Why Attend a Yoga Retreat? – Part 2
Recently I summarized a few important reasons to go on retreat for a week, from why a week length of time is essential, to unplugging from stuck patterns and how the various types of yoga practices create internal awareness and help to nurture integration of various aspects of your Being: body, heart, mind and spirit. If you missed the first part of this article, click here.
In this part of ‘why attend a yoga retreat’, I will focus on more ways you can further self-nourishment that translates into being a positive force for change in the world: balance exploration between the inner and outer worlds; nourish your body with amazing food; and connect within a community desiring to improve the world through conscious self-empowerment.
While the theme of the retreat, ‘Bridging Heaven & Earth’ will be the ongoing inspiration for the daily yogic practices and suggested reflections, there will be a buffet of activities from which you can choose to participate in, or not, on any given day. You can choose to soak up the sun, play in or on the water, hike to exquisite vistas, be with companions, or in solitude as you journal, read, rest and/or be in silence.
When/if you choose to adventure in the environs, you can select from a wide spectrum of options: a few specific opportunities for the Kauai trip include:
Reef snorkeling accessed from gorgeous beaches, like Ke’e Beach (pronounced Keh-AY), at the end of the road in the north of the island.
Swim, sun and play on/in ocean beaches (soaking up the local life force energy [i.e. the prana] of sand, sea and sky); boogie boards, beach chairs, & sun umbrellas are available to make your beach excursions perfect. 
Kayak along the Wailua River, then hike to the beautiful ‘Secret / Sacred’ waterfalls to frolic in and enjoy a picnic on site;
Kayak or SUP (stand up paddleboard) down a local river or on the ocean;
Visit some spectacular natural features on the island: Spouting Horn, Red Dirt zones…
Hike: (part/all of) the 11 mile Kalalau Trail, along the spectacular Napali coastline in northern Kauai. And/or ….
Visit Waimea Canyon, the ‘grand canyon of Hawaii’, to experience the divine sunset, and / or to hike one or more of the many trails, and/or explore the visitor’s center. Regarding the hiking, there is at least one path that winds down into the canyon, several that traverse a variety of interesting mixed forests (filled with fascinating birds and their unique calls); 
and many with brilliant vistas of the canyon, waterfalls, and lush vegetation. One of the best hikes, in my experience, is the Alakai trail, which traverses through swamp/bogs and rainforest, often on a ‘boardwalk’ that lessens the mud impact. It’s a lens into the impressive variety of flora that exists on Kauai, and boasts incredible vistas, if it isn’t socked in with mist.
Visit one of the 6 amazing Botanic Gardens; 3 are very close to the retreat location, and each focus is different, but all will give you the ‘wow’ experience through the spectacular diversity of plant life to be experienced on this Garden Isle.
If you incline more towards the observer, you might just set an intention to do something on the edge of your comfort zone, thereby building new skills and confidence. If you are a constant doer, you might elect to spend more time focusing inwards; the list of options below can begin to inoculate your consciousness of how and what to do / not do during your week to relax the ‘doing’ muscles. A few options include:
Sky watch: Gaze into the brilliant night skies, (unmarred by artificial lights), and ponder the expansive space filled with stars, planets, constellations, galaxies. Your exposure to the influence of the heavens will surely have you craving the star gazing opportunities.
Soak in the Hot Tub – day or night… rain or shine…
Hang out on lounge chairs: read, journal, while away the hours, day dream, contemplate your connection to the earth, and heavens… – or contemplate your navel 😉
Psychological tension is perhaps the deepest problem in today’s world; our culture is in every way pushing to do, do, do; and yoga helps remind you to BE. Which is why there will also be opportunity to practice silence, and use whatever time you so desire for Being, meaning quiet reflection, journal, prayer, meditation, whatever you deem to nourish your soul, and link through the multiple dimensions of your Being. And hopefully you will balance the inward and outward meanderings by the week’s end.
Hawaiian Feast
Another significant component of attending a Yoga Vacation Retreat is the Food! Nourishing your body through delightful meals made with local organic farm produce, seafood and fish, served with decorative flair is sure to cultivate your ‘foodie’ predilections or inspire a new found appreciation of natural gourmet. Not only will your body feel deep satisfaction, but your senses will fully delight; not to mention that all will be served without you having to lift a finger in preparation or clean-up. That alone, is a gift for many, and cultivates the refined quality of gratitude without much effort. Especially a treat for the at home kitchen warrior who is the mainstay preparer for others… this aspect of a retreat can be the ultimate gift to the self.
In addition, this retreat will offer opportunities to nourish integration of all levels of your being through massage; local practitioners, experienced in the Hawaiian art of lomi-lomi, as well as other forms (salt scrub etc.) will be available for appointments. Lomilomi is the Hawaiian word for massage, and means to “knead, to rub, or soothe; to work in and out, as the paws of a contented cat.” Pampering yourself during this week can take many forms, and massage can be a wonderful opportunity to release deeply held tensions of body and mind, including held beliefs about our inherent value, especially if we believe such practices are for the rich and famous. Bodywork can help us let go of the ‘issues in the tissues’; this is a fun fact way to describe and acknowledge that past challenging experiences show up in the body (especially where we tend to be vulnerable – whether joint, certain muscles, organs, or systems, like the immune or respiratory system.) Much of the tension held in the body-mind results from a combination of trauma and chronic stressful conditions of our life, and massage is one of the many wondrous ways to surrender what is no longer serving you.
Inherent within the retreat format, is the opportunity to meet new friends and deepen lifelong connections with known individuals, and experience a small community of adults that support each other, wherever they are in their life’s journey. Playing within community can deepen your enjoyment of life, and stimulate the flow of joy. Communal events nourish human connection enhancing life energy to gush through our veins. Through group practices, from postures, to outings, to evening relaxation and dancing, expect to experience more of the self you love, deeper connections to others, and a new ‘family’ within the yoga community. These connections are often the beginnings of, or affirmations of lifelong loving relationships. Fostering connection within the human realm is a vital source of recognizing our own unique place in the human web of life.
You can re-awaken your inherent feelings of oneness with the elements around you, and open windows of recognition to within.
Is it time to sign up yet? I hope you will gift yourself, as in doing so will prepare you to be more fully conscious in your life when you return. This could be your Christmas/Solstice…. gift to yourself to engage your life in a deeper, more integrated way in early 2016.
For the details, go to the website/click here.