Women of Yoga at Omega Institute

Yoga at Omega Institute

By Bess Hochstein

The new moon is said to be a time of low energy, but there was no lack of vitality in the more than 130 women who converged on Omega Institute’s Rhinebeck, New York, campus last Memorial Day Weekend, enjoying warm days and nights of moonless, starry skies. We had arrived with high expectations – and plenty of vigor – for “Women of Yoga: A Transformational Retreat for Women.”

From Friday evening till Monday morning, we laughed, sweated, cried, danced, chanted, shared, meditated, and explored the limits of our emotional, spiritual, and physical selves in a supportive environment of women of all ages and experiences, including mother/daughter pairs and nervous mothers-to-be. An inspiring sisterhood, which included celebrated yoginis Shiva Rea, Sharon Gannon, and Seane Corn; Kundalini icon Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa; meditation master and author Sally Kempton; and kirtan songbird Uma Saraswati led the retreat.

The Omega’s Main Hall was our sacred space, filled with glorious flowers and images of goddesses from Eastern and Western traditions. Entering the hall for opening ceremonies, we were offered pieces of fruit before we sat in concentric circles to absorb the invocations of the workshop leaders. As Gannon explained, “Yoga means connection – to link together. The methods of yoga are methods to heal the disease of disconnect; yoga holds the keys for healing the disconnection which is present at this time on Mother Earth. All of us together are going to see miracles this weekend.” After Corn, Gurmukh, and Kempton proffered their expectations for the retreat, Rea asked each of us to write down an offering from within ourselves for the weekend, which we scrawled on scrap paper – accompanied by Saraswati’s celestial chanting – then read aloud as we introduced ourselves. We folded these offerings into our pieces of fruit and filed by the altar to leave them to the goddesses.

The next morning I rose before sunrise – heeding Gurmukh’s exhortation to greet the Creator instead of having the Creator greet me – for a 4 a.m. session of Kundalini chanting designed to clear the chakras. As sunlight chased away the night, participants familiar with the chants sang along to a recording, while others sat in lotus and swayed to the rhythms, or lay down on the floor, letting the sound wash over them or falling asleep. At 7 a.m., Kempton took the stage for a session of meditation meant to connect heaven and earth through the heart.

Fueled by delicious vegetarian food, we embarked on alternating sessions of vigorous yoga, soul-searching lectures, heart-opening interpersonal exercises, and rose-petal strewn rituals honoring the feminine, late into the night. During her discussion of the chakras, Corn explained, “The key to healing is self-awareness; when you sign up for yoga, you’re saying you’re ready to heal.” By the final session – exhausted, exhilarated, teary-eyed, and joyful – we embraced our new sisters, adhering to Rea’s call to honor each other as goddesses. For more information visit www.eomega.org.