Why Retreat?

We have just gotten back from a weekend retreat - not as teachers or facilitators, but as guests.

It's something we try to do at least once a year - it's a reminder of why we do what we do and to inspire us to continually improve and innovate with our own retreat offerings.

Every person we've met on retreat always has their own personal reason for being there. Some have been happy to share, others like to keep it to themselves, and some don't have an explicit 'why' - just that they felt called to do 'something'. Whatever the case, the sheer variety of reasons always surprises me - even though it probably shouldn't!

Some (but by no means all!) of the "why's" from beautiful souls we've met along the way:

• People navigating grief after the death of a loved one - wanting to remember who they are without the responsibility of caring for someone else for so long.

  
  

• Busy stressed-out professionals who find it hard to switch off and want to reconnect with nature and slow-down

• Mums who spend their lives looking after others and have gifted themselves a weekend of letting someone else take care of the logistics.

  
  

• People who have decided that they want to be healthier - mind, body, and soul - and have retreated as a first step or as part of their journey

  
  

• Those who have been 'dragged' by a partner or friend... and often end up being a retreat convert!

  
  

• Creative souls who are feeling stuck and looking for inspiration and motivation

  
  

• Those called to move their bodies in a different way - perhaps through yoga, fitness training, maybe through walking mindfully or even dancing

  
  

• Yogis who want to practice daily with a different teacher (or who have followed their teacher on retreat)

  
  

• Couples who crave connection without constant interruptions from life and their responsibilities

  
  

• Solo travellers who want to meet like-minded people, step out of their comfort zone and make genuine connections

  
  

• Those who love to travel and see different parts of the world/country/state

  
  

• Those who understand that their systems require deep rest

  
  

Sometimes a reset is surprisingly simple.

No demands on your time

No chores

No decisions to make other than

"Shall I go to Yoga at 8am or have a sleep in?"

That's one of the greatest gifts of retreats - the space and time - to slow down enough to notice what's been happening beneath the busyness.

There are lessons to be learned about ourselves when we take the time to slow down. Messages that our body, the universe or our intuition have been trying to send us, but we've been too busy to listen or hear them.

These lessons and messages can be received in many ways on retreat:

Through an activity that challenges us, causes us to reflect or that sparks joy

Through spending time in nature

Through a conversation with another guest

During a quiet moment alone

Or through listening to someone vulnerably open up and share during a group chat and realising

"I'm not the only one who feels this way"

Sometimes we go on retreat knowing exactly what we need.

Sometimes we go because we're searching for something, even if we're not quite sure what.

And sometimes we go simply because we were invited.

Whatever your reasons for making the booking, for saying 'Yes', you never know what you'll discover when you give yourself the space to slow down.

Perhaps in retreats, as often in life, the magic comes from the things that surprise us.

❤️ We'd love to hear your thoughts and any motivations for retreating ❤️