FLOW

Mara dropping in...

I was out in the water this week and was reminded again of why I love spending time in the ocean. As I sat on my board scanning the horizon, gracefully rising and falling with each incoming wave, a quiet calm infused every cell in my body.  I hit that SWEET-SPOT of ease where I was no longer resisting my experience but instead completely submersed in the flow and it felt like such a gift.  Recently I’ve been feeling swept away by the busy pull of commitments and sudden influx of summer visitors and weekend-warrior excursions. Lots of fun of course, but in all the excitement I’ve hardly made time to REFUEL AND CONNECT with my own inner guide, and it was really starting to take it’s toll. Can you relate?

It’s a common predicament that I hear from a lot of people these days and one of the best sources of inspiration for our FLOW retreat in Costa Rica this winter.  As Bertha Calloway once said, “We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust our sails.”  Life is dynamic; a wild, pulsing adventure unfolding before us whether we’re ready for it or not.  The more we hone our ability to adjust our sails, and FLOW with this constantly shifting tide, the more joyful and purpose-filled our journey will be. 

True North Adventures is partnering up with our friends at Bodhi Surf to create a magical women’s retreat in Bahia Ballena, Costa Rica this February. This week of surfing, yoga and heart-centered workshops is intentionally designed to offer participants a unique and powerful opportunity to reconnect with their own natural flow and creatively integrate this into their day-to-day adventures back home.  Ruthi Solari, an outdoor enthusiast and mind-body specialist from San Diego, is working collaboratively with Travis, Pilar and the La Cusinga staff to create an unforgettable week with just the right balance of PHYSICAL CHALLENGE, INSPIRATION AND PLAY.  This experience is not just a vacation to get away from it all. It is an opportunity to be inspired, refreshed and reconnected with effective tools that will assist you in more easily residing in that sweet-spot I mentioned earlier.  The place from which creativity, authenticity and inspiration naturally flow and support us in coming into greater alignment with whatever is unfolding in our lives.

Curious to see what this retreat could offer you?  Please contact Jen Whalen at 858.413.7034 or via email – jen@seektruenorth.com today to learn more! 

Live Higher

Meredith showing us how it's done!

What’s it like when you get to the top of a challenging climb? How does it feel when you take that last step up and then turn around to bask in the glow of what you just experienced? It is a feeling so BEAUTIFUL AND CLEAR it is almost impossible to describe.  Sometimes it evokes tears, or laughter, or even primal, echoing “wahoos!” that fill the valley below.  It’s a moment where you FEEL ALIVE in every sense of the word, and on fire with a renewed sense of what’s possible in the adventure of your life.

This was the type of AWAKENING I witnessed in the women who came out recently for the Live Higher retreat in Smith Rocks, Oregon.  We shared a powerful weekend of yoga, climbing and connection that left my heart singing with gratitude and joy.  Although I’ve seen this over and over through the years, I’m still awed by the MAGIC OF THAT MOMENT and grateful for all the ways it continues to teach and inspire me.

So what does it mean to live higher? It’s essentially a willingness to use the events/challenges in our day-to-day life in a way that assists us in awakening more fully to the truth of who we are… LOVING, DIVINE BEINGS HAVING A HUMAN EXPERIENCE.  Instead of being stuck at the ground level experience where it’s easy to feel like things are “happening to me” with no other alternatives, we climb higher to see that in fact everything that is happening in my life is just that… happening… it’s nothing personal.  And, without the blinders that come up when I’m attached to old stories and limiting beliefs, I’m WOWed by all of the potential paths forward.  Things that seemed like huge barriers only a few minutes before are now just specks on the landscape below... SWEET HAND AND FOOT-HOLDS I CAN USE IN MY ASCENT.  From this elevated perspective I see all sorts of new options and possibilities and am free to move through them with creativity, joy and upward momentum.

Are there areas of your life where you’re feeling grounded? Curious to see what a little altitude could offer? Go for it! YOU'VE GOT NOTHING TO LOSE EXCEPT FOR YOUR OLD STORY and honey, let me assure you… it’s WAY better without it!

Check out the video from this retreat on our YouTube channel at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rpqws0HFjXI

Opening to Possibilities... it's only the beginning!

What would you do if you woke up one morning on the brink of a much-anticipated adventure to a decision that might require calling the whole thing off?  Can you imagine the fear rushing in?  The resistance?  The frustration?  The sound of an echoing “Nooooo…” calling out from deep inside? 

That’s where I found myself Thursday afternoon before our last retreat, receiving the news that due to the Federal Budget impasse, the Rangers were preparing to shut down the National park at sunrise Saturday morning.  I received the news calmly at first, running through all of our contingency plans trying whole-heartedly to find something that would work.  But after uncertain phone calls with all of the pertinent players, I was faced with the very clear awareness that I needed to be still, turn inward, and CARE-fully choose my next step forward.

Have you been here before? At first everything felt dark, closed-in, and full of fear.  I held tightly to the vision of what I had expected this adventure to look like and the idea of letting it all go felt heart breaking!  But isn’t being open to possibilities what “adventure” is all about?  Instead of resisting the uncertainty, I leaned into it, seeking deeply for what this situation could be offering me.  And there, around the edges of that darkness, I began to seek cracks of light.  Given these circumstances, choosing to cancel the retreat was obviously the best decision to make, AND in surrendering to the flow with that choice, I was suddenly presented with several new options… things I hadn’t even considered before. 

Although we had no cell phone reception in the park, word of an agreement arrived late Friday night and we were literally dancing around the campfires with joy.  Several of the women who signed up for the retreat chose to come out anyway, along with a few other friends and our staff.  We were gathered there to honor one of our favorite wild places, and then with the change of tide, ended up spending the weekend climbing, exploring and enjoying delicious food and community.  It was one beautiful surprise after another, with a new found sense of preciousness and respect.  

Click here to watch the video!

Although we were sad not to have had the opportunity to experience this retreat as originally planned, it gave us time to play and dream and co-create ideas/programs that will support our community even better in the year ahead.  More details about these exciting adventures soon.  In the meantime though, j

oin the conversation… 

What kind of possibilities are you opening to in your life today? What are you choosing to let go of in the process? 

One Step At A Time

I made this quick video for you while hiking up Saddle Mountain the other day.  I'm training to climb Mt. Hood with the American Lung Association's "Reach The Summit" program this summer, so I'm always looking for new places to hike and explore.  We ended up in waist deep powder at the top of this hike, and like many other challenging times in my life, I was reminded of the Edmund Hillary quote, "It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves."

Have you been there before?  On a climb, in a relationship, or even a work situation where you find yourself at your edge and unable to see the path forward?  It's amazing how quickly the blinders kick in when our fear and self-doubt take over... stopping us dead in our tracks with a strong pull toward home.

This TURNING POINT is the place we'll be exploring together during our retreat in Joshua Tree next month.  In choosing to consciously engage in the adventure of our life, this previously frustrating impasse, OPENS WIDE into limitless possibilities, becoming yet another gate of learning to move through along the way... one step at a time.

Join us in experiencing this transformational process as we climb and stretch together amid spring blooms in a gorgeous desert playground.  Curious to learn more about what this adventure could offer you?  Please call or email me today!  

A wise elder asks...

Spending time with Gram 

I'm on the road this week in Wisconsin, visiting family and friends, celebrating both the new buds of spring and the deep roots that make all of those blooms possible.  During a special visit with my Grandmother today she point blank asked me (as only 93 year-olds can do) "Tell me what it is that you actually do out there on those retreats." 

After a reflective pause, I realized there was no other way to answer this question than to speak from the heart and trust that the wise woman within her would understand.  I shared stories about cheering first-time climbers up 100 foot rock faces, and basking in their joyful shine as they recount their hero's journey on the wall.  About sharing gorgeous, love-inspired meals - savoring each bite with AWAKENED SENSES and deep appreciation.  About the magic that takes place in our fireside workshops as we courageously explore what it is that makes us COME ALIVE.  And about seeking, stretching and sharing belly-laughter in one of the most spectacular playgrounds on earth. She listened intently, and as I let the stories and love flow out of me, her eyes sparkled back with a soulful understanding. 

As we parted ways later that evening, she reminded me to "keep up the great work."  I used to experience this kind of comment as a disinterested, obligatory "pat on the head" but realized tonight that it was so much more.  We are BLOOMING this spring, sharing our radiant light and love with the world as a result of the deep roots that have nourished and supported us along the way.  It is up to us to continue the great work as we grow upward into fuller expressions of ourselves and our families.  I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be alive today; to be able to create and play in such a wild and wonderful way.  I know this kind of experience is unique to this time and place on our planet and I feel more inspired than ever to make full use of this PRECIOUS GIFT. 

Will you join me?  We still have a few spots available for our Opening to Possibilities retreat April 8th-10th in Joshua Tree, CA and I would be honored to share this beautiful experience with you.  There will be adventure... there will be laughter... and there will be magic.  Please call or email me today to learn more!