communing with the hippies

As I mentioned before, the whole family took a trip to the Berkshires last weekend to do a yoga retreat at Kripalu. The purpose of the trip was to give my best friend Jenn (out here from LA) and I a chance to unwind and have some solid girl time. (We considered NYC as a destination, but decided calming vibes would be more desirable than frenetic ones.) Crystal stayed with us for one night, then Thom came for the rest of the time--both so that someone would be there to take care of River while I was out gallivanting around.

It was really beyond fantastic, and I came home a bowl of centered, relaxed jelly. Kripalu is the kind of place that puts you instantly at ease when you walk through the doors: imagine a Buddhist Temple mixed with summer camp. Everything there encourages you to leave your stressful life behind and find a new way of being. It took an afternoon and a night of sleep before I could fully unwind, but when I did, I felt absolutely amazing. I let all of my tension and sense of responsibility go. I thought about what should happen now--in the moment--and didn't concern myself too much with anything beyond that. It couldn't have possibly happened that way if I didn't have someone I trusted taking care of River.

Our days were a beautiful winding path from yoga to meditation to sauna to meal to yoga... and I really could have just stayed on that decadent road forever. Jenn and I found ourselves talking like we haven't be able to in... maybe years now. It was like being back in high school: indulgent, girly, connected. I'm so glad she was there to share the experience with me.

I took few pictures, but here are my favorite ones. We took River out to play in the snow (notice the shopping bags on his feet) and gave him a nightly bath in our sink. I wish I had one of Jenn and I, but I guess we just weren't thinking about much more than relaxation. What a hard life.