the key to happiness and a long life
I've always wondered if you can be an extreme extrovert and AND an extreme introvert.
I love hosting events, building friendships and going to dinner parties, but I often choose to travel on my own — and love it! I love meditating and reading and spending days just enjoying nature.
Then .. we hosted our Montauk retreat last June.
I was nervous about it. I knew I would be living with our team, sharing a room with our chef Daphne (!), and that meant being around people nonstop. I worried about offending someone or being offended myself! But it ended up being one of the best experiences of my life. Ally Bogard and our team created an atmosphere of LOVE. Everyone got along. It didn't matter who you sat with at dinner or next to for meditation.
Everyone was amazing.
I loved living in community and it made me think.
Not just about the importance of loved ones but the power of community. About what it means to have people around to share the good times and bad.
"Social connections .. not only give us pleasure, they also influence our long-term health in ways every bit as powerful as adequate sleep, a good diet, and not smoking," Harvard Medical School published in Harvard Health Publications. "Dozens of studies have shown that people who have satisfying relationships with family, friends, and their community are happier, have fewer health problems, and live longer."L'chaim!
L'chaim! Community matters! Sangha, the community of meditators, is one of three jewels in Buddhism.
If you’d like to be part of our sangha, here are some ways you can get involved: