We are all retreating now, but few of us are consciously taking a retreat.
If you’re struggling to balance, it’s ok. We’ll gently remind you, your wonderful and wisest self is here with you, but you may need to create some headspace to invoke this beauty!
Accepting the need to create a shift in consciousness in oneself is an act of commitment, humility, self love, and heroic optimism. It’s the most creative and wild choice we can make for ourselves, our family, friends and our planet !
It’s time to create a retreat from home.
Simply put, if you can’t go out, (to a fabulous retreat centre) go within!
So how do we do this at home?
If consciousness is the driver, rituals are the retreat centre.
Creating a ritual of wellbeing around your own rhythm is essential in sustaining and deepening your practice.
You’re more likely to sustain a habit if you can identify which part of the day you’re more open and receptive to.
Make it a bespoke experience for you.
A friend who has a sick child, who needs constant care, prefers the quiet of midnight when she can abandon herself to her practice without interruption .
Another gets up first thing in the morning before her kids.
Creating the space
Select a quiet space at home where you’ll make arrangements to be undisturbed and ring-fence it with all your heart,and set a time limit, better still if you have a lock on the door!
Give yourself permission to do this! We’re so heartened by each retreatee who has organised time away for themselves. If it was easy, you would be already doing this daily.
Clean your space and create symbols which will help support your practice.
Make the room/ shed/ attic comfortable with bolster cushions, candles, soft socks and warm wraps to cover yourself in. Create an altar if you want.
Bring your yoga mat, favourite crystal/singing bowl/stone, bringing in love and meaning pertinent to you.
You may need headphones to block the exterior sounds out.
The cleaning is an important meditation to prepare you. It will allow time and space for your monkey mind or saboteur to arrive and inform you, you’re making a terrible mistake by giving yourself this time and luxury, when everyone needs you so much!
Observe the power of this voice, forgive it and compassionately release it!
It’s also helpful to create a transition from all you’ve left behind.
De-cluttering your meditation space helps also to release you of extraneous thoughts and feelings and to support your intention.
The physical symbols serve to remind us of our wise self who is making the good decisions as well as invoking a higher energy to support us.
Remember, creating a space for your wellbeing in your home makes it easier for you to create healing rituals and you’ll model your sense of value or your own self esteem to anyone in your household.
Deep breathing to arrive
We suggest lying down and closing the eyes, you simply inhale to a count of 7, exhale to a count of 11. Aim for 10 rounds of the 7/11 breath each time you practice. The reason this helps us feel calmer is that the longer exhale helps to stimulate the body’s relaxation response (parasympathetic nervous system).
Ensure you’re breathing into your belly. Put one hand on your stomach and feel it rise as far as possible.
After a few deep breaths, scan your body whilst lying still to see where your body feels tense, painful or uncomfortable. Whilst continuing with the breath, inhale love into this area, on the out-breath, try to release the feeling stuck in your body. Continue this for a few deep breaths. You may find some uncomfortable feelings arise as you let go, a resistance perhaps. Be compassionate to yourself and mindful you’ve chosen this time to heal and release whatever you need.
Now is not the time for overthinking. Focus compassionately on letting the feelings in your body go.
If you’ve arrived with huge anxiety, we suggest shaking. I know, if unfamiliar with this, it may feel a bit ‘Taylor Swift’ but it’s known as a great release!
Stand with your legs hip distance apart and knees slightly bent. Start with shaking the arms and hands vigorously, then move to the legs and then torso. Let yourself go floppy and shake it all out! Try and focus on releasing tension from the shoulders and back. You may feel the need to bend forward and shake your arms out.
Bring yourself back to breath
We can do a short meditation. In mindfulness meditation, we are learning how to pay attention to the breath as it goes in and out and notice when the mind wanders from this task. The practice of returning to the breath, builds the muscles of attention and mindfulness. We are learning how to return to, and remain in the present moment - to ground ourselves in the here and now.
Before our meditation we may want to set an intention or ask a question that we need answering. This is a mind holiday, the more difficult this feels the more important it is. We need to let go of all thoughts and focus on the breath. We need this pause, more so in these stressful times. Keep it simple, don’t expect too much of yourself. Practising this ritual can help strengthen our relationship with ourselves, help us become more calm, decisive, more clear headed. In essence, more conscious.
Now are you ready for some yoga?
Sun salutations (Surya Namaskar - see below) is such a beloved and gentle sequence in yoga you can do without a screen and a teacher. If you need a break from the sound of someone else’s voice, you may need to take a yoga book to your meditation space with you.
I love to connect on zoom with my favourite yoga teacher who is helping to teach me, but quiet self-practice is always best if you are trying to connect with yourself and your own rhythm.
Benefits of sun salutation:-
Calm the nervous system; Improve digestion; Effective fat burn; Strenghen your heart and boost immunity; Unwind mind and body;Make your skin glow; Reduce stress; Tone your muscles; Improve blood; Encourage peace and mindfulness
Nourishing food
The key to Retreating is always being fortified with delicious and nutritious food. Be sure to prepare a few of your favourite dishes for breakfast lunch and supper , depending on the length of your retreat before you go on your home retreat!
I’ll post a few of our favourite recipes from dishes served on retreat in another blog post.
Gratitude
Take some time before you leave and return into the day to thank yourself for creating this time and keep in your mind who, if anyone has supported you in this time. Keep compassionate to yourself if you found things difficult. This observation will be healing and a reminder that you will need to return. Lie down, take a few more deep breaths, breath in love and out…anything that is not needed. Feel the support you have given yourself. Know you’re better for this practice. Know that when you invest time in yourself everyone benefits. Namaste.
Remember you are creating a new pattern for your life. Be conscious that you are creating a new neural pathway.