Hi friends! I am coming off a weekend of a lovely Restorative Yoga Retreat at Blue Mountain Retreat Center, a cozy, eco-friendly retreat center tucked away in the mountains about minutes away from me in Knoxville, Maryland.
The cool thing is, I didn’t lead the retreat. The retreat was led by my inspiring and intelligent teacher, Tara Lemerise. I got to participate in the retreat and do lots of resting. So my friends, I am practicing what I preach to all of you. I usually attend this weekend retreat a few times a year and it is always time and money well invested!
While away on my retreat, I just finished (for the 2nd time) “The Art of Happiness” by the Dali Lama and Howard C. Cutler. I highly recommend this book for those of you who may find your mind taking you in a downward spiral of anxiety and negative self-talk. It helped me shift my perspective into a more positive and realistic state. The book also teaches you a few of the practices used in Buddhism to guide you away from suffering and into happiness no matter what you’re struggling with.
The thing I was reminded of most while reading this book and while being with a group of amazing humans at this retreat is that - we need community. Life revolves around reciprocity - allowing ourselves to receive and also sharing what we have. The foundation of a good community is remembering what keeps us connected.
One thing I've always been inherently good at is finding and creating community. Sometimes, I just need extra reminders to lean on my support systems! I’m grateful for my library of books and weekends away that help me remember I am not in this life alone. Thanks for being a part of my community!
I’d love to hear from you on what you’d want in a weekend Self-Care Retreat… I’m dreaming up something for 2022.