My recent retreat experience.
It's overdue, but I've been eager to share a recent experience from a mini-retreat I attended in Nashville. I strongly believe in continuously investing in myself to ensure I'm constantly evolving and delivering the best version of myself to you. :)
During this two-day journey, I was guided by my mentor, Mary Hyatt, at her home in Nashville, along with ten other women whom I had never met before. I'll admit, it was a bit intimidating! However, I was proud of myself for taking the leap and trusting my inner guidance that this journey was one I needed to embark on.
One of the most impactful moments of the retreat was a partner meditation exercise. We were paired up, sitting face-to-face, with one person placing their hands on top of their partner's as a gesture of giving love.
For ten minutes, we engaged in a deeply moving (and awkward!) practice of holding eye contact, a silent communion where the giver's hands channeled love to the receiver. I found it very easy and beautiful to give love to my partner for those ten minutes.
When the roles reversed, I found myself receiving this love, and it was eye-opening to realize the difficulty I had in accepting it. Tears streamed down my face as I struggled to maintain eye contact with my partner. I was astonished by how challenging it was for me to receive this love.
While many of us are excellent at giving love and support to others, accepting love from others can be difficult. Engaging in exercises like this one helps me recognize areas in my life where I still have room for growth and healing.
This experience underscored a crucial lesson: healing begins with awareness. Understanding our struggles paves the way for targeted personal growth and healing.
This entire experience has prompted me to reflect on the yoga retreats I lead and reaffirmed my belief in the importance of integrating the broad depths of yoga. Our retreats encompass much more than just the physical aspect of yoga; they incorporate breath work, somatic movement, journaling, meditation, and the transformative power of vulnerability within a nurturing community
Our next retreat will be on May 30th at Big Raven Farms in Spring Grove, Minnesota. This retreat is an invitation to anyone feeling the inner call to explore deeper aspects of themselves, to peel back another layer, and to embrace the healing journey that awaits.
Remember, healing starts with a single step, and sometimes, that step is simply showing up. I believe that awareness is key to our healing.
Learn more about our upcoming retreat here: https://rb.gy/htm71m
xoxo, Nicole