During the winter months when the weather turns colder for many locations and the sun shines less, it is a natural time for us to hibernate, go within and retreat. Winter is the time for us to rejuvenate our energy for the re-birth that occurs in spring. Retreating away from our everyday life is an important part of a healthy spiritual life. If we do not remove ourselves from the hustle of everyday life, then we become physically depleted, emotionally exhausted, mentally drained and spiritually off balance. This is when a retreat is in order.

This past weekend, I had the wondrous experience of being in Sedona, Arizona for the first time (and not the last). I was in the area training at a conference and decided to take a simple two-day retreat up to the red rocks and spiritual energy of Sedona. If you are not familiar with Sedona, it is home to four energy vortices, numerous spiritual stores and healing centers and the largest collection of healing crystals I have ever seen. Simply driving in to Sedona, your energy shifts; leaving Sedona, I felt my energy shift back to “normal way of life” and it left me wanting more. Sitting in an energy vortex is a tremendously healing experience and you will feel tingly. Even the people who live in Sedona relate to others in a way that was refreshing; everyone says hello to each other and strangers will introduce themselves and strike up a conversation as if you were a long-time friend.

But you don’t have to travel to have a spiritual retreat (although I do highly recommend visiting Sedona). There are many ways that you can retreat without taking a lot of time or money. Here are just a few ways that you can retreat before Spring arrives:

• If you live near water, mountains or a forest, spend time experiencing their nature and being rejuvenated by Mother Earth. Even just a few hours in a natural location away from the busyness of your life will help refocus and ground your energy.
• Spend an entire day in silence. Turn off the television, computer, cell phone, music (except maybe to play healing music), and have a quiet day. You can read inspirational books, meditate, take a long nap, enjoy a bubble bath, spend time in your yard or neighborhood focusing on nature, and spend time cooking healthy food. This will help to recharge your batteries.
• If you have a day spa in your area, spend some time being pampered. In the northern Virginia area, there is an Asian spa resort called Spa World where you can spend all day (for only $35). My favorite is the Poultice Room which has seven rooms filled with crystals and natural elements.

So what do you do to retreat? Please share other ideas that you have on recharging your spiritual battery.

Be sure to check out our 2012 trainings! In February, we are launching our brand new Cyrstal Healing class. You will receive 12 different healing crystals during the class. Be sure to register by February 9th!