Apr 26 - Apr 28, 2024
Yoga Retreat for Women of Color
A divine space for women of color to gather and share in the practices of Yoga.
View a listing of all our programs, workshops, and events—including our best-selling Happiness Retreat, Silent Meditation Retreat, and Ayurveda Wellness Cleanses.
Order a copy of our latest retreat guide and discover all the ways to relax, renew, and discover inner peace—programs, events, workshops, spa treatments, and more.
Quiet the mind and align with the present moment in our happiness, meditation, and silence programs.
You choose the dates, the activities, and Ayurveda treatments—we’ll do the rest. The perfect custom vacation!
The ancient science of Ayurveda gives us all the tools we need to live a holistic, healthy, and happy life in today’s modern world.
Guest teachers, thought leaders, authors, and experts inspire with their timely wisdom and transformative programming.
Ayurveda’s Holistic Approach to Menopausal Wellness
A 4-Week Online Retreat
Our on-demand programs are great introductions to the healing power of Ayurveda. Discover the Ayurvedic Daily Routine, overcome insomnia, and more—whenever, wherever!
Explore our campus in an interactive 360° virtual tour with guided navigation or on Google Maps.
Discover an extraordinary space for transformation and community building in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Explore our campus in an interactive 360° virtual tour with guided navigation or on Google Maps.
I hear people talk about success and happiness as though they are one and the same. They are not. Without knowing the distinction between the two and intentionally tending to both paths your life runs the risk of being lopsided.
You say you want to be successful. However, how will you feel when you manifest the pictures in your mind, yet still struggle with an old hurt, trauma or insecurity?
There are countless books and blogs that outline the path to success. Yet, the internal work required to turn success and happiness into a packaged deal is under-acknowledged.
Here are five crucial internal practices to ensure the inner effort that supports happiness.
Instead of giving all your focus to what you want to do, take a moment and contemplate who you want to be(come). This means taking an inward look at your Self. Ask your Self how do you want to feel inside? Don’t just say, I want to be happy. Identify what happy looks and feels like to you. What kind of relationship do you have with your Self? Do you trust your Self? Do you treat your Self like your best friend or beloved partner? What does confidence look like? Do you follow through? It will be easier to navigate the external world when you invest internal time learning to truly love, trust, and champion your Self.
After you identify Who You Want to Become, identify 5 core values that can act as your North Star. These core values will guide you when making key decisions. They will help choose the people and partnerships you commit to, and also support you in thinking and taking actions that align with who you say you want to be. If, for example, you say in practice #1 that you want to be more compassionate, you may want to consider making compassion one of your core values. Identifying and honoring your core values will hold you accountable to the person you aim to be.
I don’t have to tell you that there’s an area in your life that needs you to pay attention to it. Instead of avoiding this area, feeling shame, thinking and hoping that your success will rid you of the discomfort it causes you, put on your big girl or boy pants and intentionally free your Self from this challenge. The saying, “Pay me now or pay later,” is particularly apropos when it comes to internal fears and hurt that we try to avoid. Avoiding past issues does not make them go away. The only way to resolve the past is to address it. Otherwise, the discomfort you feel robs you of your ability to truly be confident and happy.
The starting point for a thriving life is for you to become in sync with your Self. Self-trust begins with telling yourself the truth about everything – how you really feel about what you’re doing, who you are, how you are behaving, etc. You may not be ready or feel capable of telling others the whole truth and nothing but the truth. However, to eventually be able to authentically do you, practice telling your Self the truth. When you find yourself dancing around the truth, practice talking to your Self out loud as you complete this sentence: If I tell myself the truth, I feel/am/want ________. Telling yourself the truth will allow you to align with and lovingly work with your Self.
Historically challenging issues can seem impossible to overcome. Previous failed attempts at change can leave you believing that there are some issues in your life that you just have to live with. This belief can have you feign wellbeing for the world while quietly suffering internally. However, you can exercise new thoughts and gain greater personal power in relationship to even your most challenging issues. Start by actually envisioning a better more transformed experience of your issues. Ask yourself often, how can I be better with this? How can my experience of this change for the better? Asking an open-ended question allows a part of you to open to the possibility of change and activates a process that mystically supports and guides making the change your desire.
Engaging these five practices will build and strengthen your connection to your Self and move you towards success that includes happiness. Thus, in the words of today’s youth, becoming fully alive is a “dope-ass” way to live your best life from this point forward.
Reposted with permission from The Inner Fitness Project.