By Felicia Tomasko
Sierra Bender’s Bootcamp for Goddesses Awakens the Inner Divinity
I admit it. I was more than a little intimidated when I first looked at the picture of Sierra Bender advertising her women’s retreat, Bootcamp for Goddesses. Dressed in combat fatigues, with a set of killer abs and a mane of wild brown hair, she was striking a pose beneath a waterfall. But there was something about her warrior nature and the description of the retreat that beckoned. I was intrigued by the combination of yoga, fitness, African drumming, and the promise of a sweat lodge. Couple those enticements with the fact that Bender teaches at gorgeous retreat centers across the country, and I was sold, with only a little trepidation.
At the Crossings, located in the hill country outside of Austin, Texas, eighteen women converged for a six-night Bootcamp for Goddesses retreat. The women came from across the country. Although two mother-daughter teams and some friends journeyed together, the rest of us traveled solo, but over the week, we became sisters.
From the first moments of the retreat, Bender created loving, sacred space within the nooks and crannies of the Crossings’ grounds, in the sanctuary, under the blue sky, and within our yoga practice space. To continue to frame the sacredness of each day, we opened each morning by lighting a candle and placing it on a group altar, to remind us, as Bender said, “That it is our responsibility to keep our inner light lit.”
Throughout the week, via twice-daily yoga sessions; early morning silent hikes; afternoon talks on health and fitness, aromatherapy, and nutrition; an outdoor dancing session set to African drums and meals featuring laughter and tears, Bender encouraged us to fire up our inner lights. Her cheerleading coupled with the supportive group energy was a constant reminder that we were all goddesses.
Goddesses with responsibility, and Bender’s tireless bootcamp dialogue drilled that into us. Responsibility, however, was to ourselves. “You have to put energy into loving yourself, it doesn’t just happen,” she told us. And through encouragement, laughter, and sweat, we did.
Two of the final evenings combined myth and magic. One darkened night we walked a labyrinth, slowly and deliberately, by candlelight, while holding a candle in front of us. Finally, we experienced the Native American sweat lodge presided over by a medicine woman who taught us to sing our prayers, touch the earth and feel. The intensity of the heat, the dark space inside the lodge, and the presence of a group of empowered women was a tangible reminder of the goddess within each of us – something that we felt throughout the week and took home after check-out.
For more information about Bootcamp for Goddesses call (570) 994-0014 or visit www.bootcampforgoddesses.com. For more information about the Crossings call (877) 944-3003 or visit www.thecrossingsaustin.com.July/August 2007
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