2009 Summer Retreat Review
Retreat review by Jo-Anne Wuziuk
I was unsure if I truly wanted to leave the comfort zone of the discomfort of my daily life and open up my emotional body and become aware of what was blocking me from moving forward in my life.
Once we established
guidelines at the retreat I realized that all present were there for a
common goal of opening to the receiving of more love. I emphatically
dove into establishing that I was going to stay in my own power and make
my own choices about what would serve me best. I had built the
foundation for my journey into the changes that were possible in my
life. What a trip!
I examined where I thought I was stuck in my life and the issues I
brought with me to work with at the retreat. I realized that upon
opening my heart, my feelings would bubble, burst, and flow out,
released from the containment I had held them in.
How refreshing to be able to have a safe, loving, supportive place to
just feel. Not only to experience the relief of releasing bottled
up emotions, but the opportunity to examine how I truly felt about the
conditions of my life. This now gave me the ability to gather
information from Spirit, Kelly the facilitator, and others in the
group. It opened up more options for resolving my challenges. With
the help of dancing, massage work, and exercise like walking in the
forest and playing physically active games, I helped my body release emotions.
Being able to live and play together in a loving, supportive
environment, without my usual daily routines and interruptions, I was
able to accelerate my awareness of thoughts and behaviours I wanted to
change. I was able to quickly assimilate new perspectives and
ideas that I wouldn't have thought about on my own. I was also
able to practice new ways of living to test out how I felt about how
they did or did not work. Writing down what I learned and planning
how I was going to utilize what I learned when I got home,
helped ground the new experiences.
By speaking to others, in a large group, in small groups, and in
one-on-one situations, I realized that it helps to get the stuff that
was rolling around in my head out into the open to be able to
objectively look at it. Having others truly listen to me, and
actually being heard was empowering.
Through my connections at the Retreat, I came to realize that it's okay
to be who I am as an individual. As a matter of fact, the truer I
was to myself and others, the more relaxed and freer I was to interact
on deeply intimate levels and feel the love that was surrounding me.
This gave me the opportunity to cultivate deep, rich, loving, fun,
real connections with others.
As the depth of safety and loving support grew, so did the trust I had
in others and myself. This allowed me to dig deeper into past
wounds, to open them up, to air them out, and to have the opportunity to
heal them. I regained my power by learning how to set appropriate
boundaries with an open, loving heart. I learned that I am not
responsible for maintaining other people’s boundaries, they are.
I get to look after my own boundaries. I practiced speaking about
what my boundaries are. I practiced respecting other people’s
boundaries. I achieved forgiveness for some of those in my
past who had crossed my boundaries.
As some of my companions left the retreat at the 5 day point to go back
into the lives of their loved ones, I had the opportunity to work with
balancing myself and learning how to maintain my own sovereign space.
I worked on my recipe of self-love.
A rafting adventure was a beautiful ride down the river accentuated at
the end by the raw power of Mother Nature. When the storm knocked
out the electricity; reverting back to candle light added a different
perspective on life and an appreciation of all the conveniences I
normally take for granted.
I brainstormed with others about what my on-going support would be after
leaving the Retreat. My journaling, my exercise sheets, my
workshop binder, my contact list, and my memories are all available to
support me through whatever life has in store for me next.
My heart is full of gratitude for everyone at the Retreat, for the
blessings of Nature that reminded me of how truly connected I am to
everything, for the hope that now lives in my heart and for the
wholeness I feel in my soul.
I look forward to more growth, more love, more fun, and more laughter
next year. I will be there. Hope you will be, too.