An Awakening at Kripalu
My stay at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health ended up being a life-changing experience.
A friend gifted me a yoga magazine not long after I started practicing yoga. There was an ad in the magazine for a "yoga retreat center" called Kripalu. To me, that sounded like a place for a great girls' weekend, so I started trying to plan a getaway. After trying several friend groups, many of my girlfriends were interested but we couldn't find a weekend that worked for everyone’s schedule. Eventually I decided to just go alone. It wasn't something I'd normally do; travel alone. I had traveled solo many times for work, but never for a personal trip. But I wanted to visit Kripalu so badly that I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and booked the trip.
Kripalu offers many different kinds of educational programs, and they also offer R&R retreats. That is what I signed up to do. With their R&R retreat, it is your call how you want to spend your time to create the experience you are looking for. I didn't so much want to rest and recharge as I wanted to be free to just decide each day what I felt like doing. Options vary from hiking, kayaking, time at the beach, cooking class, time at the spa and LOADS of yoga.
I have learned that going away for a weekend alone is really good for my well-being. It is a great way to push the reset button and just be me. Not anyone's mom, wife, sister, daughter. If you can find time to get away for a weekend, I highly recommend Kripalu. However, you can care for yourself in your daily life, too. Simple things like taking a bubble bath, or curling up with a cup of hot tea are ways to push the reset button.
I'm so grateful I found that ad in the yoga magazine, and that none of my friends were free to go with me. Taking time away alone is a key part of my self-care and has been life-changing for me.