Meditation retreat vibes appear: a mindset story to invite feelings of calm and nourishment into your workspace.
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Episode 1
Today we consider a new perspective to disrupt your mind’s usual response to arriving in your workspace. Instead of preparing for the typical demands of work, you’re going to be preparing to head into a place where you feel supported, grounded, and present.
Before we begin, have you checked out the Mind Body Resets Toolkit? It’s full of ideas that you can use, many of them right there in your workspace, to ground you in your body and in the moment. Restore a feeling of calm, find relief from discomfort, or move toward motivation. Head over to workdaybliss.com/mindbodyresets (that’s resetssss with an s on the end) for the free instant download. I’ll drop the link in the show notes.
Hi this is Ciara and welcome to the Workday Bliss Podcast.
I have a little trivia question for you. What do the films Swiss Family Robinson, Lord of the Flies, and 6 Days 7 Nights have in common? There’s a chance you’ve heard of the first two. I might have thrown you off a little with the last one, 6 Days 7 Nights. In it, Harrison Ford is the pilot of a tiny charter plane carrying a single passenger–magazine editor played by Anne Heche. Harrison has to emergency land the plane on a deserted island. And the plot plays out from there.
So I’ve just given away the answer to the question I posed about what these three movies have in common.
Ding ding ding, yes Swiss Family Robinson, Lord of the Flies, and 6 Days 7 Nights are all stories that play out when a group’s plane or ship lands them stranded on a deserted, tropical island.
Now, when I say they were stranded on deserted islands, I mean nature only. No human inhabitants. Just sand, rocks, trees, animals and insects—many of them dangerous, relentless sun beating down, salt water everywhere and not a drop to drink. Can you imagine being stuck in such a place, showing up with limited food and drinking water, no communication to the outer world?
Hopefully, you were a scout at one point and know how to get a radio signal from a coconut. Or maybe you watched Bear Grills’ outdoor survival show one time. But then you remember hearing they found him staying in a hotel room while he was supposed to be alone in the wilderness. Even HE thought it was hard.
My next question could be what three items would you take with you to a deserted island (and a genie in a magic lamp isn’t one of them). But surprise twist, that’s not where this is going.
I’ll tell you where this is going, but first a related tangent.
Imagine you’re someone living in the Midwest, in the depths of a snowy, windy, cold winter, and you are going to a week-long yoga and meditation retreat in paradise.
You pack your suitcase of lovely warm weather vacation-y clothes and swimsuit, which all seem to fit into the amount of space that would normally be taken up by just one of your winter wool sweaters. In fact you say, I’m just bringing a backpack. You stuff it all in and hop aboard the plane, where you spend most of your time in pure delight anticipating the week; you are headed on an all-inclusive trip where your luxury villa, fresh delicious meals, and bliss-creating meditation days are all handled for you.
One more plane ride, a little boat trip, and there you are, hair blowing in the breeze, checking into your paradise. You take it in, smell the fragrant air, gaze out at the brilliant sparkling ocean view. Pull an ice cold water from the fridge, pick up a piece of freshly cut papaya and feel your body completely let go of any stress. You have arrived. Paradise.
And this paradise, aside from your little wellness retreat center, just so happens to be an otherwise deserted tropical island. What! Whoah, mind-blown-emoji coming in hot 🤯
Okay obviously this yoga and meditation retreat is a different thing. Not a survival situation.
But imagine if they dropped off a little way down the beach. It would look like the deserted island, but you would know deep down that your little villa was a short distance away. With that comfort in mind, you could enjoy walking along the ocean, taking in the sunshine, looking for shells on the beach.
And what if in the island survival situation, someone knew you had landed there and you knew they would come to rescue you an hour later. Instead of stressing about what’s ahead, you could have that same lovely walk along the beach, looking for shells, with Harrison.
When you arrive to one of these two island situations, luxury or survival, the initial difference does not lie in the place itself, but in anticipation of what you’ll find in that place: will it be struggle? Or will it be rejuvenating meditation in paradise?
Here’s where we’re going with all this: let’s bring it back to your workday.
When you arrive to your workspace, whether that’s a home office or a workspace with others, you’re often walking into some form of the deserted island survival situation. There may be unknown dangerous primates you encounter. Metaphorical mountains to climb in order to survive to the end of the day. Miscommunications with Harrison.
Let’s imagine that instead, you are landing on that island shore for the meditation and yoga retreat. What would your workspace feel like if you were just there to be present, ground in your body, calm your mind?
What if your job every day for the next week was to show up at the same workspace you usually do, you get paid the same amount, but you spend your time in a meditation and yoga retreat. There’s no work that needs doing. In fact, none of your usual coworkers or clients are there. Just flowing along as someone leads you through the perfectly curated day of rest and rejuvenation.
How would you feel heading into that day?
Same island, two very different internal experiences as you arrive to it.
You may have the habit of being in the survival mindset when you walk into your workspace. Fair enough, preparing mentally for the challenges ahead.
If you desire to make a shift to how you feel during your day, try the following mindset on next time you arrive in your workspace. I’ll add this to the show notes too.
As you arrive, for just a moment, slide the metaphorical glasses you’ve been looking through off–the survival ones. And in their place, slide on the meditation retreat glasses.
First off, you’ll be looking glamorous in your island paradise shades.
Next, for a moment, see if you can feel that anticipation of supported wellness in the day ahead.
Allow that energy of relaxation and nourishment to exist in your body at the same time you look at the space you’ll be inhabiting as you work. Let that island paradise light crack through the walls and catch a glimpse of its sparkle.
If you find you could use a little help bringing your body and emotions into this sensation of wellbeing, take a peek at the Mind Body Resets toolkit. It’s full of tools you can use find a feeling of calm, relief, or renewed energy. The free download is available to you instantly by going to workdaybliss.com/mindbodyresets. Or just tap the link in the shownotes.
It’s a pleasure to share this time and heart space with you today. I hope this brings you a few more moments of workday balance, maybe even bliss. Peace, love, and talk to you next time.
Show Notes
Mind Body Resets Toolkit (Free Download). It’s full of tools you can use find a feeling of calm, relief, or renewed energy.
Mindset Exercise: Next time you arrive in your workspace, slide the metaphorical glasses you’ve been looking through off–the survival ones. And in their place, slide on the meditation retreat glasses. See if you can feel that anticipation of supported wellness in the day ahead. Allow that energy of relaxation and nourishment to exist in your body at the same time you look at the space you’ll be inhabiting as you work. Let that island paradise light crack through the walls and catch a glimpse of its sparkle.