Why is retreat important: how retreats changed my life

Why is retreat important

If you google “retreat” you’ll find the following two definitions: “an act of withdrawing” and “a quiet place where someone can rest and relax.”

I don’t know about you, but in a world of information overload and the toxic effects of notifications, dings, bells, lights and screens constantly on a mission to steal our attention on top of unrealistic demands and the frantic busy-ness of 21st-century living… retreating is more important now than ever.

Scientists have found that the average person processes 74GB of information a day (that's equivalent to watching 16 movies) through TV, computers, cell phones, billboards, social media, etc. 

We consume more information in one day than our ancestors did in their entire life and our nervous systems are not coping well (obviously). With so much information available it is easy to consume more than we can process. Leaving us feeling stressed, confused and overwhelmed.  

Retreats offer the benefit of physical, emotional and psychological withdrawal from the strains of everyday life to enjoy a quiet place to rest and relax. A safe haven to start to recover from stress. 

A Retreat can be a booster and an accelerator. Much can be realized in a short time in shifting perception and re-establishing what really matters.

At least, that was the case with me! 

How retreats changed my life

In June 2014, I was all alone in SouthEast Asia with no money and nowhere to go because I had been robbed on a beach, so I signed up for a seven-day silent meditation retreat. To say that retreats changed my life would be an understatement. You can read all about My Wild Ride from Mindlessness to Mindfulness in my book, Trust the Flames.

During that first retreat, my years of IBS magically disappeared and my constant feeling of anxiety, worry and unease slowly but surely started to fade. What I didn’t know at the time was that I was learning how to regulate my thoughts, emotions and nervous system using a new tools.

Ya see, the body keeps the score, it is constantly giving us signs and talking to us through symptoms and dis-ease. My old tools of handling stress were not working and my body was telling me through IBS, anxiety, worry and unease. 

Retreating has helped me learn how to slow down and listen to my body. To build my superpower of self-awareness and self-regulation which hasn’t made me immune to stress but has certainly built resilience that I never had access to before. 

Withdrawing in a safe, quiet space allowed my body to rest and relax naturally because it was less disturbed. I think of the analogy of water, and how water doesn’t have to do anything to become calm, it just needs to be left undisturbed. We are 70%+ water so the same is true for us humans, we don’t have to do anything to become more calm, we just need to be left undisturbed. We have to put our bodies into the appropriate environment in order to rest and relax. Then from there we can build a toolkit that we can lean on during those heightened, anxious, stressful times. 

I had no idea how vital it was for me to retreat in order to build a better toolkit.  This profound shift ten years ago has led me on a lifelong journey of making retreats a priority in my life. Not only to attend but to host. 

I’ve been hosting retreats since 2019 and I want to share with as many people as possible the power of re-treating. You can see when my next retreat near Brisbane is happening by clicking here.

 
What are wellness retreats?

Wellness retreats focus on slowing down so that you can understand yourself through a harmonious body-mind connection. There are many different types and varieties of wellness retreats but one thing they all have in common is simplicity. The easy way is hard enough.

On retreat, life is simple. Retreats create space in which you can regain a sense of self, calm and sanity without all the external noise and stimuli. Every aspect of a retreat allows you to relax in a quiet environment in beautiful surroundings, often with grounding meditations, activities and contemplations enabling you to go deeper into parts of yourself that you normally wouldn’t be able to.

We are each unique, with individual preferences and needs. No one retreat can possibly suit all. That is why it is important to explore what feels right for you and to only take what resonates.

Please remember that wellness is your birthright, not a privilege. You do not need to break the bank to find peace. 

Benefits of a retreat

The benefits of treating yourself to a retreat are many and varied but may include:

“Me time” 

Many people, especially parents, don't have the luxury of “me time” unless it’s a retreat. Without “me time” we can lose our connection to our authentic selves. We can forget what brings us joy or the clarity to start creating more of it in our lives. 

Deep relaxation 

Disconnecting from all the demands and pressure at home or at work that pull us in so many directions can bring physical, mental and emotional benefits. It provides a pause in the constant, unremitting demands of daily life. Time to reflect, renew and restore. As I pointed out at the beginning of this blog, our current modern lifestyle is not conducive to deep relaxation. That is why we have to consciously put ourselves in retreat-like environments more often. 

Refreshing, rejuvenating, re-energising, and re-empowering

So often we are at the limit of our endurance when we finally take a break (and for many a holiday with “loved ones” is far from a relaxing experience). A retreat can recharge batteries on many levels and bring new insights for positive change (before burning out). 

Transferable skills 

Retreats offer many different modalities of healing but it’s not a one-size-fits-all all. It’s important to open yourself but notice what genuinely lands for you, not because it’s the most popular thing to do. The new practices will start to creep into your everyday life helping you keep stress overload at bay. You’ll learn to factor in healthy relaxation without feeling guilty about taking time out for yourself. 

Fresh Perspective & Common Humanity

Often at retreats, people will share their personal experiences and struggles on being human. Hearing other people’s stories and perspectives can help you shift your own perceptions and potentially even find a new lifelong friend! We are social creatures who need connection for survival. 

Spiritual Hygiene

When you connect with your Inner self more often, you feel safer, life makes much more sense and is so much more fun! 

 

Final thoughts 

Retreats are places for our bodies to withdraw from everyday busyness to allow relaxation to occur. Retreats are more important now than ever because our nervous systems are not coping well with the information and sensory overload.

I can only speak from personal experience, but retreating, slowing down and regulating my nervous system has (without sounding too dramatic) 100% saved my life.

The benefits of treating yourself to a retreat are many and varied but may include: more me time, fresh perspective, common humanity, deep relaxation, spiritual hygiene, transferable skills, refreshing, re-energizing and re-empowering.

If you are looking for a place to Create More Space join my mini retreat in Brisbane on Saturday, March 23, 2024 (9 am-12 pm). Three hours to create more space through gentle Yoga, sound healing, meditations, connection and a light lunch. Find all the details here.