Last Sunday, I stepped out of my comfort zone, my cozy little box, and led my first retreat. In reality, I had stepped out two months ago, when I committed to doing this. Once the contract was signed, I had a "What did I just do?!?!?" moment. I have been thinking about this for years, but I always over-thought it and talked myself out of it before I even tried. Recently, however, someone very near and dear to my heart has been struggling with confidence - despite being capable and competent, and I realized that maybe I was modeling that behavior to them. Maybe the impact of that was greater than I knew.  It was time to change that - or at least to try.

So, I started planning. The venue was a calm and peaceful farm, not too far away in Berger, MO. I had met the delightful owners earlier this year at another event there, and I knew that the energy of the land perfectly matched the energy I wanted for this retreat. I booked the date. Then, I settled on a theme, Rooted Presence, and the pieces started to come together. A student had gifted a Kokedama to me for Christmas, and the symbolism fit perfectly with what I was trying to create. I reached out to Lisa at Bound Beauty and asked her if she would travel from St. Louis to Hidden Holler Farm to offer a workshop. She was excited and agreed to make the trip! I knew that the yoga sequences that I would be leading would be grounding and nourishing, so I developed those early on, and added in a walking meditation. I really wanted my guests to reconnect with nature, feel the Earth under their feet and get their hands in the dirt. We spend so much time attached to technology and I wanted this experience to be the exact opposite. 

That left the food. If you know me at all, you know I don't cook. If it doesn't go in the Vitamix, isn't raw, or can't be scrambled like an egg, it is not in my house, lol! Despite this, I decided that I was going to handle all of the food for this event. This decision was the most stressful part of the planning process! But, eventually, it all came together and I actually had a little bit of fun doing it!

I also spent time every other day writing down exactly how I wanted the day to play out. From the weather I wanted, to the energy in the room, every detail was written down on paper, in ink, every other day. To my delight, the day played out almost exactly as I had visualized it would! This was another important lesson - if you dream it - you can do it, or where your mind goes, energy flows!

I am so grateful for the beautiful souls that attended this retreat! I hope they enjoyed a day of rest, release and connection. Namaste~

​A bit of feedback:

"Thank you for a lovely event on Sunday. It was the slow down I needed. And I took your advice: instead of getting home from the gym in the morning and racing inside to get ready for the day, I took five minutes to go into my backyard and walk around in the grass barefoot. And this morning, instead of racing to my laptop to get going for the day, I drank my coffee outside in my yard. Thank you for the gift of mindfulness. "

"It was a grand day!"

"Today reminded me that meaning rarely arrives while I’m rushing.It arrives while I’m paying attention."

"Over the past few weeks I’ve become aware of something I didn’t fully recognize I was missing.
Nature.
We just came back from an incredible vacation, but what I found myself craving wasn’t another beach or another destination. I wanted trees. Grass. Birds. The smell of damp earth.
I’m remarkably grateful I signed up for this retreat because it gave me exactly that."

​I pretty much start every day the same way. I get up at roughly the same time, do my workout, use my recovery tools-like red light and Power Plate while I'm doing my journaling and my reading for the day. Then I get ready and make my breakfast.
This is my routine.
I was listening to a podcast the other day about the difference between routine and ritual. She said the difference was that when you make something a ritual, it's more intentional. I started to think about it, and the parts of my morning that seem routine, I realized were more of a ritual.
Every morning before I get out of bed, I do a gratitude practice.
Some days this is short, and some days this takes quite a while. As I go through my morning, I have made it a habit to pay more attention to how interconnected everything is.
How I wouldn't be able to take my hot shower if it weren't for working hot water heater, the water department in our town, the rivers, the rain and all other sources of water. I wouldn't be able to have my morning smoothie without the
merchants, the truck drivers, the farmers, the bees, the plants, the sun, rain, soil, etc..
Thinking about these interactions and having a gratitude practice, turns my morning routine into a ritual that I'm incredibly grateful for, and that sets the tone for my day.
Do you have a morning ritual, or are you stuck in the routine of all of it?

These are just a few of many ways to help you work around tight muscle groups! Join us for class, or set up a private session to see what works best for you!

Spring is here and we are so excited to start our outdoor classes again! We meet across the street from the studio at the Washington Riverfront Park usually on a Saturday morning from 7-8 a.m. Our first practice is April 23rd from 7-8 A.M.!
I'm hoping to add a few weeknight or Sunday afternoon classes this year as well!

What are some of the benefits/reasons we practice outside by the water? 
1.) Practicing outside increases your proprioception - sense of where you are in space. The extra challenges outside demand that you focus more on your body and where you place your hands and feet, therefore improving your proprioception!

2.) Practicing outside helps build and strengthen the muscles you use for balance! The terrain is never as flat as the studio floor, the wind might be strong, there may be more visual stimulation that tries to pull your focus away from one spot. All of these things make balancing harder, but the more you practice outside, the stronger you get!

3.) Align with Nature! Smell the flowers, the freshly cut grass... Feel the breeze and the sun on your skin, the tickle of the grass on your feet... share your mat with an ant...try to balance while watching a cloud or bird go by.... turn inward amidst sounds you don't normally hear within the studio walls - cars, trains, people walking by...

Join us this coming weekend - which just happens to be Earth Day weekend!  Please bring a mat and any props you may need! Cost is $15 or you can use your class card!

We are excited to announce that we will be moving to Downtown Washington later this fall!  Sara, Michelle, and Zoe will be at 6 E. Front Street providing the same amazing services - Blu Room, Massage, Reiki - that they do now, and the yoga studio will be next door at 14 E. Front Street! Look for trapeze yoga to start, and for Amanda and Michelle to offer more classes!