Why don’t you stage it?

Once I was asked by a student “why don’t you stage a photoshoot like everyone else?”. It was during one of our destination retreats where we had a local photographer taking images of our practices. It was so that we could use it later on to share what Love Life Retreats (LLR) is all about.

I couldn’t reply to this question back then…

The answer came to me 5 months later during a soul searching moment when I tried to understand why I do what I do.

Organising retreats has always been for me a soul project where I could create a space for people To Be…

These days it is more often than not we don’t allow ourselves to truly be and to retreat with ease from our lives, mind programmes, expectations of ourselves and others. That’s why a trip that is organised with that sole purpose becomes very appealing. I never wanted to be anyone’s Guru but rather to encourage people to reconnect with their own Inner Guru. Sometimes I have what to say and other times I don’t so I prefer to be quiet. Lately silence has been my preference until this text has decided to manifest itself into existence.

It may seem that organised retreats have become a thriving business where everyone has attended at least one version of it. The reality is that the offers exceed the demand even though the demand may be high, people feel overwhelmed by choices and often give up without booking anything. Rising costs of living also prohibits many of us from allowing time and resources to be allocated for personal wellbeing. It is sad and it is a fact.

Retreat organisers, on the other hand, have to filter through hundreds of retreat places/centres, spend countless hours on research, programme creation, team training, communication with attendees, venue owners, etc. We have to clearly demonstrate to people why they need to choose what we have to offer. The value is often seen in doing more whereas I wanted to create a space for people to do less in a supported and intentionally created energetic and physical space.

And this is where I started to question everything…

You see, I thought it was enough to find a beautiful place, to create a programme that allows people to do less and be more, a willing assisting teacher and a platform where we can share all of that with people who seek exactly what we offer.

It was never about a cult of one person who is being followed for what they do or say. Instead I hoped I could share how to help people integrate simple practices I use into their day to day life and to find answers to the questions they seek within themselves. Showing people how to Love Life was always the message between the lines. This is how I live my life and I love sharing what works for me with others.

Well it is not enough… not anymore. It has become a very competitive business and people’s expectations become higher, prices of the venues and travelling in general has increased. And now retreat venues and organisers have to fight for each attendee. There are even online courses with titles “sold out retreats” and “learn how to be fully booked”.

People become more selective in their choices. It is needless to say that I also played this game and tried different “strategies”. I hired marketing agencies who knew exactly what I needed to do. I have paid large sums of money for two years thinking this is what I needed to do to get my messages out. Well, when someone tells you they know how to help, you become curious, right?

And then I had to stop everything simply because I didn’t have any more funds to pay and had to rely only on myself and the Universe (who had my back by the way 😉). I had support from different sources and I am grateful for every project that I am involved in and for the experience it allowed me to have. The growth has been immense!

Now, the question was “What do I do with the retreats”?

Is it no longer relevant or is what I offer is not needed in this shape and form at this time?

And this is where the answer came to me to the question “Why don’t you stage a photoshoot like everyone else?”.

The Answer.

Because Love Life Retreats is not a business and I am not trying to sell retreats. All I want to do is to create a space for people to gather again and again and to dive deeper into already familiar practices of tantra yoga, sacred geometry and creativity, to have deep conversations where it is not about one person teaching but rather a space where we co- create everything we are going through. Every year we change and we remember each experience differently, so why not have an annual point of reflection in a community of people you know and connect with easily?

With that in mind, it has been decided that from now on LLR will have only ONE annual destination RETREAT for those who want to meet on an annual basis and reconnect with themselves, nature, and each other. Yes, of course there still will be practices led by me and co-hosting teachers but it’s only so that we can relax body and mind and open ourselves to what we need to learn, hear from and say to each other.

Love Life Retreats is NOT a business. It is a soul project and it is more than ever clear to me now. Although the company itself has an educational aspect of it that keeps us afloat through certification of wellbeing professionals and online courses. We will also continue to organise retreat experiences for private parties and companies, however we will only have one Annual Retreat. We are not here to chase anyone but we welcome all who want to come. Our next and only destination retreat in 2025 open to all will be in March 2025 in Bali, Indonesia. And as usual, we offer special prices for those who book early as a thank you for allowing us to secure a beautiful venue for us all.

Thank you for reading. Namaste.

Explore and book your 2025 retreat experience.

Images are taken by talented Kate Kantur during our MindBodySpirit festival workshop at Olympia, Kensington, London.