"One of the most powerful experiences of my life!"

Michèle's Yoga and Writing Retreat was one of the most powerful experiences of my life. I learned there what it is like to be healthy, to exude vitality from body, heart, mind, and spirit. I came away from my three-day trip just glowing. When I got home, my partner said I looked "radiant."

In addition, the retreat shifted my outlook about community and what it means to truly share yourself with others. The times I laughed that weekend compared with my daily "quota" just amazed me! I really appreciate the attitude of celebration that Michèle created – the environment and space contributed to a real buoyant feeling in me, which I felt in others as well. We all seemed to take such delight in both our bodies and our minds, and to draw strength and joy from each other. I had never experienced that before, and it made me very glad to contribute.

But most of all, I came away from the retreat feeling like a writer. I felt empowered in my creativity, and my ability to convey what I see and feel to others in an effective way. I delighted in writing and felt strong in it. I have never felt so bold or convinced of my own talent before. This work has done so much for me, and I want to thank Michèle for bringing it into my life.

"I couldn't believe that I actually WANTED to read what I had written out loud!"

I won't lie. When I signed up for my first writing workshop with Michèle, it was with a feeling of dread and resignation. At the time I was developing a contemplative art program at Alberta Children's Hospital and was teaching kids how to paint, draw and even knit mindfully. When I heard about Michèle's workshop from a mutual friend, I thought I should take it and learn more given that I was developing something similar for the visual arts. But the last thing I wanted to spend my Sunday doing was writing! I probably spent half of my time at work writing reports, patient notes, and patient education handouts. At the time of the workshop I was also struggling with a book chapter that was late. My co-author and I were receiving pleading letters from the book's editor to send in the chapter, but we were both dragging our feet and the chapter wasn't getting done. Every word that I had to write at the time was painful and all my writing assignments were draining me of energy and making my life a misery.

The beginning of the workshop is a bit of blur for me because my anxiety was pretty high. We started with some introductions and a breathing meditation. I alternated between focusing on my breath and the running commentary in my head. Then the bell rang, the meditation was over and it was time to write. We received our first prompt and there was no time to edit, criticize or second-guess myself. Without trying, the ideas started to pour out of me. I was shocked! I also looked at what I had just written and I was funny! Who knew?

Must have been a fluke! But then we did the second exercise, and the third and each time I wrote something worthy of reading to the group. I couldn't believe that I actually WANTED to read what I had written out loud! This was turning the entire world as I knew it upside down. Writing is supposed to be something you have to do, not want to do. You are supposed to cringe when you are forced to expose yourself to the judgments of others, not proudly share your work with fellow writers. Was it even possible that writing could be fun? That had never even occurred to me before.

Since that time I've had the opportunity to run several contemplative art and writing workshops myself. Last spring I did some of the writing exercises with a very tough crowd – a group of ten- and eleven-year olds who were doing a spring break art camp with me. We did writing on the morning of the last day and they all groaned when they walked into the room and saw the notepads and pens I had laid out for them. "You're not really going to make us write are you?" I smiled, knowing exactly how they felt and told them not to judge something before they tried it out for themselves. By the end of the session they were laughing and excited, and they wanted to do some of the exercises more than once. When we finished, one of the children said to me that he had no idea that writing could be fun. What a gift!

Thank you so much, Michèle, for making this your life's work and for sharing this approach with so many aspiring writers! I know that I am not the only person who is grateful for the opportunity to learn from you and who has been changed forever by the experience.

"The retreat laid important foundations for how I want to live my life."

I'm a university student, so I almost missed the Yoga and Writing retreat, worried about the money I'd be spending. I'm so glad I made it!

I have been working on my writing sporadically, taking classes where and when I could, but writing a longer work always seemed daunting to me. Now writing a novel seems absolutely within reach! I really enjoyed the yoga sessions too, and one of the reasons the writing is flowing more easily now is that I have learned to settle my mind through yoga. I have been practicing Qigong for a year and a half, but could never clear or calm my mind, and this always held me back in my practice. In the restorative yoga sessions we did at the end of each day, I finally learned how to attain this stillness, and I was able to meditate more effectively. The yoga sessions we did at the retreat deepened my Qigong practice, with immediate results - all in one weekend.

I would certainly recommend Michèle's retreat to others. I have to thank my friend Kristin for telling me about this retreat, because it laid important foundations for how I want to live my life.