It’s been exactly one month since the Nourish Your Soul retreat, a week of awe-inspiring bliss + connection with 14 beautiful goddesses and my sister-wife, Rachelle Tratt, in the Mexican Riviera. 7 days of HEAVEN on earth that I will never ever forget.
Our journey began with Rachelle + moi arriving one day early to ground down, connect, and prepare. We felt so welcoming and ready to provide a week of pure love + attention for everyone who was with us on this wild ride in Mexico. I was already missing my kiddies and hubby, but loving them in each moment—I was meeting children and babies around every corner and sending my loves a huge energy bomb of adoration and gratitude (especially Adi for holding down the fort and truly stepping into the daddy role while honoring my dreams + helping me step into my power).
We closed out the first full day with our beautiful group of goddesses with a full moon drum circle with the locals in our little chunk of heaven. I couldn’t believe so many incredible people came from all over the world to spend a week with us. I kept pinching myself—I was living a dream, and couldn’t wait to do it all over again tomorrow. I was really stepping into my power and couldn’t wait to hold a space for these beauties in whatever capacity I could help—for healing, love, and support.
We started each + every day of our retreat with meditation by the sea, then a 90-minute powerful yoga flow. Our practice space was absolute magic as we stripped away our masks and peeled away the layers of what held us back from being our most authentic selves.
Our flows were followed by delicious + cleansing Philosophie meals, and everyone kept saying, “If you didn't tell me I was on a cleanse, I would never know! The food is so good!"
I taught a Cacao Magic Chocolate Bark and Truffles workshop—I found all the ingredients I needed at a local grocery store + the local ice cream shop (and Rachelle and I shopped for all of it in our bathing suits right after a 2-hour massage)! Such a dream.
With our tummies full of nourishing, beautiful food, we spent the rest of the day reading mantras, doing shamanic breathwork, receiving acupuncture + deep healing body treatments, sun worshipping, journaling, snorkeling with the fish + sea turtles, and going on excursions.
Each day, we ended with more movement (an intentioned workout lead by me or a powerful dance class by Rachelle). Then we had another cleansing, chef-created Philosophie meal as the sun went to bed. After, we all went around and shared what the highlights of our day were. By the end of the conversation, we had tears of laughter or gratitude. Usually both.
With Rachelle as our leader, we spent the evenings dancing to our darkness and light through quoya, movement that helps us remember that our essence is wise, wild, and free.
At first it was totally intimidating, as we don't often freely dance as adults. Rachelle told us to try to keep our eyes closed and just freely move. She led some small movements and repeated them, just to give us a specific movement to move deeper into, and then she told us that a few years ago, a teacher had shared with her the definition of “grace.”
The teacher had Rachelle hold out both of her hands, with one hand holding all of her light and the other hand holding all of her darkness. She explained that when we hold our hands out evenly, honoring both the light and dark aspects of our personality and soul without letting one outweigh the other, we feel grace.
Eventually, we were all moving differently, as we all began to feel it uniquely in our own bodies. We danced to our light and our darkness...all free movement.
On the last day of our retreat, we gave gratitude for all the beauty, pain, + light in our lives. Near + far, now + then, we gave thanks in ceremony with intention, shared sacred space, + goddess sister energy. I was still in awe with what Rachelle and I had co-created with these amazing human spirits from all over the world that week. Movement, nature, adventure, nourishing food, soul searching, connection, disconnection, created space to heal + move through the edges in our life. I felt so FULL. Tears of beautiful thankfulness poured from my heart space that night.
The week in Mexico was the first time in 5 years that I hadn’t defined who I was day-to-day as a mother. As a caretaker. This was the first true adventure I’d experienced in so long that my body almost forgot what it felt like. I didn’t know what I needed or how badly I needed it until it arrived. It kept coming in waves, the release, then the healing. Being around such enlightened spirits + wild powerful goddesses was overwhelmingly intense in the most amazing way. I didn’t want it to end. I don’t ever want to stop feeling it at all. I connected to my best friend Heather (who’s on the other side now) in so many moments + I felt so authentic in my every move + word. Don’t leave my spirit, I asked.
And so far, it hasn’t.
