{escape} diy retreat

Last summer my cousin Kate and I journeyed to Arizona. It happened serendipitously. I was reading her blog and she mentioned Miraval, a retreat/resort where food, yoga, guided mediation, and more are a part of your all inclusive stay. I left a comment and a couple months later we were getting on a plane. That retreat ended up being a turning point for me in many ways. It provided the space I needed to clear my mind, get centered, and reconnect to my hopes and dreams.

When summer rolled around this year, Kate and I chatted about our fond memories and the huge breakthroughs of that trip and decided we wanted to do it again. Ideally we would both hop on a plane to Arizona again and bask in the luxury of Miraval, but with time and funds a little tighter this year we had to go a different route. Being the do-it-yourself girls that we are, we quickly devised a plan for a diy retreat, where we could escape, meditate, and reconnect with our inner selves without going so far and spending so much.

To pull it off all we needed was…

1. A Place to Escape

A place to escape can be hard to find. I am lucky in that my pops owns some land up in a little place called Comptche, near the Mendocino coast. It was perfect; not too far away, but far enough. An airstream trailer parked by the pond and a barn fully equipped with a kitchen provided us all we needed. Another bonus, Comptche is far enough off the grid that there is no cell phone reception or wireless. Our adventure not only took us away from the city, it took us away from the interwebs.

2. Quiet Places

The quiet alone was calming. Making sure that there is a quiet place to sit and reflect seems to be to be a crucial part of the diy retreat. The pond is a spot that can’t be beat. The water is still. The breeze ripples through the reeds. The dock for me is the perfect spot to read, mediate, chat, draw, think. I couldn’t have asked for better.

3. Juice

Retreats in my mind go hand in hand with yummy wholesome food. My cousin and I are both a little in love with juicing, so it was a no-brainer for us to bring up a juicer and plenty of produce. Kate has the magic touch when it comes to juice, so she was put in charge. We had three different juices that are included here for you to take with you on your own retreat.

juice 1 (pictured above):

2 smallish/med beets
6-8 carrots
1 pineapple
ginger

juice 2:

2 bunches of kale (use different kinds for variety or add in spinach or chard instead)
2 green apples
2 pears
3 stalks celery
1 cucumber
1 lemon
ginger

juice 3:

1 bunch of spinach
1 pear
3 red apples
2 cucumbers
3 stalks celery
1.5-2 lemons
ginger

4. The Gallon Challenge

Drinking water is often hailed as a healthy thing to do. Recently I had been hearing that drinking a gallon of water a day can help you cleanse your body, clear your skin, and loose weight. We figured out how many of our individual water bottles it would take to reach a gallon and checked them off throughout the day. It felt good to be hydrated and having a goal was incredibly motivating. On the way home we even stopped by Target to grab some rubber bands to help us track our water consumption throughout a normal day. Each time I fill my water bottle I move a rubber band until there are no more rubber bands to move.

5. Inspiration

Can’t have a retreat without a little inspiration. My cuz introduced me to Gabrielle Bernstein a while back and I have become a fan. For you it might be a different book, a different guru, or a different mode of inspiration all together. Regardless, it seems important to bring a guide bring clarity to your trip.

6. A Partner in Crime

I don’t think I could have made this trip happen without my partner in crime. Kate helped me think about myself in new ways and gave me feedback about all the thoughts that rolled through my mind. Having someone to bounce ideas off of and share a meal with provided a sense of community.

It was a grand escape. The horses that live on the land hung out with us sporadically. I floated in the cool water of the pond. I had space to think about the big questions that often get brushed aside when the necessities of life push me forward down my path.