Retreat Reflections

Hosting my first international retreat, Gettin’ Free + Embodying Ease, was one of the most fulfilling moments of my life, and I’m so excited to give you a peak into the magic! Everything flowed beautifully from start to finish and I truly couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

Our journey together was a perfect balance of deep work and joyful celebrations. We ate phenomenal vegan food, saw hundreds of dolphins, shed tears, shared hugs, and allowed ourselves to luxuriate in rest.

It all started on Friday, February 25th when the ladies arrived to Huatulco in Oaxaca, Mexico. A driver picked them up from the airport with a sign with their names, a warm welcome to a beautiful adventure they were about to embark upon.

When they arrived to our stunning ocean-front luxury villa, they were greeted by a breathtaking view, flower pedal mandala in the front yard, and were nourished with ginger + carrot juice shots and smoothies created by our amazing Chef Adaobi of Cosmic Kichin.

As the ladies settled in, we shared dinner while setting intentions for our weekend together. I made sure to acknowledge each of them for all that it took for them to be there — the money, time, and energy invested, and the fear they had to overcome. It’s worth celebrating and honoring the power in saying yes to oneself, I wanted them to know I really saw them for that.

The vibe was immaculate. Food phenomenal. Conversation deep and heartfelt. The space was beyond our wildest dreams. And we closed out our first evening together with restorative yoga under the stars, stretching out after a day of travel.

It was a perfect start to what would become one of the best weekends of our lives.

As the facilitator, I enjoyed the royal suite as my queendom to recharge after each day of facilitation. Which means I got to wake up to the sunrise sky overlooking the ocean, and go to sleep watching the stars from my bed. I centered myself with quiet time and meditation, preparing for a powerful day and asking Spirit to support me creating a space for transformation.

The early risers enjoyed golden milk lattes, read, and journaled by the pool as we awaited the leisure morning folks to join us for a day of deep work.

We got fired up with an energizing vinyasa yoga flow that got us into our bodies and reminded us of our strength. As we left the palapa and walked over to our villa, we could smell the deliciousness Adaobi was preparing for us. Brunch hit the spot with chickpea scramble, green juice, and a unique and satisfying porridge with amaranth + sprouted oats + chia seeds + topped with toasted coconut, pecans, and fresh Brazil nut milk.

We swam and enjoyed the nearby beach before beginning the next phase of self-reflection with a breathwork and energy healing session. This would be the height of our deep work day, an opportunity for the ladies to get radically honest about what they’ve been carrying for far too long, what’s ready to be released, and imagine all the expansive possibilities they’re stepping into moving forward.

I guided their breath for an hour-long meditative journey within. Deep inhale into the belly… second inhale into the heart… and release. All in and out through the mouth. Continuing this pattern at their own pace and rhythm for the duration of our session.

We called in the elevated ancestors, benevolent spirit guides, God and higher consciousness to join us in guiding the journey home to wholeness.

These goddesses did deep, powerful work! It was an honor to witness their emotional release, letting the tears wash down their faces as they allowed themselves to really feel it to heal it, rather than bypassing the tough emotions that have been swept under the rug and repressed for years. I held them every step of the way, reminding them it’s safe to be supported, they don’t have to hold it all alone.

The release makes space to receive. Once they’ve released the story of their struggles, burden of the beliefs no longer in alignment, and freed themselves from the grips of internalized oppression – the path was cleared for them to rise into alignment with their highest selves and the highest good of all beings on the planet. In the space of nothingness, everything becomes possible. So dream big goddess! What are you stepping into moving forward?

They imagined what their lives would look and feel like when they are at home in their wholeness and embodied in their divinity. Levity, peace, and love entered the space as they got lighter and freer with each breath.

After grounding back from the journey with journaling to capture their divine insights, we gathered around for a sharing circle. Part of the magic is not only in what we realize about ourselves in this process, but how we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and share with others – being witnessed in our authenticity and witnessing others do the same.

One woman shared about the discomfort of being seen and heard and we explored the root of that, while practicing stepping outside of the old pattern and allowing herself to be fully seen and celebrated in her magic.

We closed out the container by shouting affirmations over the cliffs to be carried into the ocean. One woman shared, “I am deserving” and became emotional because she could tell she didn’t believe it. Hearing the lack of confidence in her words, we explored what was keeping her from trusting that truth, repeating the phrase, rephrasing, and determining some next steps to dive deeper into the resistance to her words.

The next woman powerfully declared, “I am enough!” She shed happy tears, realizing she finally believed those words.

Another woman brought us all to tears in her raw and heartfelt plea, “I am safe and I am sacred.” Words that shook us all to our core, knowing she was in the process of gaining the confidence and security to leave an abusive relationship.

We all embraced one another in hugs that warmed us to our core and allowed us to soften.

To allow space for continued integration, we enjoyed a few hours of quiet, tech-free time. Many of us sat around the pool topless in our solitude, together.

We reconnected for dinner, a delightful treat of spiced lentil + cabbage stuffed taquitos atop a bed of vegan cheese sauce with a fresh, homemade horchata. Perfectly nourishing and grounding after a day of deep work.

We went to bed early to prepare for our day of play that started with a 6am wake up call the next day for our boating adventure. The sunrise greeted us as we sipped tropical smoothies before heading out the door for what would be a spectacular adventure on the water.

To keep our magical container unfazed by outside energy, I rented a private boat to explore the local bays in Huatulco and search for marine life. Our guide led us into the depths of the ocean where big turtles waved before diving deep, manta rays flipped out of water, and hundreds of dolphins jumped, played, and followed our boat! We were like a giddy group of school girls, squealing with awe at the beauty of life.

We listened to my bohemian blues playlist with beautiful instrumental melodies as we danced and allowed joy to fill every fiber of our being. Magic was in the air and we could all feel deeply in our hearts that this was a moment we would never forget.

As we approached the first bay to explore, several of the ladies shared that they were fearful of the water, hesitant to get in, or couldn’t swim all together – though they were all ready and willing to step outside of their fear and into the unknown waters. I invited them to look at the experience as a ritual, knowing that when they enter the water they can imagine all the old pattern’s that they’re cleansing themselves of, and hold the intention of all that they are swimming into moving forward.

It was a beautiful experience for me as a facilitator to practice patience and support each woman as she gained the courage to enter the water. While I wanted to dive in and play like a mermaid, I knew there was potent medicine in my patient presence, so I leaned in. Dominique slowly climbed down the ladder in her life jacket, one step at a time, one breath at a time. As she lowered herself into the water holding onto the ladder, we breathed together. I offered her my hand, holding and supporting her as she let go of the ladder one hand at a time. We sat eye to eye, hands to hands in the water synchronizing our breath and co-regulating. She decided to stay near the boat holding a rope rather than being swam to shore, but as someone who can’t swim she made enormous progress that day.

Adaobi confidently jumped into the water and swam to shore, setting an example and encouraging the others. Despite it being Joi’s first time in the ocean, she got in and followed suit, swimming to shore with the support of her life jacket. Lina followed behind and joined the ladies at the shore.

Next, Davona slowly lowered herself in with the ladder, fully suited up in a life jacket, pool noodle, and goggles. I sat with her assuring her that, “I got you sis, you can do this.” I held her hand and slowly swam her towards the shore. We talked and breathed as we made our way slowly from the boat to the beach. She looked up at one point, realizing we were almost there, surprised and excited to see her progress like, “Wow we’re really out here!! We did that!” Yes queen, look at you thriving.

Once I ensured each person made it into the water that desired to, I sat on the shore to meditate and really revel in the magic of the moment. I felt such immense and overwhelming gratitude that I wept tears of joy. I cried, feeling my heart so full, as I repeated “thank you” over and over. I was so proud of myself thinking, “I created this!!”

I could feel how much every single person on the retreat was releasing, opening up, and having the time of their lives. And it made me unbelievably happy that I got to create a space for them to feel and know that this way of being is available to them.

It was truly a top tier day spent on the water together!

When we arrived back in our oasis at the villa, the celebration continued! We ate another glorious dinner while chatting about how we felt about going home the next day, the challenges we might face, and how we were going to stay committed to cultivating this energy for ourselves in our daily habits and routines.

We closed out our time together dancing under the stars and reflecting on our favorite moments throughout the weekend. It felt so good to hear from each of the participants how they appreciated my authenticity, support, and care as a facilitator.

“I’m leaving this experience feeling whole… It feels almost unreal to know this part of me. I’m sitting here comfortable in my body and free. It feels like a new life, like being reborn.”

“I’m leaving this retreat feeling fulfilled and full… like I can move forward and get stuff done that didn’t feel possible before. Being in this high vibration helps me tap into creating more of this and believing that it is possible and my dreams can come true.”

“I’m leaving this experience feeling celebrated in my enoughness.”

And me personally, I’m leaving this retreat feeling deeply rooted in my divinity and at home in my power as a healer because I had the absolute honor to support this group of women leaving my retreat as goddesses embodying ease and feeling free.