๐ญ.) ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐.โฃ
One of the biggest mistakes I made when I first leading retreats was arriving the same day, on the same plane with everyone. I was a bit frazzled, I wasnโt sure what to expect going through customs. I wasnโt sure where the shuttles were and what to expect when I got to the venue. I didnโt know anyone and I didnโt know the layout. โฃ
Now, all of these things are ok, but I highly suggest doing it on your own before your students arrive so that you can inform them what to expect and be prepared and grounded when they arrive.ย
๐ฎ.) ๐ ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐.โฃ
Communicate with your students what you observed while traveling. Were wait times crazy at your airport? Did you have all of your paperwork ready for when you arrived at your destination? Were the shuttles easy to find? Let them know what to expect on the day of travel so they feel more at ease with the experience. โฃ
โฃ ๐ฏ.) ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ.โฃ
Figure out who does what, who is in charge, who is the concierge, who works in the restaurant, etc and create a relationship with them. In my experience, this is when people will go above and beyond to help you and your students out for your time there and it makes things so much easier.โฃ
โฃ ๐ฐ.) ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ.โฃ
Your opening circle is essentially when people get to introduce themselves and you can do some fun icebreaker activities. Iโve come to the conclusion that doing this the day ๐ฎ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ people arrive (as opposed to the night of) is a little more effective since people are just exhausted from traveling and have no bandwidth. I find it helpful to journal a little bit about what I want to say about the week, what I want to say about myself, what they need to know about the venue and what questions I want to ask people as they introduce themselves. Planning out icebreaker activities beforehand can help streamline the whole experience and make it run more smoothly. โฃ
โฃ Along with my full-service retreat planning, Iย also offer chaperone service for those who feel they need more support and can accompany you during your time.
Are you ready to lead your own yoga retreat? Iโm excited to make this a reality for you and make sure you feel completely supported the entire time. Set up a call with me today and we can get the ball rolling.