Click here to view the photo slideshow from the Open Day at Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens.

What a nice day we had today at Prana, also known as Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens. The weather was excellent, sunny and breezy and a little warm, and we had lots of lovely guests in from all over the country and other parts of the world. June 30th, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. was Prana’s Open Day, which is an event we started last year to invite folks in from out of town for Conference to come for a visit and see the latest developments at Prana, the Home of the Traveler. Prana is most always open to receive visitors and guests, but this is a special day designed to host and welcome our friends and family in from out of town and give them a taste of our hospitality. We had about 60 visitors over the course of the afternoon; ranging from MSIA old-timers to folks new on Discourses, as well as a few locals who were just hearing about MSIA for the first time. They came from as far away as Australia and as near by as just down the street. It was a great mix of people, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves immensely.

When guests arrived they were greeted in the foyer by smiling volunteers and a table of delicious cookies and iced teas freshly made by our delightful chefs Guillaume and Claudie Botte. Their wedding cookies were flakey, nutty, buttery and dusted with powdered sugar, and their chocolate chip chewy and rich with chips. The iced teas were from Urth Caffe, a purveyor of fine organic teas and coffees; a fresh-brewed preview of some of the teas we will be exclusively serving and selling in our new dining room when it opens soon.

At 2:30 p.m. when most of the guests had arrived Carol Jones, our Program Director for Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens–who did a lot to put this afternoon event together–stepped onto the grand staircase in the foyer and welcomed everyone to Prana. She introduced the fresh-in-from-Australia Tamsin Rothschild to the crowd as the new Prana proprietor, (to the cheering of several Aussies!), then handed it over to me to give a brief history of the property and lead a little tour of the first floor rooms. Ham that I am ( sounds like Dr. Seuss), I enjoyed sharing what I know about the building and its residents prior to MSIA taking it over. I talked about our restoration efforts and the new gardens and labyrinth, then did a brief walkthrough of the charming first floor interiors. It was fun sharing the history. If you’ve never been to Prana you’ve got to see it; the history is fascinating and the structure and grounds are unusually beautiful.

Next Kimberly Gilmore took the group down to the Meditation Gardens where they were whelmed (not overwhelmed cause it’s so peaceful!) by the spectacular natural beauty of the elegant gardens, water features and paths. After that we were on to a brief labyrinth lecture by Carol Jones, and the group walked the labyrinth. It’s always sweet and inspiring to me to see the hush of wonder and reverence that seems to come over people when they step onto the labyrinth, and this group was no exception. Watching the cooperation and concentration they demonstrated in passing and allowing each other to pass while each staying on their own paths was really engaging.

Then Mark Lurie led the tour through our extraordinary new dining facility, enthusiastically explaining what the amazing looking shiny new machines on the juice-and-coffee/tea bar were (juicer, cappuccino machine, etc., etc.), and talking about what the usage when the dining room officially opens. The crowd was entertained by Mark’s delivery, awed by the rich and varied textures and hues of the wood, marble, and metal work that make up the dining room, and impressed by the huge new state-of-the-art kitchen. We can’t wait to see a crowd actually enjoying a meal in those exquisite quarters!

At this point it was almost time for an early dinner, planned so everyone could make it to the Sheraton Universal Hotel for the “Making a Difference through Service” event that evening. We called in the Light around the labyrinth at about 5:00 p.m. If you’ve never been to an event here when we call in the Light around the labyrinth, I suggest that’s another reason to put visiting us on your list. The crowd standing hand-in-hand encircling that great stone disk and chanting “Ani-Hu” all together in the golden late afternoon sun is a thing to experience.

Then everyone went down the cascading steps to one feast of a dinner in the temporary dining tent located on the lower parking lot. The meal was simple, flavorful, and delicious, made with fresh, mostly organic ingredients and served with lots and lots of love. A mixed field greens salad with homemade tarragon dressing and lots of assorted crudit