What does ‘vulnerability’ mean to you?

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

In our most recent Harmonise retreat last week I asked this question of our beautiful group of sensitive and courageous women;
What does vulnerability mean to you?
The words that came back were swift and clear:
“Frightening”
“Weakness”
“Fear”
And we all nodded.  Because all of us, all thirteen of us sitting in the circle, could understand and relate to these feelings.  We collectively remembered times in our lives when we had desperately wanted to be able to express our pain, our deepest worries and insecurities, but we feared we would be exposed, ridiculed and perhaps even shamed.
Yet we were also there, together as warriors on this retreat; warriors who so deeply needed to put down our swords, release the tension in our shoulders from holding up our shields, to rest and stop fighting to ‘keep everything together.’
Whether we were keeping up an act of being strong, “sorted” and successful, or we were pretending to be happy in relationships or career paths that no longer served us, we all agreed that this was completely exhausting. So much tension, stress and pain is generated through being constantly ‘on’ in warrior mode, which leads to emotional and energetic depletion.
And so, as I asked them about how resting the warrior would feel……  we explored the state of “ahhhhhhhhhhh”.  We smiled as we shared the deep sense of release this would bring.
And when we release, when we dare to let go, to crumble, fall or “fail” we stop trying so hard to live up to the expectations of others. We start to put ourselves, our physical and emotional health first, rather than leaving it an after-thought that we hope to attend to some day.
And when we stop, we all agreed, we can step back from the stress of pushing ourselves to survive and succeed in ways that we thought we should do.
Instead, we can rest.  And when we can rest, our inner-wise woman can speak.  As she speaks, when we are still and quiet enough, we can hear her.
And here, in this apparently vulnerable place of stillness and rest, we can tap in to our deepest source of power: our intuition.  We can listen to our inner-guidance system and await the information to direct our lives in a way that truly serves our highest good. A highest good that can and will enable happiness, health and unveil the magic of life in all of its true colours.
Sitting in circle, breathing together, moving together, intending together, sharing together, revealing our vulnerabilities in a safe, secure space, we remembered how it should feel to be at one with ourselves.
Our vulnerability – when we can allow ourselves to sit with it – can ultimately be our hidden source of power.
So come together, cry together, share together – find others who you connect to and who feel, hear and see you and ensure you regularly, as a priority, create time to be TRUE to you.  To allow your deeper vulnerabilities to show in ways that you never knew you could,  and with people that you will intrinsically know you can trust.
And through this…. you can unlock the doorway to a life path that you are the director of – a life that empowers and inspires you.
Come and rediscover your joy….
Our next Harmonise retreat is on July 13th for 6 nights at the stunning Can Amonita retreat venue in San Lorenzo, in the north of the island.
          Contact us for remaining availability and room options; it’s time to put yourself first.