What can you expect on a Pilates retreat? Pilates of course! But, honestly, it’s so much more than that. When you arrive at the destination there is an excitement inside for what is to come. It’s similar to what it’s like before you open presents during the holidays or the first day of school.
On the first day of our retreat, we hit our Pilates mats! We dive right in and get that travel out of your body and get your mind in your body and on Pilates. I swear this first class washes away all the stress, travel and to-do’s of the life we left behind.
Then it’s time to connect over some delicious and healthy (because yes the two exist in combo) together. Every group of retreaters magically come together like a little family and this first meal is just the beginning.
The rest of the week we enjoy a daily Pilates mat class. We have two days of workshops on how to do Pilates in your body. We ditch the universal cues and instead, we find out how each exercise should be done for you. Everybody is different and so while there is an ideal version of each exercise there is also the uniqueness that is you.
By the end of the week, you’ll be doing the matwork in a way that your body is ready. Overtime and at future retreats your body will progress. But the goal of your retreat is to be present. Not just for the touring and other experiences but present for where your body is and what it needs.
Part of each retreat is learning and experiencing the culture of where we are. In Siem Reap, Cambodia (my favorite place for retreating) we enjoy two days of touring the Temples. We spend one whole afternoon going from one Temple to the next and noticing the unique differences that each Temple offers. Depending on when it was created and for whom the Temples tell a story.
On our second day, we wake up earlier than you would ever on a vacation to enjoy the sunrise over Angkor Wat. We then become the first people to go up as high we can in the Temple. You can see as far as your sight will allow. The terrain of Cambodia is incredible. In the rainy season it’s lush and green where ever you look. No buildings or city skylines. Just jungle. In the dry season, you see all the treetops of the jungle and you see the land in between. Sunrise in the dry season (my spring retreat is in the dry season) is the most epic. Depending on the calendar the sun rises almost directly above the center tower of Angkor. In the wet season, the sunrise covers the sky with colors you wouldn’t believe exist.
After a week of Pilates together, touring together, and getting to know each other and ourselves a little better we spend our final dinner out on the town. Our retreat family dinner is bittersweet. It means celebrating our friendship but it also means farewell is close.
But, the beauty of a Pilates retreat is you get to take your Pilates with you wherever you go, including a future Pilates retreat!
Check out my next retreat here!
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s re-Treat ourselves!
xx~LL
