Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes of a yoga retreat? Well, here it is. I think I will spare photos of the piles of laundry, the kitchen counters covered with food items waiting to be chopped, sauteed, roasted, and rendered into delectable dishes, the place before it is clean and organized!
…..make the private booking for Little Renaissance after finding a free weekend that works for all involved OR post the planned retreat on my website and spread the word, make sure Linked In, my Facebook Page Yoga by Fran Gallo, and Yogablaze know about the retreat coming up, register people one by one, record their checks and make sure I have recorded them in my tax accounting book, send a welcome email to the group, send them directions to Little Renaissance, send them a detailed schedule and a list of things to bring, remind them we have a hot tub now and that they will need to wear various layers for brisk walks on the beach, remind them to bring slippers, encourage them to carpool if they like, find out if anyone has food allergies, think of ways to work around wheat and dairy if necessary, delicately find out if there are any special needs or concerns (snoring? physical injuries? limitations? fears? illness? …you never know what will come up), reassure them that, indeed, we do serve coffee, full-on caffeine. Tell them what to bring and tell them what I will provide. Remind them to bring a shared reading. Don’t tell them the food we serve is vegetarian…the meat eaters won’t miss their bacon at all once they taste the foods I will present!
Write out a menu, write out a shopping list, go shopping, write out a list of things I will need to pre-cook and prepare ahead of time, make scones, granola, various sauces, dressings, pick vegetables from the garden, breads (here at Little Renaissance, everything is made from scratch!) grind coffee, arrange flowers in a vase, grate cheese, make a cobbler, make the soups and curry, set out teas, clean the house, do some yard work between spurts of rain-unless it is winter, bring in the firewood for the wood stove, elongate the table, set the table, make sure the towels are set out, shake out blankets. Oh, take time to do a yoga practice, clean the kitchen.
“Rick, have you started going over the floors yet?”
Prepare the appetizers, make the salad.
Make sure Rick is on board. Go over menu with Rick ,who will be taking over putting the final touches on the meals, cue Rick on the particulars of this yoga retreat (theme, special requests, interests).
Send out a reminder and make sure the yoga retreat participants all have our address and my phone number!
Miraculously, we are done 15 minutes before guests are due to arrive!
Breathe.
Wait.
Yoga Retreat Participants arrive and the retreat begins for all of us, especially for the hosts who have been preparing for the weekend. Retreat participants will be greeted with a hearty welcome as they enter a “house of health”, and the smells of a good home-cooked meal will embrace them and make each guest feel like a well-cared-for child. Guests will be warmed by the wood stove or cooled by the ocean breeze. They will sleep deeply and have delicious dreams, and will be guided into timeless yoga sessions where they can rejuvenate and restore their energy. Our guests will feel strong, limber, free. They will rest and become whole again. They will connect to kindness, generosity, love.
For all we give, we receive ten-fold.
This blog post is dedicated to my dear longtime friend of 33 years, Anita. who runs the a guesthouse in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Yes, the hospitality you and Rick create is just the flower of a very deep “root system” ! Our group is still enjoying the ripple effects from our nourishing weekend. Thanks again!