How was Embody Beauty Retreat?

If you’ve been following my blog and my social media accounts, you’ll know that we held the first Embody Beauty Retreat on Sunday, September 20th. Many of you wanted to know how it was (thank you for asking!), so this post will indulge your questions. I can not sum it up in a word. One word can not possibly capture its entirety. But I can tell you this…

When women gather in support of one another, to share each others pain and to celebrate our successes, magic happens.

Suddenly, we are not alone but a collective.

Suddenly, we embody not only our own beauty stories but those of our ancestors as well.

We embody an amalgamation of generations of women. The cleansing of the spirit that we undertake in the here and now transcends the dimensions of time and space and impacts many levels. Healing occurs within our cells to transmute not only our own genetic code, but that of future generations as well. We pass on an evolved beauty message going forward.

If I could summarize Embody Beauty Retreat, that is what I would say.

I would say that the cocoon that we created at the Center for Remembering & Sharing allowed for deep transformation.

Suddenly, our “beauty story” transmutes from being one of pain to becoming one of growth and a source of inspiration and healing to others.

Once we change the story, our appearance and our health can change too. Our biography becomes our biology.

The day embodied the profundity of what happens when a group of people get together with the heart’s desire to enter an expanded state of self-love—our natural state of being.

On September 20, over 20 women united in one mission: to shed our old beauty stories and embody our true, innate beauty. What we accomplished is so much more. One day is merely the beginning.

What inspired Embody Beauty Retreat?

After writing about beauty for several years, I felt that it began to feel empty and without substance.

Through a hypnosis session with Vanessa Codorniu asking how to fuse together my ultimate longing to bring healing to the world and my love of clean living inside and out, I was called to join two women whose hearts are dedicated to service and beauty. Inspired by both makeup artist Rebecca Casciano’s Sacred Beauty Salon Series and Vanessa Codorniu’s deep spiritual hypnosis sessions, I invited them both to help me lead this day of healing and revelation.

Each of us brought our unique strengths to the day and held the space for women to explore and expand their beauty.

Balance of Mind, Beauty, & Spirit!

Rebecca led us in a writing and sharing exercise that brought up insights into the way we view beauty and the way we look.  The exercise showed me that even though it can seem scary, when we give ourselves permission to show our vulnerabilities, we actually step into our personal power.

Shame thrives in darkness. It is when we reveal the parts of ourselves that have been hiding in darkness that they are exposed to the light. We change our victim story to one of personal empowerment when we take ownership of our stories.

After we stirred some painful memories, I taught a very simple but powerful release technique called Faster EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) to help diffuse the emotional charge behind these thoughts. I’ve been using this tapping exercise on my children and on myself with amazing and immediate results. Women could instantly feel the shift as they worked on the mind-body connection between their thoughts and their feelings and let them go.

After a lunch break, we returned for a powerful hypnosis session with Vanessa. The energy in the room was palpable! We laughed and we cried as we connected with the women in our lives—many of whom we have never met from past and present—who comprise the entirety of our being. We are so much more than our bodies and our physical images. That message really came through and allowed us to embrace the totality and magnitude of who we are.

The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to engaging our physical bodies. The lovely Jess Arnaudin, Brand Development Director at Savor Spa, shared her skincare tips and advice using one of my favorite lines, Om Aroma. Isa Brito, founder of Isa’s Restoratives, made the perfect model for the demonstrations.

For each session of Sacred Beauty Salon Series, Rebecca divides up her makeup lessons into four parts: foundation, eyes, lips, and strobing (highlighting and contouring). At Embody Beauty Retreat, we benefited from a full makeup lesson using some of Rebecca’s top cosmetic favorites: W3LL People, Alima Pure, Vapour Beauty, Ilia Beauty, Modern Minerals Makeup, and Antonym Cosmetics.

Of course, we had to explore the makeup that Rebecca brought after her lesson and then we broke into dance—belly dancing to be exact—led by Vanessa who has been shimmying and swiveling her hips for years! Ending with a dance party that got us into the rhythm and lusciousness of our bodies was the perfect way to close the day and so much fun!

The day would not have been complete without the  outstanding sponsors who made it happen! We partnered with companies that would enhance the energy of the day. And they did!

Savor Spa

Savor Spa is an eco-chic boutique spa in New York City’s West Village offering organic facials, deep tissue holistic massages, organic waxing, and an eco-makeup studio. Jess brought the gorgeously scented and clean Om Aroma products and did a wonderful job highlighting what makes them special and effective—truly enhancing our outer beauty with nourishing ingredients that are good for us.

Beauty Heroes

Beauty Heroes captured our message so beautifully! In the words of the wonderful founder, Jeannie Jarnot:

“My belief is that WHEN women have a connection to the products they use on their body they get more of a benefit from them, more joy using them and end up using less — because they are loving more. So as you know I love sharing beauty in this slower more focused way and I’m sure you have a part of the retreat that talks about beauty products and how women can enjoy them fully through ritual and discovery. So exciting. I wish I could be there.”

One participant won September’s box with two Kahina Giving Beauty products valued at $114! Jeannie also offered an incredible treat to everyone else that when they registered for a Beauty Heroes subscription they would receive September’s and October’s beauty products. That is truly heroic!

Lotus Wei

All participants were gifted with Lotus Wei Radiant Energy Anointing Oil. Here’s why we know how perfect it was for Embody Beauty Retreat, as told to us by Joy Broker Robbie Cohen of Lotus Wei:

“So much of beauty is how we see ourselves, being comfortable in our own skin, and being comfortable ‘putting it out there’–but another factor not to be ignored is the impact of what we take in on our beauty. Radiant Energy is all about eliminating and/or minimizing the impact of environmental factors on our well-being.”

Description of the flower essence blend in Radiant Energy products:
“Magnifies radiance, vitality, chi and strengthens your presence; boosts immune system and balances reproductive system; protects you from others’ stress and re-energizes you after computer, cell phone and air travel fatigue. Antidote for: fatigue, exhaustion, compromised immune system, weakness, cramps + irregular cycles, feeling invisible, or lots of travel and/or computer use.”

Soulku

The word “Ku” in Japanese translates to “a place of infinite possibility.” I’ve been wearing my Soulku gemstone necklace for years and have received lots of compliments! Soulku gifts are all meant to create connection between the giver and receiver, and of course they are wonderful at encouraging empowerment. The company’s mantra is “Celebrate, Inspire, Connect and Empower.”

The company employs local, stay-at-home moms and infuses every piece with good energy and blessings. Proceeds from profits benefit an organization that assists women who have suffered from abuse. Three lucky readers can win either the Tiger Eye, Amazonite, or Turquoise necklaces! First three to comment and mention Soulku win!!!

Luli Tonix

Nourishing the body inside and out is not only about healing the spirit but also about fueling the body with nutrient-rich foods. Luli Tonix elixirs, blends, and cleanses were “born of a passion to make us feel amazing through the food we take in. To transcend food as medicine and embrace healthy eating as joy.” All I know is that there was hardly one bottle left by the end of the day! We loved every one of them.

I truly hope that there is an overflow of healing and self-love that continues and spreads as all the women assimilate to the shifting energies that they experienced that day. And so it is.

XOXO