These days, retreats are all over social media and I’m guessing a lot of you who like the idea are wondering what is it like to go on a retreat? Well we see a lot of them here and we have been on day retreats and workshops, but for the first time, last December, Damian and I went away to the Isle of Skye to see for ourselves, just what it is like to go on a retreat.
In this article, I will share with you our experiences, because not only will it help those of you looking through the retreats page on our website, but also anyone organising a retreat, to understand what may, or may not be important to their guests when planning a retreat.
Having been interested in the concept of fully breathing since being shown many years ago by a yoga instructor that I was breathing the wrong way around, (Yes who knew the belly was supposed to go out when you breath in and not the other way around!) I have read the books, watched Wim Hof do his thing and finally decided I wanted to learn from an actual person who could give me one to one advice.
I knew I wanted to be on a retreat run by a Wim Hof certified instructor, because I was also keen to learn more about cold exposure and the benefits to my health. Where to start, because fabulously, there are a lot more qualified instructors now?
I had decided on Sarah Huntley’s retreat because she was offering more than just herself as an instructor and she was offering more than just breathing and ice baths. When I saw that there would be goal setting coaching, pushing boundaries, hiking, comfort zones, limiting beliefs and more, combined with the fact that Sarah is also a Performance Psychologist, with a wealth of experience, then I was in.
When I showed Damian the retreat I had picked for myself to go on, he decided he wanted to come along also, which was a surprise to me, because retreats are not really his thing – yeah I know we run a venue predominantly booked by retreats, but hey, you don’t need to be able to do Downward Dog, to understand the benefits your wife gets from it. There were a few other factors that inspired Damian. Sarah’s social media showed more than just women, so he felt there would be a variety of activities and hence of more interest to him. There were hiking and outdoors adventures firmly on the marketing material which was another tick. Finally, the location of the Isle of Skye was somewhere we had wanted to visit and the bonus of a winter retreat for cold exposure lessons, over the period of my birthday was perfect. The fact that this retreat was longer than just two days over a weekend was also of interest to us, as we knew we would get more in-depth benefits from a longer period of time investing in what the retreat experts had to offer. For us personally, it was better than arriving late on a Friday night and then thinking about rushing off to beat traffic on a Sunday afternoon.
Sarah’s communication before and after booking, helped us settle in to what to expect and confirmed we had made the right choice. Everything from the kit list, to a WhatsApp group to meet the instructors and other members, meant we arrived feeling prepared and ready to embrace everything.
The accommodation was even better than the photos and it was nice to have a choice as a couple to have a private room. It was not a deal breaker for us as we have stayed in dorms and hostels across the world, but it was good to have the choice. As it happens, we barely spent any time in our room, because the rest of the accommodation and our group being ace, meant we hung out in the communal areas anyway.
The first group exercise settled every single one of us in, because the instructors were so open with their backgrounds and experiences. Not all groups work together as I’m sure you have experienced in life, but we knew we had found the people who were like minded. Maybe it was the information of the retreat that had brought our little tribe together, or maybe it was the energy of universe, who knows, but we knew we were in for a fabulous week.
Of course the cost and time out of work was a consideration for us, but we saw it as a holiday with the benefits of bringing home some life health lessons to take in to our everyday life on returning. Having been on the retreat, we both honestly feel it was worth the investment. Having seen everything that goes in to retreats here, before, during and after and knowing how much value for money we got from this retreat in Skye, our view is to never dismiss something you know will add true value to your life. I’d rather go on retreats like that, than have a wardrobe full of up to date fashion, any day.
Let’s talk food, because I feel this is the biggest topic of concern for most retreat organisers. With food prices these days, food on a retreat is a big cost. Now the fact of if you value the food as a guest, will probably come down to if you have any intolerances, or are a foodie, or someone who just views food as basic fuel and not a dining experience. Sarah had booked two chefs for the retreat in Skye and put it this way, we want the chefs, Kate and Chris, to come and cook here! The food was incredible and made a massive difference to the days. I asked for vegan and was blown away by the quality of it. I received tiramisu that looked the same as everyone else’s for example. I was not given a fruit salad simply because they couldn’t figure out what to serve the vegans! The other thing I noticed, is that because Sarah had booked chefs, herself and the other instructors, were able to come and dine with us and chat to us about our experiences, rather than be off in the kitchen. They were relaxed at meal times and hence had time to give us their best. Don’t get me wrong, they also had time to be off at certain times, so they could recharge without consistently giving to the group, but having them around with us for meals was so lovely.
I won’t share all the activities we did incase it is a spoiler for anyone going on Sarah’s retreats, (although the photos give you an idea ha ha) but they absolutely delivered what we expected and we personally loved it being a fuller schedule with just a little time off. I remember hugging Sarah with delight after one of the outdoor adventures, so that’s the experience you want out of a retreat isn’t it. To feel whatever you need to feel at that time, be it pure joy, or simple blissful calm.
During our week we both felt safe to be open and challenge ourselves. We were helped to feel comfortable enough in the group to share and bond. We still chat away and send each other things in the WhatsApp group over 2 months later. This kind of experience doesn’t just happen. It comes with experts with a wealth of experience and knowledge that they have spent years developing. The fact that there were four instructors for us, also meant we had plenty of guidance and help throughout the week. I personally came away feeling inspired and with a full heart, along with tips to help my health and wellbeing and a new set of friends to arrange to visit.
Superb retreats come with experts, planning, love, dedication, hours of behind the scenes hard graft, understanding and human beings that are passionate about how they can help you.
Sarah, Dan, Hayley, Andy, Chris and Kate:
You gave us the most special week in Skye to treasure and you know, you awesome human beings, just how much we thank you for it.
Links for anyone interested:
Sarah
Dan
Andy
Hayley
Kate & Chris
So to our thoughts on what is it like to go on a retreat – it is a special thing to experience. If you are inspired by our words, or even thinking of running your own retreat, here are a few keys points we mentioned in our write up to have in mind.
Key Considerations for booking a Retreat
What do you want to achieve out of a retreat?
Is there something you wish to learn, or is it just about time away from a busy house.
Who to pick.
It may be a recommendation, or a list of skills that draws you to the person running the retreat, but always worth looking at what they do to see if it inspires you. They may just be the facilitator, but are bringing in other experts for certain sessions, so do a little research if you are unsure.
Will you be with your kind of tribe
This isn’t about if everyone arrives in a Bentley, but more about does the retreat and activities involved bring about the people you are happy to hang out with. Does this matter as much as the reason you are booking the retreat? We see all different walks of life come together because they share an interest, rather than what their background is.
Length of retreat
This may come down to, how far you have to travel and how many days holidays you get. Do you value this time as essential to be able to cope for the rest of the year? How easy do you settle in to a place and group of people? Would you prefer time to relax and fit more things in, rather than feeling like you have spent a couple of days driving to and from somewhere and to have to leave, just as you were getting in to the spirit of things?
Location
Does the location make a difference, or is it more about what is on offer? Do you need to escape away from city life, or want to be in a place with things to do during your time out sessions?
Accommodation
Do you want luxury, or rustic? Do you need single occupancy because you need space to take it all in at the end of the day? Are you coming on a retreat to meet friends so therefore want to share a room?
Communication
If you are a detail person, who needs to prep, then just explain that to your retreat organiser so they know to help you feel at ease. If you worried about an activity, then getting a kit list can help you understand what to expect. We sometimes have guests contact us as the venue to find out details they are unsure about, because the retreat organiser is away on a retreat and they can’t get hold of them. Everyone is different about how they plan a stay away, so just be honest about what you may find helpful.
Retreat Schedule
Sometimes in life, you just need to go to a different place than home, be cooked for and have a lot of time to chill out. You may be the person who wants to pack as much as possible in to your time away and to see as much of the location as possible. This is where choosing between retreats that offer the same fundamental items, such as yoga, may help you decide. Do you want a yoga retreat with only two sessions a day and time to yourself, or one that also offers the chance to do something creative, or explore the local location?
Investments
Everyone will have a different view on what they wish to pay for a retreat depending on their background, upbringing, life circumstances at that time and disposable income. This is why retreats are all so different. Some have more experts and some will bring you chefs. Some are 5 star hotels and some are overseas. Some people will view their health as the most important thing they spend their money on. Others feel they can’t justify too much, because they feel selfish, rather than viewing it that they could go home a better person that benefits everyone in the long run. All of this is a personal decision, but our advice would be to check what payments are required and when, so you can plan ahead. Take out insurance just like you would for a holiday, so if you have to cancel you are not caught short. Know what the retreat T&Cs are. (Remember, retreat organiser and chefs and venues are all people paying mortgages just like yourselves, so they have to have cancellation policies in place, so they can still pay the bills if they are left short and cannot refill bookings.)
Dietary Requirements
If this is a concern for you, then look for a retreat that can cater and understand why food is just as important to you as the rest of the group. Nobody wants to feel like the after thought and good chefs know how to do this well.
We hope this helps you, whatever your retreat journey is and feel free to share this article with anyone you think may benefit from these kinds of decisions.
