Spa Treatments: Do you want to channel the Vedas through a Himala-
yan Salt Stone Ritual? Or maybe Zen out with a Find Your Zen Ritual?
Maybe you prefer a more traditional massage? Or a Hydrafacial? Per-
haps a Lomi Lomi, which is a Hawaiian “loving hands” massage? How
pampered do you want to be?
Food: Do you want to eat vegetarian or vegan food while you’re away?
Or maybe you want to have a sattvic (pure) or Ayurvedic diet while on
retreat? Is it time for a juice cleanse? Is the food served at a food hall or
in the ambiance and atmosphere of a restaurant?
As you can see, there are many ways to personalize your retreat experi-
ence. In Tourism, A Sacred Journey, the authors state that tourism, “Is
functionally and symbolically equivalent to other institutions that humans
use to embellish and add meaning to their lives. It may be understood
either as a regular secular ritual (the annual vacation) that acts as a coun-
terpoint to everyday life and work, or as a more specific rite of passage, or
‘personal transition,’ undertaken at particular junctions in peoples’ lives.”
There’s truly something for everyone!
If you’re a Type A person, going on a yoga adventure may be fun, but
it may be more of the same Type A energy of constantly being on the go
that you normally experience. Maybe a digital detox would be better?
Consider asking yourself what’s going on in your life and how your cho-
sen retreat might lead to greater balance or inner harmony for you since
the time spent on retreat can, quite literally, change your life.The Retreat Process
On retreat, don’t be surprised if your stuff comes rising to the surface,
especially if it’s a retreat with deeper training involved. If you’re con-
stantly active with life and work, when you finally have some free space,
subconscious emotions may come up. Take the time and space you need
in order to honor your feelings and be with yourself. For some people,
this is a natural part of the process of slowing down.
Sharpley and Sudaram describe three stages of the retreat process:
Separation Stage: This is the time when people decompress and be-
come freed or distanced from their ordinary routine as they enter the
new retreat surroundings.
Liminality Stage: The transitional phase of entry into a sacred state of
anti-structure in which the structure and order of normal life dissolve,
everyday obligations cease to exist and new forms of relationships are
created based upon a leveling of statuses. This can produce feelings of
excitement and bonding between participants.
Re-integration Stage: Described as the process of returning home to ev-
eryday existence in society where the techniques and practices that were
done on retreat become, as HuffPost writer Ariston Anderson calls it, “a
vacation souvenir.” People return to their individual worlds with these
souvenirs. This is one of the greatest distinguishing features between a
traditional vacation and a retreat. Travel and retreats both provide you
with methods of relaxing and taking care of yourself while away. But, yogaPhoto by Shirley Shivon