If you know me, you’ll know that I LOVE a good adventure, but the greatest adventure I’ve ever embarked on is the journey of self-discovery. Wow, I’ve come so far on that trip, and it’s still going, it will continue all my life…
What else are we on this planet for if not to learn about ourselves, our strengths and weaknesses, the light we shine into the world and the darkness within us, how much it hurts to be human and how wonderful it is too!
I was always encouraged (as many are) to study hard, to apply myself and to get into college (university) to study business studies or something similar. You can’t go wrong with a job in banking, they’d say. You’ll always have job security and a good pension! I can’t help but roll my eyes as I write this. OK, so it’s fair to say that back in the day a job in the bank was pretty secure and you’d definitely get a decent pension at the end of your working life.
Not so much these days.
Well, I’ve never been one to follow the crowd, so soon after I got that degree in International Business with Languages, I started following my passions in my spare time. I didn’t really have any plans to do anything with these qualifications other than to make other people happy. I studied all kinds of massage, helped out with a meditation group and practiced yoga daily. I guess that free-spirited little rebel inside me already knew the score, even though I didn’t. After three years of working in the finance industry, I gave up that secure, pensionable career that was stifling my creativity and stamping all over my individuality. With hindsight, I was always destined to do my own thing. I’m a total lone-wolf and I’ve always danced to the beat of my own drum. So I started out with a few massage clients, a meditation class, and no clue what I was getting myself into, which is just as well!!! I set about getting a qualification as a yoga teacher, and controversial as it sounds, I set up several local classes and started teaching as soon as I could get insured as a student teacher. By the time I finished my course I had a couple of hundred hours of teaching under my belt and 7 classes per week.
Anyway… I digress… the point is just going for it, following your passions and not letting anything stop you. It’s some craic! The ups and downs are like a roller-coaster, but it’s so so worth it when you love what you do.
The next step in my journey is to take everything I’ve learned in the university of life, along with my skill set in yoga, mindfulness, meditation, and affirmations, to help others and guide them along their own journey.
And so the next adventure, the next milestone in my vision for my life, is co-hosting my first self- development retreat! A small, intimate group will be coming with myself and my co-host Judith to the wild cost of Kinsale, for a week-long retreat in beautiful, remote surrounds, where the group will support each other through their own journey of self-exploration with the guidance of their sound healing teacher and yoga instructor.
Delving deep into your soul to discover the parts of your aura, your energy field, that are blocked due to past hurts, traumas, negative experiences or fears is a truly special experience. We will work through each of the 7 chakras, tuning into our bodies to understand where we are holding ourselves back, releasing and healing that which no longer serves us. We will use the physical practice of yoga as well as sound vibration, which is very powerful.
The aim is to help everyone gain clarity of themselves, their true purpose, how they interact with the world. It’s as exciting for me as it is for the group!
Full details of the retreat here: September Retreat
You can read about the March Retreat here.
No experience in either yoga or sound healing is required to take part.
(**written for Self Starter Magazine)
