I busted out of work one boiling August afternoon, climbed in the car, and drove up the north coast of Lake Michican. A few stifling hours later I actually witnessed Escanaba…in the moonlight. A serene night of solo camping followed. The lavender morning light woke me, and a morning trail guided me to the calm Little Bay Du Noc of Lake Michigan. Having arrived in the dark, it wasn’t apparent how close I’d slept to the great water body. A wash of exhilaration came over me. The beach being deserted, I stripped down to my drawers and submerged in the cool, sweet water – good medicine.
After a bit more travelling (and vista upon vista of the Lake, including the Mackinac Bridge arcing over the waters) the road deposited me in northern Michigan at a small roadside cherry stand where I bought 5 pounds. A few miles beyond I met up with mom.
We caravanned to what felt like a magical village created just for me – Yoga Fest at Song of the Morning: 4 days of yoga, music, and workshops on 800 acres of forest with the Pigeon River coursing through the center.
It was very much what you’d expect – tie-dye fabrics, crystal pendants, chanting in sanskrit, love-you vibes, downward dogs, and “ooohhhmmm”s – but in such an earnest and authentic way. The setting was beautiful and the atmosphere stimulating. A tide of knowledge and perspective came in around us, wave after wave of wonderful stuff. It was a small-ish gathering run by volunteers, with teachers from around the state. I’ll share a smattering of what I absorbed…
Hatha Yoga
The ‘fest kicked off with a gentle, super slow hatha class.The movements were luscious and deep, performed slowly and with close attention. During hatha practice, some underlying reptilian part of the brain becomes activated, a place where muscle memory is build/stored. Later when I’m dancing on aerial silk, I’ll subtly access the grace I’ve built during the slow, deliberate movements of my hatha practice.
Opening River Ceremony
Each participant held a leaf gathered from the land as they set an intention for the ‘fest. Then, we formed a procession to the river for prayer, song, and releasing of our leaves into the water. These actions were meant to symbolize our gathering: We all bring something of ourselves, wisdom from all different teachers and practices – and then we join together here, releasing our intentions/actions/energy as a single gathered force. Many paths converging into one river.
Laughter Yoga
We wouldn’t be doing any stretching or asana in laughter yoga. Instead we were to spend the duration of the workshop in “prolonged, voluntary laughter” in order to harness powerful healing (the psycho- and physiological benefits of laughter are many and well documented). To make ourselves laugh, we employed quite ridiculous antics: arguing in gibberish, stretching our giggles wide in ‘meter-long’ laughter, pretending to bathe in laughter, doing the beavis-and-butthead laugh…. By the end, everyone was literally lying on their backs, heads together, cracking up.
Fire and Flow Yoga
To stir-up that belly-fire, we practiced a fast-moving, delicious flow with beats playing over the sound system. It worked; we stoked and warmed.
Reiki
My first reiki session: a private event with an energy-work practitioner who manipulated the life-force energy flowing within my body. All I can say, really, is that when it was done my eyes felt WIDE open. It seemed I was physically receiving more light and color than before. Reiki may be one of those complex things too foreign to grasp the first time.
Core Energetics & “Beyond Loving” Workshops
These workshops are hard to describe, but were angled toward deep feeling and profound healing. We learned how emotions become stored within our tissues, that pain/fear are fissures leading down into the deepest parts of our beings, and how to access that. Sometimes we did partner work, connecting deeply with a stranger as we looked intently into each other’s eyes for minutes at a time and opened our hearts wide. It’s terrifying and freeing, doing this inner-work.
Ashtanga Primary Series
Ashtanga is an ancient series of very structured flows meant to unblock particular energy pathways in the body. You have to be a serious athlete/contortionist to do it correctly. The series includes some of the most difficult and strange poses in existence – in truth, most bodies will never access many of them. Thankfully, one of the most important rules is not to take the poses too seriously. I can boast of fully adhering to that part of the doctrine and profoundly enjoying myself in this challenging practice – there is something strangely alluring about it.
Yin & Chocolate
In yin yoga, the poses are passive (you let gravity do the work) and are held for a long time (3-5 minutes). This is the way to build flexibility by working into the connective tissue in your body. Holding a stretch for a moment in no way resembles holding a stretch for minutes; in the latter situation, things are HAPPENING, I tell you. When it got overwhelming, the teacher encouraged us to take a bite of chocolate.
Sound Bathing
Colorful silk hammocks were strung up around a dome structure with instruments set up in the center. Our instructions were to wrap up in a cocoon and tune in, follow the sensory experience into whatever (un)reality would come, and enjoy the ride. There were big, pure crystal bowls which would vibrate and sing when played, each bowl resonating with one of the seven chakras.
Other
Stargazing; live, startlingly beautiful music; submerging in cold clear river water; being decorated with a spinal henna tattoo; expansive play; and many healing hugs from Mom.
We didn’t want to leave! But back around the Lake I went, more alive than before.
nichole rose b 