I sat down with my own four questions - the answer was Spain
March 14-20, 2027 - Southern Spain - Yoga + Nature + Culture
Registration closes at the end of the year - details at the bottom
But first - last week I wrote about the four questions I've been carrying around with me for almost 30 years. After writing that piece, I sat down with the questions myself and what came out had everything to do with this retreat.
When I asked, “what do I want my life to look like and how do I want it to be different”, what came was this:
I want the ALIVENESS that comes out of the weaving of inspiration, novelty, and community.
*That's the distilled version. The original was a little murkier :-)
Inspiration
I want to be inspired. I want to spend more time pausing and saying WOW! Wow to the amazing things people do with their lives, wow to the yellow leaves on my plum tree that are just beginning to turn, wow to the incredible amount of effort my daughters put into the things they care about, wow to the people I met last night that were willing to tell a group of strangers what they really want more of in life, wow to the students I work with who skillfully drop in and listen to the deepest parts of themselves and then share what they hear, and wow to the people who over and over, turn towards what’s good and walk towards it.
Novelty
I want to learn more and experience more and be around people who want to share the interesting things they’re doing and learning. I want the excitement of what’s new, the thrill of fresh eyes. I want new experiences, new places, new relationships, new tastes. I want novelty for my senses, for my heart and for my spirit.
Community
I want ever expanding webs of connection - the deepening of relationships and the sharing of inspiration and novelty. The reaching out of hands and the sharing of hearts that remind me that I am not alone and that I reside in a tapestry of support. I want to expand into wider and wider circles of connection.
Aliveness
For me, aliveness is what happens when inspiration, novelty, and community come together.
In other words, wow + newness + connection = aliveness.
It’s the feeling of the perfect dinner party, the awareness of my body and how I’m taking it all in, the seeing and being seen, the learning something new.
When I sat with the question of when I’ve felt that perfect combination in my life, the first place my mind went was to the feeling I get guiding retreats.
Retreats are different things for different people. They can be a pause, a reset, a personal exploration.
For me, they are the question and the answer in the same breath. They give me the space to ask myself what I really want and then notice both the obstacles in my path and resources to find my way. But they are also the actual thing I want - the thing that weaves inspiration, novelty, community, and aliveness together in one place.
If a retreat to Spain has been calling you - if you’ve been feeling that pull toward something that is both a pause and an answer, I would love to have you there.
Registration closes at the end of the year, and space is limited. Now is the time.
If you’d like to explore the four questions for yourself, I made a short youtube video to guide you through them. Consider it a starting point - or a returning point, if you’ve been here before.
As always, I’d love to hear from you. What makes you feel most alive? Hit reply - I’d really love to know.
Sending so much love,
Rachel
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