My whole life I’ve been intrigued by what happens when we leave our familiar environment and go somewhere new. This curiosity was probably programmed in me by my family’s regular home moves and my time in boarding school. I had to learn to navigate the challenges of change from a young age. What was initially a challenge became a gift in later life.
The word ‘retreat’ has its roots in the French word ‘retret’ which means to draw back or retire. When we draw back from our familiar lives we open the opportunity to see life differently. To go on retreat is to make a conscious choice to take stock of our lives in small ways or life-changing ones. Whatever the apparent motivation it’s an opportunity to press pause. Changing our environment and connecting with people from different backgrounds refreshes, inspires and energises us. The outcomes from this pause open doors at different levels of our body-being. Benefits can be felt in all or some of the following ways:
Physically: relaxation, rest & recharging helps us discover how we may better support our health & well-being.
Mentally: letting go of the daily schedule and life demands enables us to empty and open the mind, learning practices such a mindfulness or breath-work that support mental health.
Emotionally: retreat space, support and sharing encourages us to get in touch with what’s truly important personally, to release stuckness, to be inspired in new possibilities for our lives.
Spiritually: creating space and connecting with our soulfulness enables the recognition of what brings us true fulfillment.
My retreats are for women only. I offer them because I know in our natural capacity to carry a lot – we give birth (ideas or children), create, care and hold space for others in diverse ways – we can lose our self-connection. We get caught up in the external world and its demands. My retreats focus on connecting with the Deep Sacred Feminine within. It’s that aspect of our self that knows what we need but where we need space and support to make the deeper connections. Having the space to listen deep, to share, to reflect, to discover, to enjoy the simple flow of being held and nurtured in a group of women is powerful. It’s where the magic naturally happens!
My life’s experience as a child and young woman was all about disempowerment through abuse and violence. At age thirty-three my life turned around and I began to discover a different way of life. Initially that was about healing then it became about thriving and serving. Over the last thirty years my soul work has flowed into supporting the empowerment of our Sacred Feminine nature. By that I mean our capacity to truly care for our self, each other and our world; to reconnect with each other in true vitality, inspiration and soul purpose; to engage the gifts of our fierce caring, our vulnerability and our connection to our bigger picture. I’ve learned that pressing pause is essential to that evolutionary process, both daily and on retreat. I invite you to join me.
Author: Cassandra Eve of Whole Woman
