Every morning, I walk around Lake Minnequa. It is in one of the bleakest neighborhoods in the city. Bordering it like a fortress wall are trailer courts and by-the-hour motels, mechanic shops and liquor stores. But the lake itself is pristine, a secret garden guarded by the wasteland around it. Tall, brown-tasseled grasses breathe rhythmically in the wind. Fields of sunflowers and purple and jade tamarisk are cornucopias of a hundred different bird songs. There is even a rooster that crows occasionally. The lake itself is a broad silent mirror of the blue mountain shadows and the dappled sky.

When it is especially hot, I will kick off my shoes, tuck my toes into the silt on the shore and feel the cold water gently fold over my feet. It is so soft and sinuous, yet water can dissolve more substances than any other liquid including sulfuric acid. It melts mountains. It carves canyons. It is a part of every living being, binding us together. There is still the same amount of water on the earth as there was when dinosaurs roamed it millions of years ago.

When I go home, the first thing that I do is take a long cool drink of water. Then I get in the shower to wash off the sweat. I let the water cascade over me but my thoughts are already forging ahead planning my day. I don’t give a thought to how blessed I am at that moment – having all the water I want, at the perfect temperature that I desire, course over me for as long as I feel like it. I don’t think about the vast majority of people on earth who will never have this experience – not even once.

In a single day, 200 million working hours are spent by women like me collecting water for their families. They don’t use it lavishly like I do. It is a precious cargo of life itself heaved on their heads, shoulders and backs for miles in the sun. Yet they will suffer more than I for my disregard for this limited resource. It is estimated that two-thirds of the world population will experience extreme water stress in the next ten years. How far will these women have to travel then for a few gallons of water?

This retreat honors water. If we are to revere life, we must also value what supports it. The very ubiquitous nature of water implies eternal abundance – the fountains spewing gallons of water, the sprinkler systems feeding neon green grass, the toilets that magically refill.  Yet if the world’s entire water supply were to fit in a four-liter jug only a scant tablespoon would represent the fresh water available to us.

Cherish the feel of water stroking your skin as you stand under the shower. Remember its preciousness as you wash dishes, flush the toilet or brush your teeth. Even if it is not visible to the eye, water is nurturing you. That bottle of wine you enjoy with dinner takes 1,008 gallons of water to produce. A single pound of chocolate requires 3,170 gallons.

So…back to Lake Minnequa. I stand there with my feet nestled in the silt on the shore, the water lapping gently against my ankles, and I look out on the expanse of water that is probably close to the amount it would take to sustain my single lifespan.

In this small oasis guarded by the fortress of modern decay, only one tagger has intruded. In red spray paint on a slab of old concrete, someone wrote, “Be water, my friend.” It reminds me of Lao Tzu who said, “The best way to live is to be like water, for water benefits all things and goes against none of them.” This retreat is about being fluid, being nurturing —being water.

Facial Steam and Mask

Self-care is so important.

When you take time to replenish your spirit,

 it allows you to serve others from the overflow.

 You cannot serve from an empty vessel.

~Eleanor Brown

For this pampering session, we are going to focus on the many faces of water and how it soothes and nurtures us. The treatment will have water in the form of steam, water in the form of water-dense plants, water in the form of ice and finally, water in its fluid form to rinse everything off.

First, there is a deep cleansing green tea steam. For this treatment, you need three bags of green tea, a bowl of ice, a large bowl or a pot with a lid and a towel. All you do is boil the water and then put it in the bowl with the tea bags, covering it to let it steep for a couple of minutes. When you are ready, lift the lid, take out the tea bags, and put them in the bowl of ice to chill. Lean over the bowl of steaming water with the towel covering your head and the bowl and breathe in all that luscious steam.

Green tea is rich in antioxidants, which help fight free radicals. With a green tea facial steam, the antioxidants are shot straight into the pores to detox and hydrate skin. Green tea has potent anti-inflammatory properties, so steam soothes irritated skin as well. Let the steam soak into your face for a few minutes. Save the tea in your water spritzer in the fridge for a refreshing toner.

When your face is done steaming, take a half a cucumber and two tablespoons of aloe vera gel and blend them together in a food processor until you have a nice smooth paste. Apply it to your face, then take the tea bags that have been chilling in the ice, wring them out and put them on your eyes (of course, make sure they are cold enough to be comfortable). Now, just sit back and chill to some relaxing music.

The cucumber and aloe aera hydrate your skin and soothe irritated or sunburned skin so it is the perfect facial mask after a day spent outdoors. Cucumbers also strengthen your connective skin tissue, prevent water retention and reduce swelling. Aloe vera is an antioxidant with over 75 different nutrients including vitamins, mineral, enzymes, sugars, phenolic compounds, lignin, saponins, sterols, amino acids and salicylic acid.

Relax for around ten minutes. When you wash the mask off, wash first with several splashes of warm water, followed by several splashes of cool. Again, really relish the feel of the water on your face. Finish with your favorite moisturizer and a nice cold glass of water to drink.

Free Flow Journaling

Empty your mind, be formless, shapelessness, like water.

If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup.

You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot.

Now water can flow or it can crash.

Be water, my friend.

~Bruce Lee

Free flow journaling is where you open your mind and your pen, letting your thoughts flow freely and unchecked. You do not censor, you do not check for grammar or spelling nor do you pause to ponder. Read the prompts below then take your pen and start writing.

Throughout this retreat you have been asked to consider water. You were asked to consider how infinitely precious it is and how incredibly privileged you are to have an abundant supply of it.

One of the most important aspects of living fully and mindfully is to have an appreciation and respect for the everyday things that are so easily to take for granted. It is almost incomprehensible to think of a life where water is not readily available, yet with climate change and unchecked population growth, that will be a certainty in the future. In what ways does that fact impact the way you view and use water right now?

You were also asked to think about the magical consciousness of water, how your consciousness is linked to it and the implications that has for your life.

Now that you know that you have the power to actually transform the physical properties of water by mere thought, how does that affect the way you view your personal power? The power of intention? Will it change the way you think about yourself, when you consider that you are made up of over 70 percent water?

And finally, you were asked to think of yourself as water. To be fluid and nurturing in your life, as water is to all life; to be adaptable, such as the quote from Bruce Lee at the top of this page suggests: to be persistent, like water wearing away at a rock. What are some other ways you can “be like water?” In other words, what are some qualities that water has that you would like to emulate in your life? What are some different metaphors regarding water and life that resonate with you?

One of my favorites is a quote from Rumi, who said, “Your heart is like an ocean. Go find yourself in its depths.” Life is indeed our private ocean that we barely skim the surface of in our lifetime. Once we die, this ocean and all of its mysteries and miracles will dry up. Don’t be afraid to move away from the surface where it is choppy and down to where it is calm and quiet. Explore, get into the flow, find out the sunken treasures within your heart. Be water, my friend.

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Torri’s book is available for purchase here.