Callaway Wellness Retreat Vacations, The New Normal for Self-Care
Vacations are cool, but have you ever been on a wellness retreat? If you’ve never been on one, you owe it to your mind, body and well being to go on one. You have no idea on what you are missing out on!
Sometimes we go on vacations, and we shop, eat, drink, party and maybe get a little bit of relaxation without fully satisfying our mental and emotional needs. That’s why I highly suggest going on a wellness retreat. I had never been on one until this past weekend at the Callaway Gardens and Resort and it was nothing short of extraordinary. The last time I visited, it was more so of a leisure trip, but this visit was more intentional with putting my self care needs as a priority (yes, this included getting up early for wellness workshops). This time, I brought two special guests with me, my mom and sister.
I enjoyed myself so much that I HAVE to share it with you. I’ll give you a day by day synopsis of my visit at the Callaway Gardens Wellness Retreat Getaway during their Transformation Workshop, but first, I have to spill the tea on how much fun I had with the amenities!
I was able to go on the Tree Top Adventures and Ziplining which was a challenging but enjoyable experience. My mom chickened out during our briefing because she became intimidated by the heights. I tried to convince her as much as possible but she wouldn’t give in, and honestly, at first, I didn’t blame her. I was scared too because it’s something I’ve never done before, but that’s the beauty of it. Life is all about taking risks and trusting that God will protect you. I’m glad I chose my trust over my fears because it was not only fun (seriously, you have to try it), but it felt like an achievement . I honestly felt that if I could handle that, I could handle anything that day, talk about fearless right?
By the way, your trip to Callaway means nothing without a liberating bike ride through nature! My mother hadn’t rode a bike in 30 years until our trip and she enjoyed it, she felt free (granted, we rode for 10 miles but it was fun-going down a hill and letting the wind blow through your hair is a liberating experience like non other, trust me). It’s something about nature that has a medicinal effect and I felt rejuvenated afterwards.
Okay, let’s get back to the wellness retreat, you’re going to want to take notes, I’m about to apply some serious pressure with these details:
Friday my mother, sister and I checked in our cottage and received a beautiful eco friendly wellness giftbag filled with body care samples, a journal for our journaling sessions (my favorite item because I LOVE writing), a detailed interary, and other wellness essentials which was very thoughtful.
Upon getting settled in our cottage which was beautiful by the way, it gave me such an “at home away from home” vibe because of the kitchen, living room, patio and grill in the back, we left to attend the first wellness event, The Social Welcome. This included a yoga bell call and deep meditation. Mats were provided, so that was nice considering I left mine at home, as well as soft and cozy blankets.
It was scheduled in the evening time, so our essential oil was lavender which we took deep breaths of and just allowed it to take us on a peaceful wellness journey. As you know, lavender is a calming scent that puts you to sleep so guess what? During our meditation, a few people fell asleep! I think out the nearly 30 people there, about 10 people fell asleep because it was so relaxing.
During this moment, I learned about breathing awareness techniques which is a method used to keep you calm, at peace and focused. What I learned from this experience is that the next time you’re up late at night and struggling to get your rest, count backwards, starting with the number 10 and count the rise and fall of your chest (in through the nose, and out through the mouth). Each time you breathe out, pretend it’s one of your late night worries that you are releasing before bed.
Here’s an example: breathe in, ten, more bills than money, breathe out….breathe in, nine, single and feeling lonely, breathe out…makes sense, right? Try this tonight, and if it doesn’t work during the first countdown, repeat.
Saturday, we did yoga exercises and journaling for Body, Breath, Heart and Mind. This was beneficial to me because I love journaling, hence the name of my brand, so after this, I was able to learn how to journal with more intention. In case you didn’t know, therapy begins with journaling because there is power in acknowledging your concerns, writing them down and addressing how it makes you feel. You become stronger in your wellness when you write down the things and people that don’t serve you so you can remove them and write down the objects that do serve you so you can make them a priority.
Our journal assignment for the day on Saturday was to write down these three subjects and I encourage you to do this today:
What giants are you facing? Think about who or what is in your life stunting your growth in wellness.
What would it look like to sit with these giants? Consider how the process would look like to you if you faced them and how you would feel.
What’s stopping you from facing these giants, and what pain are you experiencing from not facing them? Write down your excuses and get rid of them, use your pain as a motivation.
I admit, doing this was uncomfortable, I really had to dig deep and think about the issues I told myself I healed from by ignoring them. I felt more powerful and confident in my wellbeing by doing this, and honestly, that’s what wellness is all about, digging deep and discovering the truth!
Sunday was the last day of our wellness workshops and we went out to the beach for the Mindful Meditation and a Sacred Self Ceremony. This was my favorite part because of how symbolic it was.
We wrote on a dissolvable piece of paper our biggest giant, the one causing the most trouble. My giant I wrote was childhood trauma (which I discovered through therapy), and we walked to the beach, prayed over it and released it by dropping it into the water. Our instructor let us know that beginning that day, our giant would be released because we are now in control. This is something I strongly urge you to try, release your problems and take charge of your wellness, that’s the way to self love and self care.
All in all, this was a fulfilling and enriching experience. Wellness is a journey. not a race and it’s not comfortable. You will have to get out of your comfort zone and do things you have never done, whether that be facing your fears, journaling, finding accountability partners, etc., but that’s totally fine, that’s how you grow and heal.
So if you’re looking to grow, and heal from emotional baggage, do yourself a favor and attend a wellness retreat. A great one that I’d like to suggest is at the Callaway Gardens and Resort. Their Wellness Leader, Amy is professionally trained to instruct wellness programs that are beneficial to your body and well-being, and she has a BEAUTIFUL spirit. If you got tell her I sent you!
Oh, and if you do go, you HAVE to visit the Butterfly Day Center and take pictures in their butterfly farm (great photo op by the way) and you must have dinner at Cason’s. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, they have live music, perfect for date night vibes. I highly recommend ordering the Seared Citrus Salmon, it comes with parmesan risotto and a lemon glaze-ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! I’m a pescatarian foodie and I’ve never steered anyone wrong with my recommendations, so trust me on this one!
