When I first arrived at Breitenbush Hotsprings on Sunday afternoon I thought, “there is no way my mind is going to calm down” even though my body was way into it.

After all, the purpose of my self-imposed personal retreat was to calm my mind around the anxiety abound in the collective world, and more importantly, to return to my center.

My body was excited about soaking in the natural hot springs for three full days (can you see my toes twinkling in the air?) and by the second day, the monkey grip on my mind began to soften. Without a cel phone or internet access and surrounded by an old growth forest, my heart finally had a chance to speak and I listened. She was perfectly at ease.

In the planning stages of my personal retreat, I experienced resistance to spending the money, even though it was very affordable. (Check out the website for details.) I knew from a deeper place of my being that by giving to myself in this way, I would be able to continue to contribute to the world in a healthy, positive way.

After being there for just a short time, I felt certain areas in my body (like my jaw and my shoulders) start to relax.

There was this deep sense of restoration that my body had been craving, but my mind had resisted. I released into it and remembered the importance of self-care.

I was grateful.

With many years of self-care under my belt, I still need to be reminded to love myself by simply receiving.

These days, the speedometer of life has been accelerated at a pace most of us can hardly keep up with.  Remember, we are humans, not machines, and although we like to think of ourselves as unstoppable, our bodies are there to remind us of the importance of staying in balance.

All we have to do is listen.