Winter Wellness – A Retreat to Remember

It’s been a whole week since I ran my very first retreat day at Haggler’s Corner in Sheffield, and if I’m honest, I still haven’t gotten over how amazing it was. Not only did I have a wonderful day teaching and learning, but to see everyone making connections with new friends, hearing such lovely feedback at the end of the day, and having the privilege of nourishing the minds and bodies of the attendees – this is why I love my job. My heart is so full.

We started our day with an intention setting and Winter nutrition session with Joanne Bibby from Live Life Well, wellness and nutrition expert and podcast host (and my co-host for the day). Surrounded by fairy lights, blankets, candles, a homemade superfood green smoothie, dried flowers and plants – you couldn’t help but feel at ease. Shortly after her session, Jo served up a warming plant-based lunch: butternut squash chilli, dairy-free yoghurt, avocado, tortillas, quinoa and nutritional yeast, followed by homemade Ferrero-rochet style protein balls. My mouth is watering just writing this!

After lunch, we gathered back on our mats, and I delivered a short session discussing the history of, and benefits of Pilates (more on the benefits of Pilates on my previous blog post Pilates: The Power of Movement ). Having given some space for lunch to settle, we moved into our 60 minute Pilates class, working across strength and mobility in all major muscle groups, using resistance bands for added tension to increase the intensity of our movement, before flowing into a 20 minute deep stretching session. Bodies warmed and stretched, sun setting outside, candlelight flickering – the perfect setting for our wind-down: a guided meditation and breathwork session.

The meditation I ran was centred around the theme of change – positive change, specifically – and moving with intention across the Winter months to transform into our ideal selves. Here’s a snippet:

“The only person you are destined to become is the person who you decide to be.

You are in charge of your own destiny. Everything in life is not in your control, but everything is an experience, and everything that you experience is leading you towards your destiny. You are exactly where you are supposed to be, and you are going exactly where you are supposed to go.

Everything that is happening now is necessary for you to grow into a greater version of yourself. Change does not have to be negative: often, the things that scare us are also those which present the greatest opportunities for positive evolution. By embracing challenges and forcing yourself to be uncomfortable, you will build resilience, helping you gain clarity and strength. Above all, remember that you have already overcome all the challenges your past self has faced, challenges which have only made you stronger and more capable to face what lies ahead.

The universe is always talking to you, looking out for you, guiding you. Just as every decision you have made thus far has led you up to this point, you are exactly where you are supposed to be, and you will be exactly where you are supposed to end up. Trust the process, trust in your fate, and trust in yourself.

As you inhale, feel the ribcage expand, filling your body with fresh, cool air. As you exhale, allowing the body to sink down into your mat, feeling the weight of the body sinking down.

…

Allow the mind to clear once again. The date is not 7th January 2025, the date is 7th December 2024, but that future you just saw is as real as any other possibility that you could imagine for yourself. You are in charge of your own destiny. You can do anything you set your mind to this month. As you inhale, bringing your mind back into the present body, to the present moment. Your mind is clear. You know what you need to do to achieve your goals, and you have already seen yourself achieve this, so you know that it is possible.

Lock in your intention.

Exhale.

Trust the process, trust in your fate, and trust in yourself.

You are exactly where you are supposed to be, and you are going exactly where you are supposed to go.

The only person you are destined to become is the person who you decide to be.”

Meditation and breathwork is one of the most effective methods to calm the nervous system, lower blood pressure, and release stress and anxiety, which is why the practice is so common within the treatment of these conditions. Apps like Headspace and Calm have grown in popularity in recent years, as more of us learn the benefits of taking time out of the day to be still, to be at peace.

To close off our day, we set one resolution for ourselves, and one for those around us, being intentional and specific in our wishes. Contact details were shared between members, and well-wishes for the festive period, as the winter sky descended.

I truly cannot thank you enough if you attended, I have so many thoughts buzzing around in my busy little head for 2025, and I cant wait for our next retreat.

You can stay up to date with future retreats and classes via my social media and website https://www.sheffieldpilates.com - my regular Pilates class schedule is below:

Monday 6:15pm & 7:30pm, Wath Upon Dearne – Studio Sessions

Tuesday 6:30pm, Dore Methodist Church – Pilates with Small Equipment

Wednesday 6:15pm & 7:30pm, Wath Upon Dearne – Studio Sessions

Thursday 6:45pm, Totley Rise Methodist Church – Pilates with Small Equipment