take a self-retreat
Even when you can’t go anywhere, you can still take yourself somewhere.
Photo by Katie Salisbury
In August, I was feeling a little depleted – like the rest of the world, hanging in there since March. I knew it was important to refill my cup before we enter this next phase.
In search of inspiration, I ended up on the website of Rachel Rossitto, one of the teachers who has influenced my journey. She happened to have a video on designing your own self-retreat! So, I picked 2 days (a Friday and a Saturday) to do my self-retreat.
I cleared my calendar for those two days. The "opening" of this container was my last official meeting that Friday afternoon. The "closing" bookend was a socially distanced outing on Saturday afternoon the next day.
The highlight of the self-retreat: a candlelit bath, with a view of the moon and the trees out the window. (Definitely some Mill Valley vibes!) I didn’t have a chance to go to the store before the retreat, so I skipped the bath salts and repurposed a gorgeous pillar candle I found in the living room.
Other yummy treats:
Took myself out to breakfast the next morning, to my favorite cafe with outdoor seating
Bedtime reading: Perused a book about architect Antoni Gaudi which I had brought back from prior travels, briefly “transporting” myself to Barcelona.
Yoga mat and eye mask in the living room for a sound bath by David Shemesh
Meditations by Rachel Rossitto
Copious bowls of loose-leaf tea, curls of steam wafting upwards
Overall, it felt so nourishing. Like most of the world, I didn't have any big plans for that Friday night anyway, but having the intention to unplug made a huge difference in creating a container. In the days leading up to the retreat, I naturally tapered off communications and activities, slowly decelerating into stillness.
I totally underestimated the power of going inwards, even minimizing speaking to anyone else that weekend. The combination of healthy solitude, rest, and reconnecting with my body and senses has helped a lot to come back into my own center of gravity.
Given our collective situation, it was also nice to have something to look forward to. In the words of Elizabeth Gilbert, "Do something different til better comes along." Glad I had the chance to recharge along the way.