Friday morning I was up nice and early with Princess A and Mr Fitness and they took me to the airport to catch a flight to Sydney. Sitting at the airport contemplating what lie ahead of me, I became so nervous and anxious, the tears began to well in my eyes. I was leaving my little girl for 3 nights. I had never spent a night away from her and it was going to be very emotional saying goodbye. I was also about to spend the weekend with a bunch of women I'd never met - generally speaking, I would try and avoid groups of women to eliminate the judging and bitching that can often come from women. I needed a distraction, so I browsed the bookshop for something to read on my weekend, and decided to go with some fiction.... then realised it was the first time in over a year I'd read a book that wasn't about being pregnant or parenting...WOW!! As my flight was called to board, I hugged my family and watched them walk away - thank goodness I had my sunglasses with me to hide my tears!
Arriving in Sydney, I picked up my hire car and received a triple upgrade - thanks Avis! Then headed off on my way to the lovely town of Bundanoon. As I followed the directions on my smart phone I could feel the nervous feelings start to rise up again as I got closer and closer to my destination. When the little voice came over the speakers with "Your destination is on your left" I had finally reached the beautiful property called "Bellmore". Driving through the gates I was instantly overcome with emotion, I had the sense I was coming home. The property was breathtaking, with a Buddha Dam, horses roaming in the paddock, rabbits bouncing about and kangaroos bounding away. Feelings of nervousness and a fear of the unknown was ripe in my mid. The tears welled uncontrollably in my eyes... and then into my view came the beautiful Moroccan Villa. It was HUGE!! I pulled the car up in the parking space and took a long deep breathe to try and control my emotions.
Out of the house bounded a lovely young lady full of smiles and warmth. As she approached me my anxiety and nerves started to fade. I introduced myself and she said she had read my blog and was very excited to have me here, then asked if she could hug me. It was one of the loveliest hugs I'd ever received, full of warmth and support. I instantly knew I was in the right place and that my weekend would be filled with some great experiences, and that this must be Gretel, one of my hosts.
As she walked me inside, I was greeted by Jo, the other host, and yet another lovely smile and reassuring hug. After our introductions, I looked about and took in my surroundings.... WOW!! The house was beautiful! The energy was spacious and warm and instantly calming.
I was shown to my room and then able to have a walk about and explore the house and property. Each room was HUGE! With a bathroom equally as large! I had a goody bag on my bed with a few items from some of the Summit Sisters sponsors - who doesn't love a goody bag!
I wandered down to the kitchen where I met Greta & Phil, the beautiful mothers of Gretel & Jo. They were to be our cook's for the weekend. They had a lovely nurturing nature about them that made me feel very safe and secure, I just wanted to hug them and take them home with me.
It was explained to me that the weekend was all about relaxing and enjoying myself, so my first task was to sit down and have a cup of tea - I'd forgotten how awesome it is to finish a whole cup of tea while it was still hot! After a short while the other guests started to arrive. Generally speaking this would have made me very nervous and being the insecure person I am, I would normally feel like everyone was judging me. But that just wasn't the case. Within a very short while of meeting these amazing women, it was very clear we were all so very different, yet we'd all come to the same place, so the differences were not an issue, rather our own little uniqueness that set us each apart... but we all had a similar goal - to relax and enjoy ourselves.
Jo & Gretel went through the official welcome and introduced themselves formally and gave us a little background on how & why they came to create Summit Sisters and what they were wanting to achieve with their Balance Retreat - a place where women of all different ages and backgrounds could come together to relax and share in each others knowledge and goals. They also explained that while there was an itinerary for the weekend, we were not obliged to attend every yoga session, or workshop. It was all voluntary and if ever anyone was out of there comfort zone then they were not required to do anything at all. It was so nice to have no pressure on participating.
After the formal introductions and hearing about why each of us were there - and yes, there were several tears from my emotional little self... but the support and warmth I received from everyone was very reassuring, it was now time to head off on a short walk to the Buddha Dam for a guided meditation. I've done a bit of meditation in the past and was more than happy to participate as I knew the healing benefits of meditation, but I never imagined the release this particular meditation would give me. I really did leave my stress and worries down there by the dam, and as I felt the tears falling down my face I felt my heart and mind open up to any new experience I would have over the weekend. It was a beautiful way to start my journey.
A large part of our weekend was centred around food and sharing great meals together. As always, food is such a great way of bringing people together, and the food we were served was very delicious and nutritious. Not only that, but we were all given a Summit Sisters recipe book to take home to recreate the meals if we wished. Great idea!
Saturday started with our first yoga session. I've not done a lot of yoga in the past, but I have to say it became my favourite part of the weekend. Jo is an excellent teacher, making sure everyone has a chance to do each exercise, adding different levels of advancement where necessary. Not once did I feel like the novice I am, most of the time I didn't even notice the other women around me, I was far too busy focusing on my breath and posture. There were 2 sessions a day and each time I could feel myself focusing more on each pose and stretch, it was a great feeling. This first yoga session became a very pivotal point in the weekend for me. That day was 3 years to the day since my Mum passed away, and it's still very emotional for me. But, at the end of the session, as with each yoga session, we were doing another guided meditation. It was in that beautiful moment that I could feel my Mum's hand on my shoulder and feel her love surrounding me. I've had this feeling on other occasions, but this time it was as if she was helping me to open up and enjoy my experience. From that point on, I had a smile on my face for the entire weekend.
Our day continued with more focus on nutritious food and also a wellness and balance workshop. This workshop was such an eye opener. It really made me think about my values in life and what my priorities are, and that it's OK to have different values than the person next to you. I found it to be a very confronting exercise, but one I'd like to continue to do every six months or so to keep myself in check.
That afternoon we had the option of going for a hike. We were taken to a beautiful nearby national park where we hiked down to the base of a stunning waterfall. The views were quite amazing and it gave a few of us the chance to chat individually, again teaching me that our individualities were such an important part of each of us. Taking in my surroundings and just being in the moment helped me to clear my head of too many thoughts. I also had the feeling of really living, like I wasn't wasting my days away, that I was actually out seeing parts of the world I'd never seen before and it was just beautiful.
After returning to the house, we were treated to a wine and cheese tasting. Jo & Gretel had approached local businesses from the Southern Highlands and were able to provide us with some delicious wine from Tertini Wines and delectable cheeses from Small Cow Farm. The region has some amazing produce to offer and I for one have already ordered some of their amazingness online to enjoy over the Christmas break!
Sunday morning I woke feeling wonderful and really looked forward to our yoga session, which was followed by yet another delicious meal. That afternoon I attended the dream setting and achievement workshop. Again, more learning about what I really want in my life. I loved that we were encouraged to dream big - the bigger and more unreachable the better! It certainly gave me a lot to think about and before I knew it there were so many goals and dreams on my page I barely had any room left. We were also encouraged to think about small steps to take in order to achieve these goals. Little by little I felt like I'd etched out a plan to achieve some amazing things, and not just to "win lotto" but to actually make the change and do something about what I want. It seems so simple when I say it now, but prior to this weekend, I would never even imagined some of the items on my list were possible....now I can't imagine them not being possible.
The highlight of Sunday for me had to be my 30 minute massage with "Magic Hands" Meg. She was brilliant and created a wonderful environment to relax in while she worked on my tense spots - I walked away feeling like I was floating.
Our dinner on Sunday night was yet again another 3 course feast full off delicious nutritious food & wine. I have to say, the meal times were definitely a highlight of the weekend. Each meal I found myself sitting next to someone different and learning more and more about them and me.
Monday morning seemed to come around far too quickly and before I knew it we were doing our last yoga session and eating our last meal together. The mixed emotions of sadness for the experience being over, and happiness over the realisation of the small personal goals I'd achieved was hard to process. But finally we said our goodbyes and my trip back to Melbourne began.
Over the course of the weekend I had a chance to sit down with Jo and Gretel individually and chat about so many different aspects of their world and mine. The help and support they gave me and the confidence to continue my journey was invaluable. I met some incredible women and learnt so much about myself, and I really can't thank Summit Sisters enough for creating such a fantastic weekend. I walked away with a clarity and peace I've not felt in a very long time.
Summit Sisters run some amazing trail events/runs and retreats based in NSW. You never know, with enough persistence, I may even be able to persuade them to run an event in Victoria!
Please check out their website here for any information and to connect with some great women.
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