Forest retreat: Lessons from a stormy night

Forest retreat tall trees view

Some weeks ago, I had the fortune to be staying at Eco Retreats Forest Retreat during a storm. The wind was strong and it was impossible not to recognise and feel humbled by the force of nature. But I was mesmerised by the trees.

The tall trees were swaying. There was no attempt to resist the force of the storm. In this yielding, they lost nothing of their essence and their majesty. Quite the opposite – the swaying had its own incredible power. And in the morning, as the wind calmed and the sun came out, they stood tall and straight once again.

Our modern culture teaches us to push hard, and if stuck, push harder. It teaches us to be headstrong and hold our ground. And these ideas can be helpful, in moderation. Yet my time out in the storm at the forest retreat reminded me that when resistance feels too strong, we often need to give way to a little more allowing.

As any regular reader of our Forest Retreat blog knows, I’m all for putting our energy into new initiatives that inspire us, and for working hard in order to contribute value in the world. A business mentor taught me the importance of being “unstoppable”, in the sense of never giving up on the end goal. But the pathway is often vastly different from the pathway we imagined and unstoppable doesn’t mean rigid.

Active problem solving and seeking of solutions can be followed by giving up the problem to the Universe and allowing ideas simply to flow to us. (That’s why we “sleep on it” and why great ideas often appear to us while taking a relaxing shower!)

I love to watch the seasons unfolding here at Eco Retreats Forest Retreat. And just as the seasons have their natural rhythm, so we need to honour the natural rhythm in our own days and weeks. A period of pushing is naturally followed by a period of rest.

The ebb and flow of this holding steadfast and also allowing is what enables us as conscious entrepreneurs to make progress on our journeys and co-create with others and with the Universe. It’s what enables us as conscious parents to hold our little ones’ stormy emotions, and hold our values and boundaries as well. It’s what enables us as conscious individuals just trying to live well to stand up as activists for the world we want to see while gratefully accepting all that is positive about the here and now as well.

A forest retreat can create space for more allowing, and space to be inspired by everything that the forest has to teach us. Contact us today to book yours! Eco Retreats Forest Retreat www.ecoretreats.co.uk

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Margaret Rose

Margaret Rose

Margaret is a mother, entrepreneur, traveller and writer. Her love affair with wild places began many years ago as she lived and worked in some of the most remote areas of Africa. She and her family lived off-grid for 7 years and experienced first-hand the joys and frustrations of “voluntary simplicity.” Today, she is passionately committed to creating beautiful spaces which allow people to slow down and reconnect. She is a firm believer in the power of the thousand tiny choices we all make every day to change the world.
Margaret Rose

Margaret Rose

Margaret is a mother, entrepreneur, traveller and writer. Her love affair with wild places began many years ago as she lived and worked in some of the most remote areas of Africa. She and her family lived off-grid for 7 years and experienced first-hand the joys and frustrations of “voluntary simplicity.” Today, she is passionately committed to creating beautiful spaces which allow people to slow down and reconnect. She is a firm believer in the power of the thousand tiny choices we all make every day to change the world.
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