Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign.
[00:00:11] Hello and welcome to Deep in your yoga practice. I'm Lauren Leduc, the owner and founder of True Love Yoga in Kansas City. And today we'll deepen our yoga practices by talking about returning to what you love, the practice of place, ritual and retreat.
[00:00:28] So one of the most meaningful practices in my life has been the act of returning. Returning to a place, returning to a practice, maybe returning to a version of myself that feels more grounded, more clear, and more connected. I've been actually going back to the same physical place in Greece for years now. And in 2027, I'll be returning for the fifth time. Time. And you might wonder why keep going back to this same place. And the answer has a lot less to do with travel and a lot more to do with practice. So listen up and maybe by the end of this episode, you'll want to come with me and I'll extend that invitation to you. So Greece was always on my bucket list growing up. I'd see the beautiful blue water and the white buildings and I loved Greek food and it just looked like the most warm, welcoming place to go visit. I decided in 2016 to make a big leap and sign a contract to lead a retreat there in 2017. I expected warm air, blue skies, community and food. And what I got really was so much more than that.
[00:01:49] It was a full and rich sensory experience.
[00:01:53] I flew into Athens and I brought my mom with me because she had always dreamed of going to Greece as well. And we stayed in Athens and we ate and drank coffee everywhere. We went and shopped in Plaka. We went to the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum. We ate on rooftops and could see all of the beautiful historic structures lit up all over the city. And it was so magical.
[00:02:24] And after a couple days there, we got on a ferry and met up with all of my retreat guests and took a nine hour ferry out to the middle of the Aegean Sea to a small island called Amorgos, which is where we stayed for a week. And this is the place I just keep wanting to go back to over and over again. So was it what I was expecting? Yes. But the sensory experience of this island is so unmatched for me. First, I believe the first time that I visited this island had only had electricity for like 30 years. So it was very untouched.
[00:03:07] And there is this beautiful five star hotel there and there are villages here and there. But it's not like the crowded islands that people visit that have like clubs and McDonald's on them and things like that. It is far more serene So I was definitely struck by that and just how scenic and picturesque it is. This island is mountainous. You can see mountain goats even climbing it all over the place, I believe. I forget what the ratio was, but there are way more goats to people on this island. So you typically, while on the island, are high up. Like the hotel is high up and the villages are high up. So you have this incredible view of the sea and of the sky beyond that. It smells absolutely incredible, not because of the goats, but because there are wild herbs growing absolutely everywhere.
[00:04:06] And those herbs are used in the cooking as well. So you can taste them in the food, you can smell the salt in the air. The sunrises and sunsets are absolutely incredible. And this hotel Aegialis is built into the hills with an infinity pool. And at the time I visited the first time, there was one yoga Shala. At this point, a decade later, there are something like six or seven. So it has become this magnet for yoga in the middle of the sea. And it is well, well worth the visit. So I think of this place and I think of the light, this, the spaciousness, the ability to really savor my surroundings and sensory experience, to connect beautifully with others, and to practice yoga with an amazing group of folks overlooking the sea. So I was so grateful that so many others wanted to take this leap with me back in 2017 and hop on a plane to Athens and then get aboard a ferry and go nine hours to get to this remote little place. But it is absolutely magical. And I've had some folks return on this trip with me over and over again. So I have now been four times and upcoming in 2027 will be trip number five to this space. So there's something about the experience there that isn't just in my memory, but it feels like it's a part of my being. It's in my body now. So I keep returning, not to chase something new, but to keep recognizing something. Feels really meaningful to me. That feels extremely connective and feels so sacred. In yoga, returning is a practice. It is abiasa. We return over and over again to our breath, to the posture, to our mats, to awareness. But, and this is actually a Greek saying, we never step in the same river twice because the river is flowing. It's always new water as you step into the quote unquote, same place place. So when we return to our breaths, when we return to posture, when we return to the mat, it is familiar, yet somehow fresh and new every time.
[00:06:27] And that's how I feel going back to Amoros, to this island to the middle of the Asian Sea. It's this familiar space, but every time I go back, I'm different. I just looked at my pictures from the last time I had visited in 2022. I had my mom with me again and I had my daughter as well. My mom came on as a nanny and she was just a baby at the time and now she's five years old. I'm different and I've experienced so much more and yet I'm feeling this pull to go back and I guess be me now in this space. I find in this familiar space, my nervous system softens more quickly. I feel less guarding and I'm able to get into more depth in a quicker way. When the container is familiar failure, the nervous system doesn't have to work as hard. And that creates space for something deeper to emerge. We can think of retreats not just as vacations, but as these containers. They don't have to be something that serves as a way to escape from our lives or to overly indulge. Instead, I see them as this intentional space, as a big shift in perspective and an opportunity to reconnect with with oneself. There's something about being in a new environment or going back to a familiar environment that feels so magical and sacred, that really clears the space for awareness and for being with oneself and to to refill the cup. On vacations, often we focus on consumption, but on retreats, we really focus on awareness.
[00:08:13] And sometimes vacations are full of distractions, they're jam packed with things to do.
[00:08:20] Maybe they are full of numbing, but retreats are this invitation for clarity or radical presence and to really fully immerse in the beauty and the joy of life. A retreat doesn't have to take you away from life. It can just help you see it and feel it and know it more clearly. So for me, one of the most magical spaces, like I've said for retreat, is Amorgos Again, this tiny island in the middle of the Asian Sea where we stay at Asialis Hotel and Spa, which sits on this beautiful hillside and is perfectly made for yogis. We practice in these beautiful open air shalas that overlook the water.
[00:09:04] We have slow mornings of practice and the most incredible daily practice brunch buffet that I have ever had in my life. There's a whole table just for like bread and spreads. And every morning is just so, so delicious. We share meals together, we walk through villages, we swim in the pool and in the ocean. And there's lots of time for rest. There's lots of time to spend in their incredible spa. Each day has a rhythm and there is also so much space built in for rest, for exploration, and for just being. One of the things I love, especially having gone to this particular place over and over, is that each retreat becomes its own little community. Every group is just a little bit different and it's so special. I find when we travel together, we get close really fast and it's very easy to make friends because we're sharing this incredible experience together and doing it in a way that is so intentional. And these groups are full of so many different types of folks. This isn't just for advanced yogis, although of course you are welcome. But it's for anyone craving space and clarity and reconnection and community. The yoga is always tailored specifically for the group, so you're going to get what you need. And know that if you're feeling pulled to this, it's very normal to also feel hesitant because so many obstacles can get in the way. Time and money and travel, stepping away from everyday life, it is a lot. And yes, it can be a really big deal. And it's so normal to hesitate when something asks you to step out of your routine, especially if your routine is full. And sometimes when you feel the pull in a strong way, you also feel the resistance. But I know that listening to my inner whispers, to travel, to see the world, to go to these very specific places, have been the most valuable experiences in my life besides, like, starting my business or getting married or having my daughter. They really have been written into being and stay with me through my everyday life. I often find I bring home this deep sense of clarity and perspective, reset nervous system and a deeper connection to the practice and the community. And this ripples out in such a beautiful way to relationships, setting clear boundaries, to making clearer, more aligned decisions, to where I'm spending my energy. I find I come home not as a different person, but as someone that's just more connected to myself. So if this is speaking to you, if it's aligning for you, I'll be hosting this retreat again in Amorgos from July 31 through August 7, 2027. So over a year away, which hopefully gives us plenty of plenty of time to plan and prep. It is a full week together, seven nights at the Aegialis Hotel and Spa with daily yoga and meditation, with beautiful meals, with plenty of time to explore the island with spa access and space to truly slow down.
[00:12:23] We also include things like transfers from the port and complimentary massage, so once you arrive, you can really settle in and just to note, flights and ferries are booked for separately, but we can help with all of that as well. So I have opened a small early bird registration window and because this retreat has filled quickly in the past, spots are limited in the next two weeks. If you put down your deposit or pay in full, you'll get $400 off of your booking. And again, this is for the next two weeks or until spaces film. So if this feels aligned for you, I would absolutely love to share this beautiful place with you.
[00:13:07] You can find all the details in the registration link in the show notes. And remember that returning just like I'm returning to this space isn't about going backwards, but it's about deepening into what matters. It's about what feels true. It's about what supports you. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is come back to what we already know we love. So whether or not you're joining me on this retreat, maybe take a moment to think of somewhere or something or someone that you can return to this week with clarity and love and gratitude. Thank you so much for joining me. I hope you can join me in person in Amor Ghosts next year. Om Shanti Om Peace.
