Angela Bennett, an emergency trauma nurse working in the US, has been at the Ashram this fall for an extended Restorative Retreat. Before coming to the Ashram, she was asked to start a clinic for homeless people suffering from mental health and substance abuse issues. At the same time she was completing two masters degrees in the public health field.
After being a nurse for fourteen years, I began to realize how important leadership is in the public health realm, especially women’s leadership. I needed a place to do some research, to talk to people in my field and to make a big transition in my life. When I looked around, I found the Ashram. It was started by a woman and set up for longer term stays. It was a place where I could create a long term sustainable yoga practice.
I was so empty when I came here. I had given everything I could especially as a healthcare provider. There is more pressure now in the everyday work world and you can’t give anything if you’re empty. When you’re empty, I think your soul knows and this can bring anxiety, depression and that sense of not having joy in life anymore.
What I have learned at the Ashram is that if I am stuck, it’s not about thinking as much as I can, or about doing more research. It’s about going to that place of presence inside myself for direction. It’s about being receptive.
Being here has given me a firm foundation especially when the world is spinning —to be able to slow down and think about where I want to go, what I want to do. It is easier in this place to plan and have my priorities straight. It is a safe place to reconnect to who I am and who I want to be and to create a transition from that place inside of me.
I am creating from a place of groundedness and fullness and that’s what I am going to take with me into the next chapter.
For Angela, the next chapter includes returning for the three-month Yoga Development Course in January.
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