Hello from Caroline and Rachel at Chrysalis Retreats!
Summer is a lovely season - the flowers are blooming, colours are riotous in the gardens and in nature, and the long days bring us light and energy.
It is a time for outdoor living, even if we do have to dodge the showers! It feels like a time for growth and expansion within and this is perfectly aligned with summer. Of course to fully experience this we need to allow opportunity for rest and reflection, to lean into everything that is on offer to support us. To take our own mini-retreats if you like, to find rest and re-energise. In this newsletter we highlight some key moments from our last retreat at Dove Farm as well as share some exciting new thinking about how we are developing our retreats for the future.
We also offer some inspiration for the summer and some questions for you to ponder to help you enjoy the summer you want for yourself.
Hope you enjoy the read!
Spring Retreat and future developments
New thinking is emerging from the joy of delivering our Spring Balance Retreat.
We had a glorious time at our retreat back in May. The weather was incredible which made for a beautiful day on the farm. Here are some of our favourite pictures from the day.
Some Key moments -
Standing in the sunshine as a collective, tuning into our bodies and centering through length, width, depth and purpose. This felt particularly powerful and nourishing. Here is a lovely recording by Rachel of the exercise adapted from the Stozzi Institute Centering Practice:
Another key moment was working with the group to create time to think and connect with ourselves and with each other. The power of active listening to bring strangers together quickly is immense.
We all enjoyed our mindful walk through the fields and to the river. We took time to pause and reflect on what inspired us as we walked outside in the fresh air. Participants appreciated the space for private contemplation as well as enjoying a shared experience.
The day was peppered with reflective activities that brought about great connection, insight and curiosity
New thinking...Bespoke Group Retreats
Our last retreat was a catalyst for our thinking on future retreats. Our focus is now on creating bespoke retreat experiences to promote wellbeing from within for existing groups of women. We learned from our last retreat that participants wanted to share their retreat experience with their colleagues or groups in their network. They can see the benefits of developing team and group wellbeing through such a day together, and this has inspired our thinking. Using key ingredients from our retreat repertoire we can design a bespoke retreat experience to
Provide space and time to think
Explore the concept of rest / concepts/topics such as rest, energy, creativity
Enable group members to explore values and create deeper relationships
Help participants create realistic intentions to support ongoing wellbeing
The emphasis and content of each retreat will vary as we will work together to design a deep and meaningful experience to meet group needs.
If you are interested in finding out more or having a chat about what a retreat style day could look like for your team or group then get in touch or see our website for more details
If you are not already subscribed to our newsletter do sign up to keep up to date with developments.
Summer Inspiration
A poem... The Summer Day
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean—
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down—
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
—Mary Oliver
I find this a powerful reminder of the importance of being, as well as doing; of allowing the time to appreciate the natural world in which we live. The last two lines are ones I return to when I’m feeling overwhelmed or confused about what’s important for me. They really pack a punch and make me focus on finding my way to live life to the full.
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
A Book...
A whimsical book that immediately evokes pale light, the sea and endless summer days is The Summer Book by Tove Jansson. Written from a child’s perspective it reminds me of the freedom I felt on my own childhood holidays on The Isle of Man, staying with my granny.
Summer walking..
Some thoughts from Caroline. Look closely
I took this picture in a wildflower meadow recently. It was a bit late for the flowering of many plants so I was really pleased to see this common spotted orchid. I just looked at it for a long time, absorbing the colour, the details of the petals and leaves and the different shades of green around the plant. It was a wonderful mindful moment that refreshed me all the way through. Being in nature can have positive effectives, and even 5 minutes of it rests the mind. Try it next time you are out and feel it for yourself.
There is light at the end of the tunnel!
I was walking in Spain recently, before the heatwave. On one of our walks we had to walk through a long tunnel. Apparently used by the Spanish resistance during the civil war. It was very long and dark, and then it turned a corner and I could see the light at the end! A cliche I know, but in that moment it seemed quite mystical and I felt convinced that there would be some revelation within when I walked out and into the light. I did in fact feel a great sense of peace and ease. Have you ever experienced something like this, when a physical experience triggers a shift in thinking and feeling? Appreciating all that there is out there
Another view on my Spanish trip was at the other end of the scale, with the trees, mountains and skies forming an ever expanding vista. I was inspired to appreciate all that there is out there.
Summer Questions to Ponder
Most of us try to take time to rest over the summer. It is a season to get outside more, see the blooming in nature as well as feel it for ourselves. Although we love the warmth and sun, summer rain can be refreshing, for nature and for us. Summer is also our traditional holiday season. Sometimes that can create some internal tension as we want to take things easy, but life still seems busy. Here are some questions to ponder to help create that balance and ease to take you through the summer. Choose whichever are most resonant to you and take a few moments to reflect.
What do I NEED this Summer?
What do I WANT? And What DON'T I WANT?
How will I REST and Recharge my batteries?
What will I do for FUN and enjoyment?
How will I maintain the crucial BALANCE between what I WANT and what I NEED to do?
What do I need to give myself PERMISSION for?
What could I do differently so my 'self' THRIVES?
What stops me from letting go of my work over the summer?
How can I have more time for myself?
What is the ONE thing that stops me from resting?
We hope you have enjoyed this latest newsletter from Chrysalis Retreats. Feel free to share with others.
If you are interested in finding out more or having a chat about what a retreat style day could look like for your team or group then get in touch or see our website for more details
If you are not already subscribed to our newsletter do sign up to keep up to date with developments, and of course we aim to offer inspiration for all women to take time to pause and rest to refresh.
Love Caroline and Rachel x
Here at Chrysalis Retreats our vision is to support women to take a pause and reflect at key moments in our lives and clarify what’s important as we move forward. We recognize that women face specific challenges in life and in work that show up in times of transition or uncertainty, and we are here to guide and support women on their personal journey. Our retreats are designed to allow spacious time for reflection, to learn from each other and experience the joy of being in nature.
If you want to get our newsletters, blogs and other interesting stuff directly, then please sign up to join our list on our website and keep right up to date.
PS Don't forget to save us in your contacts so you get our mailings direct to your inbox :-)