Glow
Maybe it is jetlag, but the glow post retreat is oh so sweet.
Our Portugal retreat ended on 23 April and we all scurried to our next destination. Some were continuing their travel, while others were getting to their final destination to take that long international flight home. I was in the latter camp.
I made my way to Lisbon with 3 attendees on my flight, and while not sitting together, we still had that “we are family” energy flowing. Upon landing, I said goodbye to two, and traveled to my hotel with the 3rd.
We checked into our separate rooms, rested, then headed out for our final dinner. Being alone with each other allowed us to go even deeper into conversation. I absolutely adore this woman and have known her for many years now.
She asked how the retreat was for me as a co-leader. Do the leaders ever get time to relax?
To be honest, not really. But my retreat co-leader and I are a well-oiled machine, each with our own strengths, and know intuitively when the other needs a break and trust each other wholly to handle whatever comes up.
And things do come up. In past retreats, we have encountered train strikes, attendee illness, retreat leader illness (oh hi!!), attendee anxiety, attendees working through personal challenges (some known and unknown), injuries, you name it. It has all happened. You are “on” and you make sure all are cared for during their time with us. With that, you don’t completely relax. But that is ok.
There is nothing better than seeing the entire group just “click”. And that is what happened by the time dinner was served on arrival day during this trip. It was amazing to watch.
Some favorite moments:
The utter joy on their faces when they entered our retreat home for the first time.
The oohs and ahhs eating our chef’s incredible meals and their sudden love for him and his team.
The warmth and inclusivity of the group, welcoming two attendees that were not practitioners at the yoga studio. One from New Jersey and one from Switzerland.
The church bells ringing at the exact moment I ended my morning Vinyasa Flow class on the roof top.
Our “we are all getting in the water, I don’t care if it is cold” mentality during our boat trip. Some of us stayed longer in the water than others. God love ‘em.
Our oddly unique random bonding session that started over a glass of wine with 4 of us at the dinner table, which morphed into all of us hanging out in the living room sharing how we met our significant others. Not part of the plan but shows that the “click” carried through and the trust was there to share something so personal.
When our “stranger” attendee said, “I just signed up to do a yoga retreat to get away and came away with so much more.”
So no, I don’t relax fully as I would when on vacation with my family or friends, but the flip side of that is I get to be a witness to some incredible moments and transformations that happen when a group collectively comes together for one common interest and finds more commonalities that end up bonding us for a lifetime. For that, I am ever so grateful.