7 Simple Steps to Create an At-Home Wellness Retreat

Seven simple steps is all you need to have a blissful, relaxing weekend. Go ahead and enjoy your soul-soothing at-home wellness retreat!
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Air-fare, lodging, meals, admission fees -- yoga and wellness retreats can get expensive. As a certified yoga instructor who attends and hosts multiple retreats per year, I know this fact all too well. While I highly recommend saving for a getaway wellness retreat for all the soul-soothing joy and relaxation, there is another way. Get out your planner, schedule in your getaway retreat, and start saving. While you have your planner out, schedule your very own at-home retreat in the meantime.

An at-home retreat is both simple and affordable. It offers a welcomed reprieve from the daily hustle and bustle right in the comfort of your own home and neighborhood. It's the wellness weekend you've been needing -- relaxation, self-care, healthy meals, physical activity, and all your favorite wellness treatments.

Call the babysitter, turn off your phone, and follow these 7 simple steps to create an at-home wellness retreat.

1. Reserve an entire weekend.
Schedule a Friday evening through a Sunday afternoon for your at-home wellness retreat. Mark it on your calendar. Tell your friends and family that you will be busy that weekend. Treat this retreat just as you would any other retreat.

2. Create an agenda.
Just like at a sleepaway retreat, give yourself an agenda. Schedule your activities, meals, and downtime. Type them up, print them out, and carry them with you throughout the weekend.

3. Plan your meals.
Plan ahead. Create a menu. Shop for groceries and prep as much as you can ahead of time, minimizing dishes and added work during mealtimes. Added bonus - By planning ahead, you will be able to treat yourself to healthy meals throughout the weekend just as you would have if you were away at a retreat center.

4. Schedule both energizing and relaxing activities.
Activities can take place at home or at your favorite local yoga studio, spa, gym, dance studio, etc. For online yoga classes, Yoga Glo is a fantastic resource. Browse Wellness Mama for great DIY home and beauty recipes.

A sample day might look something like this - morning meditation and journaling, mid-morning yoga flow class, afternoon massage, evening restorative yoga, bedtime meditation and journaling

5. Disconnect.
Turn off your phone. No emails, no social media, and ignore the TV - your favorite shows will be there on Monday. Everything is going to be fine.

6. Pack a bag.
Set aside clothes, a yoga mat, your journal, and other items you would bring on retreat. Have them ready to go. No need to think about what to wear. No need to search for your journal, pens, or yoga props. They're all set aside and ready to go, just as they would be when you arrive at a retreat center.

7. Schedule down-time.
Make room for "Do-Nothing-Time." This is the time to soak in all your blissful wellness activities, to reflect, and to cherish this experience. Too often on retreat we try to cram in as many activities as we can and before we know it that early morning meditation is more stressful than blissful.

Seven simple steps is all you need to have a blissful, relaxing weekend. Go ahead and enjoy your soul-soothing at-home wellness retreat!

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