bodega Ridge Resort.

Everyone was assigned a cabin (a bedroom each and 2 baths and one shower to share). The cabins were log, in a sort of barn design, very basic and utilitarian but with their own charm, part of which was the balcony off the main and the upstairs floors. I had the downstairs bedroom just across from the main bathroom (with tub and shower) and two other women, Jill and Linda, took the upstairs bedrooms, which had a bathroom with toilet and sink. The cabins are housekeeping units, so they had kitchenettes and living rooms, perfect for complete self-sufficiency if you wanted.

But we had a package deal, so we all met happily in the main lodge for a delicious vegetarian lunch. After that, we changed into hiking clothes/footwear and Scott (Gloria spent the day with their 2 daughters at their Galiano cottage and reappeared at dinner time) led us on a 2-hour hike right off the resort property. Galiano is a long, narrow island with a high ridge running along the centre of the island. We hiked from the resort (already a fair ways up from sea level) through the woods and up onto the ridge, which we followed south towards Sturdies Bay (the ferry terminal).

I was a little concerned at first because I was overheating: we were walking in the open, in the sunshine, and going up, and I was wearing my polyester capris. But once we got into the woods it was cooler, and my main worry was maintaining a good pace. I placed myself in the middle of the first of 2 groups, and was able to keep up to the people ahead of me reasonably well; nonetheless, it was yet another wake-up call that I have to work on my cardio the rest of this year.

We hiked on a well-defined trail over some rocks but mostly forest springy mossy ground, quite fresh and delightful, with that beautiful aroma from sun-on-conifers. Scott was a great guide, full of information about the area and where we were; he explained that the east side of the ridge had been logged, but the west side was too steep, and pointed out the old timber stumps. I was impressed by his knowledge of the history of Galiano and his obvious love of sharing it. When we got to the turn-around point (the trail continued southward), we had a fabulous view west and north to, directly west of us, Wallace Island, and Salt Spring and Thetis and so on. Great fun to know that I had been kayaking in the islands to the northwest just the weekend before!

After a break we hiked down again, and my right knee started its thing again. This takes the form of severe pain in the front and outside part of the knee joint which manifests itself after 1.5 to 2 hours of hiking/walking and, most excrutiatingly, when I go downhill. So I was limping fairly soon into the return trip; Scott advised Ibuprofen and ice, and provided an ice pack for me when we got back to the resort. Nonetheless and pain not withstanding, I was very pleased I had done so well and hiked so far!

After a period of icing my knee (actually quite an unpleasant experience, as the skin 'burns' upon contact with the ice) and reading, I made my way over to the lodge, where we had our yoga classes. At 7 pm Gloria led a Kundalini class, and my goodness, that was an eye-opener! Her Kundalini classes involve rap music, dance music, some recognizable yoga poses, and a lot of free movement and dancing! I was drenched in sweat by the end, and euphoric!

Dinner was great fun, and delicious, and I was able to start to get to know my fellow yoga retreatees. Large bottles of both red and white wine were provided, which was a pleasant surprise, and we all had a merry time visiting. But what with the hiking and the yoga 'workout', we all collapsed into bed fairly early.