Not everyone can afford to go on a retreat, but what you can do is create a DIY retreat at home. I often do this in London if I want to give my mind, body and routine a bit of a reset. Here’s a few suggestions on how to create your own DIY weekend retreat at home:

HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN DIY RETREAT

BOOK OUT YOUR CALENDAR

Pick your weekend and clear your calendar so that you have no distractions or temptations. Turn off your phone, pack away the laptop and start to unwind.

GET A RETREAT BUDDY

I use to host mini retreats at my house in Bondi when my girlfriends were trying to save money and not drink on a weekend. I would ask a few girls to come stay over and join in my mini retreat. It makes it twice the fun and you can support each other with eating healthy and keeping each other company if you are likely to suffer from FOMO.

CLEAR THE FRIDGE

Before you start your weekend retreat, clear your fridge of any temptations. That means getting rid of anything that will deter you away from eating healthy over the weekend.

STOCK UP ON FRESH PRODUCE

Head to the store, or better yet – locate your local farmers markets to stock up on your fresh fruit and veggies. The more fresh product you have in the fridge means that you will keep healthy and clean during your weekend retreat.

DO A JUICE CLEANSE

If you’re up for the challenge, a juice cleanse is a also a great way to cleanse the body of toxins and give your digestive system a reboot. I love the Plenish cleanse that you can order online and they deliver it to your door. You can read more about juice cleansing here.

START THE DAY WITH HOT LEMON WATER 

Starting the day with a cup of hot water and a squeeze of lemon is the best way to kick start your system. The two biggest benefits of this is lemons’ strong antibacterial, antiviral, and immune-boosting powers and their use as a weight loss aid. Lemon juice is also a digestive aid and liver cleanser. I start every day with a hot water lemon no matter where I am in the world.

Book in some favourite classes

My favourite way to fill my day when I am DIY retreat at home is to book into some of my favourite classes. I usually start the day with something more sweat inducing like HIIT or a run and finish off the day with a restorative yoga session. If you don’t have any classes nearby, you can always find a class on Youtube or practice my yoga stretches for detoxing. 

GO FOR A BIKE RIDE

I don’t use any public transport on my DIY weekend retreats, I ride my bike everywhere. I absolutely love riding my bike. It brings back so many childhood memories and a sense of freedom. Take the bike to the park and soak in some fresh air. If you don’t have a bike, you can use the Santender bikes that are all around London. And if you are thinking about getting a bike, here a few reasons that might get you over the line.

MEDITATE

You hear about people mediating and can’t think of anything worse then sitting still and doing nothing? I felt like that too. To help me get into a routine, I used the Headspace app. Each day for 10 minutes, I used the app to help me settle in and get use to being still. I now can’t go through a day without first meditating. Having some quite time on your DIY home retreat will help you sit and reflect. I usually do it first thing in the morning.

GET IN NATURE

There is nothing better then connecting with mother nature and soaking up all the energy she offers. Go to the park, take off your shoes and wiggle your toes in the grass. If you live near the sea then take a dive in the ocean. The negative ions are great for the mind and body and living in the city we can often feel drained and disconnected. Try to stay at least an hour at the park, sea or by the river.

MASSAGE AT HOME

I love nothing more than getting a massage. For me, it’s the best type of indulgence and self love. I’ve been using the Urban massage app to order one at home. It means I don’t need to leave the house and once the massage is over, I can slip into my robe and settle in for the night. No getting dressed and finding my way home half asleep. Massages also help to detox the body of unwanted toxins and help to shift fluid retention in the body.

YOGA NIDRA

What is this you say? Yoga Nidra is a type of guided meditation that aims to put you in the state of consciousness between waking and sleeping. It’s a very powerful mediation technique that can leave the body feeling restored and energised. They say that thirty minutes of Yoga Nidra is worth three hours of actual sleep. I listen to yoga nidra to help me fall asleep or if I’m in need of a boost of energy when travelling. Here is my favourite Yoga Nidra podcast. Listen to it at 10pm when you want to go to sleep. Warning: you made have one of the best sleeps of your life!

SLEEP

Sleep!! Yes sleep, sleep, sleep and sleep some more. We live in a go – go – go society, so give yourself permission to go to sleep early and sleep in. There is nothing better for our bodies then letting it self recover while we are asleep. Try to go to bed no later than 10pm. The hours between 10pm-12am are crucial for recovery.

That’s it! If you do a DIY retreat at home, let me know how it goes in the comments below or tag in on instagram.

x Phoebe