Dear friends –

We are enjoying a wonderful spring at Eco Retreats, reconnecting with the forest and all our guests.

Many people have been under a lot of pressure, conscious or sub-conscious, over the last year. Many are concerned and confused about what the future may bring. The background certainty many of us have enjoyed for our whole life — without even noticing it — doesn’t seem to be there any more.

As we become aware of old systems crumbling and the emergence of a better world, it is important as well to rest and focus on our own self-care, so that we can remain strong, centred and able to support our loved ones. Below, Wendy Young shares some reflections on the Art of Relaxation at this time.

In addition to her 1-1 or small group bespoke mindfulness, meditation, reiki, yoga, nutrition and conscious coaching sessions at Eco Retreats, Wendy is also now offering personalised weekend and mid-week retreats. In this immersive experience tailored to suit your unique needs and circumstances, you’ll connect deeply with your body, heart and being. Combining consciousness coaching, embodied movement & meditation practices, nutritional therapy and energy healing, Wendy can guide and support you to:

• grow in self-awareness
• learn empowering life skills for your self-care tool box
• experience deep healing and heart-centred spiritual transformation
• discover what it means to be joy-fully human.

If you feel called to work with her, please email to book a free 30mins discovery call to have your questions answered and to co-create your bespoke retreat.

We still have a few weekend slots available in May and June; please contact us today to secure your spot and allow yourself a deep unwinding and renewal in the forest.

love

Margaret and Angus

Rest & Renewal

Resting is an art.  We continually try to relax but don’t really know how to do it. Often we feel that we should do more important things first, so that we can enjoy a well-deserved rest later. But somehow the time for rest never comes.  Rest brings a feeling of freshness, gentleness, ease and energy and benefits spiritual growth tremendously.

Our busy lifestyle leaves us disconnected even from the ability to feel how tired we actually are, so we often need to go through a period of feeling more tired the more we rest.  We need to ‘rest through’ our accumulated exhaustion to rediscover the abundant energy of aliveness.

Begin to discover restfulness by practicing the art of resting:

• Lying down for at least half an hour every day and doing absolutely nothing – not reading, not listening to music, not chatting to a friend.
• Be aware of how it feels immediately upon waking before plugging into your persona, your list of things to do, or your limited sense of who you are!
• Rest in the pause at the end of the out breath, waiting for the in breath to happen.
• Rest in the pause at the end of the in breath, waiting for the out breath to happen.
• Rest back home in your body at a red traffic light, when on hold on the telephone or in a queue at the food store and any other time during the day that you remember!
• Give yourself permission and choose to experience deep rest

Resting is not only relaxing, it is a profound way of renewing ourselves.  Sometimes we need a break from the busy-ness of doing so we can return to and rest in Being.

The Peace of Wild Things      

by Wendell Barry

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.