Recap: Honest Yoga Retreat in Zion
My alarm goes off at 3:30 am and I jump out of bed in anticipation for the Zion Honest Yoga Retreat. I get the coffee going, making sure I have everything I need. Outdoor mic (check), gift bags for the attendees (check), speaker (check), crystals (check), yoga mat (check and check again!). I’ve got everything, and on my way out the door I am excited, nervous, grateful, and basically — just feeling all the feels.
This Fall, we headed to Zion National Park in Utah, a place I couldn’t wait to explore. We have 30 women attending, which is one of the largest retreats our team has ever hosted. As we pull into our resort oasis for the next four days, I’m completely in awe of how gorgeous not only our home for the week is, but the scenery!
Settling into Zion National Park
After our group got settled and enjoyed a delicious dinner, we began our opening ceremony. Humans are truly creatures of community and there is no better way to open a retreat, but collectively together. I always share with the group my intention for the retreat because every retreat is different and as a retreat leader, I believe having a purpose and sharing my intention is important.
For this particular retreat, my intention was to create a safe and healing space for meditation, asana, speaking, journaling, silence, and breathwork to encourage a path of purification. Further, I explained that to practice purity is to engage in cleansing processes that are both mental and physical.
Cleansing awakens the pure and clean energy within us, preparing us to connect with the greatness of our spirit. However, before we do that, it is important to think about what we might need to release. I asked our group to journal about what rocks they might be carrying that need to be let go. Maybe there is resentment or anger that needs to be released that is blocking them from moving forward in their life.
We all wrote down the rocks that felt heavy within us before moving into our releasing meditation to end the night. Our intention was set and our first night was complete. Everyone left the evening feeling a little calmer and more connected.
Shaking Things Up with Chanting
As I woke up on day two of the retreat, I was on the fence about doing a sunrise meditation. This specific meditation was different than what I had ever done before. I normally don’t guide any chanting or singing meditations — not because I don’t enjoy them but because chanting and singing is a unique practice for many people and can sometimes create discomfort for those not used to the process.
BUT, that morning I felt this group of women would be open to a really beautiful 108 chanting meditation. I took the leap and we chanted Hari Om (which literally means to remove all suffering and negativity in your body, purifying it for the energy to flow freely) 108 times. The sound was absolutely amazing and beautiful. As the sun rose over the mountain, we were all connected. I looked around and saw tears rolling down many of the students' faces.
Sound can be incredibly healing and I was watching the beauty of this healing happen right before my eyes. Crying at retreats is incredibly normal! Many people, especially women, hold emotions in different parts of their body and when they slow down and turn inward, these emotions are bound to move through their bodies and eventually are released.
Exploring the Mountains
Following the sunrise meditation, we moved into the morning workshop which was themed around practicing mindfulness and nonattachment in everyday life (you know, off the mat). We journaled and reflected on this concept, which led us into an energizing yoga flow class incorporating the mantra, ‘When I let go, I create space for something better.’ And, finally, we closed the practice with a forgiveness meditation.
Zenned out and ready for lunch, the remainder of the afternoon was free time. Many of the women headed out to hike and explore the beautiful mountains of Zion. Dinner wasn’t until 7 pm that night, so this gave people ample time to explore. Others chose to hang out on the property — napping, laying in the sun, reading, meditating… whatever they felt called to in the moment.
As the day came to an end, we closed our second day with a restorative practice and yoga nidra meditation. It was dark out, and the stars were absolutely beautiful. Many students fell asleep underneath the stars. There was something very special and unifying about the whole experience.
Breathing Practices & Body Scan Meditations
The third day was very similar to day two, but different workshops and meditations were offered. In the sunrise meditation, I taught a breathing technique called alternating nostril breathing, which is an excellent tool to calm the nervous system and get the mind ready for meditation. Many people loved this tool, especially because it’s a practice they can take home with them and incorporate into their own meditation practice.
After the meditation, we moved into the workshop and asana practice. This workshop was about living in purity and how to bring about purification in your life on a physical and spiritual level. I took this yogic philosophy of purification and incorporated it into the physical yoga practice weaving the mantra ‘My mind is clear and my heart is open, pure and loving’ throughout the class. Savasana was simple and as everyone lay there, the sun was beating down and the warmth was felt all over. It was a perfect ending to our workshop.
Free time was upon us again and everyone did as they please. We even had a massage therapist and reiki master on-site offering sessions throughout the day. It was an added expense that many people loved and took advantage of (myself included!).
Most people made it back to class before dinner with another instructor and good friend of mine, Karen. She led the group through an amazing Yin and Body Scan meditation before dinner. I was able to take the practice and loved every minute of it. It was fun for our group to experience another teacher’s voice and style of teaching.
Honest Yoga Retreat: Last Morning Together
Moving into our final morning together, it was bittersweet. Most of us expressed needing just one more day! I concluded our retreat with a closing prayer and loving-kindness meditation. It was the perfect way to end our four days together.
My heart was beyond full after a week in Zion. We laughed. We cried. We practiced. We journaled. We meditated. We ate awesome food. We hiked. We biked. We napped. We did all the things! Most importantly, we connected and bonded as women and as friends.
As I wrote in the beginning, humans are truly creatures of community and one of the best ways to create community is with like-minded individuals, collectively together in a retreat setting.
Until next retreat….xoxo Nicole