Plan Your Retreat

A well-thought-out plan is essential for creating a rewarding retreat experience at home. Pick a day that you can devote entirely to taking care of yourself. This might be difficult if you have family commitments. Maybe, you can drop your children at their grandparents’ place for a day or request your husband to take them for an outing.

Do your best to explain to your partner how this retreat will help you feel more refreshed and rejuvenated. It will also be a good idea to spend extra time with your significant other before undertaking your retreat.

Every person’s situation is unique so you’ll have to figure out what works best for you and how you should communicate with the people who live with you or depend upon you.

Make a List of All the Things You Will Need

I’ll suggest noting down all the things you will need for your spa day. Be sure to buy/acquire them ahead of time. This way you won’t have to step out and go to a crowded place on your retreat day.

I don’t want to give you a sample list here as every person’s requirements are going to be different. But, in general, I will suggest mentally going through the experience of the retreat from morning to night and making note of all the things, products, services you will be using throughout the day.

Create a Schedule

In order to have a great spiritual spa experience, you need to have a vision of exactly what you’ll be doing from morning to night. Of course, this will be more of a guideline than a strict schedule.

The most important thing is to relax completely. Hence, if you want to take an extra ten minutes in the shower or you want to spend more time doing something else that you’re really enjoying, then do it guilt-free.

However, it will be best to have a fixed time for waking up in the morning and going to bed at night.

Your schedule will be unique to your needs, experience, and the rituals/practices you want to incorporate into your retreat. Here’s a sample schedule to help you create a customized version for yourself:

6.00  – Wake up, start your day by writing 3 things you are grateful for

6.10 – Brush your teeth, freshen up

6.30 – Give yourself an oil massage (with sesame oil), shower using a homemade scrub made of oatmeal powder, rose water, and your favorite essential oils

7.30 – Have a glass of fresh cold-pressed juice

7.45 – Practice yoga/qi gong or any other form of gentle exercise

8.30 – Breakfast of freshly made oatmeal and herbal tea

9.00 – Rest/Practice Shavasana/relax

10.00 – Practice gentle restorative yoga (you can learn how to do the poses from online videos and courses – all you need are a few props and an understanding of some basic yoga poses)

11.30 – Make preparations for lunch (sample menu – Ayurvedic khichri with pure A2 ghee)

12.15 – Have lunch

12.45 – Rest while listening to your favorite relaxing music

1.30 – Do some simple stretching

2.00 – Meditate while sitting up in a good posture with your spine erect

3.00 – Journal (write whatever comes to your mind, do not analyze, simply allow the words to flow through you)

4.00 – Have a glass of fresh juice + some fresh fruits

4.30 – Listen to spiritual music and allow yourself to dance freestyle (whether you know how to dance or not doesn’t matter – the point is to release all the pent up energy you are holding inside)

5.30 – Take a relaxing bath with your favorite essential oils

6.00 – Prepare dinner and eat (sample menu – you can have khichri with ghee and vegetables again)

7.00 – Practice walking meditation (you can practice it at home. Align each step with the inflow and outflow of your breath)

7.30 – Rest and relax

8.00 – Read a spiritual book

8.30 – Mindfulness meditation

9.00 – Restorative yoga poses or other relaxing exercises

10.00 – Meditation/prayer

10.30 – Calming herbal tea, bedtime

Preparing for the Retreat

The evening prior to the day of your retreat is just as important as the spiritual spa day itself. Have a light dinner not later than 7.00 pm. Take the time to fully relax. Do not watch TV, read novels, newspapers, or magazines. Spend the evening in quiet reflection and prepare your mind for a meaningful and enjoyable retreat.

You can read spiritual books, practice yoga/qi gong, meditate, journal, or do other relaxing activities. Try your best to go to sleep by 10.00 pm.

Create Your Private Sanctuary

To reap the full benefits of a retreat, you need a create a sanctuary of peace and relaxation. This private space should ideally be free from all outside interference. If you can, then, choose a place where you won’t have to hear the noise of traffic, machinery, people chatting, and all other types of disturbances.

Try to choose a room that is uncluttered and spacious. If you have a large window in it that allows fresh warm sunlight to come inside, then that will be ideal.

You can set up an altar or a sacred corner with the things that inspire and uplift you.

Burning sage, vaporizing essential oils, and lighting scented candles will also help create a more relaxing atmosphere for the retreat.

Don’t be a Perfectionist

The most important thing you need to do is to fully relax and enjoy the experience. Don’t try to be a perfectionist by fussing too much about getting everything right. Even if you don’t get the kind of experience you want to create for yourself the first time you attempt a retreat, you can try again after a few days or weeks.

If you end up enjoying this experience, then you can also extend the retreat by another day or several days this time or the next time you plan it. Just take things easy and allow yourself to fully bask in the beauty of this experience. Doing a retreat is all about practicing self-love and self-acceptance.