LOCALadk Magazine

"Why now?" "People are exhausted," he stated bluntly. So many of us are working remotely, sitting around staring at laptops on Zoom calls, himself included. "Physically, mentally, emotionally. e planet itself is exhausted from the chaos of the past two years. People can't put on brave faces anymore. We are entering a time to heal from the trauma of the past. It's perfect timing, actually. So many people who have been caregivers, just trying to survive, are finally allowed to take a breath. Now is the time to heal from that trauma. e retreat is where we will begin to shi, and eventually thrive again." "What is so special about Minnowbrook? Why do you return to the Adirondacks?" Davidji is no stranger to hosting meditation retreats. Most of them are formatted so that the participants move from one presentation or speaker to the next over the course of the retreat. "Minnowbrook is special. We're completely immersed in nature. We can actually slow down," he reminds me. "People still come back and tell me that the retreat was exactly what they needed, that its space provided the support and strength they needed to move forward." It's a small crew that comes to this event, typically less than thirty people, all perfect strangers joining together to heal. Everyone is coming in with their own "stuff," their own deep issues, their own lives. is retreat gives them what they need to open up, find their balance again, become receptive to the natural healing that takes place — and allows the transformation to begin. It all stems from meditating. e abundant natural beauty found in the Adirondacks is the perfect backdrop to allow the noise from the outside world to dissipate, to reconnect, to create or reestablish a meditation practice. And when this is done, the outside world begins to match the inner peace of the inside world. I can say personally, that there will be months at a time when I don't miss a day of meditation. en, just like that, life gets crazy and I fall out of sync with my routine. I forget to meditate. I can't find the space or the quiet. I fall asleep. I hit the snooze bar and don't give myself 20 minutes to start my day with more grace. en the question becomes "Can you really afford to not meditate?" It makes that much of a difference. ankfully, it's never too late to start up again. "Everyone secretly wants the benefits of meditation," Davidji shares with me. "We all want more patience, more creativity, more joy — more love. But no one is giving themselves permission to do that. We are in survival mode. e primitive brain is taking over. We don't have time." So now, we too have to make the same decision that davidji made over 20 years ago. e same decision I make when the snooze button is an option in the morning. We have to shi gears. It's time to move out of survival mode. It's time to thrive. It's time to recognize the trauma from the past and voice it to the world, "No more!" It's time to commit to ourselves and take off our masks — and heal. Whether you join the small crew of meditators at Minnowbrook this summer or lock yourself in the conference room to meditate on your lunch hour, try making the decision to come back to peace. 45

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