Wildness, Enchantment & Hope
Wildness, Enchantment & Hope: Deepening Our Engagement with Nature is now available as an online retreat. It will consist of four, two-and-a-half hour sessions spread out over the weekend of October 20–22. We appreciate the challenges presented by a weekend online event. Over the course of the weekend we will remain mindful of this, and offer […]
Shimmering at the meadow’s edge
We overfish our waters We deplete the soil We exhaust the resources of the planet. Do we do the same to ourselves? We live, it seems, amidst a culture that values Doing over being. Work over rest. And maybe that leads to over-work, over-consumption, and exploitation of the planet’s gifts and one another. Is the […]
The story of us
We started out in a living room. A group of friends sorting through the transitions and dilemmas arising in our lives. We’d begin with a few moments of mindfulness to help us attend to each other and find our own thoughts. And then, we’d read a little text or poem that offered a window into […]
Savouring Summer
Isn’t one of the things we love about summer the chance to slow down, take it easy, and read something just for the pure enjoyment of reading? You know, do nothing? I don’t know about you, but I can’t tell you how many times I sabotage any possibility of slowing down by filling my holiday […]
In the midst of summer
Here in the northern hemisphere we are in the midst of summer, and there have been some challenges. The long days have frequently been suffused with smoke from wildfires in Northern Quebec and Ontario. Orange sunrises/sunsets, hazy city streets, the smell of smoke, and concerns for people’s health and for the environment have been key […]
Pluck the Day
One of my favourite pieces of life advice comes from a (perhaps) unexpected source. A baseball player. Look, I do have some inner tension about loving baseball –– especially around how much money is thrown around for what is, or at least should be, just a game. How is it, for example, that someone can […]
Walking the path, II
“Paths are the story of humans journeying on foot. They have a beginning, a middle and an end. They point forward toward the journey’s goal but also behind to all who have traveled this same path before us, including those who created the first track.” ~Torbjørn Ekelund Last time, we talked about walking. This […]
Walking the path, I
Have you noticed the increasing interest in walking? Articles, books, medical research. Did you know 11 minutes of walking very well may decrease your risk of heart disease, many kinds of cancer and overall mortality. How about 150 minutes of walking a week? Even better. Cut that risk of premature death by 20%. […]
An in-person, outdoor retreat … at last
For months now, the Inside Outside Retreat Centre has been, well, inside. Lots of online retreats, some in-person and hybrid offerings, but outside? Not so much. And so, we are very, very excited to invite you to: Paths through Time and Nature Sunday, June 4 10:00 am – 2:30 pm EDT in Toronto’s beautiful High Park This will be […]
Deepening Our Engagement with Nature
April 27, 2023 We’re excited to offer: Wildness, Enchantment & Hope: Deepening Our Engagement with Nature. This six-session, online series begins May 17 and will be facilitated by Leslie and fellow Courage & Renewal® Facilitator Mardi Tindal. Listen to Leslie describing the inspiration for the retreat and her hopes for participants: Two things inspired this retreat. The […]