The first and last days are really half days, so I cringe a little when fuss is made about "our five day commitment," but I do have a sense of taking a deep dive here into the subject of forgiveness.
Last night's opening session was led by a yoga instructor, though I encountered Byron Katie at dinner beforehand. I was walking around in the cafeteria musing silently about how many of the women here look like Byron Katie, this one in particular, and then "that particular woman" said something to the person next to her.
Having spent many hours listening to her podcasts I recognized her voice immediately, it was like hearing an old friend, and there she was. That's cool, I thought. I had assumed she was not leading the first session because she wasn't here yet. Nope. This was by design. Cool.
The first session was basically gentle introductory Kundalini yoga expertly led without any verbal references to Kundalini or yoga: stretching the spine, energizing the heart and 2nd chakra. Then there was some intention setting and meeting people around you while effusive praise was offered for showing up. The praise seemed a bit over the top, but maybe some people need encouragement.
The people in my little klatch were around my age, one man, three women. Two were going through divorces, one was a complete novice, one was enjoying retirement this way. One person in particular was on a high-risk high-reward mission, reconciling after a six month break up to try to put their marriage of 16 years back together, they both were at the conference, but separately, for now. Wow.
My companion remarked that it looks like a social worker convention, and that's true. Lots of women my age, there's a vibe of friendly tolerance and good will. I don't know much yet, just no red flags so far, and Ms. Katie seems as nice and genuine in person as advertised.
The food is awesome as usual, think super "clean," super healthy, food expertly prepared for an audience of omnivores, vegetarians, and strict vegans. I want this salad bar in my house! I am sharing a small simple room, but I have no roommate so far. It is beautiful here, the facilities are excellent, sufficient without being too bougie.
I will keep a daily journal here. Stay tuned.
