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I bet you need a wellness retreat. We did. After four months of serious lockdown in California, plugged into our computers, tablets and phones – working, learning, communicating, socializing, “relaxing” – all day everyday, my family was feeling the burnout and desperately needed a rest and reset. With Valentine’s Day upon us and the pandemic still raging, an at-home wellness retreat was a creative way to celebrate, have fun and really relax, unplugged. It was wonderful. Here’s how we did it.

HOW TO CREATE A WELLNESS RETREAT AT HOME

1 – Create a schedule. You don’t to follow it all the way, but some sort of structure moves things along, just like if you were at wellness retreat away from home. This is our schedule. I printed it out and placed it where all could see.

8:00AM - TAP IN Wellness Journal

8:30AM - Morning Smoothie

9:00AM - Yoga + Meditation

10:00AM - Facial

10:30AM - Matcha + Mindful Activity

11:30PM - Share + Reflection

12:00PM - Lunch

12:30PM - Beach Walk

We didn’t completely adhere to the schedule. We spent more time during Sharing and Reflection, which was great. We had a wonderfully deep conversation and allowed ourselves to bask in that connection. Here are some ideas for your schedule:

Make a healthy smoothie or lunch recipe together.

Group exercise – yoga is great to do together.

Give a facial, massage (take turns), manicure and pedicure.

Nature bathing – take a walk or sit outside to revel in nature.

Do an art project.

Make a vision board.

Meditate.

Work on a puzzle.

Play a game.

Read.

Share a poem, favorite book passage or quote to foster conversation.

2 – Decide on the rules ahead of time. Our wellness retreat was a day to “unplug and just be” so there were no phones or computers allowed. I knew that this would be a problem for my husband who is always plugged in, but having a schedule helped; he knew that he could plug back in at 2:00pm.

We did use our TV to play a yoga video on YouTube and that was okay for us. I didn’t even take photos, knowing that I wanted to write about this day! My phone was on “do not disturb” and in another room during the retreat. Normally we listen to music on our phones from Spotify or iTunes, but we used my daughter’s cassette player instead. The cassette was Dirty Mind by Prince, not very “spa-like” but it made us happy singing along.

3 – Prep your space. Clean the areas that you will be using and remove all clutter. What will make the space welcoming for you? Candles? Music? Have those ready to go.

4 – Plan and prep your food. Print out any recipes that you may need and acquire all the ingredients. We made smoothies and normally I look at the recipe in Evernote, but I printed it out the night before. I didn’t want to cook on our wellness day, so I bought yummy Asian Chicken Salads and green juice from our favorite healthy grocery store the night before.

5 – Think about and plan activities. Choose activities that foster self-care and mindfulness and if you are sharing your wellness retreat with other people, connection and sharing. Buy a puzzle, game or art supplies. Collect magazines for a vision board. Ask each person to come prepared to share a poem, quote or book passage (not on their phone).

My husband does not spend much time on facial care so it was a big treat for him to have a facial and he really enjoyed it. We stood next to each other in the bathroom and I gave him step-by-step directions.

As a family we did a puzzle together and spent well over an hour sharing and talking, but we also spent some time reading quietly in the same room. And of course we started the day writing in our TAP IN wellness journal.

I hope that I’ve inspired you to devote a day or even a few hours to a wellness retreat at home. We all need it from time to time; your mind and body will thank you. Below are some resources for your wellness retreat at home. Relax, have fun and most importantly, just be.

Resources for a Wellness Retreat at Home

Pinterest. What can’t you find on Pinterest? There is so much on there for your wellness retreat from smoothie and healthy food recipes, vision board tutorials, yoga poses, DIY facials and prompts for mindful reflection.

We really like this healthy and refreshing Golden Glow Smoothie from Nom Nom Paleo.

Yoga With Adriene is my favorite online yoga teacher. She has so many yoga videos for so many different needs. I was feeling a bit under the weather so we did a Gentle Yoga video and I felt better afterward without stressing myself too much.

Calm is a great meditation app. The Daily Calm playlist on Youtube have meditations of about 10 minutes each.

I drink this Bulletproof Matcha every single day. It’s so healthy but also delicious. Print the recipe and have it ready for your wellness retreat.

I’ve been reading poetry in the mornings. Right now I’m reading all of Rupi Kaur’s books. She’s amazing and I find myself tagging so many poems to share.

My daughter and I are addicted to puzzles. It’s a great mindful activity; you really have to concentrate and it’s challenging. But it’s also peaceful and fun. We love the puzzles from Eeboo because they are well-made and beautiful. We also want to try a puzzle from Puzzles of Color.

My husband bought these cards as a Valentine’s Day present for the family. These are good for wellness day sharing or for daily dinner table conversation.

TAP IN: A Daily Practice for a More Creative, Focused and Joyful Life. This wellness journal is a beautiful way to start any day. Don’t let the world in until you TAP IN.

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