One thing I am always amazed by is that when I go on holidays I become suddenly so much more aware of just how stressed I am – my body tense, my mind on hyper-alert, my heart all armoured up. And it is only as the holiday progresses that time slows down, my body unwinds, my thinking slows and becomes more in the present moment and my heart becomes open with love and softness to what is happening here and now.
I was fortunate enough to have 10 days on Rottnest Island, WA this January, camping, riding, snorkelling, creating and reading with my family….no power, no cars, no outside world intrusions….and it really felt like a retreat.
At the start I was worried about would we have enough to do?? By the end, of the 10 days, I didn’t want the holiday to finish and we still had so much to gently explore!! Funny how fast paced our world can be that we can’t imagine slowing life down so much that all we need to think about is what to eat and which beach to visit and that fills the day beautifully!
This got me thinking about the idea that a retreat is really an opportunity to re-treat ourselves. It is so much easier to be mindful on a retreat….to really be aware of our thinking, our stress levels and what we really need. On a retreat it is easier to listen to our intuition, to feel deep gratitude and to feel at one with the world….although it can take a little while to settle our thinking, worrying, planning minds and process all that we have stored up in our bodies since the last retreat!
So my intention this year is to attend 3 whole day retreats, to book in for a week long retreat and to plan some more holiday retreats for my family…knowing just how important it is. Now is the time to book them in before the year gets too busy or I forget just how important they are to me.
So what are you going to do to re-treat yourself this year? What can you book in?
Deep Heart Wisdom 