Retreats: My Secret to a Balanced Body and Mind
If you’re from a big and bustling city, you might find it hard to switch off but I’ve found that eating great and doing yoga on the daily has had some transformational benefits. This is one of the many reasons I’ve decided to start organising wellness retreats with one of the most important people in my life; my mom.
I know what you’re going to say… isn’t launching a yoga retreat WHILE running a full-time fashion business going to be a lot of hard work?!
Well yes, I’m not going to lie, my fashion business is a challenge in itself…the hours can be long and has challenges – but it’s what I live for and I am passionate about it. I’ve always loved fashion and now, being an advocate for living better from the inside as well as the outside, I can't think of two business ventures that complement each other better. My mom and I make the perfect team, I’m the social butterfly - the PR of the business and she’s the organiser, the scientist – the expert in natural healing.
Life in a Big City
As much as I love London, living in such a big city is crazy, non-stop and even hectic, especially when you’re an entrepreneur – things can quickly pile up on you.
Growing up I always followed a strict regime. Maybe even too strict may have caused me to rebel (we’ve all been there right 😉). Anyway, this little rebellion/stress of the city caused me to gain 10kg over a few years which didn’t make me feel great from the inside at all.
I was eating foods that were bad for me, ditched my vegetarian lifestyle and just grabbed a bite whenever I got a spare few minutes – I really put no thought into how I was fuelling my body.
Transforming stress into happiness
Nowadays people are aware of stress, how life can get on top of you, and how we need to care for our mental health just as much as we do for our physical health. But what I didn’t know is how I was coping with this stress, and how I imagine you guys cope with it too.
Here in London, there’s always something happening to help us wind down after a crazy day. We end up going out most, if not every night and with that, grab a bite to eat in local restaurants – where the food isn’t always the healthiest. When we’re not socialising in restaurants, we hang out at friend’s houses, and, of course, drinking is involved and it a social situation it can be hard to avoid.
So we realise a change is needed, but think a yoga class here and there and cutting back on meat once in a while will help.
Don’t get me wrong, this is great! But the key to a balanced body and mind is consistency and routine so we can maximise the full benefits of making these lifestyle changes.
From Unhealthy to Balance and Consistency – Thanks to Retreats
I was in that routine I described above. Fast forward a few years later and I am a happy and healthy vegetarian who lives and breathes yoga and feels incredible on the inside giving me that all-important glow on the outside.
Whenever I travel overseas I always incorporate yoga practice into my daily routine and when in London I love to hit the gym for more high-intensity workouts.
Another secret to my success? Retreats – the ultimate opportunity to relax, recharge and nourish your body with all the things it needs.
Over the years I have been in awe of the positive impacts yoga and wellness retreats have on your life, I witnessed my mom and her friend have transformational experiences in just a few days; tears of joy, seeing that inner glow and just that change that seems to occur after doing something so great.
The Mexico Retreat
Mexico has a special place in my heart. I’ve been lucky enough to visit Mexico 7 times in the last 2 years and everything from the art, to the culture to the beautiful beachside village of Mazunte is just a little slice of heaven on earth that I want to share with like-minded individuals.
Youma on the hills of Mazunte for morning Yoga session, at Mario's home.
During the retreat, we focused on nourishing both our bodies and minds with vegan foods and juices but we were also welcoming of those people who wanted to fast during this special period we spent together. I myself have fasted during the retreat and already I see and feel the difference and I did right from the get-go.
The reason I wanted to incorporate healthy eating/detoxing in the retreat was that being vegetarian is so important to me. My grandad has a farm which is where I spent a lot of my childhood. It meant that I developed a special connection to these animals which is why I choose to be veggie.
I also find that it’s the perfect way to kickstart your new routine. We made sure we taught all participants of the retreat the cooking skills required to make yummy vegan dishes at home so now, moving forward, it’ll be super easy to make vegan cooking a part of your daily routine.
The retreat included 7 nights of luxury accommodation and a complimentary massage from our wonderful therapists.
Our therapists at the Mazunte retreat came from all corners of the world and all have a specialist area of expertise. We met and interviewed each and every one of them several months prior to the retreat and only chose the therapists we have personally tried and benefitted from ourselves.
We also had the opportunity to visit attractions and take part in daily excursions. We swam with dolphins, went whale watching, we hiked and even observed crocodiles in the Mangrove, closer than I ever seen any. We had some shamanic ceremonies (temascal, and some others more intense ) – we did all the things that made our participants feel great about themselves and loved every second!
These excursions were teamed with 2-4 hours of daily yoga practice for all levels alongside spiritual healing and shamanism.
The Mexico retreat was fully run by myself and my mom (Maud Lethielleux) who is an award-winning published French author and with plenty of experience partaking and arranging yoga retreats and we can’t wait to tell you about our next one!
Up and Coming: Where’s Next?
These retreats are designed to show you that a balanced body and mind is within easy reach, probably easier than you thought!
If you were unable to make our Mexico retreat, don’t worry! We will be running them every three months during 2020 and will have a retreat in El Hierro in the Canaries, Rishikesh (which is one of my personal favourites) and our place in Essaouira in Morrocco which is a yoga and meditation centre called Tigmi Alyom.
We’re already thinking about places for 2021 too… one day I’d love to hold a winter retreat in Norway, Finland or Iceland to see the Northern Lights – watch this space I’m sure there’ll be lots of exciting things to come 😊.
If you’re interested in joining us at any of our retreats be sure to reach out to us. Also, give us a follow on Instagram for all the latest updates.
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