a guided online at-home retreat

Are you disappearing into daydreams of getting away from the dirty dishes, the to-do list, the humdrum routine? Does a yoga retreat to, say, Bali sound good?

You bet it does—until you look at your calendar and your budget. All the desire in the world can’t overcome those obstacles, when there are people at home that need you, work to be done . . .

Try thinking closer to home, on a more intimate scale. Can you visualize yourself in a place like this?

Imagine sitting in a comfortable chaise longue in a fluffy robe and fuzzy socks. Your body feels comfortably relaxed; your mind feels still and focused. You open your journal and make some notes about the truths that are bubbling up for you . . .

What if that sweet scenario will actually help you fulfill your goals for yourself? And what if you didn’t even have to leave home to get to that headspace and heart space?

That’s exactly the process my business partner, Lies (right), and I have gone through to dream of and build our wellness businesses, Hillsborough Spa and Day Retreat and Carrboro Yoga Company.

Long before we created Hillsborough Spa and Day Retreat, I would take periodic spa visits and call them “corporate retreats.” I’d do them on my birthday or toward a holiday.

First I’d run, either alone or with friends. Then I’d head to the spa, use the amenities like the steam room, get a treatment, order a meal, and sit with a notepad. (This is why we have stationery at our spa!) I’d do a SWOT analysis, mapping out my business’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. I still have these notes from even over a decade ago! That’s how I first planned my Teaching Yoga to Athletes online course, came up with numerous book ideas, set big goals for our studio, and mapped out my next steps.

Lies would travel to more exotic locations—India, Bali—on her spa and yoga retreats. But to save money and reduce travel, she began to create her own at-home wellness retreats.

She designed them with the very parameters we are suggesting to you: a carefully planned calendar that emphasizes self-care and accomplishing goals toward creating the changes you want, all while feeling indulgent with plenty of treats planned each day. She cut out alcohol and took care to eat well. She’d be sure to include yoga daily—not necessarily movement, but definitely mindfulness practice. And she would visit our spa every third day. You can follow these same guidelines—or design your own, the ones that work best for you.

Because here’s the thing. While it might seem self-centered, self-care isn’t just for you.

It’s really for everyone around you.

When your own cup is full, you can share with others.

When you’re depleted, you’re actually doing a disservice to everyone you interact with.

This is not just your partner, children, friends, and family. This is your coworkers—and by extension your business. This is service workers—and by extension their ability to respond kindly to their other customers. This is any- and everyone you interact with, even nonverbally, like drivers in the cars around you in traffic.

When you are centered, calm, and present, your goodwill can extend to everyone near you, whether or not you speak to them, or even see them! And when they feel this goodwill, they respond in kind, both to you and to everyone else they connect with.

Once you put self-care in that context, it shoots to the top of your priority list. And once you put self-care into action, as you’ll do when you join Two Weeks to Transformation, you’ll see positive ripple effects not only in every area of your own life, but all around you.

our invitation

Introducing Two Weeks to Transformation, the guided two-week course for anyone who wants to reset their habits, restore their energy, and reclaim their time.

This online guided retreat can join you anywhere in the world.

Buy now and get:

• actionable steps to take right away to lay the groundwork for lasting transformation
• a container for you to move toward your best self—you get to set the course, we are here to support the journey
• fourteen days of exclusive, expertly guided instructions on practices to (re)structure your days so you can feel present, healthy, and engaged with your life. No vaguely open-ended journal prompts here! Instead, you’ll get clear, practical steps to take, as well as unique curated guided meditation and movement classes to follow along with, so each day is both inspiring and grounding.
• two live check ins to connect with us, your cheerleaders. We will share our expertise however it will help you best.

Plus:

• curated follow-along movement and mindfulness practices led by me, Sage Rountree, E-RYT500, author of ten books on yoga
• daily energizing and relaxing fully-guided movement sessions
• full-length classes if you want to make a big yoga retreat out of your two weeks
• simple, doable mindfulness exercises
• breath awareness activities
• guided meditations to help you focus and relax
• suggestions for more: self-care, inspiring reading, healthy habit creation
• full access to my new Movement Library for six weeks, which means you can extend your experience beyond the two weeks of the retreat
• full access to my Mindfulness Library for six weeks, so you can expand your mindfulness toolkit as much as you like and keep it up after the official end of the retreat

It all happens online, so you can do this retreat from anywhere: your own home, a destination of your choice, or wherever you need to be. Can’t do the exact dates, or think life might get in the way as you go? No biggie; you’ll have access to the retreat for six weeks.

Each day has a combination of:

• motivation: a short lecture to get you thinking
• energizing movement: a fresh guided yoga practice to lift your spirits
• relaxing movement: a fresh guided yoga practice to help you unwind
• mindfulness: breath work and meditation to center you
• repatterning: exercises to help you set down old habits and pick up new ones
• reflection: a journal prompt for your consideration
• connection and homework: a check-in with a gratitude buddy, with us, and with yourself
• reading suggestions: some next steps for your self-discovery (no book reports required)

And, best of all, we encourage you to schedule all the self-care treats that will nourish you most. When you sign up, we’ll give you a list of ideas to get you started. (Think not food but spa services or at-home versions of them, fresh flowers, a trip to your favorite bookstore, an afternoon at the movies or on Netflix, etc.)

Then you’ll be able to customize your treat experience to fit your budget and your tastes.

Prefer to add in indulgent spa treatments, at our Hillsborough Spa or local to you? Great! Does buying a bottle of Mr. Bubbles and lighting some candles you already have suit you better? Also great! As you’ll learn, the intention behind your actions is what matters.

And remember: when you take care of yourself, you’re doing a huge service to everyone around you. It’s a real win/win!

we promise you will love it

This inaugural offering is based on years of our own research, self-care, and study. We’ve got a long track record of guiding transformation. Together, we envisioned and led Carrboro Yoga Company’s yoga teacher trainings, creating hundreds of leaders in the wellness field. Most recently, we co-created and led Yoga Summer Camp.

Because we believe so firmly in this program, we are offering a money-back guarantee. If you don’t feel like you are moving in the direction of your dreams after taking the course, just show us you’ve done the work and we will personally refund your entire enrollment fee.

Want a taste before you commit? We offer a streamlined sampler version of the course called Two Days to Transformation. It’s scaled down to fit into a weekend or any two days.

Pop your details in this form and we’ll send you a code to save you all $39 of the enrollment fee. It’s a great way to get in the habit of self-care at home!

here’s what retreaters have to say

Here’s another taste for you, straight from Two Days to Transformation. This is one of the energizing yoga practices we do there, and it needs no mat, so if you have room to stand up and move your arms wide, you can do it right now!

timeline

You’ll have a full six weeks’ access to the retreat, so if the exact dates of the next cohort don’t work for you, or if life gets in the way, you’ll be able to pause and return anytime over the six weeks.

pricing

Your investment: $499—and remember our guarantee: if you’re not satisfied, show us you’ve done the work and we will refund you in full!

Wondering what’s so important about going through the official program when you likely have the tools you need already? Here, Lies explains why accountability matters, using the example of how her father finally quit smoking.

commit, join us, and transform—in doing so, you’re caring for everyone around you, too!