My first yoga retreat: Big Island, Hawaii

April 30, 2010

My first yoga retreat on the Big Island of Hawaii at the Kalani Resort was a wonderful start to my yoga retreat experiences.  The property is very beautiful, set on many acres of lush rain forest.  The rooms are modest, matching the price you will pay to stay. The yoga studio is set in the middle of gardens and trees, so all throughout practice you hear the birds and insects of the jungle.

The center was all vegetarian with some vegan options.  I decided to try the vegetarian life for 30 days after the retreat.  I didn’t know at the time I committed to the experiement that I would integrate this into my lifestyle permanently.  There was also no pop around, so I gave up Diet Coke at the same time.  This proved to be harder.  However, 6 months later, when I tried a small amount, it was too sweet and I got a headache.  I will miss the refreshment of it, but not the actual taste, and I am happy to be free of it.

While at the retreat I make a deeper connection to my practice.  Yoga makes you realize the impossible IS indeed possible and builds the courgage to make healthy changes for your life.  A pose that you felt was out of your range is one day feasible and you find yourself just moving there, almost without thinking like an organic part of your soul moving towards it's destiny.  For me, while at Kalani, this pose for tri-pod headstand, a pose I thought was for “other” people.  And for me, while at Kalani, I became a vegetarian and eliminated soda from my diet, two choices that have proved are better aligned for my body.

Yoga translates physical accomplishment into things we may have felt impossible.  Suddenly what we desire, a healthier body or a clearer mind, or both, are possible. Yoga retreats provides a safe, sacred space away from the day to day to explore new concepts for our lives, allowing us to incorporate what now works best and making the rest of the experience a wonderful memory.

Namaste,

Jeni

To view the Gallery of Kalani and this retreat, please click HERE.