solitude

One week ago today, we were wrapping up another powerful, intentional, transformational retreat weekend. The New Year Solitude Retreat was the second weekend retreat that I have co-facilitated with my new business partner Geralyn Russell who is a gifted yoga and meditation instructor. 

The women who joined us came for a variety of reasons:

- to get a good night's sleep (the mom of a 5-month old)

- to de-stress (a busy professional woman navigating the early stages of a divorce)

- to gain clarity on how to spend her time wisely (a retired grandmother)

And all of the women left feeling different - lighter, more relaxed, more inspired, rested, more creative, more joyful -  than when they arrived. 

Jim Hallett of Washington State told his wife, Joanne who had flown cross country to join us,

"I have never seen you so relaxed. You need to go on retreat more often. Once is not enough."

So the work of Solitude Retreats continues. We hope to launch our new website soon and we are excited to share the message with people far and wide about the benefits of solitude and the gifts of retreat. 

Personally, I have found that taking retreat time allows me to gain clarity and give myself permission to do things I normally wouldn't. And that includes taking risks. So I am going to share a bit of writing (poetry?) that I wrote near the end of our retreat weekend.

Solitude, by Elizabeth Barbour

"Solitude" moo the cows

"Rest" baa the sheep

"Be" cluck the chickens

"Breathe" whispers the wind

"Play" meows Heather the cat

"Love" barks Stormy the dog

"Peace" rustles the oak tree

"Contemplate" suggests the labyrinth

"Restore" beckons the retreat center

"Recharge" peeps the egg

"Renew" sings the bell

"Joy" proclaim the angels

"Celebrate" laugh the wise women

... and they all danced

under the full moon

in the fields

around the dinner table

beating their drums

listening to the heart beat

the pulse of the land

calling them home to

Solitude.

Join me and Geralyn Russell this evening at 8 pm EST for our FREE Teleclass "Dissolve Holiday Stress NOW: 3 Simple Solitude Practices".

You'll take time to...

- BE

- BREATHE

- REST from the holiday chaos

- CONSIDER how you want to do the rest of the holiday season a little bit differently

Click HERE to register for this hour oasis and experience a bit of solitude this evening...

 (Geralyn Russell and I at BPW's Divas & Desserts - what a festive occasion!)

It's that time of year again. I don't need to describe it to you. Most people either love it or dread it. There aren't a whole lot of fence-sitters on the topic of the holidays. If you are ready to disembark from the holiday crazy bus, here are three simple steps to help you.

1. Create Space. Pull out your calendar RIGHT NOW and look at the month of December. Are there hours or days that are not accounted for? Choose a few chunks of time - 30 minutes here, 2 hours there, an entire day (wow!) - and block them out just for you. This is the season of giving, but if you don't start by giving yourself some spiritual food in the form of space and time to breathe and think, you won't have anything left to give anyone else!

2. Envision your Ideal Holiday. Take a blank sheet of paper and write 5-10 things that would make your holiday just perfect. Then, talk with your loved ones about how you can incorporate some of these ideas into your holiday plans.

3. Self Care SOS! Make a list of all the things that help you to destress. Post it on your refrigerator and every time you feel the holiday crazies coming on, choose a self care tool that will come to your rescue. Examples: eating an organic meal in a relaxed environment, getting a babysitter for 3 hours so you can go do yoga, meditate for 10 minutes before you start your day, saying no thank you when you really don't want to do something.

If you want more tips and inspiration from me , I invite you to join me for two exciting events in December.

*** For Tallahassee area folks: I'll be the keynote speaker on Tuesday Dec 8th at the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Professional Women's Forum and I"ll be talking about how to thrive during the holidays!

*** For people all over the country: Join me and Geralyn Russell for our Dissolve Holiday Stress NOW! Free teleclass on Wed Dec 16th from 8-9 pm EST. It's sure to be a respite in the midst of a busy holiday time!