Retreat!

Glo @ Yoga Retreat

ri-treet:  a place of privacy; a place affording peace and quiet; hideaway: an area where you can be alone; withdrawal for prayer and study and meditation; withdrawal of troops to a more favorable position to escape the enemy's superior forces or after a defeat.



Last weekend I was able to retreat to a lovely Georgian country house for 3-days of yoga, meditation and vegetarian food with Michelle Cross.  I don't know that any other "retreat" that I've been on changed me as much as this one and in so many different ways.

Since returning to my life, I feel so much stronger in my body.  Yoga may look like stretching and bending, but there's also a great deal of muscle involved in getting into poses properly and then being able to hold those poses.  I can feel the strength that developed from doing 10 hours of yoga during this weekend.  Yep, you read right ... 10 hours of yoga.  I've noticed this new found strength in my other workout classes, and in how I'm carrying my body.  My back is straighter, I'm holding my head up just a bit higher, and I feel calmer and more in touch with myself.  Not to mention how it's affected my singing.  This week I've been preparing to compete in the Finals of Concorde's Got Talent (which is tonight, by the way) and my breathing is more consistent, my notes are more supported because my core is stronger, and I'm discovering new things that my voice is capable of.



Tilton House

 The other big change has been unplugging a bit more.  Unplugging from the internet and from TV.  It's amazing how much more productive and focused I feel.  I've been reading more this week, I've started to think about the book I want to write, and I've gained some major insight into finding the courage to only doing those things that I really feel passionate about.  When it's quiet and your spirit is still, you're able to hear what's in your heart ... there's beauty in stillness!

Lastly, after eating a completely vegetarian menu and having so much more energy and less strange smells coming from the nether region, I've modified the way I'm eating.  No, I've not gone vegetarian, but I've added more fresh fruit, veggies, and grains to my diet. 

So I ask you, what would a retreat mean for you?  For me it was stepping back from myself in order to see myself a little bit clearer.  Maybe you can't get away for a weekend, but I'm sure you can find a hour over the coming weekend to retreat, be it into a book or magazine (this month's Oprah Magazine is very powerful), or a meditation or Yoga session (or both), or taking a much needed nap.  I encourage you to find a way to retreat in the coming days.  I guarantee you will immediately feel the benefits! 

I'd love to hear about your journey ... happy retreating!

Glo.

Life in the UK - Three Month Review

It's been just over three months that I've been living in the UK and it's been a bit of a roller coaster ride.  In hindsight, I now realize that you can't really mentally prepare for being uprooted from everything that felt safe and familiar and replanted in a place that at times feels unsafe and really unfamiliar.  By unsafe, I don't mean that I worry about getting "jacked" in the sleepy little town of Waterlooville where I live, I mean unsafe in not having all the comforts of the familiar that YOU are probably taking for granted right now!

The biggest, on-going adjustment is to Neal (the hubs) being away so much.  He's an entertainer who works on cruise ships and most of the time he's on a ship and I'm home alone.  "Johnny No Mates," is a term I've picked up over hear and it aptly describes how I feel most of the time since I've only made a few friends since moving to England in July.  It's strange, because sometimes when Neal is home, I feel like he's impinging on my life ... like I have to drop everything to spend time with him.

Honestly, what's taking up most of my time is working out.  I go to the gym and/or yoga class five days a week.  Which brings me to another adjustment that's taking some time.  The Brits are a laid-back people and the Americans are typically not.  I'm a typical American in that I'm friendly, chatty and maybe at times a bit "in-your-face."  This doesn't go over well here.  In the fitness classes at the gym it's dead silent accept for me going "woohoo," "yeah" or making any sound that might come out depending on the level of pain I'm in at any given time.  Even in Zumba class, I'm the ONLY one keeping up a ruckus!  I can't help myself, and I've tried!  Also, no one comes up to speak to you.  I feel as if I'm constantly breaking the ice.  One day just before "Step" class, one of the girls from Zumba struck up a conversation.  Well, apparently it takes just one brave Brit to speak to the newcomer in order for the rest of the Brits to pipe in.  And pipe in they did.  Suddenly, I'm surrounded by ladies and we're all chattering away.  I'm thinking, finally, the ice is broken and I'm no longer "Johnny No Mates."  Wrong!  The next week I was right back to nobody speaking to me. 

There's is hope, though, because there are two ladies, Belinda and Tania, who seem to be of the same "tribe" as me and on several occasions we've been chatting away like old friends.  They even invited me shopping today!  Maybe I'm up to five friends now!  I do have some awesome neighbors and I've joined the wives (Clare and Maureen) for Yoga on Monday nights. 

Driving is coming along quite well.  I'm no longer terrified of roundabouts and driving at night only slightly terrifies me.  The fact that I've been doing some performing has made me have to face the night driving.  Speaking of performing, I did my first official gig this past weekend at Thirty Three Restaurant Cafe in Poole which is about an hour from my house.  Prior to that I entered "Concorde's Got Talent" sponsored by The Concorde Club and I performed in the Semi-finals in October and will compete in the Finals on November 12th.  I'm making some good music connections and have even been invited out to Cypress in January to perform at several 5-Star Hotels.  I'm still negotiating the terms, but it's looking promising.

I love the convenience of where I live.  Everything is within walking distance ... the grocery store, the gym, the eye doctor, the medical clinic, shopping in general, to name a few things.  I'm trying to walk more because I entered the "Moon Walk" Marathon in London that will be held in May next year.  I've always wanted to complete a marathon but wasn't thrilled with the idea of running one.  This one you walk during the night and it's proceeds go towards Breast Cancer Research.  I've been trying to talk Neal into walking with me, but so far, he's not having it!

Overall, my first three months have been awesome.  I feel like I'm in my stride now and relishing the adventure and the newness of everything!  I miss my friends and family back in the states and I sometimes feel disconnected from my old life.  However, I'm loving my new life and learning how to cope with the occasional bouts of loneliness.  In American tradition I'm planning a big Thanksgiving Dinner, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with my new family and new friends!  I have so much to be thankful for!