Originally posted 26 February 2019.
It’s taken a while, but I have finally managed to put fingers to rose gold HP laptop keyboard and write up my second experience of attending the Everyday Joy retreat. I’m done with gushing over Tamu and her lovely ladies (I’m not). Today, I am going to share the things that really impacted me in the hope that they may also impact you.
I introduced Tamu and her Three Sixty brand in my earlier post, which I published after the first retreat, back in September last year. In that post, I also introduced some of Tamu’s beautiful friends. I was already super-excited that some of these friends returned for the second retreat. Mala, Anya and, vegetable advocate extraordinaire, Danae, joined us again, sharing their yoga, pilates and plant-based culinary skills with a room of around 20 ladies who were ready to learn and, some might say, more importantly, to eat 😋🧘🏾♂️🧘🏼♀️🧘🏽♀️🧘🏻♂️ So, imagine the way my head almost exploded when I discovered that in addition to the three I have already mentioned, we would also be joined by Lucy Sheridan, The Comparison Coach and Oprah’s BFF 😉, and nutritional therapist, women’s wellness coach and yoga teacher, Le-Nise Brothers *insert fangirl emoji that does not yet exist*
We were all given a goody bag as we arrived, each containing, among many other gorgeous things (plant, crystals, candle 💛), a Three Sixty journal – if you know anything about Tamu, you know that she is a hype girl for journalling ✍🏾 , which we were asked to use to “declutter [our] minds, recognise joy and turn dreams into reality”… I used mine to make notes of those 💡💡💡 moments that I wanted to keep with me – illuminating the remainder of 2019 and burning brightly to keep me living my very best life.
So what did I take away from the day retreat, apart from lots of joy? Well, for one, a new found love of Beetroot wellington 😋 I jest… 👀 Seriously though, it has taken me this long to truly appreciate the need to take time out… to spend time on me and just on me. Not to go and meet friends I haven’t seen for ages or to fall asleep again in front of the 3rd episode of the 2nd season of yet another box set, while my glass of red wine slips a little further from my flimsy grasp… #lesigh But, to focus solely on me.
I put my phone down as soon as I arrived and I didn’t look at it once until I left. And, guess what? There was no zombie apocalypse! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾 My life is hectic. Yes, I am self-employed and I left the rat race in order to enjoy more time spent with my family, but that doesn’t mean that freelance life is easy. In fact, it’s bloody hard! Yes, I have been able to take some time off during the last couple of Summer holidays so that I can do lovely family things with the girls, but that has only been possible because I have had to work like a woman possessed for the rest of the year, never turning down work because “who knows when my next project will come in?” End result is, I am mostly always knackered and rarely have time to devote to myself. So, these #everydayjoy retreats have become a must.
The day began with a yoga session, led by Mala, that was both energising and meditative in equal parts, and ended with a soothing, pelvic floor-focused pilates session with Anya (aka The Voice) 🧘🏾♂️🧘🏼♀️🧘🏽♀️🧘🏻♂️ In between these practices, we were taken through female hormonal nutrition 101 by Le’Nise and given some lessons in compassion over comparison by Lucy.
The lovely Le’Nise Brothers, who isn’t actually anyone’s brother at all
I am slightly ashamed to admit that, prior to 9th February 2019, I had never ever heard of the Clean 15 or the Dirty Dozen, as they relate to fruits and veg. However, I was once ignorant but I am now able to rebuke that title. Today, I am equipped with a journal full of information on how to keep those pesky, little hormones in check. Le’Nise broke things down so well, showcasing her expertise in a really unassuming way, making sure not to blur the line between nutritional advice and medical advice, and allowing questions so that her session was targeted around the things that us ladies really wanted to know. I mean, I now know what a portion of fruit and veg looks like, I am working towards getting my whole family to eat more mindfully whenever possible, I have made peace with my coil (TMI? 🤔) and I will never look at constipation in the same way again 💩 I cannot end this without mentioning #oilgate either! How well do you know your good fats and have you ever heard of algae oil? 🌿 Le’Nise’s is a voice that needs to be heard much more often, because us ladies need a better understanding of how what we consume can and does affect our hormones🥕🥑🌶️🥦
And then there was Lucy Sheridan. If you don’t already stalk Lucy on Instagram, please begin. Lucy is truly wonderful and dropped the most amount of mics during her session. I was left like this guy most of the time 👇🏾
Some of the gems I managed to scrawl down while I wasn’t contemplating the meaning of my life were:
On things not appearing to happen for you when they are happening for others (aka your comparators), Lucy says, “Trust the timing of your life…”
On the distraction of outside sources, Lucy says, “When something is important to you, make a temple in your heart and guard it…” (got dam – that one hit me like ooomph!)
On ways in which to override the urge for comparison, Lucy says, lots of things that I could not possibly list here. Go check her out and find out more. You won’t regret it 👌🏾
The power of actually sitting down and eating together was evident. We shared our pasts and updated on our presents and our futures. We also laughed ahelluvalot. I particularly recall hearing much laughter around the time when I was initially short-changed on my dessert portion size, which I didn’t mind at all lol (I did). I moaned about my tiny slice and was eventually rewarded with seconds, which I then couldn’t comfortably finish. Although, let me state for the record that I did in fact finish it cos waste not, want not and all that 👀 So much for mindful eating and saying no to comparison! Like Lucy says, trust the timing of your life. And, like I say, Karma is real.
It was a day to remember. I made connections and reconnections. I met people in real life who I have only ever previously known on the grid (that’s Instagram if you’re not down with the kids like me ✌🏾😜). I met people in real life who I may never meet again, but am glad I shared this experience with. The ladies who attend the retreats come from all backgrounds and walks of life, but have in common at least one thing: an appreciation for Tamu and all that she has done in bringing her vision, Three Sixty, to life. As such, it was inevitable that we would all get on…
Thank you once again, Tam. I’m ready for the next one 💛
Cee x
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