“We’re drawn to retreat, but we can’t remain in it. The solitude of prayer and retreat renews us. Not only to be refreshed ourselves but to refresh—to love—others. As Rowan Williams says, retreat is “not some individual technique for communing with the divine but the business of becoming a means of reconciliation and healing for the neighbor.”
Br. Luke Ditewig, SSJE
A good friend and yoga teacher shared those words with me in 2017, two weeks before I hosted my first yoga retreat. I was nervous; caught up in the business side of hosting a retreat, and the words brought me back to WHY I was doing what I was doing: the real benefit that retreat can bring to people.
Instagram-worthy quotes aside, it’s easy to acknowledge that retreat – be it yoga, leadership, relationship, prayer, or otherwise – gives us time and space to refresh and recharge; but there are also other more business-aligned reasons to unplug and leave it all behind.
1) Reset your focus.
We live in a world where we’re constantly stimulated by information and technology. Processing this much information is exhausting not just for our brains but for our bodies too, and the long term impact is a lack of focus, inability to concentrate on tasks, even physical lethargy; and under the control of the dopamine hit you get when reaching for your phone.
Retreats challenge you to put the phone away and be present, and begin to retrain your brain to focus on the task at hand. Just like a relaxing weekend to recharge and refocus for a busy week ahead, it’s amazing the affect that a weekend of disconnecting from technology can have on your ability to focus and deliver.
2) The “discomfort zone”.
Taking the plunge and signing up for a retreat – especially on your own – is not a comfortable task. There is a lot of risk and often a decent amount of money on the table, but, as the saying goes, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you always get what you’ve always gotten.”*
By doing something new (and scary) you’re stepping out of the comfort zone into the “discomfort zone”. You’re also disrupting a habit, which is a powerful way of training your brain to make changes in other parts of your life, be it the pursuit of a goal or shutting down negative self-talk.
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you always get what you’ve always gotten.”
Jessie Potter*
As adults, we learn best with a variety of methods. In a retreat the messaging and intent is delivered across workshops, physical activity, social interactions, and even through food and drink; providing both intellectual understanding and practical demonstration. This means that the lesson lands deeper, and retention of the lesson is improved, regardless of the primary style of learning.
3) It’s not just about you.
As the quote at the beginning of this article reflects on, there’s an amplifying effect that retreat can have on the people around you. By taking time out to relax and refill your cup, you’re replenishing not only our own vitality but also your ability to hold space for the people around you – be that professionally or personally.You’re better equipped to serve and to care, for yourself and for the people in your life.
In a few months time I welcome guests to my fourth retreat – this time centered on the healing power of nature. I believe in the power of retreat, and after a few more individuals experience the huge range of benefits on offer, I know I’ll have a few more believers signed up soon.
Start your retreat journey with me on October 1st at the Healing Forest Retreat in beautiful Monmouthshire. Contact laura@lauraclaireaiken.com for details or visit https://www.lauraclaireaiken.com/retreats
*Often attributed to Henry Ford, the earliest recorded instance of this quote is actually by Jessie Potter, an educator and counselor on family relationships and human sexuality, spoken at the seventh annual “Woman to Woman conference” and recorded in The Milwaukee Sentinel in 1981.