The first full day of the Yewfield retreat. The daily schedule:

0800 Silent meeting
0830 Breakfast
0915 Cleaning
0945 Krishnamurti video
1100 Hiking
1300 Lunch
1500 Silent meeting
1530 Dialogue
1700 Cooking for some
1930 Supper

The hike was very enjoyable, and the sun shone for the first time in what seems like weeks. We hiked an hour over to Black Crag, a rocky hill at about 330 meters. Fine views to Windermere, Hawkshead, Conitston Water, the Irish sea in the far distance, and to the north, the southern fells including The Old Man of Coniston, Weatherlam, Langdale Pikes, Hellvelyn. We returned via a frozen Tarn Hows. Back for a lunch of leek and potato soup.

View over Windermere:

The dialogue was on the communication of another kind of learning of the inner life of man, instead of just on outward achievement. We ventured slowly to talk about the hold of apparent security over us all and how even though we know there really is no security it is so powerful, and why that might be.

We were the cooking team this evening , where Hersha led Derwent, Bill, Fran and I through cooking a south Indian curry and dhal, with some kind of milk and wheat desert. I only had a little of the spicy vegetables because the spices send me buzzing and the taste lingers in the mouth for days as well as the smell on the skin. But it was quite mild.

I woke in the night, clear, awake, fresh, very present. And didn’t go back to sleep all night, but for a few drifts during yoga nidra. A gentle day six of the yoga course this morning.