This post is part of my fundraising campaign for a Syrian family my group and I have been working on sponsoring for over 2 years. They have newly arrived in Toronto! Karen was one of the first people to say YES to supporting the cause and I'm so happy to be able to promote her amazing retreat that I attended in April!
Wow! What an experience this retreat was. I had been feeling burnt out, packing on the pounds.
I was working too much, not taking care of myself, eating take-out on the go.
As much as I knew I should slow down, eat healthier, take time for myself and all that, everyday life was just too damn busy.
Work, kids, dogs... my life is like so many other women's lives. Taking care of me too often comes last.
When I saw Karen's retreat come up on Facebook, I knew it was the reset I was looking for.
Unbelievably tasty and healthy meals 3 times a day! There was no shortage of delicious food and amazing company.
Each morning there was yoga. A fantastic part of the whole weekend was a perfect mix of structure and time to chill. Some people opted out of yoga or other activities, and that was all ok.
I didn't know what kind of experience I was signing up for, but Karen created an experience that gave me everything I hoped for - and some added bonuses!
Karen is a walking advertisement for healthy living. She's radiant, joyful, relaxed. She is a gracious hostess, making sure everyone is comfortable and taken care of.
At $539, this retreat is a serious bargain.
We spent part of one afternoon at Sir Sam's Waterspa. The pool has various high pressure jets and gentle bubbly jets to massage various parts of your body. You can see the shoulder massaging jets behind us.
I admit I wasn't sure what it would be like spending a weekend with women I've never met before, but the company and conversations was one of the best parts of the whole experience.
To be on a journey to better healthy habits and self-care with a group of incredible women was awesome!
One of the experiences was a hike in the forest. The day was perfect for it and it felt amazing to get moving in nature. I don't know the last time I did something like that.
In addition to the spa trip, the walks, yoga and massage, Karen hosted some mini-workshops where we got to look at what was important to us, our eating habits and some mindset changes we can start to make to start moving our habits in a healthier direction.
Again, everything was optional. If anyone wanted to just chill at the cottage or relax alone, that was no problem. The vibe was just perfect for the kind of reset I needed.
Just one of the delicious salads! I've never eaten so well. Everything was super tasty and super nutritious.
Karen and her partner-in-kitchen-magic Rosanna took care of all of us, without ever seeming rushed or busy. They truly are both the hostesses with the mostest, creating a wonderful, relaxing and pampering experience.
And don't worry. It's not all salads! Delicious desserts were always on the menu too!
I had seen Karen's promotion for the March retreat and I had a bunch of excuses. I couldn't afford the time. My family can't manage without me. It's a long drive.
By the time the April retreat came available, I was that much more burnt out. I didn't hesitate to figure out logistics. I just booked before I could talk myself out of it. 😂
And I'm SO glad I did.
Here's one of the workshop periods, with a special guest offering Hypnotherapy and NLP techniques to overcome cravings and break unhealthy habits.