Spiritual and mental peace is no less than a rare commodity that costs millions. No matter what one does or how one lives, stress and emotional agony always find a way to become a part of life. Getting a detox from all this also costs time and money, and if things are not done the right way, you might end up feeling the same shortly.
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So what is the right way?
Some methods can help you lighten your emotional and mental burden, for example, a vacation. However, vacations are not completely transformational experiences, which is why a retreat makes up for a better option.
Vacations can help but in reality for some a vacation can cause them a worse mental burden because their mind is thinking too much hence the excessive drinking, couples fighting or busy touring and sightseeing. Feeling the need for a vacation after a vacation.
What Is A Retreat?
A Retreat is an immersive program on a specific topic with a facilitator during an intensive few days where like-minded people gather cohesively to create change for their transformation and in some instances solidify a company’s culture. A retreat can be local or international. It can have different levels of transformation from learning new ideas to deeply rooted change.
Types of retreats
- Corporate Retreats
- Yoga Retreats
- Meditation Retreats
- Culinary Retreats
- Health & Wellness Retreats
- Fitness Retreats
- Psychedelic & Plant-based medicine Retreats
- Couples Retreats
- Spiritual Retreats
- Ayahuasca Retreats
- LBGTQ+ Retreats
- Location Specific like
- Costa Rica Retreats
- Bali retreats
- etc
Length of a retreat
A local retreat should last four days in order to compensate for time spent on travel. An international retreat ideally should be seven days for the same reason and never less than five days depending. Most transformational retreats can last up to a month but due to logistics, most don’t go more than 7-14 days.
What Are The Benefits Of Organizing A Retreat?
As mentioned above, it’s an excellent way for participants to relieve their minds, but when joining in groups, retreats can be a great bonding activity. Retreats let participants open themselves to a new experience with people they might or might not know.
Attendees can learn methods to calm their minds and relax their bodies. They can also partake in personal growth activities. Some retreats also introduce attendees to art skills like painting and origami.
Leaders of companies or businesses can join retreat sessions to lower their mental stress and connect with creative, fit, or hard-working versions of themselves. By interacting with other attendees, leaders can master their mentoring or leadership skills to a great extent. Engaging in recreation or spiritual activities can also be another reason why retreats work out great for leaders.
Some business owners spend millions to keep their employees happy, but to no avail in some cases. Employers who feel they are great substitutes for team bonding are wrong. Employees need a safe space to be themselves without any hierarchy or management overlooking them. Therefore, a retreat meets multiple goals.
Download here your Free Guide: Boss Up with Retreats Start Your Retreat Planning Journey
What Are Some Of The Best Ways To Plan A Retreat?
1. Set a goal
Nothing in this world can succeed if it’s not planned well with a goal in mind. Similarly, with retreats, having clear goals can get results. Asking questions like, what kind of spiritual or mental experience is expected? What would the attendees be interested in believing or doing? The answers to these basic questions can shape an excellent foundation for an effective and impactful retreat.
2. Ensuring the retreat is engaging for everyone
Retreats attract all kinds of people. Therefore, a retreat needs to have activities that all attendees are comfortable performing or partaking in. Any communication session should be themed on a topic that spikes everyone’s interest.
3. Getting a group opinion
While planning the retreat activities & budget, one can create a list of activities and ask the participants in advance to choose their options. If the ratio of attendees partaking in the survey is lower than 60 percent, asking for their suggestions on activities can be helpful.
4. Choose retreat leaders or managers.
Managing a retreat can be exhausting, especially when the attendees are in large numbers.
Our advice? One can always request volunteers and or assign other team members to plan & manage the operations so the facilitator is free from stress and can focus on the program
5. Setting some time aside for rest.
The age and physical abilities of the attendees are essential factors that should be considered when planning a retreat. But another factor that plays a crucial role is the breathing time set aside for rest between the activities.
Attendees should get proper time to relax and relieve themselves or even catch a breath after one activity. This will keep them energized and fresh throughout the retreat. It allows them also to process all their discoveries and become a self-aware journals, and socialize without an organized activity.
6. Organizing retreat in a calm and safe environment
It is not exactly a retreat if the attendees are somewhere close to their homes or offices. Office retreats are a massive no-no for employers who want great results from them. But on the other hand, retreats should be organized in a place that disconnects the participants from their daily lives. Distant retreat spots that specialize in creating a personalized experience are great options. These places are usually calmer and help in fostering new experiences.
7. Investing in good food
After all the soul-searching and activities, participants require a tasty, healthy meal. Therefore, invest in all kinds of great vegetarian, non-vegetarian and vegan options to suit the attendees’ preferences.
Make sure they are aware of any allergies as well and that there is food available and plentiful. Good food can also motivate some to participate actively or attend the retreat again.
8. Having a Monitoring Process
Retreats can be made better midway through if the attendees lack enthusiasm or engagement. For such scenarios, having a happiness or engagement monitoring process can be helpful. However, these processes can include mini-surveys or casual questioning; their answers can help shape the progress of retreats.
9. Keeping an adjustable schedule
Schedules come in handy when managing a retreat. Though you might want to include many activities or conversation sessions, keeping some buffer space in the schedule can go long. These buffer spaces can help in emergencies, delays, or other problems.
10. Getting feedback
Always let others judge your work and be open to criticism. Retreats are personal experience that varies from person to person. Understanding what each attendee feels like and making changes to the retreat program can make future retreats engaging.
Download here your Free Guide: Boss Up with Retreats Start Your Retreat Planning Journey
Investing In Retreat Planning Training
Does planning a retreat feel too much of a job? Why not invest in personalized training on retreat planning?
Retreat Planning possesses extensive experience in different kinds of retreats & participants. Knowledge of pricing your retreat, marketing it, and covering yourself legally can help you plan your first retreat!
Once a trained retreat planner, your proficiency ensures the participants feel welcome and leave happily.
Feels like something you would be interested in? Get a discovery call with us!
About Aditi Agrawal
Aditi Agrawal
Blogger at RetreatBoss™
https://retreatboss.com
