Seven years ago, I opened my massage practice, Blossom Massage for Women in Portland, Maine. In that time, with a combination of sheer determination and a healthy dose of miracles, I have grown my practice to exactly where I always wanted it to be. I do the amount of massage work I feel I can healthfully sustain, with clients I like working with, in a way I feel I can be effective. I also have the huge privilege of writing and sharing my thoughts and ideas with others. I would definitely be happy making more money, mind you, but more on that later.
Running my own practice means a lot more than just the hands-on, paid work. In the last seven years, I have also gone to countless networking meetings; spent days working on websites; somehow kept my finger on the daily business of phone calls, scheduling, and insurance billing; made sure the accounting was done; attended continuing education classes; and maintained the self-care required to show up for people in a physically and emotionally demanding way every day.
The reason I tell you all this is because after seven years, I am tired. It’s been a lot. I have to admit I am feeling the strain of working so closely with people and their bodies for so many years, along with dealing with the stresses of daily life, money, and relationships.
When I caught myself searching online about getting an occupational therapy degree and moving to a foreign country, I realized I was dangerously close to burnout. I kept thinking about what the next step would be to grow Blossom Massage but continued to stay paralyzed by the amount of uncertainty it brought up for me. I finally realized that clarity would not be forthcoming in my present state. So, I decided to take a retreat.

What is a Retreat?
A retreat is a time for an individual to take a step back from daily life and refresh one’s perspective. The time away is meant to deeply nourish and illuminate the rest of life through rest, rejuvenation, and the time and freedom to explore big ideas. It is hard to gain clarity on life while right in the middle of it. It is difficult to make good decisions and hold a bigger vision when you are so close to everything in your life.
I think of going on retreat as unplugging from daily life for a period of time, becoming very quiet, and listening. Sometimes we are not even conscious of the ways we add unnecessary tension to our lives. It takes being still and stepping off the hamster wheel to understand what that is.
On a recent retreat, I was reminded of the importance of completely ceasing movement in our habitual patterns. It allows our deep wisdom to rise to the surface so we can move forward in life with more clarity and purpose. After my retreat, I felt like a new person. I was able to feel myself better and begin to see what my next steps would be. My body was deeply relaxed, my mind was (mostly) unwound, and I was able to feel the joy of being, instead of the constant hustle of doing.

How to Take a Retreat
If you think going on a retreat sounds like just what the doctor ordered, here are a few questions to ask yourself: What are you hoping to get out of it? Do you need answers about how to move forward in your life, or are you hoping to access a deeper level of love and commitment to what you are currently doing? What kind of contemplative practices are you attracted to engaging in? There are many retreat options, including hiking, meditation, surfing, writing, and yoga, just to name a few. Where do you want to go? Could you do it from home? For how long should you retreat? From what are you retreating? What are you retreating toward?
After you have answered these questions, it is time to plan your time away. Tell your clients what you’re up to. In most cases, they will be excited for you and inspired to boot. Schedule your clients around the time you will be gone. You may be surprised to find you can manage your monthly workload in three weeks in order to take a week to rest and relax.
A retreat may use up your vacation time and budget, but it is not exactly a vacation. Depending on what you consider luxury, or fun, a retreat may be more intense than that. By not filling up time and space with the noise and grind of travel, sightseeing, and being externally focused, you will more quickly access the truth of what is going on inside of you. You will start to feel your feelings more clearly. Although there may be plenty of external beauty on your retreat, it should really be a time of internal reflection, and you may not always be comfortable with the feelings that emerge. This discomfort is your inner wisdom speaking to you and, if nothing else, you will have a little more information to go on.
If you have found yourself sizzling in the early stages of burnout, a retreat may be just what you need to regenerate your enthusiasm and health. Check Retreat Options for some ideas to get you started, and remember that stopping everything may be just what you need to ultimately rev up your practice and your life.

Retreat Options
Start by searching online for retreats and see what pops up in your area. The following are also good places to begin:
• Create a retreat space in your bedroom or office.
• For one full weekend, power off and unplug every device in your house and go tech-free. No screens, no Wi-Fi, no phones.
• Go to a yin or restorative yoga class.
• Look into Buddhist centers and their mindfulness trainings; they are usually very open and accessible.
• Sit on your meditation cushion for 10 minutes.
• Visit a float tank (a.k.a. sensory deprivation).

Places to Help You Escape!
Esalen Institute, www.esalen.org
Insight Meditation Society, www.dharma.org
Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, www.kripalu.org
Omega, www.eomega.org
Rancho La Puerta, www.rancholapuerta.com
Shambhala Mountain Center, www.shambhalamountain.org
TAO Wellness Resort, www.taomexico.com/tao_wellness_resort

Jennie Hastings Stancu, LMT, is the author of The Inspired Massage Therapist (Massage Blossom Books, 2012). She lives in Portland, Maine, where she practices massage, yoga, and coaching with clients, and sings to herself for fun. Find out more at www.inspiredmassagetherapist.com.