Why a Yoga Retreat? 3 Reasons It’s Essential
Kristine Carlson Do you ever think about the word retreat as it’s used in battle? When troops retreat, they make a choice to leave the fight for a while. Battle requires intense perseverance and extreme focus; it’s exhausting. After all, even the bravest warriors reach their limits. We all know women are modern day warriors, and this is one of the many reasons a yoga retreat is essential!
While I don’t pretend to know much about war, I do know this: Sometimes troops retreat because they’re beaten down and about to lose—but often they retreat simply to regroup, to gain a different vantage point, to rest before stepping back into the fight. Retreat isn’t always surrender; often it’s strategic.
I considered the need for retreat quite a bit during my recent book launch. After months of going hard after marketing, influencer connections, media promotion, bonus creation, interviews, all the tasks that feel as though they’ll never end… I was exhausted. Plus, it was my birthday last week, complete with all the social obligations and emotions that accompany birthdays. And after it all, I just needed to retreat. To regroup. To refresh.
Where are you feeling overwhelmed and burdened? Where does life feel frustrating and like a battle that won’t end? Where are you pushing and pushing but gaining no traction?
Maybe it’s time to put down the fight for a minute—not in surrender, but in the knowledge that a brief retreat will bring you back with more strength and wider perspective than when you left.
The fact is, when you’re in the thick of battle and simply trying to survive each day, it can be hard to see, to breathe, to summon our strongest hearts, and to remember what’s true.
And that’s why, my dear friends, I invite you to retreat with me. It’s a choice for intentional reprieve from the day-to-day, in the knowledge that we’ll come back better than ever and more vibrant women.
My annual Women’s Wisdom and Yoga Retreat in Italy is coming up soon, (there are only a few spots left), and it is one of the most centering and energizing weeks of my year. I’m confident it would be the same for you. Here are three reasons why.
- Place matters. While there are effective ways to tap into peace within our own homes and offices, nothing awakens our souls the way a new physical place does. In short, physical location matters. Aesthetics and ambiance have a way of stirring us to life again, giving us new eyes to see beauty. Plus, a new location often open us up to new perspectives and ideas. When we shed our old walls for a bit, we often shed our old biases and limits, as well.
- Community restores. When was the last time you were face-to-face and heart-to-heart with like-minded women who listened to your story, witnessed your battles, and loved you in the midst of them? Sisterhood is one of the most revitalizing forces on earth, and it’s a central part of this annual trip. We do not retreat alone; we do so together, alongside open-hearted peers also seeking wisdom and vibrancy.
- Adventure invites. And by “adventure,” I mean exploration of all that’s beautiful and fun. There is immense growth to be found in participating in the new, in that which ignites our hearts and invites us to step out in adventure and celebration of life. Whether that looks like yoga and wisdom circles, hiking and journaling, new foods and wines, shopping and sight-seeing, this retreat is packed full of exploration and fun. We will celebrate all the goodness of life, filling your soul to its brim with all the bounty and beauty of Italy.
No matter your station in life or the circumstances you’re walking, we all know battle. We know the fatigue of a career, the exhaustion of raising children, the disappointment of daily life, the heartbreak of loss. To persevere in the battle—to truly be female warriors of courage and compassion—we have to retreat sometimes. It’s not a luxury; it’s an essential.
