What happens when you invite 16 women to meet you in the jungle for 5 days of self-work, reflection, movement, breath and release, all during the sacred time when one year ends and the next begins? You get fireworks for the soul!
Our second annual New Years Yoga Retreat in Sayulita, Mexico just wrapped up and it is hard to put into words what this experience meant to me. So much deep, truly healing work happened here. Years of unresolved inner conflict and pain was allowed to be brought to the surface and given permission to be let go. Sometimes, more than anything else, that is simply exactly what we need. Permission. An invitation to show up as your true, authentic self. Without judgement or expectations.
When is the last time you sat in a room with 18 faces staring back at you with nothing but pure love and acceptance? Where you felt 100% safe to speak your truth and be received with warm hugs and understanding . . .
Let's face it -- life is hard. It knocks us down and very rarely gives us the tools to know how to properly get back up. As women in this westernized, modern world, we are not taught rituals or traditions, nor do we grow up with ceremonies marking important female milestones in our lives. We are taught to grow up fast, dislike our bodies, be inconvenienced by our menstrual cycles, aggressively pursue our careers and push our emotions aside. When we are not taught how to appropriately tap into our emotions, we silence an important part of our female power -- our intuition.
Our intuitive minds guide us in life, through challenges, away from danger, towards our truth and highest self. Now more than ever, it is beyond important - it has become imperative to our growth as women that we take pauses from life every now and then to unplug from the pressure and reconnect with our intuitive selves. The mind, the body, the soul, the heart. When properly taken care of, nurtured, supported, and nourished, it can give us all the answers we need to know. No more looking on the outside. For once, we can finally hear our own voice and know the right path to take.
I am beyond proud of the 16 women who showed up to do this important work. With the powerful Jade Alectra and inspiring Jenny Niezgoda as my fellow teachers on this yoga retreat, we were able to hold space for and witness some truly major breakthroughs. The Temazcal (tribal sweat lodge) ceremony on December 31st was the spiritual catalyst that allowed us all to look our fears right in the face and push through. The jungle hike on New Years Day gave us important moments of silence, and equally important moments of divine connection with each other. All in all, my heart feels fuller than before, my purpose is so much more clearly defined, and my commitment to helping all the women in my life (including myself + my daughter) shine has never been stronger.
Here is a video re-cap of one of the most powerful weeks of my life. #WomanPoetryRetreat
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