Leave Society

A Novel

TOO MUCH STUFF? FLOW AND F.L.O.W.

Inspired by Benedictine simplicity, BECKY GARRISON looks for ways to keep her space less cluttered.

RIGHT NOW, WE'RE ALL DYSREGULATED

Yoga teacher and somatic counselor HALA KHOURI shares ideas for moving toward self-regulation.

The REST Story

Despite a high-pressure job producing films, Tracee Stanley had everything under control. Prioritizing her own wellbeing made her more effective and efficient at work—which gave her time and space to prioritize her own wellbeing.

PEERING INTO THE FUTURE OF RETREATS

Retreat centers are ready to invite guests back onto their properties, but what that means may be vastly different in 2021 and beyond, even after the pandemic is under control.

6 SECRETS FOR PLANNING A RETREAT FOR A GROUP OF FRIENDS

You’ve envisioned it for ages—escaping for a retreat with a group of dear friends. You’re laughing together in terry-cloth robes and mud masks. Or maybe your gang is at a wilderness retreat, journaling around a fire pit. Perhaps your group is together deepening a faith practice, experiencing a festival, or traveling in an exotic locale. But getting your squad off on a retreat can easily become a logistical challenge (ever heard the term herding cats?). Here are six secrets for turning a “maybe someday” dream into a concrete, and pleasurable, reality.

WOUNDS AND THE WOMB

JULIE PETERS explores how to heal a relationship with the sacred womb, a place of death, life, and possibilities.

BE SQUIRRELY

Giant squirrels, giant lessons? Animal chaplain SARAH BOWEN explores what squirrels can show us about mindfulness.

5 PREDICTIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF RETREATS

The rustic, historic property once offered hot mineral soaks in private rooms with big clawfoot tubs and one of the best and largest wood-burning saunas in the States. Days frolicking between the steaming hot mineral baths, a cold creek, and the sauna—and nights spent without phone or wifi in a simple cabin in the woods. Hot tea, a warm fire, and a cool stack of magazines: My kind of bliss.

Visioning a Re-new-able Year

FLASHBACK: It’s December 31, 1999. Flushed from dancing, I’m perched on the steps of the Hilton Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, filled with anxiety about Y2K and the chaotic world around me.

STAYING IN FOR A VIRTUAL RETREAT?

HERE’S WHAT TO DO BEFOREHAND

The Fire of Aliveness

THERE ARE TWO FIRES that we have to encounter daily. The first is the fire of life, which reduces us to joy by burning away all that is false and not essential.

TALK, HEAR, DOUBT YOUR DOUBTS

Loved ones who have passed away can still whisper wisdom to you. JULIA CAMERON explains how she learned to connect with the world beyond.

SPIRITUAL RADICALS

WHAT’S NEXT? THESE SEVEN TRAILBLAZERS ARE HELPING DEFINE THE FUTURE OF SPIRITUALITY.

Put Your Self-Compassion on First, Then Assist Others

I am a good, kind, and ethical person, but I feel that I sometimes lack compassion. Maybe that’s because in the family I grew up in we were not taught to think of others. I would like to know how I can become a more compassionate person.

RESOLUTION SOLUTION

New Year’s resolutions never seem to stick. JULIE PETERS explores a holistic approach to change.

Religion and Politics

For ME God is the Aliveness Happening IN, WITH, AND AS ALL EXISTENCE.

NIKKI GIOVANNI

Giovanni brings a voice of discernment and solidity to our disquiet times.

Dr. Karen Gedney

MARIA OKORN tells the story of a medical doctor who found her calling behind bars.

29 Ways to Let it go....Let it ALL go

Maybe you’ve come across one of those bumper stickers that reads Let That #$!% Go, or you’ve seen a T-shirt with the same expression and a serene image of Buddha. But how to let go?

Two Meanings of “the Body Keeps the Score”

THE SOUL OF THERAPY KEVIN ANDERSON, PHD

THE ONE MINUTE, ICY COLD PATH OF AWAKENING

(IF YOU STAY WARM AND DRY, IT WILL TAKE 10 MINUTES)

The Speed of Our Age

NOW THAT WE’VE BEEN forced to stop, it’s easier to see how speed thwarts us. For when we become entranced with how quickly things move, we stop listening to what matters. This is how worry feeds itself, how it fills us with psychic noise.

HEALING FOR THE GUT

JULIE PETERS describes her experience with SIBO and her long journey back to health.

Erin Robinson

S&H editor Ben Nussbaum spoke with Brooklyn-based artist Erin Robinson about the corporate world, digital art, and her evolution as an illustrator.

CB … X?

CBD is widely available, but it’s hardly the only cannabinoid. MELISSA HOWSAM explores what’s next.

E-WELLNESS

From medical appointments to yoga classes, the world has gone virtual— and it’s working. BRANDI-ANN UYEMURA digs into the future of care.

Azim Khamisa, the Tariq Khamisa Foundation

“SUSTAINED GOODWILL creates friendship. Sustained friendship creates trust. Sustained trust creates empathy. Sustained empathy creates compassion. Sustained compassion creates peace,” states Azim Khamisa, articulating his Peace Formula.