10 Reasons You Need A Temple Retreat

How many times have you heard someone say “I need a holiday after that holiday”? Most of us these days are looking for so much more from our precious time off, and when annual leave days are few and far between, you might decide that heading to an all inclusive, 5 star resort isn't really going to cut it. You want a deeper experience. Something that’s really going to feed the soul and have you floating back to your daily life feeling like you really have wound down.

I consider myself pretty lucky to do what I do for a living. For 7 nights I get to guide a small group of individuals through a yummy week of Yoga, Meditation, cultural activities and relaxation…In other words I like to think of myself as a professional vacationer. Having high expectations of my own time off and planned holidays I understand that it’s a big call to take the plunge and book yourself into a week of retreating, it takes courage to take the plunge and say yes to committing yourself fully to a week just focused on getting back to YOU!

So for those of you dipping the toe in, playing with the idea of handing your well earned and precious annual leave over to us here at Temple here's a few practical reasons why we think you should come away with us…

1. YOU CAN RIDE SOLO

I have traveled to Bali solo many times with absolutely no plan or agenda (and loved flying by the seat of my pants) but I know girlfriends of mine who could think of nothing worse and feel much more at ease, having a plan locked in. The great thing about being on retreat is that everything is thought out for you. Accommodation, food, activities, and of coarse its your choice as to what you take and leave from what’s on offer but someone has already done the hard work for you by organising everything you would need to guarantee an amazing break.

2. EXPERIENCE NEW THINGS AND TRANSFORM

Nothing gives you better perspective on life than travel and putting yourself out of your comfort zone. Experiencing new things, cultures, walks of life can really light up the darkened corners of your mind and allow you to be inspired by life again.

3. LEARN SOMETHING NEW

Each morning on our Temple Retreats you start with an all levels Yoga class, from there you can partake in either an art or cooking class, self development, time for self reflection and relaxation. When was the last time you did something for the first time? When did you last deviate from the same old routine? We all need a breath of fresh perspective, new ideas and be open to learning and growing.

4. MAKE NEW FRIENDS

Everyone is on retreat for their own reasons and it can be a little daunting thinking about meeting new people especially if you are heading away for some much needed alone time or in a particularly difficult time or stage in your life. You certainly have the space for your own time on retreat (which is valuable) but we can learn something new from every person we meet. Not only is a retreat a great chance to make new friends but with every interaction with people there is something we can takeaway.. Its amazing the wisdom that’s out there, tap into it, learn from others!

5. GIVE YOURSELF SOME ‘ME’ TIME

Most of us know that self care is essential for happiness and you’ve honoured that simply by signing up to a Temple Retreat. But what is self care really? Give yourself permission on retreat to have some quality alone time, and seriously chill out. While socialising with friends and loved ones is also essential to our happiness, simply being with yourself, to give yourself love, “ME TIME”, time to just be, recharge and reset is going to mean you float back home on cloud nine.

6. GIVE BACK

By going to a retreat you are most likely going to be traveling far from home, potentially seeing parts of the world that are underprivileged and caught in the cycle of poverty. World peace requires people with a mindset for change, people who have experienced and witnessed firsthand the things that need changing.

It is one of our passions and commitments at Temple to educate and empower the younger generation, in Bali especially. In order to create a positive impact on the world we love giving our retreat guests the opportunity to visit the Jodie O’Shea orphanage to give back to this beautiful country and its people.Spending time immersed in the local culture while giving back to the community makes us grateful for the privileged life we live and manifests an attitude of thankfulness and newfound gratitude towards life.

7. UNPLUG

The wifi in Bali has improved in recent years, so if you choose to you can stay well connected during your stay. However, why not consider going offline for your week away or at least parts? You will be so surprised how amazing it feels not to have the pressure of checking your social media every five minutes. Switch off, unplug, detach and just get back to good old fashioned face to face communication.

8. JUST BE

Let go of your expectations of yourself, of the trip, of your time away and aim to be completely present. Go with the flow, be open to new experiences, new people, places and see where the week takes you. Most importantly, just be YOU!

9. DO IT FOR YOU

Let yourself be a little bit selfish and treat yourself. In the go go go of everyday life it’s easy to forget to put yourself first and foremost to cultivate a happier and healthier life. It’s so easy to put everyone else’s needs first! We often worry about, ask about and to tend to other peoples needs first. You don’t need an excuse to give yourself a break. What better reason to treat yourself other than you work really hard, you work a lot, and when it comes down to it you straight up deserve an occasion to celebrate your awesomeness.

10. LOVE YOURSELF AGAIN

Your retreat is a time to explore who you are, to get back to yourself and so that you can grow and find happiness again. It may not be an instant change or change you notice over a period of a week but it’s your commitment and willingness to put yourself first. That is the ultimate form of self love. It is not selfish to love yourself or take care of yourself and to make your happiness a priority. It is a necessity!

So what do you have to lose by taking a week out of your daily life? Through our retreats at Temple, you give yourself the opportunity to grow as a person and trust that all of your needs and want for your getaway will be met. Trust that you are in great hands with your teachers, your facilitators and your fellow retreaters, but most importantly trust your own journey and experience.

Namaste