It all started with my 40th Birthday, over fourteen years ago. I rented a house on the Oregon Coast and over the course of four days twelve girlfriends including my mom and sisters stayed for a night or two to help me celebrate. At the end of the extended weekend, one girlfriend said to me, “you should do this every year, it’s like a retreat.”
Inspired by her words, a couple of years later I held my first retreat: hired two friends to cook, rented a house on a nearby island, and six attendees showed up to my first Mama Needs a Refill Retreat. Although the weekend was a success when I went to hold a second one it was challenging to get women to commit to going away for a full weekend. They wanted to be around for their son’s Saturday baseball game or their daughter’s piano recital.
Clear that the need and desire was there just not the commitment to taking a whole weekend – the half day mini retreat was born. From 2010 to January 2020, I held over sixty retreats in a private residence overlooking the Puget Sound and nearby Vashon Island. I limited attendance to five women to maintain intimacy and give everyone the opportunity to have a one-one-one mini coaching session with me. Each sack lunch mini retreat included a theme, ritual, discussion on specified topic, sharing, laughter, guided meditation, poetry, creativity and time and space for deep reflection.
Not all women who gathered in our circle were moms—the women instead shared the desire to unplug from life and plug into themselves. This welcoming atmosphere gave women permission to slow down, tune in to the whispers of their heart and ultimately recharge.
The idea of the mini-refill is that you have the results of the experience without the airplane ticket or big financial investment. Let’s face it, women hold so many roles and responsibilities that getting away for a few hours is more easily justified than getting away for a week.
With your phone turned off in those hours away your only responsibility is yourself. Women walk away rejuvenated, refreshed and renewed. It is truly transformational what a short amount of time can do if focused properly. I provide the focus you leave your worries at the door. Over fourteen-time attendee, Amy Anderson shares, “It is a day spa for your soul.”
Since the pandemic I have held Zoom retreats and just this November joined forces with Aubrey Jackson, Owner and Founder of Limber Yoga in West Seattle. Using the same concepts, teachings, tools and offerings combined with Aubrey’s yoga wisdom and guidance the mini-retreat has had a face lift. With more room in Limber Yoga’s spacious studio, we are able to spread out while still creating intimate community connection.
I still will come to you and create a retreat for your people based on the group’s needs and desires but this homebase in West Seattle might be a great place to start if you are looking for a refill. Visit Day Retreat (limberyoga.com) for the latest sack-lunch-mini-yoga-retreat dates. We look forward to filling your cup as you come home to yourself and emerge invigorated.
Cheers, Jenny
