Goodbye to Windhorse

The beloved yoga retreat Windhorse is closing. Created and taught by Peentz Dubble for over 20 years, Windhorse was a sanctuary for hundreds of yoga students who traveled up to Vermont each summer for Peentz's three, four, or six day immersions into yogasana, pranayama, and philosophy discussion.  In between there was swimming at the lake, feasts of pot luck dinners, deepening of friendships, and napping in the hammock. Over thirty of us will gather in August to celebrate all that Windhorse and Peentz has given to us over these many years. I wrote this to share at the celebration.

 

 

I first heard about Windhorse (and Peentz) unexpectedly. It was the spring of 2010 and I was longing to go deeper in my yoga practice.  I wanted to go on a yoga retreat but didn’t know where to go or whom to study with.  Two women from the studio where I was taking classes told me, “Go to Windhorse!”  I was afraid that I would not have the strength for three or four consecutive days of multiple classes per day.  But my yoga friends reassured me, “Peentz paces things so you will be able to keep up.”  Thankfully in this instance my longings outweighed my timidity.   

 

On the cusp of fifty, it was a time of great change in my life.  My father had passed away the year before, my daughter was entering difficult teen years, I was starting a new job (again), and I was separating with my husband whom I had been with for almost thirty years. Perhaps that is why the longing for more yoga was growing stronger.  Something inside was drawing me towards what I needed for this second half of life.

 

With Windhorse, Peentz created a sanctuary that nourished a deep experience of yoga. The rhythm of the Windhorse day gave us the perfect mix of effort and surrender, action and reflection, solitude and exchange. It was such a gift to gather with other women who were deeply committed to this spiritual path, exploring together asana, pranayama, and philosophy.   In her unique way, Peentz made yoga philosophy accessible opening up doors to inquiry that had never before resonated but that now sustain me. 

 

 In those early years, I would feel so sad when the retreat ended and I had to leave the sanctuary of Windhorse.  I was inspired by my time at Windhorse to find a way into that inner stillness in the midst of the day-to-day struggles of life.  As Peentz taught, the intentions that we make at Windhorse have the chance to sink deep.  Little by little over the years and with consistent practice, I have begun to find that place of contentment in the midst of the small and large struggles, busyness, overwhelm, and change.  I am grateful for the freedom that tapas, svadyaya, and ishvara pranidana has unfolded, gifts coming into bloom that were first seeded at Windhorse.

 

Peentz has been a true guru to me. Her skillful teaching inspired me to find a way into the deeper parts of myself to a place of compassionate abiding and discovery.  I can say goodbye to Windhorse knowing it will live inside of me as a beacon for what is possible when I meet my inner longings with courage, faith, and allowing.