Attainable Private Retreats and Workshops

The norm for educational vacations is for large groups of similarly minded people to gather around an array of highly credentialed speakers. This format started when we were kids in school. It was economical and handled masses of people efficiently.

So, why do we as intelligent, financially able, unique adults still go, almost exclusively, to large conferences or workshops? While we might answer that our decisions are based on cost, teachers and location, I believe it’s largely due to habit.

I’m here to help break that habit simply by showing you that alternatives are available that will meet the three above criteria without busting your wallet. Today it’s possible to find workshops that have as few as one student, and offer ideal mentors and beautiful locations at comparable prices.

I can say for a fact that these smaller workshops can change your life. I’ve seen it happen to my students, and I’ve had it happen to me. In comparison, I’ve attended about 30 large conferences or workshops and I can’t say any of them had a profound effect on me. I might have met some nice people, bought a nifty book, picked up some new visual tricks and even gotten an idea for a new character in a story I was writing. These are all fine and handy, but are they what I paid $90 to $850 for?

Even retreats with no formal instruction can transform you. I know of a graduate student who had been struggling for two years to complete her thesis finally do so once she went on a retreat to a quiet cabin adjacent to some large, inviting boulders. Those boulders welcomed her into their rounded crevices whenever the text got too blurred and she needed a break. I’ve had a music student say she really heard her music for the first time when she played it in the still mountain air at 6,500 feet. Neither one of these students sought an expert in their field to help them; they just needed to get away from their cluttered homes and the distracting city.

There are retreats like these across the United States that offer rooms or cabins, usually at a very low price, where people can stay for a week or a month to work on a project or just rest. Look for them in writing magazines and on-line retreat directories.

In addition, and more popular, are the retreats that offer one-on-one guidance or instruction in various areas. This could be writing, fly-fishing or outdoors survival. Or, they can be spiritual, such as a quest to find your purpose in life.

I find it ideal to have three students in such workshops because they can bounce ideas off each other. With just two people you often have a discussion that’s reduced to black vs. white viewpoints. With four or more people you don’t have the time for everyone to share properly. Every fishing instructor I’ve worked with will only guide one or two people at a time; no exceptions. This enables them to give personalized service, from pacing the wade down the river to match your step, to untangling the line for you.

What makes a good teacher is a person who considers himself more of a facilitator or director than a know-it-all instructor. When I present information in a wellness workshop, I make sure that students know that they should accept what information feels right for them (and discuss it with their doctors). As a Holistic Health Professional, I have studied a multitude of modalities and could easily overwhelm students with my expertise. But that would be to glorify me and not to give them appropriate tools with which to help themselves.

That leads to another key attribute of any good teacher, which is to be a good listener. While students need some structure, they also come with an agenda they want met. A person may verbalize concern over methods of exercising, or what vitamins help build muscles. But, she may be waiting to see if she can trust you with her real questions, such as what weight is considered obese?

You can see a list developing here of things to ask about when you are seeking a private retreat or workshop. First, you want to check the basics, like cost, including value and your budget.

Next, does the teacher have the right credentials? What is the class size and why? Contact the instructor. (Can you do that with a large conference? Generally, no.) Does the teacher talk about herself or does she listen to what you need and base her answer on that?

And, third, does it take place in a desirable location. Do you want to be able to sit in the sun, go for long walks or be far away from the city?

Find out what the general outline of the workshop will be, and see if there is built-in time to deviate when you need more information. There was a man with cerebral palsy at one of my workshops who appreciated the fact that he could stop me at any time and ask me to repeat or explain what I was saying. He said that in a large conference he would have never interrupted the speaker.

In my writing workshops, I have the students read their pieces out loud because I don’t want their creativity bogged down by correcting their spelling and punctuation. Maybe this is not what you want. By asking questions, you will understand the philosophy of the school.

I attended a writing workshop in New Mexico that had classes for four hours every morning, and in the afternoon teachers had art exhibits and talks, poetry readings and more. So far so good. What I didn’t like about it was that their definition of a workshop was discussing previously written material, while I wanted to emphasize the “work” part of the word.

You may never have all the right questions and answers, but your ultimate goal is to engage yourself in higher thoughts. By seeking an isolated, low-stress retreat, you can help satisfy the quest to know yourself better.