As the end of the summer approached, Events Editor Lexie Lehmann took some time to unplug at a contemporary Buddhist monastery in Crestone, CO for a meditation and yoga retreat. This Bwogger is a city girl at heart so it was definitely a bit of a culture shock to immerse herself in ~nature~ for a little bit. Here’s what she heard and saw!

Saw: Every night I saw a beautiful sunset setting over the tallest mountain in North America. I also saw an authentic Tibetan stupa, the dunes of Great Dunes National Park, and many legal marijuana dispensaries.

Heard: The sound of silence. But seriously. It was so quiet I really felt like I could hear myself think. Perfect for meditation.

Felt: Um, like, 25 mosquito bites. Also a killer sunburn. Oops.

Tasted: The monks at Crestone Mountain Zen Center cooked us vegetarian meals produced from the sustainable garden on the Center’s campus. It was fabulous; we had fresh sourdough bread, ripe watermelon, and helllla tea. My mouth is watering at the thought of it now.

Smelled: TreeEeeSss

Read: I actually did a lot of reading while I was there!! One book I picked up was Robert Thurman’s Inner Revolution, an introduction to Buddhist practice and thought. Thurman is also a professor at Columbia (and Uma Thurman’s father!!)