Lake Livingston retreat

The group of woman from Toastmasters International public speaking club approached me with the request to create a weekend retreat for them which didn't require long travel but still would have all the magic of mindfulness and connection.   I chose  location at the lake Livingston with water front house and a very short drive to the trails of Sam Houston national forest.  

This was a a group of hard working purpose driven woman who would benefit from some slow time, self-reflection and connection with themselves, each others and nature.  As usual, beautiful nature was a key factor in making this retreat a success. I couldn't' bring them to the mountains, my favorite settings for retreats, but people say I have a talent to see beautiful places every there.   

We start every retreat with the community circle to share about ourselves and  set the rules of participation. The rules are confidentiality, respect and support. We also reflected on our intention  by asking ourselves "why am I here?" and "what do I want to get out of this?". 

Every person comes to the retreat with their unique story.  For participant A. it was first time away from kids in 10 years.  She felt really happy  and it was empowering for her.

Participant J. had 13 direct reports all over the globe. She felt overwhelmed having to be online  16-18 hours a day.  She made a decision that this needs to be changed.

Participant S. experienced a shift in values. She realized that nature and connection with her body is way more important for her wellbeing then she used to think.

Participant C.  feels strongly connected to nature but let this slip away in daily routine. She wants to bring back her nature based practices - like sitting with the cup of coffee in her backyard.