One Year of Exploring a DREAM: A Solo Adventure-retreats can inspire and renew

I discovered Lillstreet Art Center www.lillstreet.com about a year and a half ago. It is "The Creativity Shop"- my dream- times 100! There is gallery space, a café with a mission, 3 floors of classroom space and a floor of individual artist studios. Plus they have an art youth outreach, a corporate teambuilding aspect, art shows....the list goes on and on. I totally lose myself when I go there. I have taken a number of workshops with Eileen and another friend Alice, BUT yesterday I went for a daylong retreat alone.

Lillstreet has a new space they are calling the LOFT. It is a large beautiful space- exposed brick walls, lovely wooden floors and fabulous lighting- half a block away from the art center. They are running daylong events which are designed to provide, "a little creative and relaxing, 'me time.'" as the brochure states! Just the ticket for a third grade teacher who has had to deal with 8 year olds NOT being able to go outside all week because of the weather....NO ONE likes INDOOR RECESS!

So I escaped to Lillstreet and participated in, The Buddha and You: A ceramics and Yoga retreat.

The group of about a dozen started out with introductions and tea or coffee.

We moved into a 75 minute yoga class where the instructor led us through a physical yoga practice and guided meditation.

After a lovely lunch, we were led through the process of forming a face sculpture inspired by the Buddha using terra cotta clay.

Our clay teacher Robin gave general directions to the whole group and then supported each of us individually with what we needed. What I LOVE about Robin is that she encourages the "process not the product." She teaches a technique-then lets each person make it their own.