Planning a Wellness Retreat at Home

Set aside a weekend to nurture yourself, spring clean your goals and re-ignite your passions and plans. There are times when we all need to take a step back from our lives to recharge our energy, replenish our motivation and re-evaluate our goals. This is an ideal time to look back on the year so far and ensure that your everyday life and your priorities are still a reflection of what you want them to be.

Read on for our simple tips on getting your home retreat-ready and our favourite rituals and activities to help you make the most of your weekend…

Reserve an entire weekend

Schedule a Friday evening through a Sunday afternoon for your at-home wellness retreat. Mark it on your calendar. Treat this retreat just as you would any other retreat.

Create an agenda

Just like at a sleepaway retreat, give yourself an agenda. Schedule your activities, meals, and downtime. Type them up, print them out, and carry them with you throughout the weekend.

Your schedule might look like this:

Friday:

• 6 p.m.: Turn off the phone
• 6–7:15 p.m.: Vinyasa yoga
• 7:45–8:45 p.m. Dinner with a good friend

Saturday:

• 8 a.m.: Wake up, breakfast,
• 8:15–8:30 a.m. Morning journaling
• 8:30–9:30 a.m. Meditation
• 10:00 -11:30 a.m. Yoga
• 12:00–1 p.m. Lunch
• 1–2 p.m. Rest
• 2–3 p.m. Walk in the park
• 3–5 p.m. Watercolor painting
• 5–7 p.m. Prepare dinner, eat with family
• 7:30–8:30 p.m. Watch standup comedy/ funny movie
• 8:30–9:00 p.m. Bubble bath
• 9:00–10 p.m. Listen to a guided meditation online
• 10 p.m. Bedtime

Sunday:

• 8 a.m. Wakeup, breakfast
• 8:15–8:30 a.m. Morning journaling
• 8:30–9:30 a.m. Meditation
• 10:00 a.m. –12 p.m. Hike with friends
• Noon-1 p. m. Lunch
• 1:00–1:30 p.m. Journal about the experience over the weekend and intentions for bringing wellness into daily life
• 1:30 p.m. Turn phone back on — end of the retreat

Plan your meals

Plan ahead. Create a menu. Shop for groceries and prep as much as you can ahead of time, minimizing dishes and added work during mealtimes. Added bonus – By planning ahead, you will be able to treat yourself to healthy meals throughout the weekend just as you would have if you were away at a retreat centre.

Schedule both energising and relaxing activities

Activities can take place at home or at your favourite local yoga studio, spa, gym, dance studio, etc.

A sample day might look something like this – morning meditation and journaling, mid-morning yoga flow class, afternoon massage, evening restorative yoga, bedtime meditation and journaling.

Disconnect

Turn off your phone. No emails, no social media, and ignore the TV – your favourite shows will be there on Monday. Everything is going to be fine.

Pack a bag

Set aside clothes, a yoga mat, your journal, and other items you would bring on retreat. Have them ready to go. No need to think about what to wear. No need to search for your journal, pens, or yoga props. They’re all set aside and ready to go, just as they would be when you arrive at a retreat centre.

Schedule downtime

Make room for “Do-Nothing-Time.” This is the time to soak in all your blissful wellness activities, to reflect, and cherish this experience. Too often on retreat, we try to cram in as many activities as we can and before we know it that early morning meditation is more stressful than blissful.

These simple steps are all you need to have a blissful, relaxing weekend. Go ahead and enjoy your soul-soothing at-home wellness retreat!

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