Washing Things Back to Themselves
This week at the retreat center, a day of pressure washing became a meditation on buildup, restoration, and the simple care of helping things look like themselves again.
Watching the moon
At 4:30 a.m., a walk to the yoga room paused halfway up the hill under a full moon. Instead of continuing, I sat and watched as night slowly turned into morning.
Nothing to do, nothing to achieve—just attention resting on what was already there.
Best Places to Meditate in Topanga Canyon (2026 Guide)
Topanga Canyon offers more than one way to meditate. From tucked-away gardens to ocean overlooks, this guide highlights a few places where stillness comes naturally.
Nature, Unfiltered: The Tarantula in the Dark
A tarantula appeared in the beam of a flashlight while walking down the steps at night, nearly missed in the dark. After a brief pause, it slipped into a crack in the wood and disappeared. A reminder that not everything hidden is dangerous—some things simply live beyond the light.
A Corner Comes to Life
A quiet corner of the property slowly takes shape as a small pond comes to life. What begins as simple labor unfolds into something more subtle. A space that holds stillness, not by force, but by careful attention over time.
Nature, Unfiltered: The Butterfly at the Road’s Edge
A swallowtail butterfly moved unevenly along the road, appearing almost unable to fly. After being gently moved to the brush at the edge, it paused, opened its wings, and lifted away. A reminder that not every pause is weakness—some are preparation.
Where the Sound Carries
A day at Butterfly Mountain in Topanga, where music and movement unfolded within the landscape. From sound baths in the domes to performances echoing through the canyon and sunset dancing along the hillside, the experience offered a quiet realization—belonging comes not from being with others, but from feeling part of the place itself.
Nature, Unfiltered: The Rattlesnake on the Steps
While clearing leaves near the lower steps of the property, a small rattlesnake appeared curled tightly against the wood after being startled by the sound of a blower. The patterned snake blended naturally into the surrounding steps and stone.
The Work of the Morning
An early Sunday morning of tending the retreat grounds in Topanga Canyon. What began with a broken sprinkler in the cactus beds turned into a full morning of land stewardship—repairing a shade sail overlooking the valley, clearing weeds around the cabins, and digging cactus pups to prepare a new fire protection line.
Nature, Unfiltered: African Iris Bloom
A white African iris appears quietly along the gravel steps near the pool in Topanga Canyon. Though it bloomed later than the surrounding daisies, its striking petals make it impossible to miss. This moment in the landscape offers a reminder that timing in nature rarely follows urgency.
The Lengthening Light
A quiet afternoon at Pure Land Farms unfolds through tea, meditation, and a hillside walk beneath lengthening light. As daylight lingers later into the evening, small observations reveal how the body naturally responds to rhythm, warmth, and place.
Nature, Unfiltered: The Ice Plant at the Edge
Along the patio near the pool, ice plants slowly spill over the masonry, blurring the line between structure and landscape. This week, bright pink and yellow blooms opened along the edge, transforming the corner into something more organic.
Nature, Unfiltered: The Cliff Succulent
Across the rocky cliffs of Topanga Canyon, Dudleya succulents take root in narrow stone crevices, growing where there is almost no visible soil. Their pale rosettes hold steady against the canyon rock.
Nature, Unfiltered: The Bird of Paradise
Along the pathway to the cabin, Bird of Paradise flowers bloom with quiet confidence. Upright and deliberate, they don’t soften the landscape so much as mark it, inviting a slower pace and clearer attention.
Meditating in Public
Meditating in public means allowing the world to keep moving without stepping away from it. In this journal entry, I sat outside a café in Topanga and practiced stillness amid voices, footsteps, and passing cars, noticing what happens when nothing needs to be managed.
Nature, Unfiltered: The Pecking Order
A few new chickens join an established flock in Topanga Canyon and the pecking order quietly reshapes itself.
Walking Barefoot on a Familiar Trail
Removing my shoes did not add anything to the walk. It removed a layer. What followed was a quieter pace, a more attentive body, and a conversation with the trail that could not have happened otherwise.
Behind the Scenes of the Journey Through Meditation Trailer
Filming the Journey Through Meditation trailer didn’t unfold the way I expected. A sudden power outage pushed the whole project off course, forcing a scramble for generators, propane, and last-minute fixes. But as the day unfolded—ending in golden hour above the canyon—it became its own lesson in steadiness, resilience, and the heart of meditation itself.
Where Fire Meets Renewal
Eight months after fire swept through Tuna Canyon, the hillsides are alive with new growth. What seemed empty has returned, not as it was before, but as something changed — and in that change, something beautiful. Renewal does not erase loss; it carries it forward. Like meditation, the canyon teaches us that presence is found in both the scar and the sprout.
The Spirit of Place: Meditation and Celebration at Topanga Day
Topanga Days is the canyon’s most spirited annual celebration—a music festival and parade that bring the whole community together in color and motion. In this journal entry, I reflect on how Katy and I found presence in the middle of it all—through music, movement, and moments of quiet awareness woven into celebration.