EASING out of Lockdown…

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Support to ride those human-evolution waves…

By Larah Davis, Founder and Co-Director of Ibiza Retreats

As country by country, the world begins to open up its flight routes again, how are you feeling, deep in your belly?

 Are you feeling ready to live better, happier, healthier from the learnings of this Global Pause?
Here are 5 keys to support you to Ease out of Lockdown – and ride the human-evolution waves
1. Get grounded – you deserve to feel safe and WELL in your own skin!
Are you feeling as safe and clear and strong as you deserve to?
The “collective conscious” can have a positive or negative impact on how you are feeling.  This is the “energy field” between you and everyone else around you…  in your community, in your online communities and this energy passes through emails, whatsap groups and facebook newsfeeds.
So every day – begin your day – not on the phone or social media, but by sitting on the earth and taking 5 deep breaths from your heart, to your belly to the earth.
Affirm by TAPPING into your thymus gland: “I am safe, I am well, I am strong”
2. Get centered into your own personal power! 
Choose what you are listening to and reading to begin your days with a positive, loving and empowering foundation before reaching out into the outer world for other information.
Get out of your head and into your body by stepping out of bed consciously and entering yourself.
Ground into your feet and inhale your arms above your help, press your palms together and exhale your hands back to your heart to find your center again.
Repeat during the day whenever you need to restore equilibrium.
 
3. Breathe deep and Choose information that helps you feel Strong, Well and Good
Inhale deeply and exhale even more deeply when you are reading ANY information coming through – from friends/family/news stories.
Yes it is important to stay “awake and aware:.
Yet even more important is YOUR WELLBEING FIRST – so whether you choose to believe it or not –  “be strong” to whatever comes your way.
Rather than letting it affect you in a fearful or unbalancing way.
Remember – The choice is YOURS (and you have the free will to believe or not believe, to listen or to change the channel to beautiful healing music!)
4. Reflect and Rewire! 
Have you gathered the insights and learnings from the enforced Global Pause to be able to re-emerge wiser, clearer and with “reset” priorities that focus first on your health, happiness and overall wellbeing – and that of your family, friends and mother nature?
This re-emergence is a phenomenal opportunity – to ride the waves of transformation that began when we had to sit still, turn inwards and navigate our inner-terrirotires.
Because when you can note down what you have noticed, about what felt new, or good in this Global Pause, what enabled your body and your nervous system – and maybe even your mind – to relax in ways you had forgotten…. you can Rewire your mind to focus on the way you WANT to approach life, your friendships, your social interactions, your family time, your working life – from a place of integration.   Where you have integrated YOUR truth, your needs, how you are feeling day to day, with what you choose to share with the outside world.
5. Lets go slow – and TRUST in life’s flow
There has been so much breaking down of old ways…. systems, businesses, old ways of living, expectations and relationships
Trust is a seed that we need to plant deep once again
Plant it with your intention “I trust in life”.
Cultivate Trust by proactively appreciating all the positive aspects of these challenging times, all the knowledge and learnings that have arisen.
Now go slow to deepen the connection to your self – your innate wisdom and those “quiet messages” from your intuition which will help you trust in life’s flow and allow the universe – through friends, family and synchronistic situations, ensure that your needs can be met.
It is a practice. to ease out of lockdown in the way that serves YOU – so that you can also choose to SERVE the world, by being a LIVING part of this HUMAN R-EVOLUTION – by honouring yourself, your intuition and your truth.
Day by day.
It is a practice….
And we are here, via whatsap, email and phone, to support you!
Feeling wobbly? Needing support through this transition?
 
Larah and Susie are offering 1:1 Zooms to clear the fears and anxieties and help you clarify YOUR path forward, integrating Quantum Coaching, Breathwork and Yoga Therapy.
You can email info@ibizaretreats.com for more information, or call us if you want to chat to a friendly human voice for all the details on 0034 663 093 499.
Or join our R-Evolution Retreat in September – where Larah and Susie will be with you as your co-creator life-guides!
Lets hold hearts and hands and KNOW that our WORLD is WELL and we are ALL on this transformational ride!

Wheel of Life Priorities – Self Coaching for 2020 Clarity

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As we enter into the new chapter that 2020 allows, let’s embrace the 2020 Clear Vision!

by Larah Davis, Founder & Co-Director of Ibiza Retreats

 

 

I invite you to take just 20 minutes to reflect on and feel into your priorities so that you can enjoy a year (and years ahead) fuelled by the sense of power, ease and trust-in-life that unfolds when you are truly clear.

“Clarity is power and power is in the now” – Spiritual Entrepreneur Mentor Keith Cunningham

Create an hour for yourself, take a walk, stretch, and put on, if you wish, some calming music that enables you to relax and feel good in yourself before sitting for a few minutes, with your hands on your belly to slow down your mind by focussing on your breathing.

Set a timer for five minutes and breathe in for 4 and out for 6.  Keep your breathing long, slow and consistent, without forcing.  Keep it easy.

Now look below at the WHEEL OF LIFE.

 

wheel of life

 

Look at each of these different areas of your life shown and ask yourself:

 

  1. How much time/energy/effort did you invest in each area of your life  in 2019? ( 0 – 10 )

 

  1. How much energy/positive reward did you receive in 2019? (0 – 10)

 

  1. What do you want to achieve, experience/receive in each area in 2020?

 

  1. What do you need to prioritise for your work-life balance so that you can enjoy the journey?
  1. Next – explore the action steps that you need to take to allow these intentions to unfold.

 

Keep it simple, realistic and compelling.  Remember – to enjoy the magic at the Top of a Mountain, you need to walk the foothills first!

 

If you would like more support to reflect and fine-tune your focus and goal-setting strategies, contact me directly at larah@ibizaretreats.com to book a private Skype Coaching session.

And join us for our New Year’s Co-Coaching call – for our Ibiza Retreats world-wide family.

TUESDAY January 21st at 5pm Ibiza Time and I, Larah, will be there to support you  to reflect on your own “self-care first” strategies for SUSTAINABLE success.

 

We will each share our top 3 intentions and reflect together, supported by each others presence energy and insights to feel clear, focussed and empowered to  grow and expand this year, in harmony with your own and your wider needs and responsibilities.

Community support can enable us to achieve so much more.  We will continue this co-Coaching calls once per month into 2020 enabling the Clarity to expand, deepen and enable our inner-calm and strength to grow.

I’m looking forward to sharing the journey with you!

 

With love,

 

Larah x

Sometimes we need help to rediscover our Glow…

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 By Susie Howell. Co-Director of Ibiza Retreats.

I am always amazed by the human condition and how people deal with life. It can be so beautiful and yet so cruel. There is so much pain and suffering in the world, but there is also so much joy and happiness and love. Sometimes we have to work a little harder to find the love and sometimes we need a little help to stay on track through the ups and downs, to hold our nerve through the waves and the deserts.
In this work that I am so fortunate call a career – or a vocation –  I am more and more fascinated by the true power of intention, of positive vibration and the absolutely unequivocal notion that mental health and harmony is at the root of leading a peaceful and happy life.
Mental health (or mental wealth as we prefer to call it) is not simply about ‘getting through’ life. It’s about the belief that every human being has a right to navigate their own pathway, fully equipped with resources of inner strength, compassion and self awareness, so that we can negotiate the twists and turns of life and all its unique challenges.
We all have tough times – and mental ‘dis-ease’ looks very different for each individual. But the way in which we view periods of ‘dis-ease’ in ourselves goes a long way to explaining how we can heal and be empowered through them.
We can do this by re-balancing, by grounding, by reconnecting – by doing the work (yeah – unfortunately it IS work!) that leads us towards self-realisation and teaches us the value of a daily practice to keep us anchored when the waters of life get rough.
We have just completed the first two Glow retreats of the season and I am starting to understand how profound the initial vision we had for this retreat has been and how this concept is really so right – for right now – for these challenging times and is so needed, by so many!
I have honestly been blown away by the impact that this retreat has had on the lives of the wonderful people who have joined us so far. I have received countless emails and updates from our Glow guests and it feels like such a privilege to be part of it.
It’s been a soul-achingly beautiful experience, and I am so full of gratitude for this journey that I am on right now.
Despite having a yoga retreat company and access to all the ‘tools’ possible, the last few months have been the most difficult of my life.
What my own experience is teaching me is that when your heart feels cracked open (and I really get that now) – you can accept and let in the LIGHT!
You can also access and let out all the love, empathy and compassion, kindness and raw human emotion that you have inside your heart.
You can let it wash out and pour over everything that you encounter and everyone you meet.
You can see the person standing in front of you with 20/20 vision and really look someone in the eye and say “I understand” and really mean it.
I have so much gratitude for what the last few difficult months have taught me. The raw-ness, the pain –  it has been hard, but now this huge ‘opening of a doorway’ into myself feels like an incredible opportunity for self-realisation and to let go finally of what is not serving me.
This is how I can best describe our GLOW retreats;
“It’s not something that is easy to define, but ‘to glow’ is a shining & inspiring state of consciousness; an internal understanding between your inner self and your physical body, which exudes and radiates, from the inside out, that shows a positive effect on every part of you, in body, mind & spirit.”
The concept was originally something we we worked on last year when we were defining and developing the retreats we offer. It just felt right and it felt good… The only way I know how to run a retreat is by creating an experience which appeals to me and which I would like to attend myself. I had no idea at the time how this retreat concept would unfold and how grateful I would be for this experience.
So, this is my invitation to you.
Be brave, be courageous and work towards being the best version of yourself that you possibly can. Navigate your inner compass and reconnect to your source. Give yourself this gift. In fact, it is not a gift –  it’s a necessity for life. Going on retreat should no longer be considered a luxury, but an incredibly important part of the self-care journey towards understanding and nurturing your mental WEALTH and doing what you need to do to be the best friend, daughter, partner, wife, husband, mother, father, friend.
Don’t focus on what it will cost you – look at the value of this connection back to yourself and how it will serve you on your life path.
I have been sent this beautiful testimonial from a recent Glow retreat guest, who has generously allowed me to share it, so that others can appreciate the transformation that can happen when you take that brave step towards your deserved happiness…..

Dear Susie, Morris, Sarah, Anna, Mar and everyone at Ibiza Retreats

I’m sorry that it has taken me so long to write and thank you. I had a blissful weekend with my family when I got home and then have been straight back into work (which gave me a huge headache on my first day). 
I can’t tell you quite how much you have done for me really. I can’t thank you all enough. Alongside Louise, Fay and Shambala, you have all played a very important role in my journey of recovery! I am once again present in myself and everyone I have seen has welcomed me back. My tone has normalised (apparently) and I am able to BE with the people around me again. I have been pouring love into my children and I hope that I have made it back to them just in time….I’ve learned so much about the practice of yoga that I didn’t know before and now understand what it can do for healing. I hope to continue somewhere here when I can find a practice that suits my schedule. I have been grounding and meditating every day, the children have also been doing this with me and it is really helping us all to deal with the stresses and strains of our overstimulated days! 
I think about you all regularly and hope that you are experiencing love and luck in your every day lives. Please do keep me updated with what’s going on and if there is every a space on a retreat going begging, me and my husband would jump at the chance!! 
Massive love to you all, you are doing the most amazing work. 
Crushing hugs,
XXXXX
If you are ready to join us, here is some more information about what you can expect to experience on the Glow retreat;
* Amazing yoga led by one of the most incredible teachers I have ever met. Anna McColl teaches yoga in a way which means you can really go inside yourself. Her cues and choreography are so beautiful and inviting that you find you can close your eyes whilst she teaches and really ‘feel’ into your own body.
Do you ever get that feeling that you are living a few feet away from your physical body? The yoga that Anna teaches brings you back to the present, to the moment – where you are truly alive. She breaks down the myths and scary bits about so many elements of asana and pranayama so that you can make huge progress in your practice whilst you are with us.
* A journey through chanting, mantra and meditation. We explain, we show up and we CREATE, as we explore the ancient mantra systems and chant to open the energy channels of the subtle body. You can expect huge transformations, without a doubt! A yoga practice is exactly that – it’s a work in progress and it’s a colourful journey towards the light within.
* A beautiful, soulful place to rest your head. Our retreat villa, Can Luminosa, is set high on top of a mountain in the pine forest with panoramic views of the mystical, tranquil North of Ibiza.
* Incredible soul-feeding, nourishing, colourful (you’ll be eating a rainbow!) food created with pure love by our chef, Mar Talavera. Mar’s passion and energy is really heartfelt – and you can taste it! It’s true that we are what we eat. We serve seasonal, mostly organic, totally home-made vegetarian food with some local cheese, honey and eggs. We can cater for vegans and most other dietary requirements or preferences. You will quickly see and feel the difference in your body and mind.
* Magical experiences which we like to keep a secret until you arrive! Mind blowing and existential openings to breathe in, absorb and then take away with you. Let go of what you think you need and fill yourself to the brim with all this new knowledge and understanding.
* A team of incredibly supportive, genuinely beautiful souls, who are all in service to you and are there to ensure you get the best from your experience with us. We are on hand to support you and your process throughout your time with us.
I’d love you to come and join us on this beautiful journey.
With love,

 

 Susie x

 

Dates for the GLOW retreats are:
* 11-14 May – Mini weekend GLOW
* 19-25 May
* 15-21 June
* 10-17 August – Summer GLOW
* 17-24 August – Summer GLOW
* 16-22 September
* 05-10 October

It’s January – How are you doing?

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By Susie Howell – Co-Director of Ibiza Retreats.

December is such an intense month, isn’t it? The social and family plans, the food shopping, the present buying and possibly some expensive travel arrangements to visit relatives thrown into the mix mean that stress levels are already understandably high before we even get to the build up to the end of the year –

It can feel super ‘strong’ on our nervous systems & on our emotions…

And then the expectation is that when the clock strikes midnight on the 31st of December, heralding the start of a New Year, we will wake up full of enthusiasm, clarity, inspiration and ideas and we jump out of bed in order to begin this exciting process of complete transformation!

Ok, so the reality is more often than not a little different, to say the least!

Many of us feel really exhausted after the over-indulgences of the festive period – be it food, alcohol, sugar, family and of course the pressure that we put on ourselves… it can mean January the 1st might leave you feeling a little flat and less than fabulous, with a definite air of uncertainty on how to make a change in your life. It can feel like an onslaught of all the things you ‘should’ be doing to go into this new year as a ‘better’ version of yourself, and this can be incredibly overwhelming.

I actually dislike the whole concept of New Year’s resolutions, as I feel that they make us look at what we think we need to improve about ourselves. This intrinsically means we are not accepting ourselves as we are and are looking to ‘fix’ things about ourselves that are not good enough.

I prefer a slightly adjusted version of the word ‘resolution’ and I thing it sounds so much more kind to say “I resolve.”

Instead of making a resolution to do, eat, behave differently, ‘to resolve’ is like a kind promise to yourself.

For example;

  • I resolve to take myself on a walk outside, or in nature as much as possible.
  • I resolve to treat myself kindly and give myself a little time each day.
  • I resolve to not push myself too hard and to listen to what my soul really needs.
  • I resolve to regularly nourish myself with good, healthy food.

Rather than start the New Year off with a whole bunch of stuff you say you ‘shouldn’t be doing’ each day, try resolving to bring some wonderful practices into your life that will make you feel enriched and alive, instead of pressured and deprived.

Here are some of my personal & really practical tips for easing into 2019 and for creating the smoothest start possible. These tips are not about punishment – they are about reward. So you ended up having a glass of wine on January 3rd – who cares? Every day is a new beginning. You have not failed, you are human and you are doing your best.

 

  • Resolve to spend more time coming back to yourself and taking a moment to focus on your breath. It’s ok to start at the next breath – each breath is a new beginning, a fresh start. So never feel like you’ve missed the boat. Just take a deep breath and…start again
  • Resolve to nurture yourself by drinking plenty of water. It’s easier to do this in the summer when we feel parched more often, but resolve to hydrate your body a little more every day. Clear your system from the inside-out and clean your internal space. It’s funny how once you begin the process of self –care with tiny steps, each step feels that much easier. So start small – from tiny acorns the tallest oak trees grow,
  • Resolve to take a few minutes each morning, before you do anything else, to connect to your breath. To ground yourself and root yourself . Set a very simple intention for the day ahead – rather than a very long list of unrealistic goals. Be specific! Take one day at a time but have an overall goal of wellness and self-care in your head. One daily task achieved is better than a long list of uncompleted aspirations.
  • Resolve to be kinder and more forgiving to yourself. Every day, every hour, every minute, every breath is a new start. Rather than tie yourself to a day on the calendar  – that will come around again soon enough – try looking at each moment in life as a new beginning.

 

We’d like to take this opportunity to invite you to join us on one of our incredible healing and transformational retreats.

 Our soulful retreats offer peace, relaxation but plenty of fun with inspiring holistic support alongside practical techniques to learn and take away with you, to incorporate into your day-to- day life. We offer a unique blend of yoga, mindfulness, life-coaching, holistic wellness workshops and tailor-made strategies for on-going self-care.

If you need to change something in your life, then along with the little things, take a really positive step and start planning your own Self Care for 2019.

If you feel you would like to dive deep, join us on one of our Harmonise or Nourish retreats – where your experience is very held and you are guided through the process.

Or if you like the yoga practice to do the work for you, as you trust in the magical process which takes place on the mat , try our GLOW retreat.

If you book before the end of January, then we will offer you a 10% discount and the choice of either an Indian Head Massage or Reflexology treatment, to add to your complimentary diagnostic, holistic full body massage. 

Remember – as we forge forwards into 2019, Kindness is Key – say something lovely to yourself every day.

I hope we will see you on the mat here at Ibiza Retreats soon!

Namaste

Susie x

 

Transform Resolutions into heart-felt Sankalpas…

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 to set yourself up for healthy habits that you can grow and sustain

 

Happy January to you all!

How is the first month of 2018 shaping up for you?

Did you make New Year’s Resolutions? Have you stuck to them? Or have you found that your genuine, considered and focussed plans for a healthier, cleaner, more productive ‘new you’ have already fallen by the wayside?

If you haven’t faltered and you are still going strong and sticking determinedly to your goals, then I send my heart-felt congratulations to you. Keep going! You’re doing great!

However, if you have stumbled, lost your way or even deliberately thrown in the towel under the indefinable pressure of the long, dark month of January, then I urge you not to lose heart –

Here are 3 ways to keep the faith and your healthier, happier, habits for 2015 alive!

You can re-set or ‘re-frame’ your New Year’s resolutions simply by looking at them in a different way.

(1) Be REALISTIC about the size and feasibility

Take a look at how ‘New Year’s resolutions are defined; if you look up the term ‘New Year’s Resolution’ in the dictionary – or online – you will undoubtedly see a variation of this;

“ A firm decision made on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day to do, or refrain from doing, something over the course of the coming year.”

That’s quite a tall order, isn’t it? Committing to ‘do or refrain from doing’ something over the course of a whole year?

So, on December 31st we traditionally make decisions on how we are going to live our lives, for the rest of the year, without any knowledge of what the coming months have in store for us?

(2) Rather than deny – focus on the “feel-good” factor

The concept of New Year’s resolutions are invariably tied up with a plan to deny ourselves something, (chocolate, wine, coffee) or to force ourselves to do something (daily 30 minute yoga practice, meditating instead of watching Netflix) which instantly bind us to either ‘Ego-led’ behavioural patterns when we achieve another day of sticking to our resolution, or the plummeting feeling of disappointment if we trip up on our pre-defined path of resolve.

Instead – focus on the good feelings that these new year’s resolutions are going to bring!

(3) Create a SANKALPA – a heart-felt – feel good intention

Yogapedia.com brilliantly describe a Sankalpa like this….

“Unlike a goal, which is a personal need to accomplish something, the concept of sankalpa turns inward to connect with the heart’s highest intention. A goal can be thought of as an individual’s will, while the sankalpa is the universal will. A sankalpa is a positive declaration or affirmation, such as “peace is my true nature,” rather than the ego-driven “I want peace in my life.”

Doesn’t that sound more realistic, achievable and authentic?

The beauty of setting a daily Sankalpa is that you are not binding yourself to a year of commitment, of ego-led piety or dissolute failure, but instead you are making a daily intention.

For example;

  • Today I will be kind to myself and everyone I meet
  • Today I will get outside and walk in nature
  • Today I will be mindful of the fuel I put in my body
  • Today I will nourish my body with exercise
  • Today I will begin to read that lovely book I have been meaning to start!

You can re-set and re-frame your Sankalpa every day, according to your life, your commitments and your ‘inner voice’ that lets you really know how much you can manage in one day.

Yogic philosophy is very much grounded in living in the present moment. So why should we bind ourselves to rigid, external instructions of how to live each day throughout an entire year!

Remember the old saying of ‘Take Each Day As it Comes’ and if today didn’t go as planned, or was disappointing or frustrating in some way, don’t worry; we have another day tomorrow to set our very best intentions all over again.

Live ‘in the moment’ and be the most authentic, inspired, creative and optimistic version of yourself TODAY!