The Awaken Retreat
Hello Readers, it’s been a while.
Since my last post, I am excited to share that I have successfully organized my first women’s wellness retreat. It was something I had envisioned starting at the beginning of this year. It’s a crazy feeling to look back to see an idea come to fruition.
Little by little, I planned a beautiful retreat for 10 attendees in an incredible venue, collaborated with four amazing women to lead workshops, worked with a local restaurant to create a delicious dinner, and found a local photographer to capture photos from the retreat. Every detail was carefully thought out, and I found a lot of joy in creating a special experience.
I was overwhelmed with support and encouragement. In the beginning, I had a small group of friends meet up with me weekly to work on our own goals. They helped me to stay accountable in my planning. During planning, where I fell short, I reached out to my husband, my mentor, and my friends. They all showed up when I needed a little extra help. From calls, to Costco runs, to helping me set up this beautiful charcuterie spread, I felt so much love. These wonderful human beings saw me, and genuinely wanted to see me succeed.
The Grazing Table
We started off our day by sitting in a circle. We went around the circle and each person introduced themselves. At the center of the circle, there were flowers, essential oils, and cards in the center.
I opened our retreat with this following quote:
“In today’s rush, we all think too much, seek too much, want too much, and forget about the joy of just being.”
-Eckhart Tolle
It was a reminder to myself to be in the present moment.
Sarah lead us in our first workshop. She started our day with breath work and a beautiful yoga practice.
Savana lead us in an art workshop, where each of us explored self-expression and creation through art.
Kaylen lead us in a SoulFlow workshop, where we embraced movement.
I lead the group with journaling prompts. To take a moment in the day, to reflect on our intention for the day. What emotions came up throughout the day. What we noticed about our physical body in that moment. What we were grateful for.
This was followed by dinner. I had carefully selected each item that helped us to explore the 5 different tastes: salty, sour, umami, bitter, and sweet.
I asked everyone to mindfully eat in silence for one minute. To be fully present when tasting the food.
Other menu items were edamame with sea salt, bitter dark chocolate, and Mango Lassi I picked up from the Farmer’s market the morning of the retreat.
To thank each of my attendees and collaborators, I got everyone a little gift to express my gratitude.
To close our retreat, Christina lead us in a beautiful Sound Healing workshop.
It was the perfect day, and it was better than I could’ve imagined. I leaned into who I am and created a magical experience. I loved looking around and seeing people make new connections, talking, and sharing smiles and laughter.
Thank you ladies for trusting me. It was a day I truly will never forget.
All photos were taken by Madysyn Sneed Photography.