The first retreat I ever went on changed my life.
Of course all the subsequent ones did as well to some degreel, but that first one had the greatest impact.
I went with Anna of Jivamukti Yoga Sydney (now Krama Yoga). Jivamukti is (or maybe was?) a school of yoga that promoted veganism as a form of ahimsa, which means non-violence. I had heard teachers drone on about it in class before and didn’t think much of it. On retreat however, my teacher played a documentary, which is fairly well known called, Cowspiracy (interesting fact, one of the filmmakers was a Jivamukti Yoga Teacher). Having always been an animal lover, this film provided enough rational reasons for me to become a vegan.
That was about ten years ago.
The other thing this retreat gave to me was a chance to be uncomfortable. I’ve always had a little social anxiety and back then it was pretty bad. Going into new situations was hard. I remember when I first tried the yoga studio out. I would watch how someone opened the door, I’d be careful to observe how people moved about in the space and where they placed their things, not wanting to do something incorrectly and show that I was an outsider and feeling extremely uncomfortable. Luckily, this level of anxiety has decreased, as my practice increased.
Being on retreat I had the opportunity to share a room with two other women – and while we aren’t best friends to this day, I still see one of them around and we often say hi.
Back in October, I went on “retreat,” where I traveled to Bali to attend a range of yoga classes and have some time alone in my practice, while also exploring new things (this is where I learned about and became obsessed with the gong!). This was wonderful and it gave me a time to also tap into something I had been ignoring, grief, an area of life I’ll continue to explore in my writing and in my workshops and classes.
Now I’m headed to Byron for another kind of retreat. This one is a bit different. I’ve brought a list of things to do, but not annoying admin tasks, creative projects that I want space and time to engage in properly.
When we are at home living our regular lives, it can be hard to sit down and really experience or work on something we care about. It’s hard to complete a project or even a conversation if our phone is buzzing with emails, and there’s that thought it in the back of your mind that you need to pick-up the kids at 3 or walk at the dog at 4.
When we are caught up in the busyness of life – it’s hard to contemplate big changes, the direction that our lives are unfolding, or find space for new ideas for our novel or work presentation.
While I’m in Byron, I’ll be working on some upcoming workshops I’ll be hosting at Scout: Sorrow Stone Ritual (grief circle) and a Nervous System Reset (for all my recovering anxious friends out there).
I’ll also be finalizing the details of my retreat in Byron this May.
Giving myself space away from the day to day allows me to tap into my creative side and also piece together different ideas that have been percolating in the back of my mind.
kittyscause 