You know you love Yoga, and you'd like to know more about Psychology, but not sure whether to take the plunge and jump on board our Yoga & Psychology Retreat?
Over the last 8 years, I've asked participants why they came and why they came back again. Here, I've summarised the top five reasons people so love our retreats.
You know you want to improve your health, and you just need the right kick-start
The number one reason people join our retreats is for guidance in making practical steps to improve your health.
All too often my clients come in with information overload. The first step is learning to distinguish right knowledge from trends or "faux authorities".
Simply defined, "right knowledge" is information which can be backed by references. The higher the quality of the evidence (yes, evidence is ranked), the more reliable the information.
When you engage with us, you can rest assured the information is backed by rigorous evidence. Our post-graduate studies have instilled, no indoctrinated, our work with this standard (Thanks UQ!).
The number one reason our clients follow us is because they know our work is backed by cold hard fact (oh, and btw, those cold hard facts include that right now, you, the public, need us).
2. You've noticed a repetitive way of thinking but just can't seem to break the camel's back
Self criticism, negative thinking, replaying past experiences can perpetuate a cycle which leaves us helpless to respond. You've probably spoken with a close friend, searched a few articles, or sought help from a therapist but you just can't seem to break the camel's back.
If you recognise a pattern and you‘ve exhausted your resources to resolve it, you've probably built some "strategies" in attempt to relieve the stress, anxiety or loneliness, such as excessive working, scrolling or reaching for a glass of wine. You've probably tried medication but don't like the thought of being on it "for life". Maybe you've even tried yoga and meditation but it just "didn't work".
On retreat you'll learn the practices which make yoga a way of life. You'll learn the why and how, rather than the what. Why we do yoga, and the mindset of yoga impacts our intrinsic motivation in a way which the postures alone never can. Retraining patterns / rebuilding neural pathways, takes consistent personal effort and 2-day retreat will give you a sporting chance to understand yoga in a way which interrupts old patterns of thinking, and finally breaks that camel's back.
3. Your work / busy-ness is eroding your personal time and headspace
"The sheer volume" is a phrase I hear all too often when clients describe to me their daily existence. Drained by simply meeting expectations, they "collapse on the couch", often with glass in hand.
Where is the time, let alone the energy for meaningful conversation and personal reflection?
Weekends are booked with expectations of a different kind, and in an attempt to reward ourselves for the hard work, holidays become a blur of booze and sleep.
It's inevitable relationships suffer under these conditions. "Relationship with myself?" you say "Ha! What relationship?"
Many of my clients book several months in advance, as a way of rewarding themselves. A reward they know will provide a return to their relationships, and create tangible connection with themselves.
4. You've literally forgotten how to relax
One of the main reasons my private yoga therapy practice is thriving, is because anxiety is prevalent. The fact is, when the nervous system has been wired to overactive, we literally forget how to relax, or as a self-aware client said recently "My to-do list is like thorns in my bed".
The majority of people who come on retreat recognise the need to retrain their physiology. While this starts at the level of the psyche, it is only made manifest at the level of the body.
Retreat is a chance to remember how good it feels to relax. How healing and nourishing and deeply self-soothing is the felt experience of softening and release.
5. You're over talking and ready to act
There's clearly a place for talking it out. That's why we air frustrations of the day with spouses, and vent complaints with friends. When you find yourself saying the same thing over, it's time to reach for your yoga mat, my friend. Yoga shifts our experience beyond the benefits of exercise. But more on this in my next blog post,
Whichever your reason for joining retreat, you can rest assured it will be met in style. While our schedule is founded on the monastic tradition, our accommodation meets today's needs for creature comforts (and coffee). Read reviews from our last retreat earlier this year.
And then take the plunge, and join
The Yoga & Psychology Retreat; Tradition without dogma. Luxury without the price tag.