2020, what a year! After 9 months of being in varying degrees of community quarantine, and with practicing yoga limited to the virtual space and in the confines of our homes, Buhay Retreat’s Best Life on High Ground retreat was breath of fresh air and a balm for the soul. Being able to disconnect from the eternally online nature of this pandemic driven work from home set-up, and being able to practice and share energy with people side-by-side, with precautionary measures covered for the safety of all participants, are what I appreciated the most! From high tempo movement practices to reflections and stillness, the activities were well thought out, yet still giving participants freedom and flexibility to choose how to spend their time based on what their body needed, with rapport easily established among participants through Buhay Retreat’s experienced facilitation. The 3-day retreat in Mataas na Kahoy was such a treat and I cherish the time and energy shared with people with such openness and vitality. I am truly looking forward to more of these events from Buhay Retreat!
Jhoan Lim, Best Life on High Ground Retreat Participant
I've been meaning to try yoga ever since but I didn't really have the push to do it until I've heard about Buhay Retreats. Being part of the retreat was such an amazing experience! I was hesitant to go at first because as a beginner, I lack the experience to be able to do what was needed. But super thankful to the teachers and the entire group who were very nice and helpful! I personally liked the early morning practices because it kick-started my day to maintain the same level of energy all through out the day. It was definitely worth every penny, from the choice of resort, food, teachers, basically everything! Kudos to the team who made this happen. They made sure that we were comfortable during the first up until the last day!
Paul Meer, Love and Rocket Yoga Retreat Participant
The leap year retreat was indeed a heart-opening and grounding weekend getaway. I feel grateful to have given myself a chance to indulge in a peaceful private yoga retreat. Best of all, I got to spend it with 9 amazing individuals from different walks of life. I learned so much from listening to their life stories, doing yoga practice, making our own mandalas, and just spending time with them during those 4 days in Dumaguete. More than the physical activities we did, the spiritual and emotional changes have definitely left the biggest mark, which I will carry with me from then on.
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We were blessed to have done this before the Covid situation escalated in the Philippines! I sincerely hope there will be more retreats like this to spread the yoga love and inspire more people to take time to re-energize and rejuvenate.
Gella Lim, Love and Rocket Yoga Retreat Participant
I learned about BUHAY RETREATS through Yoga|Break. I am grateful for online connections that lead me to great opportunities to learn especially being under quarantine. The first online webinar I attended was about going plant-based. Being Vegan, there are very few that offer an in-depth discussion about the benefits of this lifestyle. I try and attend as much as I can and the seminar with Aua made me gain outputs that helped me go further and deeper in my journey. If I had attended it when I was still transitioning, it would have made my transition smoother. It definitely helped those who are plant-based curious and changing their eating habits into a healthier path.
The second webinar I attended with BUHAY was all about self-care rituals. There were massive gains in this one as I am trying to step up on taking care of myself and my body. My goal is to find as many ways to use all-natural remedies and incorporate them in my routine to be able to be healthier inside and out. The tips given in the webinar were very useful and much needed to attain relaxation and thrive in everyday essentials for a long time health wealth.
The most recent one I participated in was Ashtanga Transitions in collaboration with Rocket Yoga Philippines. Ashtanga is currently a huge part of my Yoga and meditation practice. I learned how to go about with the poses with more mindfulness and connection. To integrate these learnings in my practice is to hold a more solid space for being accountable to what my movement and thoughts bring into my life both on and off the mat.
I am looking forward to more events with BUHAY. I hope it will be in person soon as there is no more energy better than sharing it with awakened souls.
Loren Bernal
What I find important in a yoga retreat:
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- Immersion (absolute, if possible)
- Finding your appropriate edge of discomfort (as in Yin yoga) and pushing it
- Exposure to new people and experiences
- Organization through a flexible, yet disciplined program flow
- Cohesiveness of the retreat's overall theme, which is achieved by relevant activities
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I am extremely lucky to have been a part of Buhay Retreats pre and post pandemic. Buhay has been my lifeline (no pun intended) for all things yoga and wellness since attending their in-person retreat in February. The Love and Rocket facilitated by Bry Reyes and Shiela Matias was held in Salaya Beach Houses in Dauin. Dauin is a simple island town in Negros Oriental, which provided the perfect backdrop for our retreat experience.
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What must be present in a yoga retreat for it to be considered a success? First, absolute immersion in the practice and in the place. This allows the student to be fully removed from their usual life, worries and distractions so that they can be fully present in the retreat and allow space for new learnings and knowledge to come in. This is tied to number two, which is finding your appropriate edge of discomfort (as in Yin yoga) and pushing it. Being uncomfortable challenges the student, forces growth or at the very least, some change. Buhay Retreats achieved this by exposing us to a different environment, and bringing together people who normally would never meet or interact, let alone become friends.
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The retreat was organized by Tina, together with Bry and Shiela, which allowed us participants to focus on our classes and materials. The schedule was flexible, yet disciplined, and left enough time between activities for us to rest or explore. Our teachers constantly returned to the theme of Love and Rocket, keeping everything cohesive and unified.
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Most people do not realize that the retreat does not end when the students depart. Personally speaking, Dauin was a truly transformative experience that stayed with me well after leaving the island. I think it filled my tank with enough feel-good fuel to survive these last seven months of lockdown! And honestly, it made me keep coming back to Buhay to try and replicate that experience.
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Since then, I have participated in two of Buhay's online events: Chair Yoga and Wellness Rituals with Andy Tonda. This pandemic has truly highlighted the advantages of technology, because even my father was able to join the Chair Yoga event all the way from India! It was very important to me that I was able to share those lessons with him, and we had fun while doing it. Wellness Rituals saw like-minded entrepreneurs, teachers and creatives get together and discuss why they want to help people feel better and how they do that in their respective fields. I reckon this event was where the seed of Buhay's retreat, Best Life on High Ground, was planted.
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Buhay Retreats is a community dedicated to enriching the lives of its community, whether through yoga, nutrition, self-care rituals, chanting ... and the list goes on. It is a place for one and all, to discover what truly drives you to live your best and most authentic life. So, sign me up for the next one, and I hope to see you there. ♡
BUHAY activities joined:
- Love and Rocket, Dauin (in-person)
- Chair Yoga (virtual)
- Wellness Rituals (virtual)