Reflections on Retreating to Renew

My name is Beth, and I’m a retreat junkie. There is zero shame in my retreat game.

I signed up for my first retreat seven years ago after taking just one yoga class with a teacher during my lunch break. It had been a long, stressful week, and I needed a mental reset. I don’t know if it was the timing, the way I felt fully present in her class, or maybe the pull of a new moon phase—but something clicked. I came home, looked at my husband, and said, “I think I need to go to Costa Rica for a retreat.” He didn’t even blink. A few months later, off I went—seven days, seventeen complete strangers, and a beautiful place I’d always wanted to visit.

Since then, I’ve been hooked—traveling near and far to recapture that feeling of magic, trust, and renewal that only retreats seem to offer. I’ve met amazing people—truly amazing people I might never have crossed paths with otherwise. I’ve challenged my body, gained clarity I didn’t know I needed, and stepped far outside my comfort zone. I’ve flown through the jungle canopy on a zipline, stepped over very large critters to get to coffee, laughed and cried during late-night conversations, and faced my fear of the ocean (more specifically, the sharks that live there) during a surf lesson that left me feeling both terrified and proud.

What keeps me coming back isn’t really the promise of adventure—it’s the coming home to myself. Every retreat peels back another layer. There’s something deeply comforting about stepping away from the noise of daily life, setting down the responsibilities that define us, and rediscovering who we are when we’re not doing but simply being.

Last week, I had the privilege of leading my first retreat. Standing in front of the group of amazing women that first evening, I felt that same spark that drew me to Costa Rica years ago—an unshakable sense that something special happens when people gather with intention. The water outside, the mats unrolled, the hum of anticipation—it was all familiar, yet entirely new.  Leading was different, of course. It wasn’t about me this time. It was about creating the container for others to experience that same sense of connection, courage, and renewal that had transformed me so many years before. Watching it unfold was magic.

Retreats remind me that renewal isn’t something we stumble upon—it’s something we choose. It’s the intentional choice to step away from what’s known and return with a little more clarity and gratitude. And while we can’t always hop a plane to  the next beautiful location, we can create space to reconnect and reset right where we are. That’s why I’m excited to invite you to my upcoming two-hour workshop, Quieting the Inner Critic & Cultivating Self-Compassion — a gentle, heart-centered experience designed to help you soften the voice of self-judgment and strengthen your capacity for kindness toward yourself. Through mindful movement, breathwork, and guided reflection, we’ll explore what it means to meet ourselves with the same compassion we offer others.

Join me, and let’s carve out two hours to pause, breathe, and come home to ourselves once again. Yours in Practice, Beth