Retreating

I just got back from teaching a yoga + ayurveda + culture retreat in Sri Lanka.

This is one of the perks of being a yoga teacher: having the opportunity to travel and share your yoga.

The reality of yoga teaching

It is of course not all so glamourous. The reality is that you might need to prepay for the venue, and if not enough people attend you might have to cancel (and refund) or run it with a loss. Or perhaps you get a commission per person joining or simply a flat fee. I never made it a secret that the admin, booking, negotiation side of being a yoga teacher has never been my passion. But it is part of the “work”.

Never mind… That specific issue is for another post. This is about my inspiration and love for teaching.

I will sidetrack again though. Maybe more of a note for my fellow teachers. Especially after a post I saw on one of the Facebook groups today. Believe or not: us yoga teachers also get stressed, burned out, disillusioned, tired and uninspired. We too need to retreat, go to yoga and be a student – and find inspiration.

Moving towards inspiration

You might know that I have been wanting to make changes for a while. Really wanting to move. And we finally did. All the way from Streatham, South London, down to the south coast and Worthing (and the beach yeah!).

Moving is super stressful. So much to conclude and so much to initiate. So many boxes…

Moving we did – 3 days before heading off to host the retreat. Was that stressful? Yes. Did the move or going to Sri Lanka feel real? No. Was I tired? Yes.

The whole build up of wanting to move, change and research where to go was tiring and exhausting. It also made me question how I want to work. Being a yoga teacher is my vocation and my job (this includes my online offering/ayurveda/Neal’s Yard Remedies too). How was that going to change with my much longer commute? So many questions…

Igniting the fire

A retreat is really me hosting a group and holding space for change, healing, transformation, relaxation. To learn and explore. We practise yoga, pranayama, meditation, yoga nidra. We learn about ayurveda and we explored Sri Lanka.

But for me, as a teacher, I also got inspired. Being with a group and working together every morning and evening, practicing, moving, yoga’ing and discussion both yoga + ayurveda was so inspiring.

The fire of enthusiasm, passion and love for the healing practises of both yoga and ayurveda was ignited. It is a privilege to be with a group so open and inspired. And having the space and time to get to know each other so everyone felt free to ask questions, to practise together, to partner up and explore.

I might have been the facilitator. But I was also the student. Always. My own passion for self care (through the practises of yoga and ayurveda) had been dimmed for a little while. The times when we need it most is often when that fire becomes extinguished. Life takes over and we forget. Or we are just too exhausted. Being on the retreat, even as the facilitator and teacher, my fire and passion was kindled.

My final note

My thought here is: even if you can’t go to a Sri Lanka retreat for 10 days, on holiday or another exotic location, please do take a mini break. Go to park and look into space, sit and breathe, indulge in nourishing cooking and mindful eating. Take a long walk in nature. Switch of the phone. Switch of the emails and social media. Retreat.

We all need a re-treat. We all need time out. And we all need to see things from a new and different perspective.

Now your turn:

What do you do to take time out to ignite your fire?

I’d love to know. Please share in the comments below.