Reflecting On Our First Yoga Retreat

Volunteering at our first yoga retreat was a profoundly rewarding experience that touched my heart and soul. Amid the serene backdrop of nature, I had the privilege of supporting participants on their journeys of mindfulness and self-discovery.

Restore & ProForm Retreat Snapshot

On the first weekend of May, we were happy to welcome guests to our first yoga retreat at the RisingSoul Community. Thanks to the amazing help and support from our fantastic workaway volunteers, we were able to tackle any challenges and delays with the building project and managed to finish the rustic Courtyard room, which has originally been a stable, as well as the beautiful Eco ensuite.

The retreat was guided by the co-founder of RisingSoul, Rowena, community resident, movement & Yoga teacher Goda and our guest coach Efi. Throughout the weekend, we shared a variety of movement and meditation sessions with our guests as well as discussions, Mantra singing circles and breathing practices. 

Our Yoga Asana practice included Hatha, Kundalini, Aerial movement, Restorative Yoga and free movement flows. The afternoons were filled with sunshine and outdoor activities: We enjoyed hikes in the beautiful nature around Belitsa, visited the town of Tryavna, which is famous for its textile industry and typical National Revival Architecture, unique in Bulgaria. Furthermore, we went on an inspiring trip to the Kilifarevo Monastery. 

The Yoga sessions with our experienced resident coach Goda were focused on body awareness and somatic movement, expressed through a free and flexible Yoga practice and adjusted to suit the needs of each practitioner. Meditation sessions were built around gratitude, loving-kindness & affirmations practices offering a deeper insight into the self and focusing on developing a personal practice and trusting inner guidance and intuition.

We really enjoyed being off the ground in Efi’s Aerial Yoga session on Saturday evening! Through embracing full support of the equipment we were able to discover our inner child and explore the possibilities of letting go of fear. In turn we learned to trust ourselves in a natural movement while attentively listening to our body. The session was closed with a mantra and guided Savasana in the hammocks – what a wonderful feeling of relaxing in a cocoon!  

In Rowena’s Kundalini session on Saturday morning, we were focusing on awakening the divine feminine energy that can be released through this ancient practice which mobilizes the spine in connection with the breath, using specific pranayama techniques. This practice is called Isha Kriya by Sadhguru, which is a powerful practice to induce deep meditation and increase wellbeing and motivation. 

Vegetarian & Vegan Food – Focusing on healthy eating

We enjoyed a variety of vegetarian food during our retreat, taking the specific needs or habits of our guests into account while supporting local farmers. We are lucky to have our volunteers with their special kitchen skills to cover our meal menus. Alex, a former chef and the founder of Avanyah Clothing will also take the lead of our upcoming community shop & coffee project. Noah, a talented artist is in the process of decorating our common areas at the retreat space with his magnificent art.  

Connection, love and shared time together

Besides enjoying the unique sessions, connecting to our bodies, gaining some inner balance and peace, we had the privilege to connect with our guests on a personal level accompanied by some great conversations and laughter. The opportunity to connect with each other is our main goal.

After each session, we gave our guests the opportunity to share their past experiences, journeys and fears, help to heal each other, and support each other when the emotions were rising up. Every evening after dinner we sat together around the fire, shared our memories of travels, our passion, and our dreams.

In these moments we got the chance to get to know our guests on a deeper level and learned about their individual journey, as well as discovering commonalities. Increasing the feeling of unity, shedding layers of differences, as well as building a safe space of connecting, bridging, and strengthening the similarities between us is the most important value for us at the RisingSoul Community. 

One of the best parts of those moments together was discovering some great skills and abilities of one of our guests, Kim.

Kim is a certified Pure Energy Healer. Through this inspiring practice she facilitates the energy from the universe and operates as a tool for the healing energy to pass through to her client. Everybody can benefit from this unique healing method, as it supports the healing of physical pain and emotional trauma as well as feelings of deep relaxation, peace and calmness.

Every person carries their own individual story and spirit which makes the experience of each Pure Energy Healing session unique for both the client and the healer. Depending on the area that needs healing, different things will arise during the session. Pure Energy is bringing things to our attention, that we might have burried deep down. Past experiences and emotions that have lingered for years might come to the surface. In order to discover which areas need the healing, the client will go through different thoughts and feelings to prepare them to release and eventually let them go.

Kim learned about Pure Energy Healing when she encountered a challenging period in her own life. With feelings of being stuck, repeating patterns and a sense of not being in charge of her journey, she was looking for a way to make a change. With the support of friends and family as well as physical exercise to help mind and body, Kim started feeling better but was still longing for a deeper healing and understanding.

Being interested in Tarot card readings, she subscribed to a particular channel on Youtube where she came across a course about Pure Energy Healing. Watching the information about this practice, she felt spiritually guided to enrol this course and so she signed up without any doubts or second thoughts.

The start of the course marked the beginning of a new chapter in Kim’s life. Not only did she learn to heal herself, but has also been given the opportunity to heal others. Each of the 12 people, who attended the course had a different experience of sensation but found common ground in the same language to communicate with the devine.

The practice of Pure Energy Healing enables Kim to support her clients in their own healing process and their own unique ways of releasing and letting go. There might be laughter or tears, profound healing or just a sense of relaxation. During the session there is no need for physical contact. Kim is sensing blockages or imbalances in her client’s body purely on an energetic level. If the client wishes, there is a confidential conversation about the experience afterwards.

These services are mostly used by adults, but Kim also has worked with children and animals. We here at Rising Soul Community were lucky eneough to experience this powerful practice, as she was granting us with her private Energy Healing sessions.  We are excited to announce that she will be joining us as a part-time healer in our community with her treatments.