By Susie Howell – Co-Director of Ibiza Retreats.

December is such an intense month, isn’t it? The social and family plans, the food shopping, the present buying and possibly some expensive travel arrangements to visit relatives thrown into the mix mean that stress levels are already understandably high before we even get to the build up to the end of the year –

It can feel super ‘strong’ on our nervous systems & on our emotions…

And then the expectation is that when the clock strikes midnight on the 31st of December, heralding the start of a New Year, we will wake up full of enthusiasm, clarity, inspiration and ideas and we jump out of bed in order to begin this exciting process of complete transformation!

Ok, so the reality is more often than not a little different, to say the least!

Many of us feel really exhausted after the over-indulgences of the festive period – be it food, alcohol, sugar, family and of course the pressure that we put on ourselves… it can mean January the 1st might leave you feeling a little flat and less than fabulous, with a definite air of uncertainty on how to make a change in your life. It can feel like an onslaught of all the things you ‘should’ be doing to go into this new year as a ‘better’ version of yourself, and this can be incredibly overwhelming.

I actually dislike the whole concept of New Year’s resolutions, as I feel that they make us look at what we think we need to improve about ourselves. This intrinsically means we are not accepting ourselves as we are and are looking to ‘fix’ things about ourselves that are not good enough.

I prefer a slightly adjusted version of the word ‘resolution’ and I thing it sounds so much more kind to say “I resolve.”

Instead of making a resolution to do, eat, behave differently, ‘to resolve’ is like a kind promise to yourself.

For example;

• I resolve to take myself on a walk outside, or in nature as much as possible.
• I resolve to treat myself kindly and give myself a little time each day.
• I resolve to not push myself too hard and to listen to what my soul really needs.
• I resolve to regularly nourish myself with good, healthy food.

Rather than start the New Year off with a whole bunch of stuff you say you ‘shouldn’t be doing’ each day, try resolving to bring some wonderful practices into your life that will make you feel enriched and alive, instead of pressured and deprived.

Here are some of my personal & really practical tips for easing into 2019 and for creating the smoothest start possible. These tips are not about punishment – they are about reward. So you ended up having a glass of wine on January 3rd – who cares? Every day is a new beginning. You have not failed, you are human and you are doing your best.

• Resolve to spend more time coming back to yourself and taking a moment to focus on your breath. It’s ok to start at the next breath – each breath is a new beginning, a fresh start. So never feel like you’ve missed the boat. Just take a deep breath and…start again
• Resolve to nurture yourself by drinking plenty of water. It’s easier to do this in the summer when we feel parched more often, but resolve to hydrate your body a little more every day. Clear your system from the inside-out and clean your internal space. It’s funny how once you begin the process of self –care with tiny steps, each step feels that much easier. So start small – from tiny acorns the tallest oak trees grow,
• Resolve to take a few minutes each morning, before you do anything else, to connect to your breath. To ground yourself and root yourself . Set a very simple intention for the day ahead – rather than a very long list of unrealistic goals. Be specific! Take one day at a time but have an overall goal of wellness and self-care in your head. One daily task achieved is better than a long list of uncompleted aspirations.
• Resolve to be kinder and more forgiving to yourself. Every day, every hour, every minute, every breath is a new start. Rather than tie yourself to a day on the calendar  – that will come around again soon enough – try looking at each moment in life as a new beginning.

We’d like to take this opportunity to invite you to join us on one of our incredible healing and transformational retreats.

 Our soulful retreats offer peace, relaxation but plenty of fun with inspiring holistic support alongside practical techniques to learn and take away with you, to incorporate into your day-to- day life. We offer a unique blend of yoga, mindfulness, life-coaching, holistic wellness workshops and tailor-made strategies for on-going self-care.

If you need to change something in your life, then along with the little things, take a really positive step and start planning your own Self Care for 2019.

If you feel you would like to dive deep, join us on one of our Harmonise or Nourish retreats – where your experience is very held and you are guided through the process.

Or if you like the yoga practice to do the work for you, as you trust in the magical process which takes place on the mat , try our GLOW retreat.

If you book before the end of January, then we will offer you a 10% discount and the choice of either an Indian Head Massage or Reflexology treatment, to add to your complimentary diagnostic, holistic full body massage. 

Remember – as we forge forwards into 2019, Kindness is Key – say something lovely to yourself every day.

I hope we will see you on the mat here at Ibiza Retreats soon!

Namaste

Susie x

By Larah Davis – Founder & Co-Director of Ibiza Retreats

“Be gentle with yourself”

In our society that celebrates high achievers, so many of us – and especially women – have pushed ourselves to and beyond our limits, and out of balance with our own natural rhythms and cycles that invite us to be gentle with ourselves at certain times of the lunar month – and year.

So the greatest gift of self love – that I practice every day and as often as I can remember, is to feel in, to tune onwards to my inner sense of self and to keep asking myself:

Does this feel like a pleasure? Or a pressure?

Your body, with its innate intelligence is ALWAYS channelling your highest good, so to feel inward is the key…. first thing in the morning, before you open your emails or turn on your phone… before you respond and say “yes” automatically…

Remember: 
“You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.”
Max Ehrmann

So this Valentine’s day – be compassionate when you feel you should be doing more or better, be kind to yourself about the dropped balls, less-than calm moments, mistakes in judgement – arguments and anger, anxieties and fears.

You deserve to honour, love and en JOY yourself – you deserve to be soft as well as strong, vulnerable and in need of support as well as the high-flying leader – and you are all of these things – it is what makes you YOU and you human ( or woman ).

As a mother of now two wonderful young beings, chaos often reigns in the most colourful and challenging ways!

Ibiza Retreats was my first baby and the passion that I felt for growing this organisation, for our purpose in serving the wellness of our clients, in Ibiza, in many magical ways, was hard to surpass.

It has taken TWO bright and shining little angels, to call me UP to the next level of self-care because, unless I nourish myself and my needs first, I simply don’t have enough patience and energy to give them the wonderful life experience that they deserve.

And now, on returning more fully into Ibiza Retreats this year, as a retreat leader, teacher, coach and yoga therapist, (as well as the business development and management that is all part of this great journey) there are more opportunities than ever, into which I can pour my energy.  And ALL of this, has been my joyful creation – yet, unless carefully managed, internally and externally, it can also become overwhelming.

So to maintain my sense of self, my connect to source, spirit and inner-self – as well as a mother’s heightened sense of awareness of all that is happening to my children, our clients and our team….  practicing kindness and compassion towards myself is the HEART-stone, of my self-practice:

–  In my morning barefoot walk to ground myself and connect to Mother Earth’s replenishing energies…  amidst the almond trees (alone – and complete with a steaming cup of ginger, turmeric tea)

–  In my conscious breathing in the fresh morning air – where I breathe into my heart to invite the kindness and compassion in (and exhale out from my belly, to release all self-judgement and self-criticism)

–  In my morning meditations where I create a sense of inner space – and evening legs-up-the-wall kidney & adrenal loving Viparita Karani rejuvenation

–  In the way I practice my yoga – accepting that right now, less = more – yin, therapeutic, soft yet deep, restorative and nurturing – whenever I can, throughout the day, without being overly disciplined

–  In the way I mindfully eat enough of the “treat” dark chocolate with nuts, bio curries and sumptuous vegan roasts to feel like I am TREATING myself on a daily basis

My self-care practice has expanded in many different ways  – and I also plan time into my week which is PURELY for doing what I LOVE (riding my horse!) and for what truly fills me up (juices and breakfasts and singing circles with sisters).

Patanjali himself, in the original yoga sutras, talks about finding your source of joy and happiness, which enables you to access this Anandamaya Kosha level of existence.

Never has this been more important, because by being KIND to myself, rather than PUSHING myself to keep going, by surrendering to the mess and the chaos which is PART of every parent’s hood, I am letting go of the egoic need to control and constantly “succeed”. Through this, compassion flows from my heart to my children, to my husband, to our Ibiza Retreats team, clients, friends and the world around us.

Yet my greatest practice of self-love and self-care has to be practicing self-acceptance, when I feel tired and reactive, lose my patience or feel low. Those are the times when it is so much easier to self-critique – yet by observing these emotional highs and lows, and looking behind them to their root causes, I can see where I have been over-doing things, get to know my “tipping points” and come back again to where and when pleasure tipped into pressure…. and that, I believe is the root of all loving self-caring.

And as I keep filling my CUP with kindness, compassion and JOYFUL choices, it keeps flowing over to the world around me.

Wishing you all SO MUCH LOVE, this Valentine’s Day!

Larah x