Yoga Retreat

Sometimes you just need to Yoga Retreat

by: Jessica Proulx

It’s Wednesday morning and I woke up at 4:55am, 5 minutes before my dreaded alarm, and stayed securely fastened under my warm blankets listening to the rain until I found the will to drag myself out of bed. I got up, went through my morning routine, before throwing on a rain coat and heading into the darkness and late winter chill. When I drove up to work (a job which I completely love by the way) I wasn’t necessarily enthralled at the idea of being in my office for the next 12 or 13 hours. New tasks were at hand and yet somehow I knew today would look and feel pretty similar to yesterday and tomorrow would be pretty close to the same. I love my job, my home, my relationship, I do yoga and meditate every single day, and yet even I get stuck in the mundane.

Flash forward to retreat:

4:55am: The monkeys are beginning to stir in the trees outside of my house. They start low at first with some gurgles and squeaks and the sounds begin to grow as the howlers start to speak to each other across the vast jungle; a call and recall that resembles roaring lions coming from these small, tree dwelling creatures high up in the canopy. I have no idea what they are trying to communicate, but their roars seem to be the alarm clock for the rest of the jungle and slowly the other animals start to join in the symphony. I know it is time, and I rise.

A thick cup of coffee in hand, I make my way to a hammock that is situated front row center for the big show. It doesn’t matter how many times I have had the pleasure to bare witness to one of the galaxy’s greatest events, today, just like every other day, is like the first time. It starts slow- the low lying clouds that sit atop the sea at the horizon begin to turn crimson and yellow and blue and purple- It’s all coming to life- and hell- so am I!

There is a moment of complete stillness. The jungle goes silent; every other creature seemingly holding the space as I am. And it happens. The sun peaks over the horizon and within moments it is perched in its momentary resting place in the morning sky. And so. Now. My day can begin.

Each day is filled with meditation and yoga, nutritious food, crazy excursions, the sea, the jungle and yet this moment is what truly nourishes my soul. This awakening through stillness and observance is why I come again and again, and why, I will go on retreat every year for the rest of my life.

We all get stuck in the mundane. We work too hard, struggle to eat what we need to eat and move the way we need to move and get sucked into so many things that don’t even matter- On retreat you break away from the mold, care for yourself fully and completely and UNPLUG. No phone, no tv- just you.

You can practice physical asana (poses) every day, you can breathe, but on retreat everything comes together deep within you. Just experience.

You can experience this and all the other amazing gifts on Retreat with writer and OM Center director Jessica Proulx and her friend and college Dalton Browning on retreat in Belize,April 2017.