One of my words for 2016 is inspired and I am genuinely feeling inspired by so much and by so many people. I recently read an Instagram post by my creative cohort, Sharon Tessandori, where she described her day preparation for a retreat which she was teaching and she called it a ‘shit ton of beautiful work.’ I instantly fell in love with the phrase.
Yes retreat work is BEAUTIFUL and I mean truly, madly, deeply beautiful and there is a ton of it! When you think you finally have everything under control and have prepared for every eventuality, something else appears.
The preparation though is beautiful work. The workbooks I create are a joy to do – writing and organising exercises into themes for each day; choosing meaningful photos to add a deeper, visual realisation to the text; sourcing quotes to add into margins; writing poetry to again aid deeper thought. The finished product is always a joy to hold, to read and for the participants something they can work on after the retreat too.
retreat bags
Then there are the bags! I use canvas bags especially designed for the retreats and fill them with things which I believe will enhance the retreat experience even more. Coloured pens, a book for journalling, the created workbook. Paper for letting go of things and tearing and burning. We always have a burning release ceremony at the retreats. Crystals to keep by their beds, whilst at the retreat, for a good night’s sleep and to hold during the day for meditation. Tissues – of course! As you move in, a lot comes out.
At the December retreat I added Christmas chocolates and I also include ear-plugs in the retreat bags, just in case they find it difficult falling asleep. Although after yoga nidra and in the peaceful surroundings of Florence House, most sleep especially well. At the first retreat I taught, someone had their first 8 hours of sleep in 20 years!
name tags
So what else is beautiful work? The name-tags which I lovingly hand-craft. The handwritten cards I send out before the retreat so the participants know what to expect and have all the information they need.
Organising the craft supplies for our vision board and collage activities – magazines, water-colour pencils, glue, scissors, affirmations, quotes, glitter. I always know it has been a good session when there is a lot of glitter around.
And wow yes!! This is a ‘shit ton of beautiful work’ – well said Sharon!
Beautiful work… those 2 words which inspired me so… What do they bring up for you? How is the work you do for the world beautiful?
I am eager to know the light, goodness and beauty that you are bringing into the world.
Love, Bindi x
Bindi!! YES I totally agree with you and Sharon — this work we do is such beautiful work and sometimes it is definitely a SHIT TON OF WORK — whew. So very true. I love that you find the prep work beautiful. I find similar joy when packing the bags for my in person one or two day workshops where I get to teach women how to make handmade books and fill them with ideas, images, and art. It’s so much fun. The rest of the prep, I can do without, but the beautiful work for me are the parts where I get to put my love and energy into the details that each woman will get to touch and feel as she creates and shares space with me. Thank you for this post and this reframe around all the prep that goes into making a powerful and lasting impact on those we serve.
xo
Yes Kiala! And you do put a lot of love and energy into the details which people will touch. I loved the package which I received as part of the Emerald Experience, it makes it all more personal and yes beautiful work. Much love, Bindi x
Bindi,
What a wonderful and insightful post. Indeed, it is marvelous to read about how you are teaching love through self-care and sacred play in your retreats. All the take home goodies you provide are a constant reminder to each participant of shared memories, and the experience of having been a part of creating magic, wonder and beauty.
Dear Ruth, Thank you for highlighting the ‘shared memories’ – I love that, and yes I do hope that the retreat goodies will provide a reminder of those shared memories. Love, Bindi x