Today’s guest post is one that makes us SO happy! We recently saw that some of our past guests from the US all gathered for a mini-retreat on their own to reconnect as friends, do some yoga and enjoy an enticing location in Palm Springs, CA. One of the things we love most about our retreats is that people from all over the world get to meet other guests who—despite being different ages, nationalities and backgrounds—have similar interests and life philosophies. While we always stress that our retreats are chances to go inward and restore yourself, an added bonus is often the surprising friendships that are formed.
We asked a few of the women to share their experience with EPM and gathering on their own. Cat, from Brooklyn, and Kim, from NYC, were gracious enough to talk to us. Cat said:
I first heard about EAT.PRAY.MOVE Yoga retreats through a friend in 2015. Little did I know that when I booked a retreat to Marrakesh, it would be the beginning of a journey around the world that would introduce me to amazing inspirational women who would become great friends. After attending the Morocco retreat, my friend and I loved it so much that we decided to sign up for a second one, Croatia, and each bring a friend. On the Croatia retreat, the twelve of us women clicked so well and, even though we were in a beautiful villa on the water, my favorite part was absolutely the company. Fast forward two years later, and six of us had signed up for the Bali retreat together. EAT.PRAY.MOVE retreats are not only a vacation with yoga in a beautiful city, but also a connecting tool for bringing together like-minded, inspiring women.
Just this past May, eight of us who met at EPM retreats decided to meet up in Palm Springs for our own weekend retreat including amazing food, relaxation time and of course, yoga. Despite all our busy lives, we make time to reconnect (and hope to do so every year!) to continue fostering our friendships outside of the retreats. We even have a large group WhatsApp channel to stay in touch. I’m so grateful for EPM for fostering these enriching new friendships. I can’t wait for my next retreat in April to Japan to not only have an incredible, fulfilling week in a beautiful city, but I’m most excited about the new friends that EPM will bring into my life.
Kim had this to share:
I am extremely grateful for the privilege to travel around the world to explore new places and cultures. Amongst the greatest treasures of travel is those you meet along-the-way ... for me, the group of incredible women that I met in Croatia as part of an eat pray move retreat in 2016 have enriched my life ever since. I feel especially lucky to continue my travel adventures with these women - whether it be in exotic international locations like Bali, a lake house weekend in Portland, or a long weekend in mystic Palm Springs. We come from different geographies, are different ages, have different professions, are in different stages of our lives - yet are connected.
Thanks, ladies, for letting us share this experience. We hope you all continue to deepen your connections, relax in beautiful places and live yoga in your lives.