This past fall we ventured off into the deserts of Joshua Tree for our 4-day, 3-night ‘Nourish’ yoga retreat. It was time to escape the hustle of the city buzz and embrace ourselves, each other and our practice, with the intention of cultivating a deep sense of nourishment and wellbeing.

Day 1 — Ground

Around 4pm we arrived at our retreat sanctuary, a magical desert oasis tucked near the dreamy landscape of Joshua Tree. Our home for the weekend was located at a modern day, boho-style haven that sat on 5 acres of land. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful setting for our retreat.

We spent the evening exploring the property and eagerly awaiting everyone’s arrival. The group slowly trickled in, some arriving from solo-travels, others with family. Our group incidentally ended up being all woman from different parts of the country. It was amazing to have such a connected group of people come together for an experience like this. After we had all settled in, we watched the sunset and enjoyed our first dinner together.

Later that evening we gathered around inside for a cozy, grounding slow flow to give our bodies some well-needed love after a long day of travel. After our yoga class, we all sleepily headed off to bed. We had a big day planned ahead of us!

Day 2 — Balance

We started our first morning off with vinyasa yoga at 8am. The class focused on strong standing and balancing postures in order to help us feel energized and ready to take on the day ahead. We gratefully welcomed the morning sun and fresh air as we moved and connected with our breath under the wide open sky. After yoga, we enjoyed breakfast with a beautiful view of the mountains beyond the horizon.

After morning yoga and breakfast, we set out towards Joshua Tree Park for our adventure hike. It was a beautiful afternoon with a high of 85 degrees. We came across High View Nature Trail, a 1.3 mile loop trail that gave us a beautiful 360 degree view of the mountains and valleys.

We came back to our retreat space to have lunch and some free time before our pranayama + yin yoga class on the elements. I introduced the group to the passive practice of yin, which encourages a softening + surrendering and an observation of present moment awareness. I explained the relevance of traditional chinese medicine, and how there are 5 elements that are integral to all life — wood, fire, earth, metal and water. These elements are fundamental to the cycles of nature and are reflected in the cycles of our own bodies. Each element is associated with its own particular season, emotion and organ system. After our yoga session, we ended the day with dinner, a beautiful view of the sunset and s’mores by the fire.

Day 3 — Nourish

The next morning we woke up to soft autumn light illuminating the grounds. It was time for our energizing vinyasa flow to cultivate power. The class focused on postures that tested our strength and balance. We worked on core and arm strengthening, twists and inversions. After our morning yoga class, we had breakfast outside.

Today was the day our group had extra free time. A few people in the group decided on a hike in the national park, and some of us went to town to thrift and check out some local shops. It was an eventful and fun afternoon all in all.

After our free time, we had lunch. Our final practice for the evening was a myofascial release workshop with yoga nidra. We used therapy balls to target trigger points in the body and release tension to achieve a form of self-myofascial massage. I shared common stretches and a full-body restorative style practice to target the deeper connective tissues. To close the class, I shared a powerful relaxation meditation of yoga nidra or ‘yogic sleep’, which is a conscious relaxation practice intended to induce total physical mental and emotional relaxation. We ended the evening with our final group dinner and stargazing in the hot tub.

Day 4 — Connect

We greeted the early morning sun at 7am. Our final yoga class together was a vinyasa flow and meditation centered around connection. I wanted everyone to set an intention for their final practice and to remember to cultivate this guiding principle or feeling back home.

Following our class, I was able to meet-up with the people who catered our retreat, Caity’s Catering. Their entire team was amazing at providing us with the cleanest, most delicious food. All of the meals were made with the finest local and organic ingredients… you could really tell it was cooked with love. I highly recommend checking them out if you are in the area, they offer cooking for home deliveries and special events!

We enjoyed our last breakfast together as a group, took more photos for memories and finished some last minute packing. By noon we had all said our final good-byes and parted ways.

The ending of a retreat is always so sad, but also filled with a deep sense of gratitude and love. After spending the past few days cultivating nourishment + wellbeing and fostering a sense of community, we left Joshua Tree ultimately feeling inspired and connected. This was a special experience that I will treasure forever, and I am incredibly grateful for the beautiful souls who were a part of it.

Until next time, x

Jess

P.S. — are you interested in coming on a retreat? Click here to be notified when my next retreats launch!