11 Inspiring Ideas To Help You Create The Best Wellness Retreat At Home
You deserve a break.
Being in lockdown has got me thinking about how I could make a home environment relaxing enough so I feel good despite all circumstances. I literally couldn’t go anywhere so I had to get creative. After the last few years of craziness, I decided I should make this a regular thing to balance my mental state.
I’ve always loved meditation, pampering myself, and getting massages. As a Highly Sensitive Person I need alone time to regenerate, so I’ve developed quite an elaborate self-care routine. There are my daily meditations, weekly workouts, massages/spa days once or twice a month, and a weekend getaway whenever it’s possible.
What about making a day-long or a weekend retreat at home?
I wanted to give you some ideas of what that could look like!
Preparation
- Decide what you want your retreat to be like and how long will it last. Is it a day, a weekend, or the whole week?
- Prepare all that you need beforehand. If you need healthy snacks, lemons for your hot lemon water in the morning, cozy blankets, essential oils, silk sheets, or a meditation cushion, get that beforehand so you can be ready.
- Block that day and let your loved ones know you’ll be off the grid. It’s a retreat so you really don’t want your phone to be ringing. Respect your me-time and turn it off. Take care of what needs to get taken care of beforehand. If you really need to be accessible then choose one person who can reach you and set a different ringtone for them, so you know it’s important.
- Schedule it in your calendar and commit to it. Mark it in your iCal or whatever calendar you’re using and block that time. Decide to be unavailable and don’t justify it. You’re going on a retreat.
Designing Your Retreat
1. The Menu
The first thing that comes to mind is creating the menu. You might want to do a cleanse or go plant-based for the whole week. Whatever you decide plan your meals ahead and get the ingredients to prepare everything and have it ready for your retreat.
Otherwise, you could schedule a home delivery from your favorite healthy restaurant or get smoothies/juices for your cleanse. There are a lot of companies that have that ready for you such as Raw Generation or Project Juice.
Click here to check the best juice cleanses!
2. The Activities
YOGA
Yoga is a lovely way to start your day, and there are many Yoga programs absolutely free on Youtube you can check out. Create your playlist or choose one of your favorite teachers.
One of my favorites is Leslie Fightmaster, who is sadly no longer with us but has left lots of wonderful videos for us to use. What I love about her is that she is very relatable, kind and always ends her classes with a beautiful quote.
TAI CHI OR QI GONG
Another activity to include is Tai Chi or Qi Gong, which I discovered a few years ago. I absolutely love how it feels! It consists of gentle movements but the effects are powerful. It could be a nice way to start the day, activate your QI and balance your mind.
SOUND BATH
From my experience sound is the best and quickest way to reset your energy and feel complete relaxation. I go to sound baths whenever I can and it’s absolutely amazing. For a while I was even hosting them myself in Paris, using crystal bowls. These bowls have such a unique sound I totally recommend you check them out.
There are plenty of videos on Youtube, so find the one that resonates the most. Apart from the crystal bowls, you can check out Tibetan bowls for different chakras, Koshi bells for different elements, Solfeggio frequencies (432Hz is a good one!) or even just listening to the ocean waves.
RESTORATIVE YOGA
You want to relax during this retreat, and feel good, right? Restorative Yoga practice is really gentle and can help reach a deeper level of relaxation. You rest in positions for a longer period of time and breathe deeply. This practice is beneficial because you allow the body to relax, as well as the mind. I personally love to do it in combination with a sound bath, to get the best of both worlds.
BREATHWORK
Breathwork or Pranayama as we call it in Yoga is such a wonderful way to reduce stress and anxiety. I use techniques like Bhastrika Pranayama, Nadi Shodana (Alternate-Nostril Breathing), or Kapalabhati to stay in balance. They clear any stuck energy in the body and clear the mind within seconds, some within minutes.
There is also the Mindfulness-based stress reduction technique 4–7–8 when you inhale on 4 counts, hold the breath on 7, and exhale through the mouth on 8. Slowing down the breath, especially the exhale slows down the heart rate and reduces the blood pressure.
You can even try the Wim Hof Method, and I definitely recommend checking out the Sudarshan Kriya with the Art of Living Center in your area. Once you learn the techniques you can do it yourself, join a regular class, or use a guided practice on Youtube.
Energizing breathwork like Bhastrika Pranayama is great to start your day, whereas the 4–7–8 is best to do in the evening, so you can plan your breathing practices accordingly.
YOGA NIDRA
Yoga Nidra or Conscious Sleep is a practice when you allow your body to rest yet the mind is awake. The key is to shift awareness so you don’t engage in any thoughts. I personally love relaxing people and this has been one of my favorite classes to teach! This is also something I like to experience myself, so I join the class whenever I can. Just 1 hour of Yoga Nidra equates to 4 hours of deep sleep, so you feel fully regenerated after this practice. I like to combine it with a sound bath as that feels deeply soothing, but you can go either way.
3. The Wellness
MASSAGE
Apart from nutrition and activities, you can pamper yourself by getting a massage, enjoying a nice bubble bath, or doing a beauty treatment.
I have the habit of booking massages at my own home. There are services that do that or you can find a massage therapist in your area to book privately. I love doing that on regular basis, as I feel more comfortable in my home. I can create the mood I want, burn incense sticks or use essential oils of my choice, choose my own playlist, and most importantly — relax after the massage.
BUBBLE BATH
If you have a bathtub you can get nice bath salts, like Epsom salt which is really good for soothing muscle pain and relaxation, add essential oils or a bath bomb, and enjoy some downtime.
SKINCARE
As you lie in the bathtub you can put on a green clay face mask for a deeper cleanse or another one of your choice. I actually make my own face masks and body scrubs, as it’s really simple.
For a body scrub, which you can do after the bathtub before showering you can use sugar or sea salt, combined with a cold-pressed oil of your choice and essential oils. I like to use olive oil combined with sea salt, and tea tree, orange, or grapefruit essential oils, as my skin is really dry and it feels so smooth after. You might want to use an oil with a lighter texture such as jojoba or apricot, and choose essential oils that you prefer. Sugar is gentler on the skin, so if you have sensitive skin it might be a better option.
If you really want to go all out, you can book a beautician to come and do a facial for you at your home. Check if that is possible in your area and give yourself a treat!
MANI-PEDI
You may want to take time to do your nails, give your feet some love in a soothing foot bath, and massage them with cream. Otherwise, check if it’s possible to book a specialist to do that for you.
Our hands are something that people notice and having them treated with care will show. I have found that once I take time to do a proper manicure I leave a better impression, both in my private and business life. The most common thing people say is “I can tell you treat yourself well”. It shows you take care of your body and most importantly — you feel good!
I am more confident when I treat my body with great care and that confidence shines through. It’s about loving your body to give special time to do these little things that make a huge difference.
PROVISIONAL SCHEDULE
To give you an idea of what your retreat could look like here is a provisional schedule.
7–7.30 AM Energizing Breathwork + Meditation 7.30–8.00 AM Tai Chi 8.00–8.30 AM Yoga 8.30–9.30 AM Hot lemon water + Smoothie or Healthy Breakfast 9.30–10.00 AM Relaxing Time Listening To Music or an Inspirational Podcast 10.00–11.00 AM Massage 11.00–12.00 AM Relaxing Time 12.00–1.00 PM Healthy Lunch 1.00–2.00 PM Sound Bath and/or Yoga Nidra Practice (or both) 3.00–4.00 PM Restorative Yoga 4.00–4.30 PM Healthy Snack or Smoothie 4.30–6.00 PM Bubble Bath Time + Skincare Routine 6.00–7.30 PM Mani-Pedi 7.30–8.30 PM Healthy Dinner 8.30–9.30 PM Soothing Breathwork + Meditation 9.30 PM Rest / Bedtime
Naturally, it’s best to create your own program in whatever way works for you and according to what is possible.
There is so much more you can do, but I hope this inspires you to create the best retreat for yourself and take time for self-care. It is so important to take time off and regenerate, detox, and gather energy. It helps the body, the mind, and your overall well-being. Let me know how it goes!