What does ‘vulnerability’ mean to you?

By Larah Davis, Founder and Co-Director of Ibiza Retreats.

In our most recent Harmonise retreat last week I asked this question of our beautiful group of sensitive and courageous women;
What does vulnerability mean to you?
The words that came back were swift and clear:
“Frightening”
“Weakness”
“Fear”
And we all nodded.  Because all of us, all thirteen of us sitting in the circle, could understand and relate to these feelings.  We collectively remembered times in our lives when we had desperately wanted to be able to express our pain, our deepest worries and insecurities, but we feared we would be exposed, ridiculed and perhaps even shamed.
Yet we were also there, together as warriors on this retreat; warriors who so deeply needed to put down our swords, release the tension in our shoulders from holding up our shields, to rest and stop fighting to ‘keep everything together.’
Whether we were keeping up an act of being strong, “sorted” and successful, or we were pretending to be happy in relationships or career paths that no longer served us, we all agreed that this was completely exhausting. So much tension, stress and pain is generated through being constantly ‘on’ in warrior mode, which leads to emotional and energetic depletion.
And so, as I asked them about how resting the warrior would feel……  we explored the state of “ahhhhhhhhhhh”.  We smiled as we shared the deep sense of release this would bring.
And when we release, when we dare to let go, to crumble, fall or “fail” we stop trying so hard to live up to the expectations of others. We start to put ourselves, our physical and emotional health first, rather than leaving it an after-thought that we hope to attend to some day.
And when we stop, we all agreed, we can step back from the stress of pushing ourselves to survive and succeed in ways that we thought we should do.
Instead, we can rest.  And when we can rest, our inner-wise woman can speak.  As she speaks, when we are still and quiet enough, we can hear her.
And here, in this apparently vulnerable place of stillness and rest, we can tap in to our deepest source of power: our intuition.  We can listen to our inner-guidance system and await the information to direct our lives in a way that truly serves our highest good. A highest good that can and will enable happiness, health and unveil the magic of life in all of its true colours.
Sitting in circle, breathing together, moving together, intending together, sharing together, revealing our vulnerabilities in a safe, secure space, we remembered how it should feel to be at one with ourselves.
Our vulnerability – when we can allow ourselves to sit with it – can ultimately be our hidden source of power.
So come together, cry together, share together – find others who you connect to and who feel, hear and see you and ensure you regularly, as a priority, create time to be TRUE to you.  To allow your deeper vulnerabilities to show in ways that you never knew you could,  and with people that you will intrinsically know you can trust.
And through this…. you can unlock the doorway to a life path that you are the director of – a life that empowers and inspires you.
Come and rediscover your joy….
Our next Harmonise retreat is on July 13th for 6 nights at the stunning Can Amonita retreat venue in San Lorenzo, in the north of the island.
          Contact us for remaining availability and room options; it’s time to put yourself first.

Five Steps to Rejuvenation

One of our most popular retreats is ‘Rejuvenate’ where we fuse yoga and functional fitness with super-clean eating, nutritional workshops and the all-important work on our ‘spiritual selves.’

The very essence of this retreat is about restoring balance. We all get a little out of balance at times, as life gets busy and sometimes our own well being and self-care practise falls to the very bottom of the list. We have created our Rejuvenate retreat to bring back that sense of balance – and to get your mind, body and your SOUL into a present and loving state – to empower you on YOUR life journey.

Here’s how we do it with our 5 steps to Rejuvenation – 

* Come back to your practise. Having a practise can slip to the bottom of the list when life gets busy and it’s such a vicious circle. In fact, making time for the practise is an incredible anchor when life around you gets tough. Taking this time for yourself every morning, BEFORE you offer your energy elsewhere, can help you create the space and self-care that you need to re-energise your entire system. We know it’s hard, but even when you are really busy and you feel like you just don’t have time – MAKE THE TIME! Even a 15 minute meditation and body opening practise will empower you and give you more energy. 

* Move your Body. Our bodies are healthier and fitter when we circulate and shift energy and keep them moving! Even if full on cardio classes or running is not your thing, find something your body likes and try it! Dancing, walking, yoga, playing a sport – all these activities are so important for our body-mind fitness and you’ll release those natural endorphins which make you feel so good after any movement activity. There is great power in strength and taking care of our bodies and making them feel strong feels really good. 

* Eat Clean. All the quick-fix processed foods, sugars, caffeine and other ‘crutches’ that we use when we are busy and ‘up against it’ add to this sense of heaviness and lack of energy. Fuel your body with as much fresh food as possible – even when you are on the run. Avoid reaching for the unhealthy snacks that play havoc with your energy systems and leave you feeling (after that initial fix) pretty horrible actually. You really are what you eat and we focus our programme on stripping out all the stuff we don’t need and replacing it with lots of healthy, energising options. 

* Be conscious. Begin to be aware of how you communicate in all your personal relationships . -and clean this up too! Often, identifying where the energy drains are in your life can be a really positive way to prioritise and focus your energies on what GIVES you energy back – and gives you the energy you need to go smoothly through your life. Here are some tips to being more conscious. 

– Start in the mornings with a practise of tuning into your breath and your energy system

– Set an intention for your day and take a moment of gratitude for what you have. Even if this feels hard, make the effort to find the attitude of gratitude – even for the most tiny things.

– Move slowly and mindfully – even when you feel rushed. Calm you breath and slow it all down. Often your mind is what wants to run and this is because your system is on ‘fight or flight’ mode.

– Take deep breaths at regular intervals during the day and ground yourself for a moment before moving on to the next task

– Notice your surroundings – the nature (even if you are in a city!) and its luminosity. It’s there! You just have to look a bit harder for it sometimes.

– Smile! It’s amazing how you get back what you put out! See if you can turn your day around by making eye contact with loved ones and strangers alike, take the time to listen and be truly present with who you are interacting with. And if it doesn’t feel good, walk away… x

– Fuel your body with good energy. You can make better choices and this is down to you. Empower yourself! 

* Be kind. Don’t give yourself a hard time. You are only human! Treat yourself with the same love and respect that you would a family member or dear friend. Remember the journey and not the destination.

If you would like to join us and start your journey to rejuvenation, check out our upcoming Rejuvenate retreat dates here.

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