Why you need to be Selfish

Sometimes, we need to pause - to step back from the hustle and bustle of daily life. One way to do this is to get away from our daily life and go on retreat. Far more than a holiday, a retreat offers us time for ourselves to rest, heal, reflect and to renew our spirit. It is a time to nurture ourselves, to cocoon ourselves so that we may re-emerge renewed, refreshed, and ready to return to our lives with a fresh and invigorated perspective. A retreat gives us time for uninterrupted meditation so that we may go deep within and spend that vital time with ourselves. 

When we spend days in contemplation and meditation, we can more readily respond to our heart when it speaks to us. We are able to become more present to ourselves and what surrounds us.  We can give ourselves our full attention. We can put the oxygen masks on ourselves first, be present for ourselves, enabling us to be more present and helpful to those around us.
 
Going on retreat is an excellent way to do this. I am delighted to announce the first Healing Creations Mandala Retreat to take place in Ireland. Previously, retreats have been held in the ancient city of Fez in Morocco and so it will be lovely to do this work on home ground. Lisnavagh House offers the ultimate mix of homeliness and grandeur, making it a most appealing destination for those seeking somewhere unique. I could not imagine a nicer and more relaxed place to do the work we will be doing on this retreat.  

Situated on the Carlow/Wicklow border about an hour or so from Dublin, there are striking panoramic views of the Wicklow Hills, Blackstairs Mountains and Mount Leinster beyond the estate’s 600 acres of woods and farmland. Here you will gift yourself with wellness on all levels. 

"When we spend days in contemplation and meditation, we can more easily respond to our heart when it speaks to us."

Join me for a 2 night mandala creative visioning retreat at this unique venue. During the weekend we will look back with gratitude on all you have accomplished in the past year. Perhaps you have accomplished a lot, perhaps you feel it is a little. Giving gratitude even from the smallest things is so very energetically powerful. All of your food will be provided, organic and cooked to perfection, nourishing your physical body too. 

Mandala art is an energetic tool to free your expression and awaken your creativity and vision. Creating mandalas brings about a relaxed mental attitude and frees internal dialogue so that you can be in touch with your own inner self. On this retreat, we will be creating a personal mandala to embody all that you wish to manifest in the coming year of 2018. There is absolutely no need to be artistic to do this work, this is about process and I will guide you all the way.

Through our mandalas and meditations, we will look at various aspects of our 'selves' and come to realise that all we do is connected. Each section of our vision mandala will reflect an aspect of ourselves according to the Feng Shui principles:

• Wealth & Abundance
• Admiration & Reputation
• Relationship & Love
• Family & Stability
• Children & Creativity
• Skill & Wisdom
• Career & Life Path
• Travel & Helpful People
• Health

Working within a circle requires wholeness, it makes you look at the full picture. We begin to get a sense that all is connected, and indeed that all of these parts of our lives are inextricably linked. Helping one, will help the other and so on. 
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You will return to the outer world transformed, refreshed and rejuvenated and filled with new ideas and focus on where you want to go in your life.
From this retreat you will:

• Come away with a beautiful personalised vision mandala
• Reflect on the past year, your achievements, learning, and challenges
• Set an intention for the next year, name your vision and connect with your purpose
• Step into the next year with trust and faith in your dreams and desires
• Gain clarity first and foremost how you want to feel in your life, which in turn leads to what you want to manifest in the physical world.
• Enjoy reflective meditations to explore & create your vision
• leave feeling prepared, empowered, motivated and inspired to create an amazing year in 2018.
• Share, connect with like minded people, have fun and enjoy the creative process in a safe space.
• Feel energised and connected to yourself and your purpose

Marcus Aurelius quoted: “You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” When we truly get in touch with our true nature, we gain clarity; we are in total peace. Imagine you are sitting in the eye of hurricane, you feel the sense of peace, stillness and calmness. If you begin to move away from the centre, everything will fall back into chaos and distortion. And when you can get to the place of your true centre, you begin to gain true perception.

Without the pull of deadlines, relationships, the Internet, or other media, we can gift ourselves this time to tune in deeply to our own solitude where we can fully reflect on our joys, sorrows, and fears, owning and releasing them as needed. Lisnavagh House offers wonderfully peaceful accommodations. You can stay in the big house or in the quirkily converted stables. You won’t find televisions, radios, or minibars in the Lisnavagh bedrooms. The unique and dramatically different bedrooms are tranquil and calm - ideal for sleeping well.
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We may even come to know and understand our life path and what direction we want to follow more deeply. When we return home, we can bring with us a little piece of this time alone and perhaps create a space for deep contemplation and meditation on a daily basis. We can also come back to our lives renewed, refreshed and ready to take on the world.
Read more about the retreat at Lisnavgh House.

"After drawing my circles with the compass, I relaxed into a meditative, quiet space and let my hand be guided into creating shapes and  choosing the colours. In this stillness, questions, insights  arose from a deep place, reminding me of what my heart and soul is really seeking. Since that day, whenever I now look at my Mandala, I am taken back to that place of stillness and centeredness. Thank you Patricia for creating that space." Noreen O'Donoghoe, participant at Mandala Workshop at The October Gallery London.

"A short note to thank you for the wonderful workshop you shared with us on the sacred art of mandala meditation and creation. I enjoyed a deeply calming, healing, and restorative experience - a true disconnect from the external 'chaos'. The combination of creativity, stillness and connection was supportive, light and fun.  Although it was my first experience exploring this holistic art, I felt very at ease and 'free'. I look forward to much more creation, connection and sharing through the magical medium of mandala." With love and light, Anna, Punchestown workshop.

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