What if your next vacation could be transformational, too?
Retreats and intensive courses are valuable experiences, but most participants still want to feel like they are “on vacation.” They want time to rest, restore, and play. They want to connect to the lush and unique ecosystem of their destination.
But they also want to dive deep into transformational work.
How can we balance these twin needs for deep inner work and light-hearted adventure? There are a few critical factors.
Whether you’re looking to bring some transformation to your vacation, or some vacation to your transformational experience, consider these 7 suggestions:
- Connect with nature. It is imperative to connect with the natural space—the actual physical place—in which your journey will proceed. Take off your shoes when you arrive, and feel your bare feet on the earth. Say hello to a tree. Ask permission from and give thanks to the ecosystem allowing you to join it for a time. Take a walk through the forest, or meditate by the river. Your entire experience will likely feel more grounded and integrated if you take time to connect with the natural environment at your destination.
- Nourish your body. Most of us probably do our best work—inner and outer—when our bodies are well. Sleep plenty. Eat whole, local, nourishing foods. Listen to your body’s requests for rest, movement, and fuel. Then, honor those requests. When your basic needs are met, you can focus on the serious work of transformation. But…
- Don’t take it too seriously. Pack your sense of humor, and remember to keep it all in perspective. Even when it’s hard, even when everything is going wrong, there are reasons to smile. Besides, it’s just a vacation! Enjoy the adventure.
- Lean into discomfort. There is a juicy place, where comfort ends and discomfort begins, called the learning zone. This is where the magic of transformation happens. Go too far, and you hit the panic zone—fight or flight, survival mode, not at all conducive to learning. Not far enough, and you’ll get what you’ve always gotten, doing what you’ve always done. Seek that elusive middle way.
- Look for local culture. The cultural environment of our destination is just as important as the natural one. Make a point of learning a few words of the local language, asking questions about traditional practices or beliefs, and learning about the people who make the place you are visiting so special. Even if you’re in a remote retreat center, this is possible! Talk to everyone—taxi drivers, staff on site, children playing nearby—and you’ll manage just fine.
- Keep it conscious. Alignment is key. Seek out venues, experiences, and co-travelers that are in alignment with your values and intentions. Ecovillages, conscious communities, and ecological retreat centers that walk their talk with regenerative lifestyles, governance, and business are ideal settings for aligned transformation.
- Slow down. The element of slowness is another key element of both vacations and transformational experiences. Take time to let new information settle, tune into your process, and really see and relish the place you are visiting. You’ll miss all the best things—including your own transformation—if you hurry through them.
Remember: It’s an art, not a science. Your perfect recipe of these and other elements will be unique to you!
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Ready for a transformational vacation? NuMundo is uniting all of these essentials in our second annual NuLiving Experience, February 2-12, 2020.
ENTER DISCOUNT CODE HOMESTEAD FOR $100 OFF!
Experience a transformational vacation in the lush Costa Rican lifestyle with in the Costa Rican jungle. Escape winter for a ten days (or five) of co-living and play with the NuMundo team. Start your day with yoga, community, and nourishing organic meals, with plenty of time after to just do you.
Learn more about the NuMundo NuLiving Experience here.
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Toby Israel (NuMundo Chief Storyteller) is a vagabondess and storyteller with a metaphorical closet full of hats. She is a creative facilitator, editor, and writer, as well as a trained Empowerment Self-Defense Instructor and Yoga Instructor. She regularly facilitates workshops and retreats to empower, inspire, and transform. She is a full-time lover of movement, food, and words, expressing light and dark through dance, poetry, songwriting, and edible alchemy. For the moment, Toby lives in Costa Rica. (She came for a masters degree in Media, Peace and Conflict Studies from the UN-mandated University for Peace — and stayed for the papaya, sunshine, and conscious community.)
