What an interesting few days! It’s been almost surreal! Firstly the weather…in over 15 years of visiting the White Isle…Ibiza…I haven’t seen weather like that. Five days of cold rainy weather that kept us out of sunglasses and wrapped up in jumpers.
It was an interesting experience though. Definitely one I will learn from. We have learnt that having indoor space ‘just in case’ is a priority, even in places known for their sunny climate! We have learnt that just because a retreat isn’t what we planned doesn’t mean we won’t enjoy it! It was, in some ways, more of a bonding experience for the poor weather. We certainly enjoyed and made the best of the time…doing more yoga, enjoying time by the fire chatting, indulging in group guided meditation, and generally sharing of ourselves. Obviously sunshine would’ve been appreciated however it not being there made it a whole new experience. On the face of it sunshine would have been essential but actually without it was an altogether different and somehow more intimate experience.Time where we learnt, and we almost enjoyed the challenge of making the most of each situation. I think people inspired each other. On the last night we were discussing ways we were planning to change and to move forward…and it made me smile as I’ve yet to go on a yoga retreat that doesn’t change me in a positive way 🙂
So on route home, this time from a very different Ibiza. The next retreat is now fully booked with many of this retreat’s students rebooking for October and/or next May. Positive feedback in a very definite form 🙂 In some ways this retreat has emphasised to me that even when a situation is out of your control…such as the weather…it often just needs some re adjusting to find the positive and to enjoy the experience for what it is rather than resenting what it isn’t. This time I am flying home to the UK to another situation where decisions have been made for me. In a strange way it feels that the more obstacles we face the more we appreciate what we do have! And I have a lot!
I share my world with some wonderful people. They support me and allow me to feel that from the basis of that support I can move forward in a different direction to the one I originally intended. However when one door closes it sometimes causes a draft that opens a door somewhere else!! I feel that is what is happening here.
My path has taken an unexpected but no less interesting route, and in many ways this direction has many benefits. If I look back at my life in the last year I have achieved many things. I have made myself proud and worked hard on myself and on my business. However I have also lost something. I have lost that relaxed time for me! There is always something to do, a pile of admin that needs sorting or somewhere I need to be heading off to. There is a lot less time to just relax and enjoy being me. Even my own practice has often felt fitted into convenient times rather than being able to indulge and play.
Over the last couple of months I have been torn in different directions. Each path having benefits and neither being easy. However if I take my mind back to the end of 2012 what I remember is realising I needed more time for me. However when I returned I found myself back into my habit of taking on too much and losing the quality time for me. Much as I love yoga in cheshire that passion has a tendency to take over my life. My time was often filled with day to day routine and that the small joys of pottering and playing had been pushed to one side. However this new doorway has a view that seems to include many places to pause and admire the scenery and check in with how things are. Rather than the fast flowing river of expectation and obligation that often carried me along before.
