A yoga retreat can be many things- it can simply be a vacation or a chance to connect with yourself and others. My first retreat was a chance to get away from my day to day grind, the routines, and surroundings I was exhausted by. Prior to my first retreat, I never allowed myself my spare time and spare change. Only after all obligations for others had been met would I do something for myself.
Don’t misunderstand, I’ve had wonderful trips and moments with my daughter, family, and friends. Yet when I saw the first retreat information posted at The Hot Room it caught my attention. I knew I enjoyed hot yoga and it looked like a beautiful opportunity to get away by myself. I had no passport; I had not budgeted for it and I knew zero people going on the trip. None of those reasons stopped me. I was out of my comfort level and I still booked the trip.
Once I booked, small things started to happen. Erin Polley started to organize the people on the retreat together. She began to share information and adventures that we could choose to do while on the trip. I got to see the interaction of the others going on the trip. Momentum and connections started to form way before I packed my bags. So much so that by the time we got off the first flight to catch our connecting flight I already had like-minded companions with me on this adventure.
The level of self-awareness was also so powerful. When you travel with family or friends, you have a preset mode you bring with you due to knowing these people for large portions of your life. Traveling solo allows you an opportunity to notice your routines and habits. You tap into who you really are when sharing space and practice for an entire week with a group of people you don’t yet know. You grow individually and you grow together. It is as if your self-discovery button is reset.
You have presented an opportunity for progressive growth. You can experience new foods, adventures that you normally would not do, relaxing in ways you wouldn’t have ever been exposed to, and experiencing wellness treatments that you can’t find easily at home, and your yoga practice will soar to new levels along with everything else. These moments, connections, and experiences are all pure magic!!
On a retreat, the time is yours. You can opt for a quiet beautiful place to journal and treat yourself. You can spend time reading and catch up with yourself. You can use this opportunity to reconnect with your yoga practice because you might have been pulled away from consistent practice in your daily routine. Your choices are all yours and you will get full support from those surrounding you.
You can soak up the moment and return to the grind if you choose. For me, it changed my entire perspective! I came back home to see the path I had been working so hard to create in a new way.
Less than a month later, I had put deposits down on the other two retreats. I have spent my time at home building on the intentions I discovered. I have worked to get to know the gal that came out of me while on the retreat. In February 2020, we returned from the second retreat, and the next level was hit. The Hot Room was able to create an entirely different experience from my first retreat and I discovered even more of this gal that is emerging from within me.
Erin, Hye Jin, Ash, and David brought new energy and experience to the yoga practice. Our second retreat group had new friends and included friends that were made on the first retreat. The connections formed had a new feeling as the group was larger. It allowed me to truly see what I was drawn to in the first retreat. I was presented with the opportunity to share with others the impact of the growth from my first retreat. This helped me better understand the transformation I had been going through since November. I realized the things I truly valued in my career was not the work but the connection to my team. I could see my role as a parent was not in the rearing of a child but the development of her character. Slowly through journaling and reflecting on my life choices and cycles my inner calling was becoming clear.
I have spent almost 40 years of life serving others in some form and the means I had been seeking to do this was not always refueling me. This river of giving that left me feeling exhausted more often than not brought self-awareness. From that awareness, I have been put on the track of creating an ocean of who I am. I’m able to focus my energy on still doing the things that matter to me and at the same time maintain a steady degree of energy to avoid the exhausting pattern I once knew. With this discovered mindset I have been able to inspire myself to seek new heights.
This is so exciting to me, and the unknown path is a beautiful one! I am open to more possibilities and concepts that I can achieve. I came back from the second retreat and have started to learn more about how The Hot Room operates with the intention of becoming a yoga instructor. I plan to attend the yoga teacher training to further develop my personal and leadership skills so that by the time the Bali retreat is in motion I have even more self-awareness of who I can truly aspire to be.
Erin, Hye Jin, Ash, and David brought new energy and experience to the yoga practice. Our second retreat group had new friends and included friends that were made on the first retreat. The connections formed had a new feeling as the group was larger. It allowed me to truly see what I was drawn to in the first retreat. I was presented with the opportunity to share with others the impact of the growth from my first retreat. This helped me better understand the transformation I had been going through since November. I realized the things I truly valued in my career was not the work but the connection to my team. I could see my role as a parent was not in the rearing of a child but the development of her character. Slowly through journaling and reflecting on my life choices and cycles my inner calling was becoming clear.
I have spent almost 40 years of life serving others in some form and the means I had been seeking to do this was not always refueling me. This river of giving that left me feeling exhausted more often than not brought self-awareness. From that awareness, I have been put on the track of creating an ocean of who I am. I’m able to focus my energy on still doing the things that matter to me and at the same time maintain a steady degree of energy to avoid the exhausting pattern I once knew. With this discovered mindset I have been able to inspire myself to seek new heights.
This is so exciting to me, and the unknown path is a beautiful one! I am open to more possibilities and concepts that I can achieve. I came back from the second retreat and have started to learn more about how The Hot Room operates with the intention of becoming a yoga instructor. I plan to attend the yoga teacher training to further develop my personal and leadership skills so that by the time the Bali retreat is in motion I have even more self-awareness of who I can truly aspire to be.
The most wonderful way I can summarize all of this is to say a retreat can be anything you make of it! The possibilities are limitless and the only step you really need to take is in signing up. Everything else will organically happen within you! I am so very thankful for the Hot Room, yoga has challenged me in so many ways and the retreats have opened my mind to more than I could have ever anticipated.
About Trisha
Trisha is an Original Hot Yoga instructor and longtime practitioner at The Hot Room. She attended the first Hot Room global wellness retreat at Casa Om and her second retreat at Pura Vida in Costa Rica. Trisha is also booked to join The Hot Room for their Bali retreat coming soon!
