Happy Birthday OLY
A year ago Kayla and I launched our business ~ One Love Yoga Retreats! We lead our first retreat in Tulum, Mexico, in March 2019. After it was a huge success...
We were inspired to keep the stoke going and keep creating magic together.
Although it was scary not knowing if we would continue to be successful or not, we knew that we both were up for at least giving it a try. Leaving behind doubts, fears, what ifs... and just admitting that it was too much of an exciting idea to pass up. It was then that we created our website and set the dates for our second retreat to take place that fall, Oct 2019. We titled it “Fall Women’s Wellness Retreat”, a weekend-long getaway for Women only which included daily meditation, yoga, Reiki by Amber Mello, workshops, and guided introspection via journaling and kirtan as well as "to-die-for" farm-to-table meals by Chef Chelsea Shapouri ~ each morning, noon, and night.
In reflection of the year that we have been in existence, we have learned a TON. We have learned how to operate as a small business, how to communicate as business partners, and how to lead groups of people for extended amounts of time through yoga and mindfulness ~ even when we aren’t feeling our most grounded selves! Our women’s retreat particularly we had put on by ourselves. Although the women’s retreat was an extremely powerful and impactful weekend, we were EXHAUSTED ~ in the best way.. the blissed out, take a nap every day because you cant stand up straight, kind of exhausted.
We had some down time on the beach after we said our goodbyes to our ladies on the last day of the fall women’s retreat, looked at each other and said “Lets plan another!”
And the stoke just kept on rolling!
We kept the momentum going by booking a spring 2020 retreat in Panama, this time co-ed and appealing to surfers and yogis alike!
We were so excited to be offering something different.
This retreat was to be held in Cambutal, Los Santos, a remote 5 hours away from Panama City. We were set to be there for one week, holding daily meditation and yoga classes, locally prepared meals 3 times daily, and surf/kayak/SUP/snorkel at our leisure. Flights were booked, bags were packed. It was one week before departure that the dreadful COVID-19 Pandemic became too much of a concern to follow through with our beloved Central American retreat abroad. We had to cancel and set future dates to return when the turbulent tides of the global health crises slow down.
Even though our first year of being a business hasn’t been the smoothest, we now know how to expect the unexpected and welcome the uncertainty as opportunities for growth!
I know can speak for both of us when I say that this 2020 hiccup won’t stop us from offering retreats in the future. If anything, it is inspiring us to connect with you all on an even deeper level (via our online platforms and livestream classes) and gives us time to plan more epic adventures!
Cheers to one FULL (in every way) year of being a co-business owner of One Love Yoga Retreats!
Om,
Delaney