Top Ten Reasons to Go on a Retreat

Some vacations are not to be taken with family. Sometimes you need a break from not just your working life, but from family life. And there's nothing wrong with saying that out loud. When you spend all of your time thinking about other people and what they are eating and how they are doing, you need a moment to think about yourself. If you're not used to doing that, it can feel weird, and it can feel strange to even think that you don't have to consider anybody else for a while. But taking time for yourself to relax and recenter yourself is a must if you want to be a functioning and happy human being.

The overwhelming Essence of Life doesn't just end when your work day finishes, because if you're coming home and cooking for other people and doing bedtimes for children and trying to get yourself sorted out in the very few hours you have left, you're going to burn out very quickly. Places such as Tensegrity Training can really help you to recapture yourself and recenter who you are. You need to take a pause from time to time, and going on a retreat can help you to do that. Here are top 10 reasons why you shouldn't turn down the opportunity to go at least once.

• Taking time alone. When was the last time you were truly alone? You were just on your own, without having to think of anybody but yourself. It doesn't matter whether you have kids or not. It doesn't mean you have ever had some alone time since before you're at work and thinking about your colleagues, or you're thinking about your friends, or you're thinking about your family. Retreats allow you time to just be by yourself and set yourself free from peer pressure, The push to be perfect, the demand on you for your career. You can walk away from that and spend some time just with yourself.

• Clarity. Sometimes you need to break through all of the noise, and gaining some mental clarity can help you to do that. A holiday can offer you time to relax, but a retreat gives you time to meditate, to eat well, to be in the right environment, and to learn from others about what relaxation truly means. You will inhale the positive and exhale the self sabotage and the thought patterns that have led you to feel insecure about yourself.

• Understanding you. This is known as Shadow work. It's all about understanding your weaknesses and digging deeper into those routes to be able to gain clarity and understanding about who you are. You will share experiences and traumas, and you'll share the lessons you've learned in life with other people on the same spiritual journey you are. Retreats give you a space to be able to be your authentic self with no judgment and nobody telling you that you're wrong for how you feel.

• You will feel close to divinity. You don't have to believe in any kind of God to go on a retreat. You can still have faith in the unknown and faith in a divine being without it being a specific God that's listed in the Bible or a book somewhere. Spiritual retreats offer you the chance to feel close to something bigger than yourself.

• Getting to know new cultures. Being somewhere else, in another place and in another land allows you exposure to new cultures that you may not have experienced before. If you're lucky enough to find the retreat somewhere beautiful, then there's nothing better. You'll be able to find the new destination that really captures your soul and you might feel connected to another culture in a way that you wouldn't your own 

• You have a chance to bond. A retreat is about disconnection with your day-to-day life and with the crowd. It's a time that allows you to breathe and feel strong and allows you to feel excited by life. Love blossoms in those moments, and when it's nurtured correctly, you can finally start to bond with yourself and love yourself once again. Not all retreats are about connecting to other people, especially when you are looking to gain space from that so that you can finally embrace yourself.

• Getting professional help. Often, retreats are peppered with therapies and counseling appointments that allow you to talk through issues you're dealing with in your everyday life. You don't have to deal with those frustrations alone because there is somebody there who can work through it with you. They will go deeply into your world with you and uncover your weaknesses, your shortcomings and infirmities with strength. These are teachers who are well accredited and they have a lot of experience in life to be able to sit and help to guide you.

• You Reconnect with nature. Getting back to basics is all about reconnection with nature and what's around you. This is known as reconnecting with the Mother, but we're talking about Earth. You can go on a retreat that is popular in your destination and when you do, feel excited about what you're going to experience. One of the best reasons to go on these kinds of retreats is to reconnect with Mother Earth. 

• Eating well. Retreats are not just about those yoga experiences or counseling and therapy sessions, they're about cleansing yourself inside and out so you'll be able to eat food that is rich in nutrients and minerals and feel excited about the chance to! Being able to eat delicious food somewhere that you are enjoying yourself and finally feeling more yourself is exciting, so you should embrace it.

• It's time for a detox. A retreat takes you away from the indulgences of everyday life so if you smoke or you drink or you're getting stuck in a pattern of not sleeping you can break those habits and patterns at a retreat.