It didn't seem to be much of a surprise to students in classes this week that my word of the week was "retreat". Next week, I am heading to Australia to not only offer two different yoga retreats but for a long personal retreat as well. I am hoping that I have learned my lesson well from 2017 when I was in Australia and ran a Restorative training workshop and two yoga retreats. In between all of that, I was visiting with many friends, which I love doing even though it zaps my energy, and took a three day break up along the coast north of Brisbane. I realized upon returning to the States and stepping straight back into running my business, that I hadn't allotted enough "me-time" space. I was grateful for my time down-under, but about halfway through our busy season, a quiet inner voice was asking for a reprieve.
Having taught for over 36 years, I have gotten to know that quiet inner voice whispering, "You need a break away from what you love to do...". And perhaps it's not such a quiet voice as the signs show themselves as having a shorter temper or not being excited by the upcoming day. Hmmph...when I get a bit grumpy, it's time to go away. So after I arrive in Australia next week and visit with friends, I'm driving up to a favorite spot along the coast and staying in a studio AirBnb...all by myself. Yep...nobody but me for company.
I have some ideas of what I might like to do, but I am also setting the intention to keep the space wide open. I have this way of seeing open space in my day and immediately filling it up with something on my "to-do" list. I'm retreating to practice simply staying open to what I need, rather than to what I think I "should" be doing. If I'm inspired to write...then I'll write. If I'm inspired to sleep, then I'll sleep. I'm nerdy curious to see how it all unfolds and super excited for the chance to take the time to do so.
The other intention is to simply be with me...in solitude. As spiritual seekers, finding equanimity in all things is part of the practice, and solitude is a test to see how much we wish to distract ourselves from being with ourselves. I'll report back (eventually) on how my experiment goes.
I know the many benefits and experiences derived from taking ourselves out of the ordinary day and into a yoga retreat. Taking two or more days to explore and be immersed in a different aspect of our practice can have a long-lasting residue. In the retreats I offer we connect with others who are also looking to deepen their practice and take a break from ordinary daily life; we eat amazing and nourishing food; we take time to sit in silence; we practice the physical element of yoga; we relax and restore; and we spend time deeply connected to the physical environment. It nurtures us on all levels of our being and often gives us the open space to check-in with how we are wanting to spend time on this earth.
My thought of the week is to have us ask ourselves, "where have I made open space within my own life to be with myself?" I realize not everyone is able to escape their daily lives by going away on retreat, so perhaps this is the time to look at where in your day you can come into a quiet space and be with yourself, even if it's only for a few minutes. We can then turn away from the external world and drop into our inner world and in doing so, hit the refresh button so that when we return to our daily choices, we perhaps have a renewed and refreshed perspective.
Albert Camus (The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays) wrote:
"In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion."
Off I go to better understand the world and perhaps better understand myself. See you on the other side of it all!
