Women’s Empowerment Workshop

By WAM-staffer Lisa Sinclair, who took part in the recent Women’s Empowerment Workshop in Vail, CO

Thursday
When I finally arrive in Vail this afternoon for the Women’s Empowerment Workshop, I wonder why it seemed so difficult to get away and why I was even having second thoughts about leaving. Hmm, work, or go to the mountains for a women’s nature adventure retreat designed to rejuvenate and nourish mind, body, and spirit? The answer suddenly couldn’t be simpler.

We gather in the evening for the opening circle, a welcome reception, wine, and dinner. There are about 30 of us, ranging in age from 20 to 70. The kind and welcoming energy of workshop founder Susie Kincade generates a positive and accepting energy for the entire group that is very often lacking in gatherings of women.

The next few days are packed with activities (yoga, hiking, rafting, kayaking, rock climbing, and equine empowerment), speakers, and seminars. I think I will (try to) shut off my cell phone and laptop and enjoy a couple days off the grid. This is my conscious effort to disconnect from the expectations of others and the constant chatter of technology. Instead, I hope to connect with and truly appreciate the natural world that so often just dissolves into the background of our lives.

I set my alarm for a run and yoga in the morning and fall asleep quickly in the mountain air to the sound of the small stream trickling nearby.

Friday
Why is it so easy to wake up and get out of bed for certain things and not others? Today it is easy as I head out the door for an easy run and yoga session before breakfast. I smile in the dark early morning, thinking that I must be pretty fit because the higher altitude doesn’t seem to be bothering me at all. Then I reach my turn-around time and realize I’ve been running downhill all the way out. Now the thin air is highly perceivable as I suck wind all the way back trying to make it to yoga on time. I chide myself for an obvious mistake, like not paying attention to my surroundings, especially considering the reason why I am here in the first place.

The yoga session is amazing and different than other classes I have taken. At first it seems easy but then I am caught up in the higher awareness of mental focus and calm that emerges from the instructor’s explanations and my reduced need to attain more difficult positions. I leave wishing I could replicate that feeling every morning to start my day.

We all attend the next seminar called “Envision Your Life” from Dr. Joan King, a neuroscientist turned author, speaker, and coach. I’m immediately impressed by her wealth of knowledge but even more so by how she translates a complicated science into interesting explanations and applications. The morning hours disappear quickly, and it seems we have only just begun. So, I leave with her book, Cellular Wisdom for Women, to find out more on my own while contemplating my favorite of her questions: “What is it that you know, that you don’t know that you know?”

While half of the group leaves to go rock climbing, I join the group going hiking with Trailwise Guides. We approach the Gore Creek Trail in a way that I am not accustomed to at all. Crossing the threshold into the Eagles Nest Wilderness we have no rigid plan of destination or distance, just an opportunity to enjoy the moment and see where the trail takes us. The guide says we can go 500 feet or 5 miles. I force myself to stay near the back of the group to attenuate my habit of going as fast as possible to reach the turn-around point. Since I have no idea where that point is I’m determined to enjoy the hike in a different way. Immediately, I notice that I can see more of the scenery instead of just picking my footsteps on the rocky trail. I stop to take pictures—which I never do—of things that I probably might never see.

Our guide is amazing and seems to have answers to all the questions regarding the area and wilderness. We stop for lunch by the creek and then take some solo time leaving with crayons and paper from our guide to make leaf rubbings. Yes, it sounds silly and like something you haven’t done since you were a kid but all of a sudden it’s fun and again changes the perspective and the sometimes limited way in which we enjoy nature. I thoroughly enjoy the hike, contemplate the comments and input from everyone, and think maybe I need to find more women to hike with on a regular basis, as the experience was quite different than the destination-driven method I usually use when hiking with men.

The day ends with an inspiring talk from Shannon Galpin, founder of Mountain2Mountain, a non-profit that focuses on women in war-torn regions, mainly Afghanistan. In a culture where women do not have a lot of freedom and are not allowed to do much recreationally (much less ride bikes), Shannon became the first woman to mountain bike in Afghanistan riding through the Panjshir Valley. I remember reading a story about her in our magazine last summer and thinking about what it would take for me to be that driven to take on such a cause in arguably one of the most dangerous areas of the world. She is tall and blond, and beautiful, and hearing her story of personal attack and rape is heart breaking. Now, she is strong, intelligent, and driven to make a difference for other women, and she is doing just that. It’s easy to get wrapped up in someone else’s story and caught up in their pursuit, but the seed of inspiration that I leave with is that I have all the tools to do what I am passionate about already. It just takes the pure drive and guts to ignore the people who say you can’t do it and to keep going even when it seems impossible.

The day has been long but so encouraging, as all day I received completely different inputs than I do on a regular basis. The seminar, the hike, and the real world example all seem to come together and say: You have to make it simple in order to truly thrive and find your true expression of purpose. Of course the ironic twist was recognized by da Vinci when he said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”