Retreats hold space for transformation. These days, so few of us create space in our lives to explore creativity and playfulness, to connect with nature and ourselves.

The word retreat comes from the Latin retrahere, meaning ‘pull back.’ Perceptions of a retreat are no doubt shaped by the spectrum of its synonyms, from sanctuary and seclusion to withdrawal, isolation and hiding. The sad fact is that many of us feel the need to withdraw or pull back from fast-paced, high-pressure lifestyles in order to be able to process what is going on, both around us and inside us.

Whilst this may be the reason that some of us choose to go on a retreat, it is certainly not its purpose. Whether we realise it or not, by consciously setting time aside to step out of usual routines and their accompanying anxieties, we are prompted to journey inward.

Retreats offer us an environment in which we are able to listen to ourselves without distraction, to realise, reassess and refocus. The process guides and nurtures, coaxing innate qualities to come out of hiding. This might expose depths of ourselves which have been overlooked; suppressed energies and repressed emotions can surface, and as such, going on retreat is not always easy. It is not an escape from reality, but a deeper engagement with it.

In taking the time to stop, listen and reflect, new perspectives naturally arise. As Marcel Proust once wrote, “the voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” This to me beautifully captures the longer-term benefits of going on retreat. Even though we must return to that from which we have withdrawn, we do so with new eyes. We go back to our roles, relationships and responsibilities with a fresh perspective. In this sense, the process of withdrawal on retreat is tactical; sometimes it is important to withdraw in order to move forward.