My small red suitcase packed, I boarded the train with minutes to spare ,heading for Les Passeroses in the Charente region of South West France.Les Passeroses is named one of the top 10 yoga retreats in the World and I was on my way to discover a whole new me !
I was to meet my yoga teacher at the resort ,however, as I had attended her classes within the UK I had every confidence that we would be well looked after.
The resort was idyllic... A French country retreat, surrounded by poppy fields and space to exist without mobile phones,TV,computer noise or stroppy teenage daughters !! I was free !!
As we settled in to the retreat ,it became clear that this was far more than just a yoga holiday ....oh yes this was a journey inside my inner self - a place that I had feared to go for many many years. For the first time in my life I was me ...Andrea ... not Nurse /Manager /Mum /Wife /Daughter /Sister ....it felt raw ...scary and was filled with emotions. I discovered mindfulness ....how doing the simplest of tasks with attention could be pleasurable ...that by being in the present moment ,life was so much more fulfilling ,the constant chatter in my head settled down .... (how's neil ? is he coping ? are the girls ok ? has Holly had her hair done for dance class ? are they missing me etc. etc. etc. ...... ) The silence really was golden - we ate meals in silence and it was bliss ... Life slowed down for the week in France ,I was totally immersed in the experience and under the guidance of my yoga teacher (and friend) ,I opened up and let go of some of my demons ..... this was it ...this was me .... like a butterfly emerging from the cocoon .. the real me had existed all along, this nurturing, compassionate, beautiful soul had been there all the time ,they could see it in my eyes apparently.
This busy life of juggling my career and family,reaching out for the next promotion and next set of letters after my name was wearing me down ... I was tired ,exhausted and fighting ,fighting the system fighting the peace and calm I so desperately needed and fighting my inner child. I had discovered a new way of living ... a calm that I never knew existed and my journey into holistic health and wellbeing had begun ...
I experienced Reiki during that week,the warm and nurturing energy healing technique released the blockages I had built around myself. Layer by layer we let go of the traumas and opened up the energy flow ...Chakras ?? I had no idea they even existed ! How had I lived and worked in health for all these years and not been exposed to these gentle and yet amazingly powerful healing techniques that literally changed my life ? I wanted to know more !! I wanted to help others feel as good as I felt ! I wanted to share my experiences ......
If only it were that simple !!
For the next 3 years ,I would continue that journey ,that struggle ,until finally taking that leap of faith that was to quit my job and follow my dream ....
Coming soon ... Part 2
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