Top 5 Reasons to go on a Yoga Retreat
1. Reset your Nervous System and Gain Perspective
An essential component of every retreat is to take a step back and gain perspective. When we look at things too closely, our vision is often narrow and blurred.
When we take ourselves out of our everyday life - our work, our relationships, our responsibilities - we are able to see more clearly.
Sometimes it takes that distance to see what isn’t working and maybe more importantly, what is. When we are stressed and our nervous systems are out of whack, our actions tend to be more automatic and less thoughtful. We plug into unconscious patterns and respond to stimulus without thinking. We often act in ways we wish we hadn’t. At the start of the retreat, we will begin the process of resetting the nervous system, dropping into the parasympathetic or “rest and digest" system. Once we get ourselves out of the sympathetic or “fight/flight/freeze” response, our vision expands. From this larger more spacious vision, we take stock, acknowledge our hopes, and set new intentions. We begin to deepen and support the patterns that are working well and rewire the patterns that no longer serve us.
2. Connect Deeply with the Natural World
Every retreat we lead has an integral component that I find even more important than yoga asana (that’s right - I said it!). Connecting with the natural world supports an inner state of calm and equanimity. And because it is one of the most effective ways to calm your nervous system, doctors around the world are beginning to prescribe time in nature! It cultivates the life enhancing states of wonder and awe and it absolutely gives us more access to gratitude. Spending intentional time in nature leaves us feeling more connected to both ourselves and the larger world.
From this place, we are able to draw more meaning from our lives and cultivate a sense of belonging and a deeper knowing that our place in the world is essential.
Our retreats are located in stunning places where you will always have time to explore with the group and in solitude as we offer suggestions and activities to help you more consciously connect and engage with the more-than-human world around you.
3. Practice the Art of Embodiment
Practicing embodiment helps us to be more present in our lives and gives us access to a wealth of information. In our culture, we pay a lot of attention to the stimulus around us and the thoughts in our head. In the embodiment practices I offer, I encourage you to pay attention to the sensations, images, and emotions that arise within you so that you have a fuller picture of what is present in the moment. By dropping deeply into your inner experience, the body becomes an essential source of information. My intention is to help you work with that information: to notice where you are and what you want to shift and grow. Through awareness practices, breathwork, deep imagery, yoga asanas, and dialogue we learn to listen with compassion to the wisdom of the body.
It is through this deep listening that we learn to turn awareness into action.
4. Gain Support
We don’t live in a vacuum and we don’t grow in a vacuum.
Our retreats are created with an inherent web of support
Support that comes from Wanna and I and intentionally picked retreat centers that care about your experience. Once we’ve spent a bit of time together, the group itself creates a nurturing environment that we can lean into. We offer practices that help you explore the support that already exists in your life as well as new systems you might access when you go home.
5. Have Fun
We all know that “inner work” can sometimes be a bit too serious. We believe strongly that it doesn’t have to be that way and, that we grow more when we laugh and connect.
You will have the opportunity to go deep - to reflect - to look honestly at what is and is not working in your life but not at the expense of having fun.
Because without fun, without laughter, growth can feel too heavy. I have a deep love of the sacred and the profane - moving in and out of intensity - finding humor in difficulty - and irreverence in the spiritual. I love that on our retreats we have plenty of time and space - whether it’s additional activities like hiking, surfing, swimming and horseback riding or long meals, flamenco music and late night dance parties - there is always room for it all!
I hope you will join us. Please reach out with any questions and as always, keep in touch.
Yours,
Rachel