Retreat to Bliss in Peru Recap
“How was it?” We are getting that question a lot! So here’s a recap of our trip.
The Retreat to Bliss in Peru was a heart-expanding, mind-opening, body-challenging, and spirit-raising adventure rooted in yoga, but unfolded into so much more!
We landed at our beautiful, cozy mountain lodge in Lamay, tucked high in the heart of the Andes, cradled by ancient peaks and endless skies. Our yoga practice space opened to views that felt immensely expansive and, at the same time, held within the mountain beauty! There, we breathed and moved together and practiced Deep Rest as needed.
Our yoga practices included Slow Flow, Powerful Flow, a heart-opening practice with big backbends near the end, some journaling, and meditation to connect to our most ancient selves — where we store the answers when we can get quiet enough to listen. During this retreat, we did more restorative practices with Deep Rest because of our demanding hiking. We also did a short Somatics and Breathwork practice that dropped us into deep relaxation!
We began three mornings with a dedicated Earthing practice (a grounding practice designed to activate the senses and foster reconnection with the earth) as the sun was coming up! While it was sometimes cloudy, the sacred ground healed us as the day was beginning.
Each day brought a new gift—vibrant markets bursting with brilliantly colored textiles, and warm and welcoming locals who shared their stories, customs, food, and smiles. Our amazing guides shared the deep history of the land, the people as well as their own stories. They also guided us on a journey into our own inner landscapes. The path wasn’t always easy, but it was always worth it! We climbed to over 14,000 feet, carried by will, a whole lot of laughter, encouragement, and our strong legs and lungs! The altitude was challenging but only made us stronger.
We hiked narrow dirt roads, paths of everything from grass to rocks to mud, and set aside our fears. We surrendered to something so much bigger than ourselves. Along the way, wildflowers of the most brilliant colors wrapped us up in a sweet embrace, dogs walked beside us like lifelong companions, and alpacas and llamas stole our hearts with their funny faces and spirited play.
We danced! In our yoga studio, on trains, on trails, and on mountaintops! We told our stories and felt the power of being truly heard. We shared meals made from the freshest, local, most nourishing ingredients, and with each bite, we remembered what it feels like to be deeply cared for. We received good news, unexpected blessings, and reminders of our limitless potential reflected in each other’s eyes. We shared admiration, breath, movement, and heart-cracking-open backbends!
Our life-altering journey to this faraway land (15+ hours away) required us to navigate some challenges: altitude sickness, language barriers, long demanding days, au naturel toilets, early mornings, and relentless climbing. But the heights we reached opened our hearts as we met friendly locals and learned their traditions.
One of the elements of this retreat that made it so blissfully memorable was our collaboration with the La Base Lamay Project! Their intuitive guides helped us experience Peru in an immersive, authentic way while truly connecting with the locals, human to human and with nature in a truly spiritual way. Here is an abbreviated version of their powerful mission:
…We believe that responsible & regenerative tourism helps raise the economical value of nature, biodiversity, culture and traditional work in the fields. Our headquarters are located in Lamay, a small village in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Cusco. We develop and organize mountain hikes and experiences in local communities. Native foods, health, wellness and the arts are key components of our experiences. We invite you to connect with nature, local people and with yourself…https://www.labaselamay.com/
The Retreat to Bliss Peru was more than a yoga retreat. It was a remembering of our deepest selves that we can get separated from in the day-to-day habits and demands of life. As we breathed in the sacred mountain air and flowed with fluidity, we knew—if we hadn’t gone there, we wouldn’t be here.
As with every destination retreat, I am profoundly grateful for Stephanie Bagshaw of Bagshaw Travel. She is relentless in her determination to help us create incredibly fulfilling yoga and travel experiences that are seamless, heart-opening, and full of wonder!
We hope you will consider joining us on a retreat soon! There are three spaces left in our upcoming retreat to Miraval, in Tucson, Arizona!
And if a destination retreat is not in your near future, remember that your mat offers the most rewarding mini-retreat around! Your practice is always a breath, a pose, a class away and offers the best trip inwards to the beautiful landscape of your heart and soul. On the mat, you can climb the mountains of your mind, reach your inner bliss and then lay it all down to fully rest and restore in savasana. Our teachers cannot wait to see your face walk through our doors!