This post is, and isn’t, about the retreat I am hosting in Costa Rica.
It is about it for two reasons:
- I’ve had several people send me messages that say something like, “I really really want to come on your retreat, but things in my life are in such flux right now, I just can’t commit.”
- I do, of course, really really want you to come.
But it is not about Costa Rica because it’s about the bigger issue underlying that first point: do you see the irony? When we most need to pause is precisely when we feel least like we can.
It’s true in conversations, particularly high-emotion ones. Tara Brach writes about the power of a “sacred pause” in Radical Acceptance. It takes practice to take a beat.
It’s also true in the broader rhythm of our life. We need to take good, long, healthy breaks. We can know that in our head, but we really only deeply know it in our bodies and our beings when we actually do it. (Knowing I should do more yoga and meditation does not yield the benefits of doing yoga and meditating, right? Drat.) And stepping off the treadmill is really hard—especially because we most need it precisely when the treadmill is going so fast we can’t figure out even how to step off without wiping out.
No guilt here—just a reminder to notice the irony of being too busy to take a break.
One tip: plan your breaks in advance and schedule your other stuff around them. Trying to squeeze breaks in later is far less likely to work. Plus, then you can have the pleasure of looking forward to them!
For many of you, this week brought the summer solstice and the first official day of summer. I hope you have some fun pauses planned over the next while as we enjoy the sunshine.
And your winter self will thank your summer self for having planned ahead to take a break in Costa Rica! 😉 We have four double rooms left.
