Another beautiful day here in Hungary… I loaded the car and very slowly set off on the two-hour drive to the Balaton. (Very slowly because the car has a bit of an overheating problem at the moment. Never mind, the slower pace helped me get into a slower-paced fasting mindset!) As usual, the first thing I did after arriving in the village was to head to the Jakab forrás, a spring famous for its healing properties, and tank up with water for the participants.
After that, I continued on to our accommodation just outside the village and prepared the house for everyone’s arrival. Before long, people started arriving. I always enjoy seeing the mixture of different faces bearing different expressions: smiles from those who had been here before and love the place as much as I do, tiredness from those who had had a long week and were ready to relax, and anxiety from those who felt the weight of the 7-day water fast upon them. It was real. It was starting. And there was no way back.
7 full days without eating anything…
Of course, if anyone truly had the need to break the fast early, it would have been possible. But with the support of myself and the rest of the group, there was never really any question in my mind that everyone would succeed!
After everyone had settled in, we ended the day with some yoga and a group sharing, so everyone could express how they felt. For me, these sharings are the most important part of the whole retreat experience: everyday, twice a day. By the time we had finished, it was long dark, and a slow, steady rain had moved in for the night…
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