Getting what we want
What we really, really want…
What we actually want…
Have you ever taken time out to consider what you really want ?
We aren't talking about the plush house, the perfect lover, or that promotion to higher wages, but what those things would actually do for you. The needs under your wants.
With all the busyness of life, we often get swept along, barely steering our way around the obvious pitfalls in our path, not noticing that we are navigating the most obvious treacherous pitfall of all - the fact that we are SURVIVING - without really living.
We've all heard wise old adages about life being too short to worry about things, and how it is to be lived to the fullest - the strap line of many a holiday advert, but none of them dare explore how long you will be satisfied by this fleeting moment on a tropical beach.
Especially in these times, when there is so much fear coming from authoritative directions, driving family and friends looking to isolate themselves from each other - what craziness is this ?
But if nothing else, all the stopping and starting of cultural inertia, is enabling us the space to distill what it is that is actually important…
Taking the Time to Understand what we Want
Being too stressed by deadlines to think of the bigger picture is not new.
Ancient peoples also found this to be so. And they came up with some strategies to help.
High on their list was time out - the space to reflect and ponder upon what is important.
But they didn't arrange to do so by the busy pool with an endless lineup of Margaritas. We all know that just doesn't work.
So they included more than just the simple 'time-out' approach.
They included a large helping of time to themselves - without the pull of social interaction, so that the mind could settle more thoroughly.
They also abstained from food - which causes all manner of biological and mental stimulation, so as to reveal the actual emotions we have no time for in life.
They added further bodily practices - deliberately stretching and relaxing the body, so that the physical impact of the busy could be truly felt and taken into account.
Deliberate contemplation practices - opening up the mind for the greatest view of how best to spend one's time wisely.
And all of this in the most scenic, relaxing, expansive vista they could find - typically mountain tops or ocean views.
The retreats we run draw upon all of these ancient wisdoms to give you the best opportunity to see further into your life and your choices.
Unpack Yourself a Retreat
Most folk that come to us have been 'head-down' since they left school, self-medicating with alcohol or pharmaceuticals to withstand the pressures they put themselves under.
Day 1. A massive sign of relief is breathed on the first day. Some sleep like babies for the first time in years.
Day 2. The unwinding begins. Shoulders start to drop, the boundaries soften, and they begin to unravel, and meet their fellow travellers on the retreat.
Day 3. The pent-up stresses and toxins start to release in a long-overdue flood. Previously suppressed symptoms and emotions surface for release.
Day 4. Contemplation begins in a natural realisation of how they how they have been being on themselves, and that perhaps this is not the only way.
Day 5. Energy and hope starts to return and the body and mind learn to trust in this sense of caring softness - internal and external - the real person starts to emerge.
Day 6. Food reappears on the menu, and boundless energy and enthusiasm takes hold. Plans are made and determination takes hold.
Day 7. Returning to the world with vigour and inspiration, both for future foods and new directions in work, family and lifestyle.
So if you're barrelling along without a sense of purpose or direction...
Or if your sense of purpose and direction is running your body and mind ragged...
Starting to get tubby, lethargic, heavy, foggy, overwhelmed or under-resourced...
In need of a reset, a reboot, or just a damned good rest from it all...
Want your mojo back, and find your bounce again...
