Over the last year the world has been grieving, Suzy Reading Author and Psychologist explains this response to the pandemic simply :
Grief is a natural response to :
- Loss of loved ones
- Your health and safety being threatened
- Loss of freedom, control or autonomy
- Loss of identity, role or capacity to work
- Loss of balance that has lead to poor boundaries overwork or burn out
- Loss of future hopes and dreams
Technology allows us to communicate across vast distances but so much is lost in translation. Busy lives result in neglected relationships and patterns of behaviour that discourage intimacy and prioritise distance over depth.
So what is the answer, how do we reconnect our mind and body and disconnect from the digital devices and distractions of our new world.
We believe in the power of retreats that help with can help for immunity boosting and inner peace balancing. We can predict a rejection of the massive multi-room holiday complexes the crammed cheap and cheerful air travel. As our needs and priorities shift and as human physical contact will need to be rationed due to its sudden tiring response. Space and time are the two luxury commodities we will all look for from 2021 onwards.
2021 staycations will hit an all time high in Britain and the hits on meditation apps has already reached an all time high bringing mental health and wellness to top priority.
We envision a beautiful rebellion a shift towards inner health and inner peace. With this comes desire and demand a shift in consumer behaviour to the unique, micro boutique and family owned and run.
Where and when can we go on a retreat abroad? Very soon this will be announced and it’s important to consider health, wellbeing risk and safety. We as humans don’t always get it right, running on empty having to make fast decisions can lead to mistakes. However spiritually all we are asked to do, is to be authentically us in each moment. We make the best and most informed choice with the information we have at hand, at that time.
Hopefully for June 2021 onwards and certainly for 2022 The Great House, Antigua retreats will be running again.
Here’s some retreats we now offer at The Great House Antigua thanks to our experts :
- Sleep Deep retreat
- Immune boosting retreat
- Wellness retreat
- Confidence retreat
- Girls Getaway retreat
- Couples retreat
- Cooking retreat
- Writers retreat
- Artists retreat
We also welcome people to host their own retreats and we also allow Hotel Takeovers for those that want all 16 rooms to reunite their family and friends on a bubble vacation.
If you can’t get away this year hopefully the below will help you!
Here are some of our favourite tactics you can use to find and maintain inner peace.
Let us know which one works best for you?
- Daily mindfulness asking yourself to stay present in the moment and engage all your senses how does it feel, taste, touch, what sounds can you hear, what temperature is in the space etc
- In an uncertain world we often seek to control and micro manage our lives. If you find yourself doing this, put your right hand across your left chest on your heart and say “I am safe.”
- In times of confusion or conflict The ho’oponopono Hawaiian prayer can be a wonderful tool. Used alongside Gabby Bernstein cord cutting meditations can keep your love stronger than fear.
- Learning to ground yourself with meditation, bare footed on the earth or where the sand meets the sea can be the quickest mind body connection.
- The choose again method, if you have a negative thought, accept it, honour it and swiftly choose again the best feeling thought to replace it with
- Thought labelling is a good practice to stop overthinking, label the thought with an emotion and ask yourself is this your friend or your faux?
Creating your own retreat at home (daily/ weekly practice)
Please, let us know what works best for you?
- Meditation How you greet the day and intentionally want to show up
- Gratitude practice
- Journalling
- Affirmations
- Exercise high intensity is possible (Anything that makes you perspire running, boxing, fitness classes)
- Exercise low intensity stretching and breathing (Tai Chi, Yoga, Qigong)
- Guided body scan
- Reading
- Drinking lots of water
- Eating as healthily as you can and listening to your body
2022 Onwards The Joy of booking something to look forward to
Even though traveller confidence is feeling like bambi on unsteady legs one thing won’t be changing and that’s luxury travel! In fact the trip-of-a-lifetime or bucket list adventures will be top of the agenda for most of the world’s uprooted roses and passion passport holders. Longer stays and bleisure blending business and pleasure, where travellers check in on emails and can do a bit remotely whilst also setting time boundaries and unplugging learnt from remote working over the last year.
Last Minute but well thought out
Experts in luxury travel predict that as it always has been luxury holidays will still have the highest level of last minute and impulsive bookings as lucrative individuals have the budgets and flexibility to pay for private, exclusive travel experiences that avoid large crowds and busy airports.
Green travel locations – How can we all protect our planet?
However with everyone’s focus on the planet and how to protect it in terms of being as eco-friendly and sustainable with our choices… How do we feed the wanderlust and adventure thirty child within us whilst making ‘greener choices’ ?
Let’s introduce you to our home The Great House, Antigua
Here’s a bucket list location that is listed as one of the Greenest and safest options The Great House Antigua with family heritage of 165 years in PPE manufacturing and export. The Great House Antigua has planet earth at it’s heart.
Watch the recent video here for Earth Day 2021
https://www.facebook.com/thegreathouseantigua/videos/228873022348685
The Great House Antigua, a 350-year-old sugar plantation house, has stood the test of time. Surviving century old human and natural impacts, which led to the destruction of hundreds of other plantation houses, once standing on this tropical paradise island. The Great House Antigua team strives to ensure the protection and preservation of this magnificent capsule with its antique furnishings, while also providing a sustainable environment for future generations.
Part of the sustainability work undertaken at The Great House Antigua includes fresh produce grown on the estate, and any additional fresh produce being purchased locally. All ingredients are purchased that day, locally, from the market with main catch of the day being served to guests.
The Great House Antigua’s new garden cottages run from their own solar panels and cistern water (caught from the nightly rain). The main house benefits from its own cisterns, as well as modern filtration systems fitted on taps so plastic bottled water is not required.
Learn more here : https://www.thegreathouseantigua.com