‘Remembering Softness’ Ayurvedic Women’s Spring Retreat, 10 – 13 September @ Bodhi Kaya Wildpod
Ten women who have never met before.
A Remembering Softness Ayurvedic Retreat 10 – 13 September, held at the Wild Pod at Bodhi Khaya — a small, wooden sanctuary tucked away in the forest, where spring quietly begins to unfold.
Early in the morning, as the first light filters through the trees and birdsong fills the air, we unroll our yoga mats and greet the day in stillness.
We gather around the breakfast table, passing warm stewed fruit, fragrant porridge, herbal teas and lovingly prepared Ayurvedic meals from hand to hand. There is no rush. Just nourishing food and the luxury of time.
Outside, the forest invites us to wander. The land at Bodhi Khaya has been shaped by years of spiritual practice, teachings and retreats. Nestled between the mountains, surrounded by fynbos and not far from the wild ocean, it holds you. Many animals are surely with us. There is a beautiful dam to sit beside, to dip into, or simply to watch the changing light dance across the water. Huddled in the little barrel sauna together, it becomes a place to sweat it out, laugh, soften the muscles and let our system exhale.
What we leave behind are our to-do lists, the roles we carry and the feeling that we always have to hold everything together.
Instead we begin to unpack laughter, time, curiosity, courage, softness and spaciousness.
Slowly, our stories emerge. Some are spoken with ease, others arrive with tears. There is laughter too. Moments of deep recognition, when another woman’s words echo something we have quietly carried ourselves all along.
There is something profoundly healing about being witnessed by other women. We discover that so much of what we believed was ours alone is, in fact, beautifully human. We listen. We hold space for one another. We remember.
The days unfold gently. Warm oil on the skin. Time in nature. Ayurvedic rituals. Deep rest. We move our bodies. Shared meals prepared with love. Walks through the forest. Quiet moments by the water. We feel into what is needed. We simply allow ourselves to receive.
Spring slowly awakens the forest around us, and something within us begins to awaken too.
On the fourth day, we leave a little differently than we arrived.
No longer strangers.
A little softer.
A little lighter.
Because we don’t need more. ‘When life becomes complicated, Ayurveda brings us back to simplicity…’