Healthy Living by Willow Creek Springs
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Healthy Living by Willow Creek Springs
Disconnect to Reconnect: A Guide to Different Types of Retreats
Ready to disconnect from the digital noise and reconnect with what truly matters? This episode dives deep into the transformative power of retreats and how they can reset your mind, body, and spirit.
Drawing from three decades of experience facilitating retreats at Gardens of Hope, a non-profit botanical garden and small farm in California, Joe Grumbine shares expert insights on various retreat formats and their unique benefits. Whether you're seeking spiritual growth, wellness education, team building, creative inspiration, nature immersion, family bonding, or personal development - there's a retreat experience designed to nurture exactly what you need.
The magic of retreats lies in their ability to remove us from our routines. As Joe explains, "We get into these loops, over and over and over, thinking about the same things... You can break free from that sometimes when you get to a new setting." By stepping away from phones, responsibilities, and habitual patterns, we create mental and emotional space for deeper reflection and rejuvenation.
Beyond the individual benefits, retreats foster meaningful human connection in an increasingly isolated world. "The group that came through this weekend... the leader of the ceremony said, 'We're going to enter this tipi strangers, and we're going to leave family.' And indeed, that's what happened." This accelerated community building represents one of the most powerful aspects of retreat experiences.
Whether you're drawn to spiritual ceremonies, wellness workshops, team challenges, creative collaborations, or forest bathing, the fundamental value remains consistent: disconnection from distraction creates space for transformation. Listen now to discover how retreats might benefit your life's journey and consider experiencing one for yourself.
Have you participated in a retreat before? Share your experience or questions in the comments, and don't forget to subscribe for more insights on holistic healthy living!
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Joe Grumbine, md, phd. Hello and welcome to the Healthy Living Podcast. I'm your host, joe Grumbine, and today we're going to talk about retreats and different types and values of. In case you don't know, I run a non-profit called Gardens of Hope and we have a two and a half acre small farm and a botanical garden out in Paris, california, and we generally offer what we call therapeutic horticulture and education. But one of the other things that we do offer is a site for retreats and I know that in these days retreats are kind of in vogue and, you know, plant medicine has become stylish and popular in some ways. But we've been working with retreats and ceremonies and different medicines and all different types of retreats for more than 30 years. We do it as part of our nonprofit services because our garden has matured to a place where it's a beautiful spot to do that.
Speaker 1:Right now we're doing primarily camping type retreats. We do all night ceremonies sometimes, but we have done many different types. We've done family retreats, we've done scout campouts, we've done spiritual retreats, we've done Bible study type retreats, we've done company retreats all different types and I think one of the things that is maybe maybe most important is about a retreat and the name kind of implies that is, that you're retreating from your normal world and you're taking a break and you're resetting, disengaging from what would be sort of your daily routine. The things that get to you over time, the things that weigh on you, the grains of sand that fill your backpack, all those things. I think getting away from those things for even a fairly short period of time have a tremendous value, and so, in spite of you know the surge of popularity of these, we've been doing this for a long time and we're working on tailoring different types of retreats to different groups and different individuals. Types of retreats to different groups and different individuals. We can do anything from a single person to a group of maybe around 35 is probably where we max out. Hopefully, as we grow and we gain property and abilities and staff and things like that, we'll be able to increase our ability to do retreats, but right now I think we're happy about it. So what I want to do today is talk about different types of retreats, and I know that a lot of the retreats that are sort of popular right now are the first two that we're going to get into.
Speaker 1:So we'll start with spiritual retreats Christianity or some native indigenous tradition or Buddhism or any number of things. Sometimes it's not even a recognized tradition, but just you know somebody's own personal path. It doesn't really matter what your tradition is. I believe that you can practice and be part of a retreat with whatever you are, even if you're an atheist. I suppose the opposite of a spiritual practice. You could probably find some value in an anti-spiritual retreat if that is such a thing.
Speaker 1:I think the purpose of these are generally to deepen your own practices, to get to work on the work that you know how to do, to get to work on the work that you know how to do. Meditation and prayer, reading sacred writings and things like that tend to be a part of these things Songs and dances and even food. Sometimes that can be tied to a spiritual practice In some cases, like the ones that we're working with right now. Medicines this weekend we did a peyote ceremony and the medicine was a major part of the ceremony. But there are many elements to a ceremony and a retreat like that, but essentially this retreat involved an all-night prayer circle and singing and praying and that sort of thing I think a lot of people come to a retreat to, I don't know, get closer to the concept of, maybe, inner peace.
Speaker 1:You can generally find calm and clarity when you disconnect from all the chaos of the outside world, and I think most retreats you're going to leave your phone behind and just that alone is going to put you in a place where you're going to be likely to be mindful of the things that are around you instead of what's blinking on that little black box. I think all retreats offer a sense of community because everybody that's there in the retreat unless it's a solo, personal retreat you're all sharing that experience. So, for example, the group that came through this weekend I didn't know most of them, I only knew a handful of people that were part of that group and the leader of the ceremony said well, we're going to leave, we're going to enter this, this teepee strangers, and we're going to leave family. And indeed that's what happened. I think retreats offer a unique environment where, in a short period of time, humans can get very close by sharing meaningful experience over a period of a day or two or three, whatever that retreat length is. And so I think community building community is a big part of a retreat, and I believe community is a big part of health, and we've talked about it before and we'll continue to talk about it, but being isolated is generally associated with an unhealthy condition and mental distress and things like that. You know, the harshest punishment that is offered is solitary confinement, generally speaking, and being alone for a period of time drives most people crazy. And so, yeah, community can be very healing and beneficial, and I think that it's a valuable part of any retreat and reflection. I think Any time that you have a retreat, you're going to likely have a period where you just sit there and think about something you did or are going to do. And, yeah, I think reflection is important, especially as we're trying to improve ourselves, and I think that you know healthy living is all about improving yourself.
Speaker 1:And next we're going to talk about wellness retreats, and you know there's a lot of overlap on some of these, and so you know any of the points that I brought up on a spiritual retreat could many of them could be applied to a wellness retreat. But generally, a wellness retreat is going to be more focused on physical and mental well-being, and you know there might be activities like yoga, meditation, nutrition workshops, maybe fitness, you know, and so the focus of activities is going to likely be a little different. Rather than a particular tradition or spiritual practice or religion or anything like that, it's going to be more topical and focusing on the elements of wellness. Obviously, one of the reasons you would do that is to improve your health and to encourage healthier lifestyles through physical activity, nutrition, education. You know, in a lot of retreats there are classes, workshops, activities that will cause you to learn a practice or get better at a practice, so I think that's important.
Speaker 1:One of the things that I think all retreats offer in a wellness retreat would certainly be part of this is stress reduction. Certainly be part of this is stress reduction, and there will likely be activities or offerings of activities that would help you manage stress through things like relaxation and mindfulness practices or stretching exercises, yoga, that kind of thing. And then a wellness retreat is going to probably focus some on the idea of self-care. You know so many of us are givers and we dedicate our time and energy to others and you know we sacrifice ourselves all the time and I know I was a victim of that until my cancer set in and I realized shit, I got to take care of myself or I won't be here for others. And so, you know, once I learned that and recognized the value of that along with you know just self-love practices it came to me that, wow, it makes a difference. So, you know, learning to take care of yourself is definitely a good move and part of any wellness retreat.
Speaker 1:Things like corporate retreats or even school retreats Maybe you would put that into something like even a sports retreat, something like that. These are focusing on team building, strategy development, some type of specific training. So if it's a sports or if it's a scouting retreat or something like that, or whatever it is that the group is, or whatever your corporation or group would be, you would focus on the things that you would do in that group Workshops, seminars and that kind of thing would probably be a part of a group, of a retreat like that. And again, there's not a formula that says if you do these things you have a retreat, but there's a general idea that if these things are present, then yeah, that's what we would call. This activity would be a retreat Team cohesion, you know, strengthening relationships, doing experiences that might require trust or strength, or things like that. You get closer and working together in small groups and breaking apart and maybe it's a tug of war, maybe it's some kind of an activity that requires teamwork to get through an obstacle or a challenge, those sorts of things. So that's always good.
Speaker 1:Innovation is always a good part of one of these types of retreats. You know, getting small groups together for brainstorming, creativity, maybe coming up with a problem that could be solved many ways, and giving small teams a chance to solve these problems. It's really a great activity for this type of a retreat. And maybe, finally, leadership development. You know, when you have groups of people working on challenges and activities, often leaders rise to the top. Maybe you have activities that focus on leadership, maybe you do a leadership workshop or a leadership retreat entirely Oftentimes. I know in school my daughter went to I think it was called RILA I don't remember what the acronym was for but it was basically a weekend retreat, you know, three or two or three days and it was a lot of leadership training and I think it benefited her a lot. So that was definitely a good use of a retreat.
Speaker 1:Creative retreats, you know you can have a writing retreat, a painting retreat, a musical retreat. There's all kinds of different art and music and activities like that where groups of people get together to work on, share ideas about their hobby or their art or their instrument or their music. There's so many different ways that that can take place. The reason for that you would focus on something like that is to, you know, foster creativity. And so, again, working together in groups and working on activities that bring out creativity and you just have a block and you know, talking to other writers or other people that know how to solve different problems like that can help you break free.
Speaker 1:A lot of times, activities can trigger your brain to reset and get back into a place where it's working right. So that's another good Sometimes, inspiration, just getting into a new place, resetting your brain. We get into these loops and, over and over and over, thinking about the same things and the same songs, the same words, people say the same phrases. All of these things, the things that bug you, the politics, the whatever, whatever. Um, you can break free from that sometimes when you get to a new setting, a place, a natural place, a place where you can have introspection and all of that collaboration.
Speaker 1:A lot of times, you know you when you're working with a pair or a group of people and you know people with like minds and and you know people with like minds and similar hobbies, similar likes, similar values you can really come up with some good ideas as a collaboration and then focus. Sometimes, really, you can just go to a new place, a place that you haven't been before and you know, just experience it and just sitting in a new spot or going outside at night and staring at a fire, whatever it is that you are doing at the retreat, oftentimes you can without all the everyday distractions that you're used to, without the kids bugging you, without the phone ringing, the text going off and the social media alerts and all this stuff. Oftentimes your focus can really bring about some positive results. And nature retreats those are super cool, know you might go up to the mountains or the desert or the beach or someplace and focus on activities like hiking, camping, nature-type workshops, a lot of endless amounts of things to learn and experience when you're involved with nature and there's endless benefits and activities that can be done in nature and camping. My goodness, what an amazing experience.
Speaker 1:I think many of us, anybody who's ever gone camping as a kid, is going to have those memories as some of the most enjoyable, some of the places you learn the most and you know, frankly, if you go camping with your family, it's a retreat, there's no other way to look at it. You're going to have a deeper connection with nature when you spend time in nature and understanding the natural world. Sometimes, you know, we lose sight of where we fit into the natural world. We forget that we're part of nature, we are natural creatures and we forget that. You know we get stuck in rules and regulations and all of these things, and you know I think learning and remembering that you're part of nature is important.
Speaker 1:I know a lot of people, especially you know, religious people. I don't talk about politics or religion generally and those people that know me, actually know me, know that I'm a very spiritual creature and I don't box myself into one box that says, well, this is what I am, because I realized that I'm not all that smart and I'm certainly not smart enough to understand my creator in a way where I can tell you how you have to be, and so I recognize the creator in many things and I I can use many names and many songs in many ways to to thank and worship and and pray and all of those things. And so I know a lot of people look down on people who don't say the right words and use the right names and all that stuff. But I've just experienced God in so many ways that I'm not going to limit myself that way and you can judge if you want. But you know that's what I've learned Anyway. So that was a little sidebar, but something somebody said to me recently just kind of got under my skin a little bit, because they just don't know me as well as they thought, and that's one of the reasons I do this podcast is for my own health as well.
Speaker 1:Um, how about environmental awareness? You know, a lot of times when you're doing a natural retreat, a nature retreat, you might learn ways to protect and preserve nature, little tricks, little things that make a difference and ultimately, holistic well-being. You know you can combine physical activity, being out in nature, sunlight, wind, fresh air, fresh water, good food. You get an overall. We just talked a couple of days ago about holistic and what that means, and I think it taps into that practice pretty well. You know the Japanese, I think, call it force bathing. You know, just going outside in nature for a little while, getting a dose, and you know that's super cool.
Speaker 1:Learning retreats there's various schools and companies and things like that might offer a retreat for a particular topic or subject and again getting out in a different environment and getting around people that have like minds and teachers Just a great environment for workshops, seminars and things like that on a particular topic. And again, this will overlap with corporate retreats and that sort of thing. But you know, there's a specific purpose to a learning retreat that might be a little different from a corporate retreat Skill development. You know, when you are in a retreat you know you're really focused on one thing, whatever that topic or purpose of that retreat is. And so you know you, you work on one thing for three days and you can grow pretty quickly because you're staying in that groove. You're, you know, spending all day long in a particular place, even if you're doing different aspects of it. So you can really gain a lot of value in a short period of time. Networking, I think, is always a value of a retreat. You meet new friends, different people have different skills, different teachers, different students, different partners, collaborators, whatever. You can definitely find those things in a learning retreat. And then you know again the same thing with the focus when you're in a place, without these distractions, I believe you can really get a deeper focus and accelerate the type and amount of learning that you can accomplish in a short period of time. It's not like cramming for a test, just reading something over and over again or whatever. You know you can get a lot. You're going to be more receptive and have more retention.
Speaker 1:I think when you're in a retreat setting there's also family retreats and I think you know, especially in large families, it might be a good idea. You know, I know my biological family I'm generally not very close to. There's a handful of people in my huge Italian family that I even talk to on a regular basis, and why, who knows. I mean I just don't think we all had all that much in common besides being family, and as I grew older and grew up, I realized that there was only so much importance to that, not to mention going through difficult parts of my life. You know, battling the government, being locked up over something that I was fundamentally, I was in the right, and then going through this cancer. Both of those things have really caused me to have to really pay attention to what's important, and you know petty squabbles and family politics is pretty low on the importance list in my book and solving real and major problems is. But if you want to focus on bonding and just, you know, a lot of the same things that you might get out of a corporate retreat you could apply to a family. So the activities and being together, sharing meals together, and all of that is going to build relationships, strengthen the ones you have.
Speaker 1:Getting quality time together, you know I think that's one of the keys to a relationship. You know we spend time, but how much quality time do we spend? How much time do we spend really engaged with each other? Or are we spending our time walking on eggshells and playing a part or avoiding problems or whatever all the other things that people do so much of the time? So that quality time is really important. Sharing skills and knowledge you know so many times you think about your family and you know really how well do you know them? And maybe you got an uncle or a cousin or a brother or sister or even a parent or a child that you know has a particular talent. But how much time do you really spend being around that or experiencing it or sharing maybe what you know about it or learning from that person. So, again, having these focused activities, I think you can really experience a lot of that.
Speaker 1:And then again, this is in no way all the retreats, but it's a pretty good little list of types of retreats. Things like personal development. Again, this can be overlapping a lot with spiritual retreats and wellness retreats. But there can be more specific targets maybe a retreat for trauma survivors, maybe a retreat you know that would be focused on addicts, or you know people that are overcoming some kind of disability, whatever. There's all these different personal development types of retreats that you could do. And you know discovering personal goals, improving self-awareness, enhancing emotional intelligence, all those things by using the tools of activities, workshops and that sort of thing. So you know so many possible values to a personal development retreat, personal development retreat and self-discovery.
Speaker 1:Sometimes you might realize and learn by doing some of these activities that you've got strengths and weaknesses you weren't aware of, and getting to know yourself is huge Empowerment. You know you can overcome a thing when you got a lot of people trying to overcome a thing and sometimes, whether it's jumping off the rock into the water or, you know, lifting yourself up over the wall or whatever the thing, the challenge is when you see other people willing to put themselves out there and try. It can cause you to empower yourself to do the same thing. And, once again, networking, I think, is huge. You know, especially today we live in this world of, you know, social media and disconnected communication.
Speaker 1:And spending time together, one on one, with real people that have similar values, similar likes, dislikes, whatever the thing that brought you all to a community retreat, similar likes, dislikes, whatever the thing that brought you all to a community retreat, I think makes perfect sense and has great value.
Speaker 1:And so you know, I think that the break from the routine, a fresh change of environment, these are all things that can cause a benefit in all these different ways and many others that we didn't get to, you know, can cause personal growth, strengthen relationships, you know, enhance your well-being, inspire your creativity.
Speaker 1:All of these things are going to come out of all types of retreats and I believe that, just like a vacation, a memorable vacation, a camping trip, whatever your experience is, I believe that retreats can value every single person that participates and I encourage you to try one out, you know, maybe reach out to gardens of hope and see about scheduling one for yourself or joining one that we already have, or there's dozens, hundreds, probably thousands of places that offer retreats in all different ways, and I would encourage you, if you haven't yet, to try one um and get the most you can of it.
Speaker 1:So so I want to thank everybody who's been supporting this podcast, especially the subscribers, and you know, if you think this is a good show, tell somebody else about it, share a link or leave a comment, leave a review. All of these things help us to get more visible, and you know the purpose of this is to build community and share what we've learned. And if you're interested in being a guest, hit me up. I'm easy to reach. And, on that note, this has been another episode of the healthy living podcast and we will see you next time.
