Yoga-Meditations

I was so excited when I heard of this “karma yoga” thing. I signed up for a retreat in the south-west of France expecting to get do a little stretching and meditation. When I first heard about this intriguing retreat, all I knew was that it would cost me only €10 a day and that it seemed like a lot of fun. Little did I know that soon I’d be carrying sandstone blocks up a hill all morning! My journey began when I was dropped off at the medieval church perched in the hill-endowed village of Marsolan, which was as deserted and void of living souls as a cemetery.

Thankfully my guide showed up before I began to panic too much! Once I had a friendly face in sight, it was much easier to appreciate how very beautiful the sights were. Though the buildings were mostly derelict, I found them beautiful and inviting (if not a bit spooky).

Although it wasn’t exactly part of the deal I was invited to join my guide and his wife for dinner, as we discussed the terms of my stay, and the meaning of karma yoga. Basically, it’s labor intense work that focuses on the procedure rather than the result. Selfless work. Your accommodations depend on how much money you spend up front; to go all out, it cost €450, but for me and my €10, it meant trading only four or five hours a day for free camping. After a wonderful (and for the most part) home-grown supper, my time had come to start my vacation.

It began with a little meditation. It was very different to what I was used to (a little notebook in which members of the group jotted down our thought process and feelings), because the meditation and chanting were used to seduce the group into opening asking questions and discussing deep and burning secrets. I suppose one might usually find the contemplation of the purpose of their existence to be depressing, (especially after only 3 hours!), but my host and the group was warm and comfortable.

I started off the morning with some gentle yoga to get my body ready for what I’d be facing later – karma yoga in the form of helping my host carry fallen sandstone blocks from the earth beneath the terrace, to the house and its ongoing renovations. At first it seemed so much more like hard labor to me, but I soon caught the renovation bug. I then found myself tilling and fertilizing the garden, which, while very peaceful, did nothing for my already achy back and fingers.

My last morning there, I got to find out what my big karma yoga treat was going to be. It turned out that it was helping to shop at the weekly market in a nearby town. Trying to stay frugal, I bought only a few locally grown figs, small but sweet new potatoes, and artichokes. Well, I did also buy some sorely expensive but devilishly delicious cheese, which I later shared at supper with everyone.
All in all, it was a fun and surprisingly relaxing stay – at least in the mental and emotional sense!