Retreats, retreats, retreats! This has been my life in a nutshell over the previous yr. In 2022, I traveled over 5 months of the yr and went on 10 retreats around the globe. These journeys lined every little thing from private {and professional} growth to well being and health. I want these sorts of immersive, group-travel experiences over some other trip. Right here’s why.
Retreats are all about development: mentally, emotionally, bodily, and spiritually. You’ll study the significance of self-awareness, the facility of mindfulness and meditation, the affect of constructive pondering and angle, and the advantages of setting clear intentions and making a imaginative and prescient in your life.
With a mixture of interactive workshops, group actions, and particular person reflection time, retreats are designed that can assist you acquire a brand new understanding of your self and your house on the planet.
Think about your self in a paradise of lush surroundings, surrounded by like-minded people all on the same journey of self discovery. With a crew of consultants to information you thru the method, you’ll escape the every day grind and get to deal with your self and your well-being.
In 2023, there’s no higher time to embark on this interior journey of exploration. The world wants good leaders. The world wants extra mild, laughter, and love. Via retreat experiences like these, you’ll not solely change your self, but additionally the world round you.
Prepared for an journey that can change your life and enable you change into the most effective model of your self? Should you’re seeking to push your self out of your consolation zone, acquire new views, and are available out feeling rejuvenated and refreshed, then be a part of me in exploring this thrilling world of private growth and mindset retreats.
Listed here are some key classes and takeaways from my 10+ retreats over the previous yr!
1. If you wish to be blissful, don’t be afraid to precise your self
That is the important thing to residing a cheerful life. It could appear easy, however the actuality is that most individuals aren’t residing their lives in an genuine means. Many are afraid to precise themselves (together with their feelings, beliefs & wishes) for concern of judgement and rejection from others. They’re afraid to be foolish and susceptible. Fuck that – that is no method to stay. Having to put on a masks on daily basis carries an incredible quantity of weight and results in pointless struggling.
Expressing your self authentically is a breath of contemporary air. It offers your soul a voice and in addition permits you to be true to your self. Think about with the ability to converse your thoughts with out concern of judgement, with the ability to present your true colours with out concern of rejection. It’s like having a weight lifted off your shoulders – it’s tremendous liberating!
Being genuine (and sincere) additionally lets you construct deeper, extra significant relationships. Whenever you’re capable of categorical your self authentically, others can get to know the REAL you and join on a deeper degree. Plus, once you’re true to your self, you entice individuals who additionally worth authenticity.
And let’s not overlook, expressing your self authentically might be a number of enjoyable! Whenever you’re true to your self, you’ll let your creativity and individuality shine. You’ll be able to faucet into your distinctive abilities, passions, and pursuits and use them to create one thing really particular.
So, right here’s to authenticity and honesty. Let’s take a step in the direction of being true to ourselves, and embrace the liberty and pleasure that comes with expressing ourselves on this means. It’s time to let your true self shine!
2. Discover the enjoyable in all issues
Retreats have taught me the final word lesson in life: comply with your highest pleasure and pursue enjoyable and pleasure in any respect prices! In any case, if it ain’t enjoyable, it ain’t value it. Whether or not it’s a routine, behavior, or way of life change, if it doesn’t deliver you pleasure and pleasure, it’s not sustainable in the long term.
Give it some thought – once you’re doing one thing you’re keen on, it doesn’t really feel like work. You’re so engaged and within the second, that point flies by and also you’re left feeling fulfilled and energized. However once you’re caught in a rut, dragging your self by means of a tedious process or a boring routine, it looks like an eternity.
Take train as an example. Whereas some individuals might not discover operating or weight lifting significantly pleasing, there are numerous methods to make bodily health into one thing enjoyable. Join pickleball at a neighborhood gymnasium, go mountaineering with a gaggle of individuals, watch yoga movies on YouTube, or attempt mountaineering. I assure you’ll discover one thing on the market to make exercising enjoyable. Should you haven’t but, then you definitely haven’t appeared arduous sufficient.
That’s why it’s important to infuse your every day life with actions and habits that deliver you pleasure and pleasure. Whether or not it’s dancing round your front room, taking a hike in nature, doing enjoyable actions with buddies, or studying a very good e book, ensure you’re doing issues that mild you up. And when you end up in a state of affairs the place it’s not enjoyable, ask your self, is that this sustainable for me? If the reply is not any, it’s time to make a change.
Life is just too brief to be depressing and sad. So, benefit from it and pursue your highest pleasure. By making enjoyable and pleasure the final word purpose, you’ll thrive in each side of your life.
3. Neighborhood is every little thing
Occurring retreats has taught me the significance of neighborhood. On this digital age the place individuals want Netflix over going out and dealing from residence slightly than in an workplace, it’s simple to stay in a solitary means. Nevertheless, it’s once you encompass your self with like-minded folks that magic occurs.
Give it some thought – once you’re on a hike with buddies, the journey up the mountain is a lot extra pleasing when you’ve got somebody to share the breathtaking views with. Equally, once you’re doing yoga with a gaggle, the vitality within the room is electrical and it helps you push your self additional than you’d by yourself.
However it’s not nearly having enjoyable – being in a neighborhood additionally helps you study and develop in methods you by no means thought attainable. Throughout a chilly immersion retreat I did in Iceland final yr, we spent our days doing chilly plunges in ice chilly rivers and lakes and mountaineering to the highest of a mountain in only a bathing swimsuit. Evidently, it wasn’t simple! However doing this with a enjoyable and supportive group made this the large expertise that it was.
Whenever you’re in a gaggle, you’re additionally uncovered to completely different views and methods of pondering. It helps you broaden your horizons and see issues from a special approach. Plus, once you’re going by means of a troublesome time, having a supportive neighborhood could make all of the distinction.
In 2023, I’ll proceed to hunt out alternatives for extra group journey experiences. I encourage you to do the identical!
4. We’re SO a lot stronger than we predict we’re
That is maybe my largest takeaway from the previous yr. I didn’t study this from a e book or YouTube video; I discovered this whereas pushing myself to my absolute limits throughout a Wim Hof retreat in Iceland.
From mountaineering a snowcapped mountain in only a bathing swimsuit to leaping 9 meters into Europe’s coldest lake, I discovered my edge on this journey. I pushed past my fears and self-imposed limits and obtained after it. Right here’s what I discovered:
As mammals, we had been born with a toolkit of highly effective psychological schools and bodily talents. With the proper mindset and constant effort, we will do just about something we set our minds to. This contains plunging into ice chilly water throughout the winter months.
After all, you don’t must submerge your self in icy waters to beat your self, your fears, and your limiting beliefs. However rattling, does it work wonders. And I can’t think about a greater place than Iceland to do exactly that!
One other expertise that helped me discover my edge was Physique Camp Mallorca. Throughout my week at this world-class health retreat, I labored out for 3-4 hours every day. This helped me crush my limiting beliefs round how a lot every day train my physique may deal with. Whereas relaxation and restoration are necessary, I discovered that the physique will adapt to the workload irrespective of how difficult it’s.
Like the rest in life, follow makes excellent. To unlock the deep layers of power and energy that every of us possesses, it requires us to persistently problem ourselves and push our bodily and psychological limits.
There’s a lion inside you simply ready to be unleashed; retreats like these will enable you learn to faucet into that vitality.
5. Setting boundaries and studying to say “no”
Studying to say “no” is the final word superpower. It offers you the flexibility to decide on what you let into your life and what you retain out. It’s not simple to set boundaries and converse up for your self – however boy, is it necessary. Retreats have helped me get there.
I spent the primary 28 years of my life as a individuals pleaser. I’d typically decide to issues I didn’t wish to do and spend time with individuals who drained my vitality. My purpose was to be favored by everybody, which put me at odds with myself. How will you stay life to your full potential once you’re giving all of your time and vitality to everybody however your self?
Retreats have given me the chance to follow these abilities, as they supply a secure and supportive setting to discover my limits and learn to talk them successfully.
And it’s not nearly saying “no” to exterior calls for – it’s additionally about setting limits by yourself self-imposed expectations. Moreover, saying “no” is usually a type of self-care. It permits you to prioritize your personal wants and well-being, slightly than always placing others’ wants earlier than your personal.
Studying to say “no” might be troublesome at first, however it’s a ability that may be developed with follow. And the advantages are quite a few – once you set boundaries, you’ll have extra time and vitality for the issues that really matter to you. You’ll even be extra more likely to entice individuals and alternatives that align together with your values and objectives. That is little doubt one of many largest classes I’ve discovered whereas on retreats.
6. It’s SO necessary to get clear in your private values and beliefs
Having a transparent understanding of your values and beliefs is like having a map or compass to information you in life. It lets you make choices that align with who you might be and what you stand for. It additionally lets you set objectives which can be in alignment together with your values and beliefs, and to stay a life that’s true to your self. Plus, once you’re clear in your values and beliefs, it’s simpler to acknowledge and say no to issues that don’t align with them.
Retreats have given me alternatives to get crystal clear on what my core values and beliefs are. This may be fairly an intentional train – requiring you to dive deep into unconscious patterns and recurring behaviors.
Understanding your private values
To get clear in your core values, begin by asking your self these questions:
– What are the values that form your life and your every day choices?
– Are you pleased with them, and if not, what values would you wish to embrace as a substitute?
It’s simple to make a listing of values and fill them with buzzwords like love, arduous work, management, and gratitude. However with out defining what these values imply to you, they carry little worth.
Listed here are a few of my core values and what they imply to me – taken from my pocket book through the Stay Life Activated Retreat in Costa Rica:
- Authenticity: Letting my coronary heart information my life. Being actual with myself and others
- Boldness: Getting after it it doesn’t matter what
- Excessive vitality: Bringing pleasure and excessive vibes to every little thing I do
- Curiosity: Having a ardour to always study and develop
- Freedom: Being to do what I would like each time I would like for my highest good
- Neighborhood: Prioritizing time spent with individuals who encourage me. Deeply connecting with others – bodily, mentally, and emotionally
- Journey: All the time searching for out new experiences
- Enjoyable: Prioritizing play, laughing, and playing around on daily basis
- Religion: Deeply understanding that it doesn’t matter what occurs in my life, every little thing will work out for me
As you possibly can see, these aren’t textbook definitions of core values. Every of those phrases and their meanings got here straight from my coronary heart slightly than my thoughts or a dictionary. You don’t wish to sound rehearsed or polished once you’re developing together with your private values. In any case, they need to be pure (and particular) to you!
As well as, as a part of this train on core values, it’s necessary to make a distinction between your required values and the way you might be exhibiting up proper now. For instance, many individuals worth authenticity, however how typically are they really residing this manner? The extra sincere you might be about this, the more practical you’ll be on this train.
Understanding your beliefs
After getting a stable understanding of your core values, it’s necessary to get clear in your perception methods. Ask your self – what are the beliefs which can be at the moment serving you AND are holding you again?
Most individuals spend their complete lives with out considering or altering their beliefs. They only persist with what they know – consuming content material that reinforces their opinions and discovering like-minded individuals who make them really feel secure and unchallenged. I’m not simply speaking about matters like politics or faith, by the way in which. That is about your entire perception methods (primarily unconscious) that dictate your ideas, actions, and behaviors each single day.
One set of beliefs that I’ve basically shifted over the previous years are my beliefs about misery. Like everybody else, I used to hunt consolation and ease. I beloved staying in my consolation zone, giving excuses for why I wasn’t reaching sure issues, and avoiding excessive ranges of bodily and psychological stress. I additionally did every little thing to keep away from emotions of concern and anxiousness. Now, I hunt down difficult conditions on a regular basis – doing chilly immersion, arduous exercises, and retreats regularly. What’s modified?
I didn’t get up someday and have this big awakening second. It took a number of intentional, incremental adjustments in my habits over time to alter the way in which I present up in life. I totally settle for that typically life will suck, however I get to decide on how I wish to present up regardless. By selecting to hunt out discomfort on daily basis, it makes the unplanned challenges appear means much less scary.
Simply keep in mind – life is a journey and it takes time to impact change. Don’t sweat the small print and set arbitrary deadlines for reaching your objectives. Simply make progress on daily basis, irrespective of how large or small. That’s ok. Benefit from the journey!
7. Get out of your thoughts and into your coronary heart
One of many largest classes I’ve discovered over the previous yr is that the thoughts is a good servant, however a horrible chief. Whenever you lead with the thoughts, you let unconscious biases cloud your judgment and speak you out of issues which can be necessary to you.
I’m not saying that it’s best to forgo the thoughts utterly. No – I’m not that a lot of a hippie. Completely use this unimaginable psychological college that you’ve got, however use it as a software for reaching your coronary heart’s wishes slightly than let it management you.
Should you typically end up rigorously planning issues that you just say and do, then you might be working from the headspace slightly than the coronary heart area. If you end up speaking about belongings you “must” or “must” do, then you definitely’re main from the thoughts. Although I’m tremendous aware of it now, I nonetheless discover myself hanging out extra within the thoughts than I would really like. It’s a-okay although…we’re all human!
On all my retreats, I’ve discovered many highly effective methods to open up the center. Listed here are a few of them under:
Coronary heart-opening workouts
- Meditation: Practising meditation may help you to quiet your thoughts and join together with your coronary heart. It may possibly additionally enable you to realize perception into your ideas and emotions, and to develop higher self-awareness.
- Aware respiration: Focusing in your breath may help you to shift your consideration out of your ideas to coronary heart. It may possibly additionally enable you to calm your thoughts and cut back stress. Chilly immersion, which requires conscious respiration, is among the finest methods for me to maneuver from the thoughts to the center.
- Gratitude journaling: Writing down belongings you’re grateful for may help you open the center area. It may possibly additionally enable you to attach together with your interior self and to precise your self authentically.
- Yoga or different bodily practices: Yoga, dancing or different bodily practices may help you to attach together with your coronary heart and the remainder of your physique. It may possibly additionally enable you to launch rigidity and to realize a higher sense of interior peace. Kundalini yoga is certainly one of my favourite coronary heart openers.
- Nature walks: Spending time in nature may help you to attach together with your coronary heart, feelings, and emotions. It may possibly additionally enable you to realize perspective and really feel grounded.
- Inventive expression: Partaking in artistic actions similar to drawing, writing, music, may help you to attach together with your greater self. It may possibly additionally enable you to precise your self authentically and to realize higher self-awareness.
- Aware listening: Take heed to others attentively, specializing in their phrases and feelings. In doing so, your coronary heart will open as a aspect product.
In relation to residing a satisfying and genuine life, working from the center area is the way in which to go! It permits you to join together with your feelings and emotions, to make choices that align with who you might be, and to construct deeper, extra significant relationships.
So, let’s quiet the thoughts and hearken to our hearts. It’s time to stay authentically and in alignment with our values and beliefs. It’s time to let our hearts information us on this journey of self-discovery and development. Don’t simply assume…really feel (and stay) from the center!
Why it’s best to embark on a journey of private growth proper now
People had been meant to be robust, blissful, and wholesome. Our our bodies – which embody trillions of cells, muscle tissues, tissues, and organs – had been designed to hold us by means of the most important trials and tribulations in life. We weren’t supposed to spend most of our time indoors and on the sofa, consuming junk meals and worrying about petty issues. The world proper now’s full of concern, weak point, and victimhood, however it doesn’t must be that means.
Within the journey forward, you’ve got two choices: (1) to hunt out consolation on daily basis or (2) to hunt out challenges and alternatives. Should you select choice one, life gained’t be simple. The world is a troublesome place, even brutal place at occasions. If you wish to pursue consolation and ease, you’ll be left with anxiousness and melancholy – if not now, sometime sooner or later when life will get powerful (it at all times does). Life gained’t be simple with choice 2, both. However within the course of, you’ll go on adventures. You’ll study, develop, and sharpen your abilities. Life goes to throw loopy shit your means, however you’ll be ready to face them.
There’s an outdated Dutch proverb that claims tall timber catch a lot of the wind. By selecting a path of private growth and transformation, you’ll face adversity. However additionally, you will acquire the facility and power to resist no matter life throws your means, and impact significant change on the planet within the course of.
If you wish to change the world, all of it begins with your self.
– Numerous love, Jon
