When did you last retreat from the world?
The benefits of going on a yoga retreat
I LOVE retreats, I always have, and in my darkest moments they have helped me more than anything else. Sometimes we can see retreating as running away from life’s struggles and responsibilities though, I definitely felt like this before,… but here’s why it’s different to running away, and why we absolutely all need this!
We all know that if we leave our computer on with all the tabs open (a common occurrence here at my desk), eventually the computer overheats or does that annoying freeze thing ‘page not responding’ and then crashes - well we’re no different and the endless treadmill of life that a lot of us live on, means we rarely shut down and close the tabs, especially the ones in the mind. What do you do when your computer does this? We switch it off and let it have some time off to cool down, well you need the same thing! Add to this that it also then means a bit of perspective and perhaps a dive into why all the tabs are open in your life and whether we can simplify things, and what to let go of/get help with, and before you know it the retreat is the best thing you have ever done and you wonder why you didn’t go sooner.
How a yoga retreat changed my life
Years ago I was at the end of my coping ability, in fact I was probably way past that! I was in an abusive relationship and was banging my head against the wall about why I kept choosing this guy and what in me was playing out a trauma, and what I needed to learn, I could see it all clearly but then freeze when I needed to act, which was frustrating for everyone, especially me. That situation and why I was there is a whole other blog post series, which I will get onto (do reach out if this rings a bell with you!), but for now, the picture I am painting is that I was not in a good way. Some friends had disappeared, family had enough, work was suffering, I wasn’t sleeping enough at all as I was regularly being woken up at 3am by a drunken (ex) boyfriend and then had to get up at 4.45am for work! Now I don’t say any of this to get a pity party, basically it was make or break time for me, I couldn’t go on like this.
So I decided to escape and I booked a retreat. A week away in the sun, doing yoga and meditating - perfect! I knew if I just booked a holiday away I would sit and cry the whole time, I needed yoga and other kind people, and that’s what I got!
I could see for the first time in ages my own light shining brighter as I helped a few other yogis with their poses and alignment and led extra meditations in the evenings; I was reminded so much of how yoga and meditation was saving my life on a daily basis. The time to just focus on me; eating, yoga-ind, relaxing, meditating and being nearer to nature was just wonderful!
Near the end of the retreat the 2 ladies I had made close friends with asked me why I didn’t teach yoga already as I had helped them more than the actual teacher! I paused for a long while and it hit me - why don’t I do this?! I love it, had had a daily practice since I was 13 years old, and loved helping others in all the classes I went to. I got back to my room and a yoga teacher training popped up in my emails despite never having searched for one before - a sign from the universe - so I made the choice there and then to do this for me, and to start really making some changes. I decided to up my practice to twice a day, and start researching my dream trip and how to leave. If my abusive partner wouldn’t leave me alone here in the UK, I knew one way was to actually leave and go chase my dreams - 2 birds one stone!
The benefits of a yoga retreat
So you can see from hearing a little of my story how these events that we take part in outside of our regular life can really be profound. Even without the life changing realisations, it can really help us see what is going on in our lives a little clearer. It also helps us get some silence and quiet time, and deepens our practice if we’re at the right retreat.
Some of the other amazing possibilities;
poses that you never thought you would get to can often be progressed towards on a week long retreat
try different styles of yoga
get into a deeply relaxed state that wouldn’t be possible at home
renew your connection with nature
make some new friends who also are caring for themselves
try something totally new like wild swimming
eat nutritious daily meals so you’ll feel amazing - and don’t have to cook!
sleep more peacefully than ever - trust me on this one
read that book you have been meaning to for ages
learn how to meditate
find new daily practices and zest for life
feel more yourself
A LOT of people will see things anew and know how to change up for the better…it really is amazing what is possible!
Retreating with me…they’re so much more
I am pleased to say I am finally back to doing what I am made for and am hosting a retreat in the UK in November this year, and several abroad in early 2022 (to be launched soon). They not only include yoga and meditation, but they are even more profound and include the lost ancient wisdom of the feminine arts and teaching women how to ReWild. We will get back to nature, deeply relax and open our bodies, soothe our nervous system, look into what needs to move and be released, find our pleasure just for us, share stores, find our sisterhood, learn daily somatic and sounding techniques to help energy flow and to move away from being stressed and anxious to confident, powerful and rested! This is possible and my ReWilding retreats will show you how!
Find out more about my UK ReWilding yoga and womb wisdom retreat: www.suzieford.com/retreats/rewilding-uk-retreat
You can sign up for info here to receive all the info and early bird pricing FIRST for the ones in Central America early next year: www.suzieford.com/retreats
Is it time for you to book your get-away and start your transformation?