Small things, BIG change

Simplicity warrants skepticism

A few months ago I received my monthly email from Magic.of.I telling me all about the astrological themes of the month. I love to sit and sip a cacao while reading these (just like I hope many of you on my email list ready my monthly-ish Slow Notes 🙏 ). It spoke of the simplicity of 'basic' practice, in a world where everything feels (and is made to be) so complicated. If something 'seems too good to be true', it must be and is disregarded instantly under skepticism and the belief that the solutions to our problems should be just as complicated as the problems themselves... 

What I love about this is that it;

1. calls us out on our bullsh*t of 'I don't have enough time' or 'I don't know what to do', and

2. reminds us that the simplest things are often the most profound.

Instead of using the excuse that you don't have time before bed to 'wind down' and therefore need to take sleeping pills to get to sleep each night (because you don't know how to meditate before bed or you just can't fit all the good healthy stuff in)...maybe try prioritising your evenings (and time) and introduce a super simple sleep hygiene routine. It's free, you know! Oh, and if you don't know how to meditate, you can get pretty accessible apps that help you with that. Yeah, it sounds too good to be true...because it is good, and it is true. It sounds too simple to be effective, because we're used to spending an arm and a leg on courses and coaches who promise us big results, and then we realise down the track that in reality no one can 'fix' us if we're not doing any of the work ourselves. 

When did we forget that immersing into nature, being surrounded by like-minded supportive humans, nourishing your body and mind with movement and meditation, breathing *properly* again, and learning about ourselves and our ancestral ancient ways - could be the simplest but most profound medicine that we'll ever need? No fancy supplements, super spiritual woo woo practices, or '12 steps to healed' programs needed. Simply just what is already available to us, if we choose to let it be. 

Medicine on Adnaymathanha Country

Over the past 2 weeks, this truth was glaringly obvious after emerging from the Wilpena Womens Weekend and listening to each woman share her transformation with the group. We spent four days immersing in nature, culture, practice, community, and nourishment from the inside out. What we heard from these women has been repeated to us over and over again in many different ways through many different transformations across the three retreats we've run so far on Adnyamathanha Country. It's quite affirming to hear, this sh*t works. It *really* works.

The common themes that popup (on retreat, and) time and time again when we allow ourselves to return to the simplicity of 'basic' practices and remove the complexity of 'unhealthy' habits / our day to day lives that find themselves on repeat...

1. Better sleep: we've literally had multiple women across multiple retreats, report that they had a FULL nights sleep after suffering from insomnia for the past 5 months to 30 years. You know, simply just nature, movement, breath and human connection, can do that. No fancy therapy needed. Simple, yet profound.

2. Better breathing: after practice retreat guests (and to be honest, probably 98% of my breath students across the board) are reporting easier breathing overall, the ability to utilise their breath to get to sleep and get BACK to sleep. Better breathing will also positively impact your circulation, digestion, nervous system, immunity, and so much more. Simple, yet profound...who would have thought that learning how to breathe again could be so 'trivial' but so life changing.

3. More connected: after spending a few hours with our local Adnyamathanha guides on Country, and doing most of our practices (and all bushwalks) outside over the course of the four days, we always find ourselves feeling more connected to country, nature, self, and each other having shared this experience, leaving motivated with a desire to continue learning about culture and becoming an ally. Simple, yet profound...sometimes all we ned to do is listen.

4. Deep friendship: remember what it was like to have sleepovers with your school friends, sit around the campfire during weekends with your family, or simply spend good quality time with someone away from phones? Our retreats are kinda like that - one big sleepover with likeminded humans, hanging out away from phone signal 😉 and sharing challenges and triumphs. The women always comment on the added unexpected gift of deep friendship they develop with each of the other women on retreat. Simple, yet profound...friendship and shared experiences ♥️ 

5. Boundaries: when we can take pause and step away from the day-to-day, we tend to have a better view of our lives as a whole. We can see what's not working, and where we feel we're lacking in life. Pause, rest and a change of environment is always a good way to reset, and re-evaluate things from a different perspective. Our women always walk away with stronger (or new!) boundaries, a greater idea of what they want and desire, and actionable steps to put that into place to make it *happen* and not just a 'oh, one day' thing. Simple, yet profound...getting out of the daily hustle just for a few days, can be life changing.

This retreat is an immersion. It's not for sight seeing. It's for you to fully exhale and ground into the land. With the constant connection to nature and fresh air, sunshine and natural light - your body begins to hum with the natural ebbs and flows of the earth. Syncing with the natural circadian rhythms, your body can rest as it was made to. Sometimes all you gotta do is listen. When you're needing a whole life reset, instead of thinking it's all too hard...take four days away from the hustle, and reset with us, together.

Yours in simplicity,

Sez x