Even if you’ve never been on a yoga retreat before, you can imagine all the wonderful benefits it brings. As well as being able to immerse yourself in daily yoga and meditation, there’s usually planned excursions, workshops, and periods of relaxation where you can indulge in massages and other treatments etc
Like a wonderful vacation, you return feeling refreshed, renewed and restored, but therein the similarity ends. For a yoga retreat also gives you the opportunity to do something exclusively for you. To step away from your normal life and go beyond your comfort zone; to challenge yourself to new adventures and to find inspiration from your experience.
Of course, being no stranger to retreats, I embarked on my latest trip with all of the above in mind, but boy did I get more than I bargained for in Asheville, North Carolina. Accompanied by a group of ladies and teachers from the local yoga studio where I practice and teach, I anticipated feeling comfortable in the presence of like-minded people. After all, we all have a love of yoga, right?
However, what was totally unexpected were the wonderful friendships and deep bonds that were formed within just a few short days. Not only did I connect with all of these women on a personal level, I rediscovered the joy of meeting people and opening up to strangers in ways that I long forgotten.
Sharing a room is not something I’ve done since my last school trip but I was lucky to have the most incredible ‘Roomie’. Despite the 31-year age difference, our fireside chats often went well past midnight, when we talked, shared, laughed and learned so much from each other. And that’s when it struck me. When we open up to each other and we share something about ourself and our life, that’s how we learn that we are really all the same. We all have hopes, dreams, ambitions and worries. We all have childhood experiences and memories that are both wonderful and sad. Deep down, we are all truly connected.
We may have met as strangers but over the period of four days, we parted as firm friends. All it took was to step away from ourselves, begin a conversation and share ourselves with each other. You can bet that my name is already down for the next retreat. It’s an experience not to be missed!
If you would like to try a yoga retreat, why not consider joining our Escape to the Country in Yorkshire UK, October '22? Just four days and long held over the weekend, it's exclusively for menopausal ladies and is the ideal length of time to test the experience without causing too much disruption to work and home. Warning; be prepared to come away feeling AMAZING!!
You can also join our Facebook group Yoga for Peri/Menopause and enjoy free tips, advice, yoga sequences, classes and meet other like-minded women who are undergoing the same challenges.