Our fall Marrakesh retreat just wrapped up recently, and we asked Mindy, our leader for the retreat, if she would tell our readers what her impressions were of the retreat, the location and the overall experience. She wrote from her home in Banff, Canada to fill us in!
Settling back into the snowy mountains it gives me time to reflect on our retreat in Marrakesh. Only a few weeks ago we gathered under a warm desert sun and shared the magic of this beautiful land. Each morning we met in the yoga Pavillion to quietly reflect in our journals of 3 things we were most grateful for. As I do this very morning, I wanted to share those 3 blessings with you that summarize our time together.
First, I am grateful for all of our conversations. It is a wonderful thing to travel and meet like minded people. On this retreat, we shared many moments exploring the vibrant souks and dazzled our eyes with the detailed architecture and design. To be able to share our wonder of a culture that creates beauty out of geometric shapes from the smallest scale of a door frame to the grandeur of palace walls, left us at times speechless. I loved our chats on the drives as we learned about each other’s lives, interests and the common thread that had brought us all together. Being in a small group of 12 people gave us the opportunity to exchange stories of what we saw, experienced on activities like the mule trek in the Atlas Mountains, where we were when we heard the distant call to prayer and what beautiful treasures we found in niche boutiques. All these moments collectively have inspired me in some way.
Secondly, I am grateful for our yoga practice together. Arriving in a new country like Morocco almost instantly heightens our senses. There is so much to take in from colours, sounds, people and culture. Starting our day with quiet moments of meditation opened us up to this new world. By sitting and letting all the sounds and sensations come to us we were able to settle ourselves and become at one with our environment. With the warm light of the sun shining through the Pavilion tent and splashes of purple colour of the nearby flower vines made for the perfect setting to begin our day. To wake our body with our breath creates a foundation of presence that we carried into our day. We welcomed all that is and to whomever crossed our path. Even the resident cats were drawn to our zen, making their way onto the mat! These peaceful moments continued into our everyday enhancing our experience on retreat.
Thirdly, I am grateful to the Peacock Pavillion for hosting us. This incredible estate, nestled outside of the city of Marrakesh, became a sanctuary that we can easily feel at home in. The design and architecture created by its owners, Maryam and Chris, reflected all the beauty and colour of Morocco. Each lounging & common area, including rooms, riads, dining and poolside, were so impeccably designed with vibrant decor that it would be difficult not to take home new ideas on how to bring more colour into our lives. The staff at the P.P. are definitely part of its charm, always readily available to answer our questions and greet us with a smile and conversation. The meals were divine and experienced in the traditional family setting. Tagines revealed the savoury dishes, and the local olive trees made an appearance in oil to tantalize your palette. The best treat of all was to wake up with notes of inspiration in your coffee cup to set the tone for the day ahead.
So to all 3 of the above blessings I say:
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Because all good things happen in 3’s and I think I’ve taken home part of the Marrakesh superstitions. Until the next time we meet, may the magic of Morocco last for a lifetime!
Thank you, Mindy, for being such a solid, open leader and helping us implement our mission at EPM! We are so grateful for you.