I was initially inspired to start leading retreats firstly by yoga, one of my greatest passions. My second source of inspiration was travel, my second greatest passion. The idea of being able to combine yoga and travel sounded like a dream. And thirdly, money. Who doesn’t want to make money while doing what they love? My fantasies didn’t exactly play out in real life as they had in my mind, but leading retreats has become one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had.
I started teaching yoga 10 years ago after attending a 200-hour yoga teacher training intensive at a yoga school in Rishikesh, India. Soon after I started my teaching career, I came up with the idea of leading international yoga retreats. My work experience up until that point had mostly been in business and my bachelor’s degree was in hospitality management, so I already had many of the skills I would need to take on an endeavor like this. What I didn’t realize was exactly how much I was taking on, until my first retreat which became a reality about a year after the idea first sparked.
The first destination I chose was the big island of Hawaii. I found and booked a small retreat center on an organic farm in the rainforests of Pahoa. Getting people to sign up for the retreat was more challenging than I anticipated, especially so early in my teaching career. I was still establishing my regular classes and hadn’t built much of a following yet. A trip to Hawaii required both time and money, which made it more challenging to sell. I got lucky and a friend signed up and brought her mother and a couple friends, so although we were a small group of seven including me, it was enough to fund the retreat and the majority of my personal travel expenses.
I learned many valuable lessons on my Hawaii retreat. One of my most valuable takeaways was that all-inclusive retreat centers are the way to go. I brought my own chef (one of the participants) and we had to drive two hours round trip each day to purchase food for our meals. This not only took away from her retreat experience but added time and stress to my plate that pulled me away from facilitating. Having accommodations, meals, and a yoga space arranged by the retreat center allows the leader to focus on what is important.
Another valuable lesson I learned is that people can have a lot of emotions come up and release during retreats. When we quiet our minds and disconnect from the stress of everyday life, we create space for healing to happen. That healing can show up in different ways for each of us and isn’t always comfortable. Being a good retreat leader is not only about facilitating and teaching, but also about holding space for students who are experiencing release and healing. I am not a trained therapist, but I can be a friend to someone in need of support.
After returning from Hawaii, I decided to scale back and experiment with leading smaller retreats closer to home. Over the following five years, I successfully planned, filled, and led four retreats in Colorado and two in New Mexico. I found the smaller retreats to be easier to plan and sell due to the lower price tag, shorter time commitment, and closer proximity to home. It also became easier to sell my retreats as my teaching experience and following of students grew. My groups ranged in size from 15-30 participants. I learned so much from each retreat and each experience offered ideas and inspiration for the next. Most importantly, I connected with many people in ways I could never have imagined. Some of my students are now my closest friends, and I built a community around me that I still spend time with today. Leading retreats takes teaching to a whole new level. I have not only had the opportunity to get to know my students on a personal level and build friendships of my own, but to facilitate deep bonds between others as well.
The pandemic put an abrupt halt to my teaching career, and retreats were out of the question for a couple years before people were comfortable with being in close quarters with each other again. My career took me in a different direction, which resulted in a four-year hiatus from teaching yoga. However, some changes in my life this year have reopened the doors for me to start teaching yoga and leading retreats again. I have decided to return to my initial inspiration of leading international retreats, and I have partnered with a retreat management company to lead my first in Greece. I can’t wait for the new experiences and lessons that leading international retreats will bring. This is my first experience partnering with a retreat company, which will take much of the pressures of planning off my shoulders so I can focus my energy on what is most important – facilitating an unforgettable experience combining wellness, community, and adventure.
