The Hocking Hills Retreat finally came and (sadly) went. The weekend could not have been more perfect. Mother Nature cooperated with us and we were able to experience summer-like weather. As soon as we arrived we were in awe of our surroundings. The lodge, the view, the scenery. The beauty of it all was almost too much to take in. Once we were all situated with our rooms picked out and bags unpacked we were able to relax and appreciate it all. Even in spite of the fact that a lot of us got lost (oops!) and stuck in traffic because of construction, we were almost immediately filled with a sense of peace. The sound of silence was deafening in such a good way. Jessica and Debbie led us in practices to relieve us from the car rides, and though we’ve all taken classes with them before, these felt different and special. We felt jubilant as the dogs and bugs attempted to break our focus, and even when they succeeded we were able to belly laugh it off. Our meals were filled with healthy options that fulfilled everyone’s differing dietary needs. Sitting at the large table and eating family style we did in fact feel like one big family. The hot tub called our names later in the evening and the warmth of that combined with the crisp air was so refreshing. Afterwards we were met with a sky out back that is hard to put into words. It was infinite and filled with more stars than most of us had ever seen. It was utterly breathtaking. Some went to bed and some just stayed out til the wee hours staring at it in amazement. The mornings brought us more great food and conversation, some yoga of course, and then off to hike the trails. It’s hard to believe all of that gorgeous nature is in little ole Ohio. It was strenuous for some of us but by the 2nd mile you couldn’t even tell. We made it through the hills and went back to the lodge to clean up and prepare dinner. Later, we made it down to the fire pit and enjoyed s’mores and the lovely musical styling of Tara. Knowing it was our last night we pushed ourselves to stay up late. Some of us playing games, hot tubbing again, getting massages, and eating huge amounts of snacks and chatting until early morning hours. On the last day, we had a great breakfast and packed our things to hit the road back to Akron. I’m sure  we can all agree we could have used another day or two, but knowing we only had the weekend made us soak it in to its full potential. There were so many memories made, lots of laughter, and new (hopefully lifelong) friendships developed. Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible, all of the food that was brought in and prepared, the awesome drivers, the teachers, but most of all thank you to everyone who brought their spirit that helped make it an unforgettable weekend! We wish all of you could have been there, and hope more can make it to our next retreat! Peace.