Go All In

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a nice weekend. It took me several days to come down after the high of a wonderful trip to Morocco. The Sunday after I arrived home I attended an outdoor wellness market. I was walking around with a friend and we came upon a one year old girl stepping with bare feet in a small mud puddle. She was squishing the mud in between her toes with delight; fully immersed in the tactile experience. As we walked by we caught eyes with her mom, just standing to the side watching her daughter get her feet dirty. At that moment the little girl looked up. She had such joy and pride on her little face as she told us she was making pancakes (her mom translated for us). As we walked away I thought about how often in life we really allow ourselves to “go all in” and “get our feet dirty.” 

So that became my message on the mat last week. First, the concept of “going all in”;  not physically pushing ourselves to extremes, but rather being willing to practice going inside, touching the challenge, letting go of expectation and committing to exploration instead. Then we are ready to “get our feet dirty”; stepping out of our comfort zone and allowing ourselves to have a fully immersive tactile experience in our bodies without distraction. 

This is extremely challenging to practice on the mat and even harder off of it. We are born with these powerful practices; we see all the time in children.  However, as we get older a combination of things happen; we have more responsibilities and more fears. Those together often stifle our ability to “get our feet dirty”. Which means we need to practice. We need to connect to the full sensory experience whenever its possible.  

That is one of the most amazing things about going on retreat. This past trip to Morocco was a completely sensory experience. The beauty, the culture, the weather and the food combined with the shared experience of a wonderful group, allowed us all to feel supported and safe to explore together. Stepping out of our comfort zone of a normal routine, trying new things, meeting new people. All of this teaches us how to “go all in” and “get our feet dirty”. 

 Now that I am back from Morocco, I can turn my full attention to my upcoming retreat in Belize. This place is truly one of the most special places I have ever been to which is why this will be my fourth time returning. If there is ever a place to get away from life and “go all in”, this is it. This photo above is from one of my previous retreats at Thatch Caye. This magical one mile island feels a million miles away in all the best ways. Details are below. I have only a few spots left.