NOTE FROM JOY 7/15/21
Happy summertime, dear yogis, Wattle Hollow friends and friends-to-be.It’s a monsoon jungle out there…. and I’m so grateful for that! It’s been extremely inspiring to share the Dharma with so many new and old friends. First thing to understand, darlings: ONLY FULLY VACCINATED FOLKS WILL BE WELCOME. I cannot agree with the anti-vaxxers who tell me “this is a matter of personal consideration.” From my perspective, this is a community-oriented decision, that affects the rest of society…quite different than choosing whether to vaccinate...
READ MORE / RegisterDharma Day
Saturday, July 31 – 10:00 a. m. – 4:00 pm All Dharma Days are suitable for oldies and newcomers…since we all need to arrive with “beginner’s mind,” anyhow. We will have chairs or cushions available for sitting, and yoga mats for our period of stretching, though you all are of course welcome to bring your own. (If you are concerned about the Covid-19 sanitation aspect for your yoga, blanket and meditation equipment, probably better to bring your own supplies and perhaps dish ware for lunch, dears.) We will be practicing the various...
READ MORE / RegisterBeing Where You Are Weekend
SEPT 17 (6:00 pm) – SEPT 19 (2:00 pm) We are quite fortunate to lure the amazing Mark Cain away from his extremely busy farm schedule to join us for this event, and to share his grace as a yogi-meditator. He and Joy will co-teach /guide you. This event has happened annually every year for (about?) fifteen years, minus the pandemic last year. This is a deeper dive into the possibilities of witnessing our meditative focus and offering the mind and body a veritable “brainwash.” No particular expertise is required for either meditation or...
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Sunday, Sept 26 – 10:00 am – 4:00 pm All Dharma Days are suitable for oldies and newcomers…since we all need to arrive with “beginner’s mind,” anyhow. We will have chairs or cushions available for sitting, and yoga mats for our period of stretching, though you all are of course welcome to bring your own. (If you are concerned about the Covid-19 sanitation aspect for your yoga, blanket and meditation equipment, probably better to bring your own supplies and perhaps dish ware for lunch, dears.) We will be practicing the various...
READ MORE / RegisterSongwriters Creativity Weekend
OCTOBER 1 – 3, 2021 Our annual (except for last year), profoundly soul enriching AND fun weekend of sharing creative opportunities to step WAY out of your musical box… is returning again to Wattle Hollow. This is kind of a family reunion (you will soon feel at home even if it’s your first time. Our illustrious and trusted guides on this journey are Donna and Kelly Mulholland (of Still on the Hill) and Jack Williams. Again, open only to fully vaccinated participants. Don’t wait to sign up for this one, dears. It ALWAYS fills up! Please...
READ MORE / RegisterTime Out – a weekend exploration of time
OCT 15 – 17, 2021 (Fri-Sun) Training For The Equanimity Olympics, with Mind, Metabolism and Metta This was once an annual event at Wattle Hollow…and it’s time to return: We will be exploring the subtle dimensions of time, as it is measured by social consensus, versus the actual experience of living in present tense…witnessing for ourselves how our brainwave shifts, between the two. We will watch and compare, share writing exercises, practice Vipassana with the Ozark autumn woodlands as our container. Daily yoga and qi gong will also add...
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Saturday, OCT 30 – 10:00 am – 4:00 pm All Dharma Days are suitable for oldies and newcomers…since we all need to arrive with “beginner’s mind,” anyhow. We will have chairs or cushions available for sitting, and yoga mats for our period of stretching, though you all are of course welcome to bring your own.(If you are concerned about the Covid-19 sanitation aspect for your yoga, blanket and meditation equipment, probably better to bring your own supplies and perhaps dish ware for lunch, dears.) We will be practicing the various...
READ MORE / RegisterGiving of Thanks Celebration
Sunday, November 14, 2021 Here is the return of another tradition: We will share a potluck feast around 2:30, followed by a circle of thanks for what life has brought us. It can be musical, theatrical, humorous or serious! No RSVP necessary (Wattle Hollow remains drug and alcohol-free, plus please leave beef and pork offerings at home) Instruments are welcome, as music and dancing often spontaneously erupt after the traditional circle sharing.
READ MORE / RegisterTales from Thailand 2020 #4
Above is the Chinese dragon, on New Year’s Day. We are now in the year of the Metallic Rat. Below is my favorite “dragon,” and also my closest neighbor here at S.D.S. The photo is actually the baby. Mama appeared last month and posed for five minutes, but I didn’t have my camera with me…what a tease! Mama has grown to (at least) eight feet long now. For you left-brain readers, those brick tiles in the photo are approximately 14”. This winter in Thailand, my schedule has been filled to the brim with field trips, accompanying Khun-mae and Nawng...
READ MORE / RegisterTales from Thailand 2020 #3
Greetings, dear readers. Hats. We all wear so many in these complicated times, huh? As the relentless dust and heat bore down, over six days of pickaxing holes in the dry rocky ground at SDS 2… I grew to love my Issan farmer’s hat. It became incredibly familiar and comforting as well. This is a strange disclosure for a “nudist Buddhist,” as I’ve often described myself. My sweet friend Maechee Wontawon is on the left (above photo). She’s been here at SDS 2 since its beginning eighteen months ago, and is the sole remaining founding resident....
READ MORE / RegisterTales from Thailand 2020 #2
Hello again, dear readers. And full-moon greetings from the Green Tara. (It was fun to wait for the moon to rise to just the right spot.) Thanks so much for your heartfelt response to my Tales. There are many Zero Waste Warriors out there, who have been responding with consciousness since long before my nascent attempts. I often fail to avoid single-use plastic: people give me bottles of water, or I buy something that is otherwise unavailable without wrapping.. And I’m still learning about impeccability from Captain Zero Waste. Here (below)...
READ MORE / RegisterTales from Thailand 2020 #1
Hello again, dear readers. Yes, this time I really am in Thailand, and back home at my retreat center, where I am the official International Volunteer. I can’t seem to resist featuring this fellow (above) that I found while gardening today, though he’s actually double that size. And below, little Maechee Pim, age 9, is showing me the onions that she waters every day. I was given a royal welcome and taken to “my” house, which is always saved for me. (I still don’t understand why or how I am given these absolutely unique blessings…. but I’ve...
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Wattle Hollow is a relatively small retreat center (40 acres of woodlands on a mountainside in Northwest Arkansas) with capacity for 20 - 25 folks.