The Chance Family

The Chance Family have been coming to the Kismet Bed and Breakfast since summer of 2007 and now that their daughter graduated from Hyde Boarding School they had a dinner gathering to celebrate Olivia’s graduation.

5/30/10

Shadi,
You have been a huge part of our lives. These past 3 years – providing comfort beauty and a loving presence. We could not have made it through the stressful weekends without knoing we wre returning to the wonderful inn at night – & your tea & cookies & welcoming smile.
We will miss seeing you so regularly but it is not goodbye.
Thank you so much. Linda & John Chance
Abigail, Olivia, Graham & Uncle Bill
P.S. The graduation dinner was more than we expected – over the top!

Memorial Day Weekend

The Memorial Day Weekend of 2010 is a very special weekend at the Kismet Inn bed and breakfast in Bath, Maine. All five guest rooms are booked by two different families that have been coming to the inn for the past three years. One is Chance family whose daughter is graduating from ‘Hyde School’ an excellent boarding school here in Bath, midcoast, Maine. The other one in Ward Family whose daughter will be graduating from ‘Bowdoin College’ in Brunswick, Maine.

The Chance family will be having dinner on Friday night, seven of them. I plan to start the preparation of the food tomorrow and start cooking early on Friday night. I plan to make a few number of different dishes, serve 5 kinds of cheese from ‘Appleton Creamery’ 2 different kinds of appetizer, 2 kinds of entree, rhubarb pie for desert with gelato from ‘Finasco Gelato’ in Brunswick, Maine.

Lilacs

I have been busy gardening every day here at the Kismet Inn Bed and Breakfast. It has been a simple joy. The garden beds are beginning to take shape now after four years. When my husband bought the house for me in 2004 I could not do anything in the gardens because a major renovation was to take place to transform the property into a wellness, retreat center.

I am a big believe of building up on things, never rushing into anything so after talking to a few landscapers I decided to do it myself. In 2006 my daughter had returned from a year and half's travel through central and south America with her then boyfriend. They were the ones who actually started the garden beds, her boyfriend did a great job of creating a rock garden. They set it up telling me it will take me sometime to actually build up the garden grounds. They were right.

To start with I bought about 10 yards of really good compost from Estabrooks Nursery in Yarmouth, Maine, cleared up all the construction debris, built 4 beds and cut down a few trees to make space for vegetable garden. After four years I have come to the decision that lilacs are going to be around the fence where the vegetable garden is. Today, I cleared the weeds, turned the soil and planted two lilacs, I had planted one couple of years ago and need 6 more to complete it. It will take a while but I will get it done!

Gardening and Decorating

I have been gardening fully every day for the past week specially since the weather has been simply lovely. I have always loved gardening and nature but in a period of my life I wasn't able to do much gardening due to living in apartments. However, since my husband purchased the house for me in January 2004 with the intention of turning it into Kismet Inn Bed and Breakfast Spa I have had ample opportunity to do all the design and gardening. Both has been a wonderful experience with much excitement and joy.

I have really evolved in gardening. During the past week as I have been gardening I noticed it is so similar to decorating. I have been moving plants and before planting them in their new spots I set them in the spot moved back looked and if felt right then planted them. Just like moving a chair or trying to match a color of a sofa with the wall. It is very much a design work. I am creating a rose garden, a peony garden, rows of lilies, rows of irises, climbing hydrangeas and lots of vegetables will be planted next week. I just got 10 yards of excellent sea shell compost which I have used before. The gardens are going to look gorgeous. I hope you come to see them when the season starts which is within couple of weeks.

Yoga and Meditation

The image is a view of the sunrise from the Kismet Inn’s Yoga studio.

Here is what yoga is all about at the Kismet Inn Bed and breakfast in Bath, Maine situated in midcoast Maine close to wonderful beaches such as Popham beach and Reid State Park.
Yoga & Meditation Retreat
Enjoy a Healing Vacation at our Wellness Spa

It is thought that the classic techniques of yoga originated in India over 5,000 years ago. The word ‘yoga’ is derived from Sanskrit and means union – the union between the mind and the body or between a person’s own consciousness and the universal, divine consciousness. Whether you believe in a universal, divine consciousness or not, yoga can work wonders for you!

Briefly, yoga can be described as a set of physical exercises that include gentle stretches, breathing practices, and progressive deep relaxation. The benefits of yoga on the body include:
• Increased flexibility and stamina
• Improved balance and coordination
• Strengthened and toned muscles

Women, Partners & Couples: A Yoga Retreat for All

Yoga isn’t all about the body though; the effects on the mind are also integral to the practice of yoga. Yoga improves concentration, and increases alertness and clarity of thought. Finally yoga promotes relaxation and reduces stress, allowing you to feel a profound sense of calmness, peace and tranquility.

Whether at the early or advanced stages of yoga, you can practice here at kismet Inn with a professional yoga trainer in a spacious room dedicated solely to yoga. The room has a large,north-facing window with a view of magnificent trees. Additional windows face east and west. The wooden floor is wide pine that has turned deep honey gold from the sun shinning through the sky lights and the surrounding windows.

Meditation Retreats: An Ideal Healing Weekend

There is a rich heritage of meditation in the yogi tradition. In yogi meditation, one is taken into deeper states of awareness through using the body and breath. In movement (asanas, postures) and through breath practice, the focus on the sensations, the breath and the energy or life force (prana) that is awakened. It is possible to have the energy become stronger while the mind becomes quieter.

So, meditation might be a moving meditation or asana practice, a walking meditation, an eating meditation, breath practices, a body scan, seated meditation using the principles of a breath, relax, feel, watch and allow, could also be practiced. As you see there are many ways to meditate and Susan Lubner, Kismet Inn’s primary yoga & meditation teacher will help you find the one best suited for you.

A Unique Yoga Experience at a Maine Bed & Breakfast

OnGoing Yoga Classes

Basic Kipalu Yoga class:
In which you will be taught practices that will increase your ability to release stress, generate strength and flexibility, strengthen your immune system, quiet and calm your mind and bring balance into your life! In the class, we will work on stretches, postures, breath practice, centering relaxation.

Breath Practice (Pranayam) session
Our way of breathing has a profound effect on the quality of our lives. Regular “breath practice” can improve the functioning of all our physical systems. It can bring calmness, mental clarity and a balance to our emotions. It can lead us into a state of relaxation and can also facilitate meditation. Come learn and/or review basic breath practices that make a real difference yet are so simple!

Partner Yoga Class
Yoga is traditionally an individual practice. Explore doing yoga postures with a partner! By working at stretching, balancing and breathing in unison with one another, we deepen our connection to one another and to our own selves. It is about giving and receiving support and so much about communication and having fun!

The 5 Rite
Learn and practice ancient Tibetan movements that can have a profound effect on the chakras (energy centers) and thus on the body’s aging process! No experience in yoga is required.

Relax & Renew Yoga Sessions
Learn stretches, postures and breath practices which can help calm the mind, increase your ability to relax and to release stress in your body.

“According to current estimates, 75%-90% of visits to primary care practitioners are for problems related to stress.” Institute for Natural Resources, July 2006

Book you yoga retreat
This is your time to relax – check our room availability.

Baklava Pastry

It is cloudy and rainy in Bath, Maine today so I decided to make some baklava at Kismet Inn bed and breakfast.


Please note... all the ingredients are organic and local... not even industrialized organic but local organic.
The eggs are free range, fresh, local, farmers market egg.The ghee which I make myself again from the local, organic butter I get.
The flour is from local Maine co-op.
Ingredients:1/4 cup milk -- I used my own homemade yogurt made with raw, organic milk.
1/2 cup ghee -- melted
1 tablespoon syrup -- sugar, water, rose water
1/4 cup rose water
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour

Combine the yogurt, ghee, syrup, rose water, and egg in a mixing bowl or dough maker. Add the flour and mix well for 5-10 minutes to form a dough that does not stick to your hands. Divide the dough into 2 balls of equal size and place in a bowl. Cover with a clean towel and let rise for 1/2 hour in room temperature.

Elegant Simplicity Retreat

A friend of mine called John Reed has written a book called 'Elegant Simplicity'
On the back cover of the book says:
"In this important, challenging and timely book, John Reed mades reference to the millennial wisdom teachings of all traditions to indicate that the ego, by obscuring the need for inner change, is not only an obstacle to our survival in the future, but also to our happiness in the present. In face of the rising complexities of our modern world, the author reveals that only in inner and outer simplicity can true fulfillment be found. By demanding less, we should be ready to give more. Instead of using nature as a dispensable commodity, we can respect our natural environment, conserve its beauty and sense our affiliation to it. By freeing ourselves from the constraints of egoism, we discover that elegant simplicity is not only a fundamental expression of our true human nature, but also a possible solution to the mounting psychological, social, economic and ecological challenges that we face in the world today.

John Ree was born in Brazil in 1946 of Brazilian mother and British father. Educated in Britain and Canada, he has lived and worked at various occupations in France and the US. He presently splits his time between South West France and New England, where he and his French wife have an Art and Antiques business in Maine.

There will be a retreat held at the Kismet Inn called 'Elegant Simplicity'
The retreat will be:


'Elegant Simplicity Retreat"

Are the wisdom teachings relevant to our lives today? Do you believe that the egoistic habits that characterize life in society at present are, in fact, an obstacle to happiness and well-being?

If so, Shadi the innkeeper invites you to her beautiful home in Maine for a weekend of reflection with John Reed, author of 'Elegant Simplicity. Reflections on an Alternative Way of Being' (see attachment) to explore whether inner and outer simplicity can give you the fulfillment you seek.

Shadi with the help of her friend, Dominique, from France offer you a unique retreat of warm hospitality, organic cooking, yoga and informal discussions at the Kismet Inn Bed and Breakfast on these issues.

Dates: June 12,13, 2010

July: 17,18 2010

August: 8, 2010 - A Day Retreat

September: 11,12, 2010

October: 9, 10, 2010

November: 12,13, 2010

Cost: $995 per couple

$850 per person

Includes 2 nights stay, 2 dinners, 2 lunches, 2 breakfasts, 1 yoga session. A movie and A copy of the book 'Elegant Simplicity' by John Reed-

I sincerely hope to see some of you at the retreat.