Self-Care – A Time To Pause

When was the last time you had a day off? I mean a day strictly for you. No errands. An unplanned day where you give back to you 100% full out.

For the longest time I’ve always wanted to do a yoga retreat. The timing had never worked out and I knew in my heart that when the time was right it would present itself.

This past weekend I attended my first two-day yoga retreat. It was two full days Saturday and Sunday from 9-4. We had an hour off for lunch and it offered a mid day break to get outside, reflect on the morning and have some lunch. We then returned to continue to be taught, spiritually engaged, embrace silence and breathe!

The woman who led the yoga was named Jocelyn. She is a ball of fire with energy that is immeasurable and her passion to teach was mesmerizing. Being led by someone who is passionate makes for a wonderful learning experience. Jocelyn has been training for many years and her experience, education and ongoing teachings were so evident.

You know the class you can think back to where you loved your teacher? It was their voice, the way they organized their material to teach you, instilled humour, laughed and made the class super fun? That was my weekend. Fun. Laughter. Reflection. Silence. Pause. Repeat.

Qigong (pronounced CHI-gong) is what I learned about all weekend in theory and in practice. By definition, it is a holistic system of coordinated body posture and movement, breathing, and meditation used for health, spirituality, and martial arts training. It is like nothing I have ever experienced.

The movements and breathing evoked several emotions within me and left me feeling light, energized; yet tired all at the same time. It is something I truly want to continue to study and learn.

Changing up your exercise routine is vital for many reasons. While movement is crucial to our activities of daily living, a mixture offers us variety, challenges our physical and emotional well being and in plain old English, it’s FUN!

We had a nice small group of women, which also made this a welcoming experience. There were women of all different ages and from all walks of life in attendance. Each woman brought their own unique knowledge from their life and shared how this retreat affected them and that was also comforting.

As a Work Life Fit Expert, I continually offer lifestyle coaching and do professional speaking about taking the time for self-care and self-love. It seems to be the one element that most people struggle with (and lack) in their life. It’s easy to get caught up and be there for everyone and always be the “yes I can” person.

We cannot live a life of purpose and meaning when we are pouring from an empty cup. Self-care is not only necessary in our lives, it allows us to implement and sustain true boundary management.

For me, it allows me to practice what I preach and continue to be authentic and live my life as the best version of myself daily. That is my WHY.

We all have holiday time that we should take. A break offers many elements to work life fit such as: relaxation, rejuvenation and the time to pause, which we all need on a daily basis, not “just” on holiday time.

Get yourself ahead of the curve. Give back to you. You’re worth it. Namaste.