During the last week of October, a very special group of people gathered together at the Embracing Life! Byron Bay Retreat, ready to detox, but not knowing quite how deep they were going to go, and how powerful the experience was going to be.
This beautiful group were ready, open and willing to experience whatever it was that was going to happen during the week, and it was a credit to everyone, the grace with which they went through some pretty challenging detox experiences.
From vomiting to diarrhoea, from passing out to blood sugar imbalances, from headaches to tears, if it was going to come out, it certainly came out at this retreat! The upside is that the deeper the healing process goes initially, the great the feeling of well-being at the end, and that is just what everyone found.
I’ve been running the retreats for over two years now, and they seem to be getting more and more powerful. My intention all along, has been to hold a space that allows people to experience greater health, and to create an environment where they can explore their physical, emotional and spiritual well-being in a safe and nurturing space. To be able to take the time to look within, and explore not only what is going on in the body – but to look at their lives and see how their thoughts, feelings, emotions, and beliefs are impacting the quality of their life, and see where they may be able to heal the wounds and liberate themselves.
And this is what I am humbled to witness time and time again, as people are bought to a place where they access their beauty, their gifts and the grace that opens them up to be able to share that with the world. They go home with a fresh perspective and that to me, is what it is all about. So even though it may appear that everyone is just coming along for a raw food detox, what actually occurs at a retreat is SO much more than that.
At the Byron Bay retreat there were a few factors that really facilitated this deeper level of healing and transforming outcomes. Byron Bay itself has a very special healing energy and just being on this sacred land can facilitate change. Being right next to the ocean and breathing that beautiful healing air is a treat, and the amazing quality of organic produce sourced by Bob at Fundies was a very important part of getting the nutrients in, that allowed the body do what it needs to do.
We participated in Kundalini Yoga with Harjiwan, which taught us to get back in touch with our body, and release blockages through the breathing, chanting and movement. Colonic hydrotherapy was onsite, and many of us participated in those sessions, which again took the detox to a deeper level and released a lot on both a phyiscal and emotional level. Jo, our chef and artist, took everyone through a powerful and healing art therapy session, and last but not least, our massage therapist Darby, turned out to be a master healer and did some incredible work during the retreat that blew everyone’s minds!
All in all, the combination of the food, massage, yoga, art, colonics, and the lectures we had that explored all facets of food, philosophy, emotions and healing, resulted in a very special experience for all of us. Lifelong friends were made, and lives changed.
A huge thank you to everyone who came and was so open to really take on the process, and to all of those who worked hard to make it such a great event – Jo who prepares and presents the most amazing food, Belinda who assists Jo and is so dedicated to making sure everthing is perfect, Dorothy the assistant extraordinaire who is always there to keep things running smoothly, the colonics girls, Nat, Sarah and Michelle, HarJiwan who did such lovely yoga, and Darby who worked wonders on our bodies. It was the team from heaven!
Can’t wait for the next one!
Leisa
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