As a tour facilitator since 2003 and ‘spiritual tourist extraordinaire’, as I like to call myself, I have found that magical things happen when we gather in incredible places and when we reach pivotal points in our lives. Therefore, the rapid rate of growth of wellness tourism doesn’t surprise me one little bit. In a world of rising stress levels people don’t just want to spend their precious free time on the beach. They want to see a change in their habits and lifestyle and often going on a retreat for a week is the perfect solution. When you are caught up in the humdrum of your daily life it can be hard to see even the most obvious truth, far less the quality of answers required to know who you are and what you truly want. For those kinds of answers, you need to step back. You need to retreat.
A retreat, from the Latin verb “to pull back,” is a place where you withdraw from the world and see yourself anew. During this withdrawal all the energy that you normally send in a multitude of different directions gathers in on your chosen point of focus. That focus can be self-care, healing, detox, finding your people, or your inspiration. Perhaps simply allowing the spaciousness to see what will then unfold. This will allow you a new perspective, to re-group, re-treat and re-energize. Within it you find a space to breathe into your life, remember your dream and hear the messages from your own heart.
In the safe and nurturing environment of experienced facilitators and like-minded souls, the place, the lessons whether yoga, writing, learning a new skill or simply the stories and anecdotes will bring what you most need and you will easily realise the small shifts that can change your world.
Then you bring that essence, that core, that purpose, back to your life, to which you can return refreshed, re-motivated and full of life.”
