Ep. 31: The Power of Retreating

In today's show, we explore the power of retreating.  Whether it's a long weekend, a half-day or even 20 minutes in your day, making space for solitude, rest and stillness can have a life-changing effect on your life. I just returned from a 4-day retreat in the woods with an amazing group of women and I still feel a natural high from our experience together.  Creating space to step outside of your everyday routine is so liberating! We all crave stillness, even if we don’t know it yet. If you are racing through your day, yet still feeling unsettled, restless or tired of the pace, your soul is speaking to you.  Your heart is nudging you to carve out space for stillness. If you don’t schedule time to take breaks from the everyday pace of life, no one else will do it for you. Going on retreat is about becoming a self-advocate and about learning how to state what you need.  Even if you feel guilty or selfish for taking time for yourself, you know deep down inside that you are longing for the break. When I make space for stillness, I feel way more connected to my authentic self, I feel happier, more relaxed and less irritable with my loved ones and the people and experiences I’m faced with day-to-day.  I feel like I know myself better and feel more centered, so that when I’m hit with confusion and chaos, I am better able to make decisions that are inline with my intuition.  When I start snapping at everyone, feeling a lot of confusion or feeling purely exhausted, I know it’s my bodies way of reminding me to slow down, to take a break and to be still. I recognize the longing in my soul to be connected to a source that is greater to me when I make space to retreat. Wherever you are, in this moment, is right where you need to be, and when you carve out space in your life to experience stillness, you remember that.  It's in this knowing that greater calm, peace and ease flow more freely in your life. New Online Wellness Retreat! Today I am also announcing my new online wellness retreat for women – Embracing Change.  This special weekend is happening on Friday, November 9th – 11th, 2018 – online.  Visit HERE to learn all about it and to sign-up to join us!  No worries if you can’t participate that weekend, you can still sign-up and make space for the retreat any weekend by that works for you.  You’ll have on-going access to the retreat material and you’ll be part of our online retreat circle for one month. This online retreat is about embracing change, letting go and moving on.  The focus will be on self-nourishment, love and care.  You will feel refreshed, reconnected and reset after our retreat weekend together. Visit here for all the details. I can’t wait to see you there! Thanks for listening. Warmly, Shannon   Get full access to Shannon Kinney-Duh at shannonkinneyduh.substack.com/subscribe