If you’ve been following us on social media, you would know that last week I spent 7 incredible days sailing around the breathtaking Indonesian archipelago on a solo ocean retreat. After running my retreat in Bali, I wanted a retreat to retreat from the retreat with! 🙂
Have you ever taken a vacation or gone on a retreat and you knew you needed a break, but you didn’t know quite how much you needed a break, until you were there?
That was me.
While I am so grateful that we have been able to continue our Bali retreat business (to some degree!) online over the last two years, it’s been a pretty steep learning curve for me. It’s also required me to step up in new ways and have a lot of new responsibilities too.
On top of that, I’ve been separated from family and friends in New Zealand (despite many lottery attempts to get there!) There’s also been the added pressure of keeping our full Bali Retreat team supported. Plus making sure our two young girls are entertained and learning while school and daycare has closed sporadically with lockdowns.
I didn’t realise how depleted my cup was because I had become used to just trying to “keep up” and be prepared for what each day would bring.
I am sure if you’re reading this, you can relate! It’s been a BIG couple of years.
When I took a moment to take stock of how I was really feeling, I realised:
- I was exhausted after such a whirlwind of constant change.
- I had lost touch with myself as my own person without all the labels (mum, wife, employer, teacher?!)
- I had disconnected from my own dreams and goals after spending so much time just focusing on the day to day.
- I had lost touch with the power of nature after spending more time indoors and on screens than usual.
- My world had become much smaller and very routine and I ached for open horizons and new experiences.
So, I booked this trip.
I ‘justified it’ to myself as being a research trip for a new retreat we are launching (more on that in a minute!)
Yet I knew deep down, I also really needed this for me too.
We set sail for a 7 day ocean retreat and I spent this time:
- Swimming and paddleboarding in the most crystal clear turquoise waters.
- Exploring tiny remote islands where my footprints were the only ones for miles.
- I enjoyed meeting new people aboard and also in the local communities we stopped at along the way.
- I woke at dawn when the world was quiet and I journaled and meditated as the sun rose over the ocean.
- I enjoyed freshly caught seafood and icy cold coconuts.
- I allowed myself to live fully as much as I allowed myself to surrender and relax.
- I filled up my cup to the point that it was overflowing and I was so joyous.
You can view a video of my journey here.
I was filled with gratitude and awe and ready to return home again and be fully present. I felt my energy levels return and my mind become clear. All the things that felt like they had been piling up on top of me no longer seemed like mountains I had to conquer. Just road bumps I could easily navigate.
As I mentioned, part of this journey was in fact final research for something we are launching…
Escape Haven Voyages: A Wellness & Adventure Ocean Retreat
You may remember that just before the pandemic hit, we had announced our brand new offering ‘Escape Haven Voyages.’ A wellness and adventure yacht retreat around the Komodo islands.
Unfortunately, the events of the last two years required us to press pause on this offering that we were so excited about. (And had already sold out many of the retreat dates!)
After waiting for the right time, we have now released new retreat dates for 2022.
I am so excited about YOU experiencing the journey and the benefits that I did on your own ocean retreat. I love that we are launching the new dates while I am still so connected to the joy, euphoria and awe that the trip inspired in me. It really served to remind me of just how important this adventure retreat is for all women right now.
I am also excited to share that I will be leading this ocean retreat personally. This is something I haven’t done for some time! I feel so honoured to be guiding these journeys alongside my wonderful team. I can’t wait to meet those of you who decide to join me on these very special and exclusive retreat journeys.
You can find out all the details on the web page here.
Or email me personally with any questions you have here.
I’ve been home for over a week now and still feel the positive effects of the journey:
- I wake daily filled with energy and enthusiasm having rekindled that inner fire within me.
- I feel more present with the people in my life.
- I feel more dedicated to my own self care.
- My mind is brimming with new ideas and inspiration.
- On a deep cellular level I feel relaxed, rejuvenated and balanced.
- I feel confident about prioritising what’s important and what I can let go of.
- I feel reawakened, on every level.
I intimately know the power of a wellness retreat. However, when you pop the elements of a wellness retreat onto a yacht and set sail around one of the most spectacular parts of the world, ALL of the benefits multiply enormously!
This is a next-level wellness experience and so much of what makes it extra special are those simple things that we’ve lost touch with. Like watching a sunrise, sleeping under the stars, swimming in the wild, living barefoot, feeling salty and sun-kissed.
However, as wondrous as the simple things are, there are also exquisite moments of indulgence on your ocean retreat;
- Beach picnics on deserted island beaches
- Onboard massages and staff to attend to your every need
- Incredible feasts of fresh seafood, salads and local delights
- Yoga and meditation and breathwork on untouched stretches of sand
- And perhaps the greatest indulgence of all- time to yourself. Time for you to choose what YOU want and what YOU need and have the space and ability to do just that.
In all honesty, Escape Haven Voyages is the ocean retreat that I would book for myself. It’s the journey that I know would fill up my cup in ways a land retreat couldn’t. It’s the bucket list trip that i’ve always dreamed of taking myself.
Now it’s a reality, ad I’m inviting you to join me.
There are very limited spaces on these exclusive retreats so if you feel called, please do get in touch right away.
Get ready to reawaken.
