Into The Wild Photo Retreat

My awesome friend Wendy invited me down to Moab to be the yoga instructor at her photography retreat. There would be hiking, rock climbing, photography classes, amazing meals and incredible women there! It was a tricky time for me since I was just barely out of my surgical shoe and still limping around from my surgery. I knew I could still guide the yoga classes without actually doing a lot of the poses and I would just have to sit out all the hiking and rock climbing. I came close a few times to talking myself out of going, but Im so grateful I just went for it!

Chase was so supportive and excited for me. He held down the fort at home so I could go away for three days on an adventure! What a great guy huh? It was intimidating once I arrived. I was nervous to walk into a house full of 14 strangers. But I did it anyway! Of course people were a little more shy and reserved the first night but as time progressed everyone's true colors came out more and more. There  women from all over the country there from Boston, to Miami, to North Dakota, to Arizona to California! I bonded most with a girl named Sophie who was the only other Utahan there (besides me and Wendy). 

It was so hard for me to sit out all of the hiking and rock climbing . It made me realize even more how much I have come to love adventuring in the outdoors since I have been married to Chase. He has instilled that passion in me and I will be forever grateful to him for that. I did wake up with everyone one of the nights at 1:30 am to do a night hike to balance rock. I couldn't walk far. But it was beautiful to be in the desert in the middle of the night with no one else around except our little group. The majority of the group were photographers of course, so they got awesome night shots. Sophie and I were just happy to be along for the ride! 

I absolutely loved teaching two yoga classes and my favorite was the restorative class the last evening. I forgot how much I enjoy helping people relax and just feel better. When the class ended there was so joy and comfort shared by all the women about my class and it made my heart want to explode with happiness. The realization came to me that it was my time to start teaching yoga more consistently again, that my favorite style to teach was restorative and that just maybe I could put on my own yoga retreat one day...

I ate some of the best food of my life since Wendy hired her friend from Boston as our chef. Being cooked for all day for three days was reason enough to come to this retreat! But the women there were what made it so amazing. I loved that there were only a few of us who were LDS and I had such a variety of culture around me. Most of us laughed so hard until we cried and our stomach muscles started having spasms. I left the retreat a better, braver, happier and more fulfilled person. I left the retreat inspired!! I left the retreat reminded that whatever positivity you put out into the universe it is given back to you ten fold. I left the retreat 14 new friendships! Sophie just lives in SLC and we have Marco Polo's everyday since! Kelly from Miami and I message on IG and talk about getting together for more retreats. I am on my way to now planning my own yoga retreat. I was also supposed to meet Sophie and Wendy for lunch in Salt Lake but that was postponed. It was postponed because all of a sudden the world had a pandemic spread of a virus called Covid-19. I will write more about that in my next post. But because of what is happening now, it makes me even more grateful I said yes to this opportunity and I will have this experience with me forever. 

I almost forgot to mention that my cousin Kelly happened to be in Moab the same weekend. We met up for dinner and it was so good to catch up! She was always one of my favorite cousins :)