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My "Inner Goddess Retreat" Journey

A journey to discover zen...

· wellness,Lifestyle,Travel

Last weekend, I went on my very first retreat. It was an "Inner Goddess Retreat" run by Celeste Du Toit (oh hey, name twin!). I was having probably the worst week of my entire life last week, when the event ad popped up on Facebook. There should have been a bright, shiny light and fairy dust accompanying the ad, as it was exactly what I needed in that moment and I knew it straight away.

I booked, paid, packed my bags, stocked up on roadtrip munchies, loaded the car with rocking music and off I went. All on my own.

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Melody Hill - Magaliesburg

My nerves faded as the drive was about an hour in. I was so relieved to be venturing into nature and out of Johannesburg. Goodbye concrete jungle, hello real jungle!

Melody Hill Retreat, “A Place to Listen to Your Soul”, was super easy to find. I arrived and was warmly welcomed with hugs by Celeste Du Toit of Yes Paradigm, the beautiful, bubbly lady running the retreat. We had some free time, so I went to explore.

I was speechless when I saw my room! Just look at how rad and serene it was:

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That bathroom!!! But where were the bubbles?

I shared that space (the room, not the bath unfortunately) with another wounded soul and we ended up being the perfect roomies, doing our own thing, while still being in each other’s company. Misery loves company. Especially the quiet kind.

The rest of the venue was also something to marvel at.

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Outside was a little less green and a little more brown due to it being winter, but the beauty of the place still emanated and the relaxing surrounding energies were unmistakable. I was already feeling chilled to the max.

Things I saw:

  • Horses and hens hanging out
  • Walking trails into the mountain
  • An audible stream just down in to the garden
  • A few bonfire areas (more on those below)
  • A labyrinth
  • A tranquil yoga/mediation studio
  • A bunch of bedrooms and separate units
  • Outside showers (oh boy)
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The inside of the house was just as charming with its warm tones and bright colours:

  • fireplaces all over the house to heat things up in the evenings
  • a fully stocked organic/vegan kitchen (spoiler alert: I survived surprisingly well without meat)
  • an urn for tea/coffee any time of the day
  • a selection of teas, coffees and fresh fruit
  • a lounge area with a big selection of you-came-here-for-help books

The décor was full of character, I was in love with that house!

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The Experience

The aim of the weekend was to allow the birth of a new self; a journey to “discover, learn and enjoy”. Cheeseball, but I really needed cheeseball.

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There were nine feminine souls attending, every person unique in their own way.

We went through interesting topics such as how the lunar cycles affect women differently to men. As women, we have 11 cycles in a month, whereas men have only one. Hence, changing our minds more often and having more mood swings. ;)

We meditated, shared our stories, laughed, learned, cried and came to a lot of personal realisations. We worked on self-love and empowering ourselves. We discussed a few of the Greek Goddesses, their attributes and how each one can be a part of who you are.

Have you walked in a labyrinth before? I hadn't. We did that and it was damn cool. The labyrinth walk represents a journey into your own centre and back again, out into the world. Along your walk inwards, things will come to mind and it's all part of the process. You look at the thought and then walk on to the next one. It's all therapeutic, but I walked out of there feeling super zen.

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Over the weekend, other Celeste encouraged us to feel our emotions and not run from them. To let the pain in and just go with the flow. Josh Homme had the answers all along.  

We had a lot of self time to relax, unwind and just to go through our own thoughts. It was pretty cool being alone, while being surrounded by awesome people.

II really can't do the food the justice it deserves. HOLY HELL. We were completely spoiled with delicious vegan food and none of us could believe how tasty it was without meat. We had lasagne, shepherd’s pie, colourful salads and fresh vegetables (homegrown). We also had homemade chai tea, which is officially the most scrumptious tea I’ve ever had - I can't get enough of it.

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Saturday night we ended off around the bonfire, armed with blankets and a piece of paper listing the shitty things we wanted to let go of. One by one, we threw the piece of paper into the fire. BURN! This ceremony ended in a lot of hugs and it was very cute.

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This write up wouldn't be complete without mentioning the fantastical Tejbir, the owner of Melody Hill and the most spiritually calm person I have ever met. The chick literally emits breaths of peace and leaves zen trails. Her glowing skin is attributed to using coconut and almond oil daily and having only cold showers! Even in winter. Gaining beauty is not worth having cold showers, so I will give that a skip, but good to know.

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She treated us to an energy-awakening Kundalini Yoga class and a Gong Meditation. Some people cried, some slept, some were disturbed. I was just happy lying on the ground. 

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Our Coach

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The weekend was exactly what I needed and I am so grateful that I took the plunge into going last minute by myself. It helped me to chase away my negativity and inspired me to find my joy again.

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