“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do” – Rumi

It was another great season of retreats here in Puerto Rico which concluded an entire year of growth for Redefining Balance and our family of team members who make these retreats possible.

With the addition of new retreats in Canada, Moab, and a climbing focused one in Rincon, PR our team grew in size welcoming the talents of Kristen Stuart and Heidi Wirtz to the family as we embarked on new collaborative adventures.

People are always asking how these retreats come into being and my only answer is that the right people and the right locations seem to line up when the timing permits.  So it is really all just  a matter of tuning in and listening for that collaborative adventure that calls you to it.

But how to tune in and know when the timing is right?

Practicing skills such as slacklining, climbing, surfing, yoga and searching for that state of “balance” or “happiness” as it may be, helps to tune us in and get excited about progression and new adventures in life. As more and more people tap into their underlying strength to try something new it creates a powerful catalyst for change on many levels.  Sometimes through these adventures we realize an underlying passion for living differently and a greater appreciation for our outdoor surroundings that provide the setting for many of these experiences.

It is beautiful to witness someone learn that anything is possible realising that balance is a state of mind as much as it is a physical practice, manifesting in all sorts of modalities on the water, rock, ground and even in the air.

And when we find balance, happiness often times follows.

Tuning in to the elements and our surroundings helps us to adjust the frequency of what we put out and what we attract and then new adventures actually start finding us.  There is a call to leave the familiarity and set out into a new place or new state of mind, taking with you all that you have learned to help you stay balanced along the journey (see below for my personal favorites).

And even with balance, making the transition into the unknown is often times uncertain. Through the pursuit of the adventure that inspires each of us we are fortunate enough to sometimes share these paths with like minded company. These friends always make the journey more amusing and ultimately teach us about what it is we are looking for. When the journey reaches a turning point sometimes there are goodbyes and ultimately this is just part of the process of moving towards the next adventure, even when it’s hard to tell what direction that might be.

This retreat season concluded with a farewell to Kadri Kurgun, a dear friend and talented teacher who was a part of the Puerto Rico retreats as a co-teacher for the last 3 seasons. We wish him well on his endeavors around the world sharing his passions and many talents as a teacher, surfer and photographer.

And with an exciting upcoming retreat season on the horizon Redefining Balance is pleased to welcome Chris Loebsack, Brian Davis & Josh Jayintoh as teachers for upcoming retreats in 2015 – 2016 as well as announce the addition of two new climbing focused retreats in New Paltz, NY and Moab, UT.

Thank you to all of the amazing students, teachers, climbing guides, surf instructors, photographers & videographers who are taking Redefining Balance on another upcoming season of adventure!

Enjoy the adventure & trust in the process

~ Adi

some of my favorite tips for maintianing balance, especially when traveling:

1. go outside everyday.  Even if it is just a walk, or spending sometime on the beach, make sure to connect to fresh air, a big sky and a sense of open possibility

2.  get plenty of rest.  go to bed early (by 10pm is ideal) and try to wake up with the sun by 6am.   It puts you back in tune with the Earth’s daily cycle and the rhythm of the sun

3.  drink more water.  we’ve all heard it before but the truth is it’s what we are made of and it’s what cures most of the common aches & pains as well as digestion issues.  Try to drink a glass of room temp or warm water in the morning (after oil pulling, see below) to get your digestive system balanced for the day.

4.  oil pulling.  For just 20 minutes in the morning and flush out toxins, bad breath and stagnation in the body…it works wonders and  I’ll admit it, I thought it was super strange at first and then I got hooked on it and now to do it at least a couple times a week and whenever I’m feeling stressed out or sick.

5.  aromatherapy.  Scent is a gateway to the mind (also the most memorable of the senses) and when we feel imbalanced these scents calibrate the mind and ease stress.  just a few drops in your hand, rub them back & forth, take a whiff and then pat your hands on your throat & chest to keep the scent around for a few hours.   These are my favorites for travel & creating balance during the seasons:

~ lavender – for relaxation, great to use at night for sleep

~ thieves – immune system booster great also if you are traveling to a new place or around sick people

~ peppermint – for cooling off in the summer or calming headaches & stress

~ lemon – for mood uplifting, great to cure the winter blues or any sort of depression

photos courtesy of Tamar Melen, Tiffany Jade & John Lloyd

thank you to our sponsors and supporters: Big Tree Farms, kind bar, to-go ware, pmi ropes, Joshua Tree Organics, Raw Revolution, prAna, goal zero, ocean state of mind, the uncharted studio, cliff bar & Adventure Medical Kits