Retreat: A Safe Container to Nourish Your Soul

Retreat blog
Living The Big Stuff

Retreat: A Safe Container to Nourish Your Soul

When I was a mother to two small children, I would at times fantasize (in my fatigued state of mind or a lower mood than what was usual) about what it would be like to run away. I knew when I had those thoughts that I was long overdue for some me time. What I needed was a safe haven and a place of recovery to replenish and revitalize, so I could return to my busy life with the kind of enthusiasm that only comes from respite away.

Now my kids are grown, and I retreat for different reasons. To unplug from the busyness of being a career author and entrepreneur. To be in silence. To feel nurtured and rested and still. To revitalize, and most of all, to receive—to receive the clarity and wisdom vital to a well-lived life.

I just arrived home from our What Now? Retreat, where I met ten women whom I have grown to love over the last ten weeks. They have all been part of my What Now? mentorship & personal growth course. It always warms my heart to see the women who are attracted to this program. They are so strong yet so remarkably feminine. We are, in circle, a reflection of one another. We come together as soul sisters who have all climbed the same mountain path, all traveled the wilderness of personal growth on a ten-week journey of transformation where we openly and vulnerably meet on common ground.

The beauty of retreat is that as you enter the haven of transformation far removed from the daily grind, you are free from all that binds and blinds you.

You are wide open to receive all you need—unencumbered by responsibilities as you are held in a container that has the sole objective to nourish, to flex your relaxation muscles, and to feed your soul with all the good stuff. Beauty surrounding, healthy food, plenty of rest and outdoor time, laughter and fun, growth, insight and connection. A place to treat yourself splendidly.

At our recent What Now? Retreat in Sea Ranch, California, a highlight is our “letting go” ritual where we all support each other in the mantra: I surrender, I trust, I release, I receive. Repeating silently the mantra, we walk to the sea to release our messages of forgiveness—messages in a bottle—to begin again. We come back to the circle and see all the beauty in each other before we re-enter our lives.

I see in you what is also in me, the reflection of the beautiful essence of each woman present.

In the end, we all came together to ask: “What Now?” And we all leave in confidence to say:

I am enough as I am. I am loved and supported and seen. I am fully engaged in my life now, and I know who I am now. I understand what I need to change in order to honor the changes within me. I am grateful for all that I have and all that I am as I am. I am ready to let go of that which holds me back, so I can begin again.

Mostly, we leave with a feeling of strength and peace as we walk back into our busy lives, understanding the power of sisterhood and what it means to allow ourselves to receive all the good stuff.

Retreat often. It is a time that is essential to living your most vibrant life.

I invite you to participate in an upcoming Women’s Wisdom and Transformational Yoga retreat on May 1-8 in a pristine villa in Umbria, Italy. I will be leading the retreat, alongside Health Coach and Yoga Certified Alissa Brownrigg Small. (No need to be a practicing yogi–the yoga is gentle and loving.)

My ideal vacation: a little bit of everything wonderful every day.

My idea of renewal: a walk in beauty, daily meditation and yoga, great food and wine, wisdom circles, hiking, shopping, spa time, laughter, dance, and a celebration of all things feminine and fine.

That’s why I’m inviting you to come along and retreat with me into the renewal of spring, away from the busy routine of life and into the slower rhythm of old world Italy.

Let’s revive and thrive in circle together as we celebrate women, wisdom, and vibrant living. Go here to retrieve your invitation.

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