11 Reasons Why You Should Consider Retreats Over Vacation
Why an all-inclusive wellness retreat might just beat your vacation at truly relaxing you!
1. True Community
One of the things that makes the human journey so meaningful is our ability to be in relationship with each other. To know each other on a spiritual, soul-altering level. Yet many of us struggle to find deep connections during our daily grind. Even with people we desire to connect with, it can be hard to find the time. On retreat, there is nothing but time. To build relationships, new and old, and to grow and heal together.
Retreats are also a great way to build a spiritual community. Spirituality is yet another plane on which humans can struggle to connect. We each have our own ideas of what healing spiritual practice looks like. We can get bogged down with needing to believe certain tenants - or worse, having other people insist we believe what they do. Retreats like my upcoming trauma healing retreat, TRANSCENDENCE, put you in a group of like-minded people ready to support your quest toward your goals with no judgment and no expectations. It’s a wonderful opportunity to create meaningful friendships that last a lifetime. Now, that’s what true community is about!
2. Save Money, Honey!
Retreats can be both expensive as well as economical. However, they are much more economical and cost-effective as opposed to regular vacations. The reason for this is that during regular vacations you make your own spending decisions, which may not be the most cost-effective and can at times result in spending more cash. Divine Lifestyles retreats are pre-planned and include exclusive discounts, access to vetted healers, daily exercises, and workshops led by experts to help you improve your spiritual, mental, and physical well-being. All the programming is curated and designed for you to enjoy, relax, remain present, and unwind.
3. Breathwork for Healing and Relaxation
Breathwork is a treasure trove of benefits. Hard to believe something we do without thinking about 98% of the time can have such a huge impact on our ability to heal and relax. But it’s true! Even just mindfully connecting with our breath for one minute has been shown to improve anxiety. Intentionally practiced breathwork helps us expand our consciousness, embody our truth, and empower our future.
Take a moment to wrap your brain around this important concept: The FIRST thing you do as a baby coming out of the womb is inhale [your first breath] and the LAST thing you do on earth is exhale [your last breath] before your soul leaves your body. And yes, there is a lot in-between. So breath is literally life.
Wellness and spiritual retreats often include guided breathwork for its INSANE number of benefits. Here are just a few:
Reverses the stress response by calming your body and helping you access your autonomic nervous system (the “relax half” of your nervous system)
Boosts your immunity and releases toxins (hello, cellular-level healing)!)
Increases your capacity for self-love and inner awakening by quieting your conscious mind
And that’s just the start of that list! Breathwork is truly transformational. On the TRANSCENDENCE women’s retreat, you can expect to practice somatic breathwork, transformational breathwork, Kundalini breathwork, bandhas, and breath holds.
4. Gain Skills/Tools For The Future
Unless you’re my friend who obsessively visits museums and reads every plaque, most people don’t learn much on vacation. Which is totally ok - we don’t need to always be “doing something”! But if you want your vacation to be truly rejuvenating, what better way than to learn Divine Lifestyles practices that you can use even when you return home? Get centered on vacation and take those practices home to stay connected to yourself all year long. Retreats are great for that!
5. Nature
There may be nothing else free in the world with as many health-promoting benefits as time in nature. Long before social scientists studied these effects, spiritual leaders throughout the globe knew that connection with nature soothes our souls. It confirms our oneness with the universe and the interconnectedness of all living things. Nature Heals period. One of the biggest advantages of going on a retreat is that it offers you proximity to nature and its healing touch. Being close to nature has been shown to reduce the production of cortisol—our primary stress hormone and lower our blood pressure. Fresh clean air surrounded by lush plants and vegetation fuels our life force energy. Ahhh!
Divine Lifestyles is hosting an EPIC sacred women's retreat this fall in Mexico this November 8-13. I know firsthand that our traumas are our teachers.
Throughout my life, my healing journey taught me that none of the things in my past inhibited me from the full embodiment of my self-expression and purpose. The upcoming TRANSCENDENCE retreat is being hosted at Casa Maya Kann, a Luxurious Sanctuary in Tulum, nestled in the Biosphere Reserve of Sian Ka’an. An area of unparalleled natural beauty and a location that has been essential to my own journey to healing. A spectacular, private white-sand beach is on its doorstep, which is also the access to one of the Reserve’s most beautiful lagoons. In this serene natural heaven, you will be able to reconnect with nature, rekindle your spirit and reignite your soul.
6. Show Up and Enjoy - No Planning Necessary
The average vacation takes a lot of planning and mental space. All-inclusive retreats are the opposite. Who you’ll see, what you’ll eat, and what you’ll do are all taken care of for you! Retreats are a great way to save mental space. Leave it to me, I got you covered!
7. Break The Habits No Longer Serving You
Have you ever noticed that your creativity abounds after a few days away from your regular life? Stepping away from your regular routine allows you to reevaluate and recharge. You might even find yourself setting new goals or intentions for your return. Only to find all that motivation evaporated within a few days of being home. Retreats like TRANSCENDENCE expand upon the typical benefits of vacation by guiding you back to your true essence, helping you to rediscover your life’s purpose, and clearing the mental and emotional roadblocks that usually inhibit your progress so you can break those bad habits once and for all. Even when you go home.
8. Heal Rather Than Temporarily Recharge
Vacations are great for helping us take a break and temporarily relieving our stress. But usually, that stress piles back on pretty quickly once you’re back home. Or maybe you’ve experienced the tension returning to your body every minute you get closer to home (that can’t be just me!). Don’t settle for temporary relaxation. Retreats have long-lasting effects and help you to embark on a journey of self-reflection, healing, and transformation that will leave you feeling rejuvenated, inspired, and ready to embrace the next chapter of your life.
9. Professional Guidance
Have you been going it alone up to now? Has your journey toward healing and transcendence been a one-person journey? We are not meant to do this alone! Retreats align you with several vetted healing specialists. You’ll be amazed at the progress you make towards rediscovering your soul’s sacred blueprint when you’re in a community with experienced teachers and healers.
10. Body Healing Benefits
Have you ever come back from vacation bloated and feeling like you immediately need a cleanse? Lots of “vacation food” fails to feed our bodies in a restorative way. As a result, we can come home feeling crappier than when we left. Wellness retreats focus on nourishing food (don’t let those words fool you - it’s some of the best-tasting food you will ever eat). The result is a happy gut and a clear mind by the end of the retreat.
11. Long-lasting transformation
Perhaps the best reason to go on a retreat is the long-term benefits. You’re not putting a bandaid on your trauma or temporarily calming your mind: you’re doing deep work that transcends your wounds, realigns you with your purpose, and connects you with the divine. You will unlock inner gifts that give and give. What vacation can say that?!
If you’re ready to rest peacefully, quiet your mind to restore balance, and re-discover your soul’s blueprint, I invite you to join me and my co-facilitators in Tulum, Mexico this November 8 - 13. Reserve your spot today and prepare yourself for transformation. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to transcend your trauma and indulge in the rejuvenating beauty of Tulum, Mexico.
To learn more and reserve your spot, simply book a call with me HERE to answer any questions you may have and apply for the curated experience. You can also email me directly at taramagalski@divinelifestyles.com.
With Love,
Tara