Vacations-A Necessity, not a luxury
This journey of yoga: union with ourselves, each other, and the divine; is not about depriving yourself of anything, but rather looking deep within ourselves and recognizing where we are out of balance, and then taking the steps needed to bring ourselves back to center.
Do not deny yourself time off for the summer! Plan a wonderful vacation for yourself, where you spend time with nature, and with those you love.
Vacations – A Necessity – Not a Luxury
A real vacation. A true retreat.
What is that? What would that feel like?
Do you wonder?
Nice dream, but not in my world!
You may say.
A retreat or real vacation is time spent away from your normal routine, from your daily responsibilities. It is time to rest, relax, and play.
Yoga Philosophy reminds us that it is our birthright to be happy; that we are here to enjoy life, despite the suffering that being human creates. So, an important question to gently ask ourselves is: Am I living to work – or working to live? If the answer is that you are working to live – make sure you take time to truly live, not just survive, no matter what your financial circumstances.
A vacation is time to remember who you are, to enjoy the things you love, those you love, and the fruits of your labor.
Learning to take time to retreat from my daily duties and take a real vacation has not been easy for me. I was a single mom for so many years, and an underpaid, over-worked yoga studio owner. The thought of a real vacation was always a far-off dream for me. But I am a dreamer, so I just kept, (and keep on), working towards achieving one dream at time. With persistence one day there it is – my dream, right in front of me.
It is never truly about having the money to achieve this kind of dream for ourselves, (although we think it is), it is however, about the desire and the efforts put behind those dreams. It is being able to say to the universe:
“This is my birthright, and I am going to do this, no matter what, so show me the way. This, or something better, please!”
The first “real vacation” I ever took after having children was when my daughter Katie graduated from high school in 2006. While it was important, taking us on a vacation felt almost selfish to me, because the survival of my yoga studio was always my first priority, and there was never enough money coming in. Leaving town felt like the impossible, but I wanted to create at least one pleasant play-time, vacation-time memory with my children. So I took a huge leap of faith and put a 7-day cruise on a credit card and off we went. It something we really couldn’t “afford” financially, but something we desperately needed to do.
And it was so wonderful! I rested. I got to read novels. I could not be contacted about work. I was fully present with and for my children if they wanted to hang out with me, without interruption. My children and I bonded; we laughed, and we played. We created lovely memories. (The vacation got paid for eventually.) And yes, the business survived without me.
In 2012, thanks to the exceptional teachers and volunteers at AGW, I was able to take my first two weeks away from work – ever! Once again, it was not something I could easily afford, but rather something I knew I had to do to save my soul. Exhaustion had set in on the highest level, and there was absolutely nothing left in my cup to give. I knew if I did not take time off to rest and have fun, I was going to get sick and be forced to take time off to recover; so I chose a vacation.
My daughter and her husband, an Air Force helicopter pilot, were living in Alabama at the time. I met her for a few days in Panama Beach, Florida. I got to walk the beach, and spend precious time with my beautiful daughter. I got to play tourist and play with my 1st grand-puppy – Tahoe, a beautiful 9-month old Husky. Katie then drove me to her temporary home in Enterprise, Alabama. At her apartment I checked into the guest bedroom, and caught up on sleep, walked every day, and read three delicious novels.
Probably the most important part of the trip was being able to “feel” the differences in my body, without the daily responsibility of having to juggle all the many different responsibilities I have in my hometown. Life and my business went on without me, even though when I am in San Diego it sometime feels like there is no way it can!
The loving yoga principles of “taking care of myself from the inside out,” that I have been practicing for the last 22 years were truly felt on that vacation. I had no desire to indulge in food or activities that did not serve my highest self. I ate well. I sleep well. I exercised because I wanted to, because my body was not too exhausted to move. I realized that the pattern of late night un-healthy eating, my biggest nemesis that I was never able to control at home, was non-existent while away. I had time to remember who I really was – away from the daily pressures of everyday living, away from everyone’s expectations of me, and my expectations of myself. I had 10 beautiful days with my daughter, her husband and puppy, and gave myself two days back at my home in San Diego to re-adjust before re-entering my busy world again.
When I came back to the “daily grind”, my workload had not changed, but something definitely had changed in me because of the vacation. I was able to bring a piece of that self-care back home with me, even while continuing to work a 60-70 hour week. I was able leave work in time to take my walk before dark with no guilt. I joined a support group outside my yoga world to meet my personal needs, a place where people do not expect perfection out of me. I was able to go to sleep without a full stomach. I lost 9 pounds in 30-days, despite all the daily stresses of life!
After those oh so important days away, I found that I bounced back a little more easily from people telling me that I was not doing enough, or not doing things right enough for their needs. During those two weeks off I was able to review just how much I have accomplished in my life, and it is in that place of gratitude and appreciation that I am trying to live everyday!
I realized that if I left this planet tomorrow, I could be very proud of myself today, and all that I have done. My life situation had not changed, but I did, just a bit, in a very important way.
Retreats and vacations are not luxuries.
They are a necessary component to re-balancing our lives, to clearing our heads, and to giving us the energy and desire to keep going.
This is the reason why, for the past 20 years, I have been leading retreats for others and reminding us all (myself included) how important it is to retreat even for just a couple of days at a time, if a week or two is not possible. This is why I am carving out more time each year to leave my work and live my dreams.
If you feel like you cannot afford to get away, learn to take 2-3 day vacations right in your home-town. Turn off the TVs and the phones. Get out and explore your world. For those of us living in San Diego, we are so blessed with the beach and the mountains just minutes away. But everyone can find a place of peace no matter where you are located.
One way to do this is to turn your own home into a vacation retreat for a weekend: Spend an hour in the tub, lie down and read a great book or sleep as long as you can. Your body and spirit will thank you. You will be a nicer person inside and out!
Choose to be happy.
Choose to take vacations.
Choose to retreat.
Put forth what you want, and then ask the universe to show you the way.
There are so many wonderful universal forces you cannot see, just waiting to help you. You must be willing to ask. Then get quiet and listen to what they have to say.
