invest in you

How do you invest in you?

I’ve been wrestling with this question a lot lately. My mind is always going a million different directions in terms of where I want to live long term, what I want my job to be & how I can show up as my most authentic self. Sometimes it takes getting out of my routine and away from a familiar place for me to understand what I need & want.

Enter retreats.

I went on my first yoga retreat as a Junior in college. I didn’t know a single person going but Katie B (one of my yoga mentors and all around favorite humans/teachers) was leading and that was enough to convince me to go. I also just knew I needed a getaway. I hadn’t done a lot of self-reflection in the past and this was one of the first times that I was able to open up with strangers.

I didn’t know it at the time, but the framework of the retreat was for us to open up, show up, give up & align up. Meaning that we would work through different interactive & introspective exercises to open up and show up for ourselves, give up what didn’t serve us & align up with our purpose. Outside of the workshops, we spent time practicing yoga, lounging by the pool, visiting a local winery & giving back at a local orphanage. I truly felt like this retreat encompassed all of my favorite things in one weekend.

Fast forward to now & I’ve attended retreats in Ensenada (Mexico), Temecula (California), Sardinia (Italy) & Ibiza (Spain). Each one has been unique in its own way but the one that stands out the most for me is Sardinia. This beautiful island oasis in Italy was unlike anywhere I’ve ever traveled to.

The villa we stayed at had the most unique rooms—all decorated based on certain themes. My room was the sailing room complete with rudders & miniature sailboats lining the walls . The property had an infinity pool that overlooked the blueish green waters of the Mediterranean Sea (which we also sailed on via catamaran in the same trip).

There was a private chef who cooked us Italian breakfast, lunch & dinner (& made sure we had bread and olive oil on the table at all times). We even visited a local winery whose wine we had been drinking at dinner. We practiced yoga, sculpt, meditation & journaling workshops in their yoga space (fitted with Manduka mats).

One of my favorite parts of this trip was that I was able to travel with my mom, my aunt & my sister. They wouldn’t consider themselves “yogis” by any means & yet they had the time of their lives. The highlight was connecting with people from all over the world and to this day we still keep in touch and even meet up when we’re in the same city.

Based on my amazing experience in Sardinia, you can probably imagine how thrilled I was when Katie B from b_inspired retreats asked me to lead a retreat there next Fall! We’ll be traveling there from September 6th-13th, 2019 and the experience will include all of the amazing things I listed above & more (@mom, @aunt & @sister(s)….round 2?).

If you’ve been thinking about planning a getaway or need some space for reflection and growth, I highly recommend looking into retreats as an option. There are so many different types of retreats out there so start with some research & if you have any questions you can always reach out to me by email (thecoastalyogi@gmail.com) or check out my "Trainings | Retreats" page.

P.S. If you can’t make this one, stay tuned for more exciting opportunities in 2020 to travel with me!

xoxo
Coastie