Self care for busy women, why its important and why we all need to look after number one!
Making time for ourselves is something we all should do, however, it is something that we rarely do. We seem to be so busy, being busy, we rarely take time to stop and think about ourselves. I know myself, I can put my hand up and confess I am a guilty candidate when it comes to not taking time for self-care and me-time and Im sure you could probably say the same. So I wanted to share with you my experience when I decided I was going to do the ultimate Self Love act and take time out for me.
Ive been following Cork woman, lifestyle blogger and yoga teacher Jean Noonan for a while on Instagram and when I saw her post announcing her yoga business, Anam Solas Yoga, was offering a 3 day yoga retreat in Spain, I immediately thought, wow, I would love that. However, part of me hesitated. The accountant in me, said, you can not afford it, the business women in me said, you do not have time for that, but as cheesy as it sounds my soul said, you deserve that break and rest, go for it, so I did. I was burnt out mentally and physically for a few months and my body knew this, but still I refused to give myself a break. Instead I continued on, doing mediocre work and getting mediocre results. All the while wondering whats wrong with me, what is wrong with my business, when really I knew the answer, it was me that was the problem. And so, I put myself first, contacted Jean and a few emails later I was all booked up.
Now, admittedly I felt a little guilty at first, but upon reading Jeans welcome email explaining that the weekend was about yoga, healthy living, great food and fun and that her hope was to send us home feeling refuelled and rejuvenated, my guilt quickly melted away, replaced with feelings of excitement and joy. I had done this, I was making time for me. Now, what I thought was a brilliant idea, is that Jean offered a payment plan, so if the thoughts of that kind of investment in yourself scares you in anyway, the payment plan eases the burden and thoughts of, Oh god, thats a lot of money! and makes it more manageable.
And so the time came to go, I surprisingly packed very light, as Jean had kindly taken the time to email us on a list of exactly what we needed for the weekend, which eliminated all worry of the what will I wear dilemmas. Yoga mats and towels were all provided. I made my way to the airport, for the first time in my life, with all I needed in hand luggage and winged my way to Malaga. Jean had organised transfers so literally there was nothing to worry about but getting there. A great way to start a chill out weekend.
Rancho Rustico was nestled in the mountains about a 20 min drive from the airport and it just oozed charm and character. It was full of quirky little details everywhere, which I love. The rooms were comfy, the beds were huge, the hot water was plentiful and it had a pool! In my eyes, it was perfect. Each morning we had unlimited Juice, Fruit and Snacks if we wished before our morning yoga class. Admittedly Im not the friendliest of folks without coffee first thing in the morning, so the fact that Jean provided coffee was fantastic and the optional morning silence suited me perfectly.
Our classes took place over looking a stunning mountain views and you could hear the jingle of goats bells while we chanted, mediated and practised different types of yoga. It was bliss. Jean is a fantastic teacher, she has been practising for over 10 years, and has thought all over Europe. A patient teacher who understands the different ways in which we learn makes her retreats excellent for all levels of yogis, or even if your not a yoga at all, I promise you, you will love the feeling it gives you. You would be so surprised how you can manage your stress just by adding a little yoga into your life.
The food, OMG the food, I could rave all day about the whole experience provided for the weekend, but the food for me was THE BEST food I have ever eaten. The catering company for the weekend was Pachamama Organic, a venture by a wonderful couple called Benjamin and Anne-Maire and boy, do they know who to cook with love. From the early morning hours to late into the evening enchanting smells sailed through the house and I literally could hardly wait to eat it. You could really see their passion for food when each morning and evening they took the time to present and explain what was in our meals. A really nice touch I thought.
Jeans stipulation with food on her retreats is, “it should make you do the happy dance when you see it”
I nearly did a happy rave, it was that good! One of the many things that I learned during my time here, was that taking time to prepare & enjoy good, healthy food is so important to our self care routines. We really are what we eat.
Now, Im conscious that Im harping on here about my wonderful weekend, and believe me, I could write so so much more, but I want this post to resonate with YOU and hopefully make you realise how important YOU are and how you should, no not should, MUST put you health and well being first. Ive made a list of little self care practises you can print out, pop on your fridge and make time for daily.
If you want to truly make time for yourself, it’s essential to stop thinking of (and treating) me-time as something that’s nice-if-you-can-get-to-it and start approaching it as a necessity and a priority. Self- care and me-time are simply not indispensible. In fact, making time for yourself is actually an essential ingredient if you want to thrive in your life and your business.
Now if your feeling like treating yourself Anam Solas Yoga has kindly offered Wear We Wander customers, friends and followers a Self Love Discount on any of their upcoming retreats, all you have to do is mention Wear We Wander in your email enquiry and boom, discount applied.
A stunning Seaside Sanctuary Cork Retreat is happening from July 7th – 10th if you fancy treating yourself, or check out her website for the full schedule of retreats.
Immerse yourself in morning and evening yoga, meditation, nourishing meals straight from the Cork countryside, the spa loop (picture rotating between the wood-fired sauna, natural plunge pool and seaweed+ wild herb filled bath), massages, yoga nidra (sleep yoga), and fireside chats with inspiring women.
I hope this inspires you to take time for yourself, invest in yourself and most importantly love yourself.
Love & Light xx
