Why a Destination Wellness Retreat Might Be Exactly What You Need

I was once where you are: stressed out, tired, overtaxed, hungry for something other than a shot of adrenaline or a glass of wine… just something to heal the individual hurt of the long day and endless to-do list. Life is busy, busy, busy, and it’s hard to find even one minute of time for yourself, let alone create an afternoon where you can relax and unwind. So before you decide that a destination wellness retreat can’t be part of your life, take a look at some of the advantages that a well-spent week (or two) really can provide. This isn’t just another vacation. This is the gift to yourself that you deserve.

Stepping Away to Truly Rest and Recharge

In those days, I thought that I could plough on: that I could do this all, powering through to a point of recovery, but that just was not so. The first time I stopped the train and got off at a yoga retreat, I had a life-reset button pressed. How liberating to uproot yourself, to leave the notifications, the deadlines, the familiar stresses behind!

Yet here, in a new, quieter place, I experienced for the first time in a long time the ability to finally breathe, to relax, and to exhale. It was not just a pause. Here, I could rest. I could look after my body and my mind. And that isn’t just a good night’s

Deepening My Wellness Journey

Even though I love when I take the time to do yoga and meditation, a recent weekend retreat was when I found out how vastly more potent and enjoyable it was when I was engaged fully with daily intensity. By honing non-verbal mind-body practices together with a group of like-minded jolly folks given the time and facilities to do, we were given a wonderful opportunity to not merely observe our old habits and behaviours going on with our body and mind (as we usually do), but to actually get engaged in new depths of flexibility and stillness all at once.

It had less to do with the poses or the breathing, and more to do with the exploration internally, and reconnecting with parts of myself that I’d been disconnected from for some time. It doesn’t matter if you’re experienced or a complete beginner, the environment of a retreat is one where your practice can really deepen, and you can experience real transformation. 

Healing Holistically

I’ve always tried to take care of ‘me’, but I firmly believe I have never felt genuinely holistic healing until I attended a wellness retreat. Wellness it is certainly that. And ‘retreat’ it is indeed, an opportunity to take a step back or away, to subject yourself to a different way of thinking and of being, for the sake of ultimately being the best that you can. It involved numerous workshops, which introduced each of my reticent body parts to at least 20 new ways of coping with stress, dealing with anger, nourishing the self more mindfully, releasing negative emotions, and finding inner peace.

Together, these experiences didn’t just make me feel good in the moment: they had me coming home a different person. 

Connecting with Like-Minded Souls

The second unexpected gift was the people I met. I found it staggering how much you could connect to others in such a short time when you’re all on the same path and sharing the same experiences. We talked, we listened, we joined forces. The relationships formed in that week went beyond the immediate experience of that particular retreat and instead formed a secret tribe: a second family of people who understood where I’d been and where I wanted to go. 

Those connections, forged in a space of openness and vulnerability, have sustained me in countless ways since the retreat concluded. 

Reconnecting with Nature

There is an undeniable kind of healing in being in nature, and a wellness retreat provides this in spades. Whether it was practising yoga on the beach at sunrise, taking a hike in the forests, or just being alone and silencing my mind, these moments in nature were some of the most restorative I could’ve asked for.

Nourishment Beyond the Plate

I knew what I would eat at a wellness retreat would be wholesome, healthy food but I didn’t expect it to be so nourishing in every possible sense of the word. Our food was locally sourced, seasonal, and as delicious as food can be when it is prepared with such love and care. It wasn’t just that I was eating, I was honouring my body with sustenance. The act of nourishing myself was more meaningful because I was sharing this experience with others among the scenic surroundings. Something as mundane as the act of eating took on a deeply spiritual experience.

Time to Reflect and Grow

Perhaps the most wonderful of the gifts of retreat lies in the simple act of contemplation. Away from distractions and the incessant din of daily life, I found that precious opportunity for thought: what do I need? What do I want? Where am I going? Looking back, that thinking time was priceless. I began to see how I could rethink my goals in light of my newfound calling; I could step back from often habitual (and hence, destructive) behaviours that seemed to dictate both my daily life as well as my thoughts about it. It was as if a veil had lifted, allowing me to see clearly and to make decisions in keeping with who I am.

These intuitions have, since then, led me to live a more thoughtful, engaged life. 

A Fresh Perspective

Traveling also represented a shifting of mindsets; being in a new place offered a new way of looking at things. Seeing something different, being around people from other cultures, being out of my comfort zone allowed me to see the world, and myself, in a different way, and to remember that what I see every day isn’t necessarily the whole story. It’s the little things, the parts that lie just outside our line of sight, that can make life seem different. Everything can change with a new perspective. 

A Lasting Impact

When the retreat had come to an end I felt compelled to write my gratitude-letter. It more than any form of physical relaxation was the gift I took home with me – and it’s a gift that keeps on giving. The daily practice of writing these letters to my body has brought me incredible joy, a renewed sense of energy, a clearer mind and a heart so full of gratitude for the life I am living. My retreats pay dividends in my daily life now. They have been a real investment in myself. 

Investing in Myself

I understood that I’d made the best possible investment in me – my health, my happiness and my well-being If you are in need of a pause to convalesce, to heal, to experience a deeper layer of self, to find more insight into who you are… then I whole-heartedly recommend a destination wellness retreat as the ideal solution.

So go ahead and do it if you’re thinking about it. You deserve it, and will reap significant rewards. This is an experience that will have a lingering aftertaste, long after you’ve rolled up your sleeping bag.