2022 CPY Retreat Landing Page
Wednesday July 27 - Sunday July 31 2022
Benedict Inn Retreat & Conference Center, Indianapolis, IN
Resources Document
Our resources document can be found by clicking here. It is a working document! If you notice something is missing, send the resource directly to volunteer@christianspracticingyoga.com. Allyson will add it to the list.
Retreat Directory
On the retreat directory, you will find everyone’s name alphabetized by first name, their email, and where they are located. We encourage you to make connections with you fellow retreatants! You can find the retreat directory here.
Evaluations
We want to hear from you! If you were not able to turn in your evaluation, please take a moment to fill it out and send a picture to Allyson at volunteer@christianspracticingyoga.com.
Welcome to the Well
As our retreat team prayed and envisioned what we wanted to create for this retreat, we settled into the story of the Samaritan Woman at the Well in John 4: 1 - 26. The water well is a meeting place for those who are traveling, thirsty and in need of rest. We imagined that many of us may feel similar to the woman who visited the well in the heat of the day to gather water. The time of day in which she visited the well may have been an indication of her “place” in her community.
Jesus, traveling from Judea to Galilee took the most direct route through Samaria, instead passing to the East as many Jews of his time did avoid contact with their neighbors in Samaria. In the heat of the day, he, too, needed water and stopped at a well. Perhaps he sent his disciples off to the village to get some food and took the opportunity to be by himself. In any case, he is present as the woman comes to gather water.
All of us are traveling to Indianapolis, perhaps we can resonate with the woman and Jesus. The pandemic has been a “marathon” of sorts. Much has changed in our lives and we can feel the heaviness of it. We are inviting you to bring all of yourself to this retreat. Come as you are, with your longings, your tiredness and your hopes and dreams. Let's meet with Jesus together at the well.
We look forward to five days of nourishing love, encouragement, support, community, and rest. While we were grateful for the ability to gather online during the pandemic, as Rev. Canon Kevin once said, “we are an incarnate bunch,” and the distance is hard. We are grateful for the opportunity to be together.
On this page, you will find up-to-date information about the retreat. You can reach out to our retreat community leader and CPY board president, Katrina Woodworth, with questions about the retreat.
Retreating at the intersection of Christianity and Yoga
We are an inclusive spiritual family. Thanks to Fr. Tom’s work with interfaith and ecumenical dialogue, we work together to find common ground in the larger context of the whole Christian Church. One of the most beautiful things about Christianity is the tapestry of many denominations, traditions, expressions, ways of worshiping God and living out our faith. We believe that our own relationship with God is deepened when we open to learning from those who may express faith in God different from our own faith and experience.
The same is true with yoga. There are many styles and expressions of yoga. Historically and philosophically, yoga comes from Indian culture. Yoga means to “unite”. Isn’t it interesting that unity is one of the major themes of the Christian Scripture? Gathering together on retreat, we seek to grow at the intersection of yoga and Christianity. We hope to build an intentional space for us to listen, learn, share and be “stretched'', growing in unity, faith and love.
Covid Policies
As we approach the summer months and our retreat, CPY leadership has been prayerfully considering our policies around Covid-19. In the spirit of ahiṃsā, we are implementing the following practices to ensure the safest possible community for our retreat:
Taking an at-home test when you arrive at the retreat: please bring a few at-home tests to the retreat. We strongly suggest also testing before travel. Please let us know immediately if you have a positive test result.
Using a well-fitting, strong mask when you travel: K95 and KN95 recommended. Please take a look at the domestic and international travel guidelines laid out by the CDC.
If you experience symptoms before/as you come to the retreat—please do not attend. If you experience symptoms at the retreat, please isolate.
Vaccinations are not required, but vaccinations with boosters are strongly recommended (see if your vaccinations are up-to-date on the CDC website).
Mask use will follow CDC guidelines, as impacted by what is happening in Indianapolis and the Benedictine Inn. At present, masks are not required at the Inn.
Even with all of these precautions, we recognize that we cannot guarantee a risk-free environment. It is our own individual responsibility to educate ourselves and make decisions that impact our own bodies. We are all welcome to wear a mask at the retreat whenever – no questions asked.
We will all be coming from various spaces – some of us from our homes, some of us from family reunions, some of us from other travels and events. Some of us are traveling by plane, others by car. We want to be respectful of others by ensuring that we are not asymptomatically contagious.
Final Payment
If you have not completed the final payment, please do so here.
Arrival and check-in
Check-in is from 1:00 - 4:00. If you would like to make Tuesday a travel day, you can call the Benedict Inn and reserve a room for Tuesday evening. Rooms and meals will be on your own until the start of the retreat with Wednesday dinner. Please let us know if you will be arriving earlier or later than the designated check-in time so that we can get you checked-in
The closest airport in Indianapolis International (IND) and is about 20 minutes away. While we can’t guarantee airport transportation, we will do out best to arrange ride sharing to help minimize costs. We will reach out to get arrival and departure information and to recruit drivers as we get closer.
Please plan your departure in the afternoon on Sunday so you can participate in closing worship service.
Accommodations & meals
Each attendee will have a private, single-occupant room with shared bath. Bedding and towels are provided by the Benedict Inn.
All meals are included. Our first meal is Wednesday dinner and our last will be Sunday lunch. The facility can provide vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free options with notice. We will reach out prior to the conference for dietary requests.
Pop-up Shop
As Yoga Teachers, you may have resources and wares that you would like to share with others. We will have a place for you to display your resources and wares. We understand that some of you may have businesses and are selling items while others may be offering resources and wares for free. We ask that if you are selling, please keep track of your own inventory and transactions. Some examples of things people have brought and shared in the past.
Written materials and books,
Music, chants, sound meditations
Yoga tools such as eye pillows, yoga cards, etc
Various artistic wares such as jewelry, mindfulness, affirmation or scripture cards.
Copies of the class you are teaching
Bibliography of your favorite books, music or other resources you use in your work
What can you expect? Learn more here.
The Benedict Inn Retreat & Conference Center and Inn will be out home for 4 nights.
Join our private Facebook group of past CPY Retreat alumni!
You can find our CPY retreat list by clicking the button below.
Whatever Christian meditation looks like for you, it’s welcome during the retreat! We’ve compiled a few notes on different forms of meditation for the seekers and the curious.
If you are financially able, please consider donating to our 2022 Retreat Financial Aid Fund.
Learn more about our COVID precautions, cancellation policy, and retreat investment by clicking the button below.