My Journey of Hosting Retreats and Teaching Online
My Journey of Hosting Retreats and Teaching Online
I have been writing for Health and Fitness Travel for almost a year now, it seemed like a fitting time to share a bit more about myself and how I ended up where I am today.
I have been writing for Health and Fitness Travel for almost a year now, it seemed like a fitting time to share a bit more about myself and how I ended up where I am today.
I have always really enjoyed, and been very interested in sport, training, nutrition and health. A-Levels came about and I just missed out on the grades I needed to get into medical school (no doubt a blessing in disguise) so I packed my bags and instead of heading to university left for Australia.
I already had the travel bug but this opened my eyes even more. However coming home I still craved to learn more about, and work in the healthcare sector so I studied as an Osteopath.
I LOVED my time at university - My degree was fascinating, the people I met were wonderful and it is where I found / fell in love with yoga. After graduating I flew straight to The BodyHoliday, St Lucia (pause reading this and go book yourself a trip - such an incredible hotel and concept) - I taught Yoga, worked as an Osteopath and simply had the best time meeting so people from all around the world. BodyHoliday set my standards high but from there I was fortunate enough to work in many other incredible resorts (Soneva, Six Senses, AMAN, Anantara, Heckfield Place & D Marris). The experience of working in these world-renowned wellbeing resorts, spectacular spas and exclusive hotels taught me an awful lot about guest experience and expectation.
Pilates at the BodyHoliday
I was often asked why they were so great, what made guests return. I think it was the experience guests had, the community (staff and even other guests), the energy and the feeling guests left with. I wanted to recreate that myself. Which is how I came about hosting my own retreats.
I started small and I did everything myself (you name it) but it snowballed and this February we will be celebrating our 20th Retreat which blows my mind. I would like say the core of our retreats hasn’t changed much because they’re built on the basics - feel good movement, delicious nourishing food, relaxing spa treatments and like-minded company… yet in the same breath I hope they have transformed more than my eye can see. We all know the way to improve is to keep practicing.
Health and Fitness Travel share so many incredible resorts and retreats so please do explore these, I also have favourites of theirs that I can point you towards!
Then March 2020 came about, we all know what happened there so I won’t go into that but let's just say retreats were on pause for a while.
As I had met and taught so many people from all around this wonderful world luckily, I already had a website and virtual teaching platform. For this I was very grateful! Our online community become much bigger and it became a more important part of my life than I ever imagined it would be (I now wouldn’t have it any other way). Teaching online has helped me reconnect with people I taught once or twice on the other side of the world and might have never met again; it has enabled me to continue to help those I was only seeing once a year on a retreat and it has given me time back that you lose as a teacher racing from one studio to another.
That is time I can spend looking after my own health and wellbeing or time I can spend with family.
I think initially there was resistance and worry that teaching online wouldn’t be as good as attending a class.
The truth? It probably isn’t, but that is okay.
We know that reading a book at home on a Sunday morning isn’t the same as being led with your favourite read on a sun lounger in the Maldives. We also know that having a bubble bath whilst burning an aromatherapy candle isn’t the same moving through a bespoke journey at a world-renowned spa.
But online practice is what you make it.
So here I am, as a teacher and retreat host appreciating the best of both worlds.
Loving the convenience and reach of virtual teaching and hosting retreats as a way of celebrating the magic of ‘real life’ experiences.
This blog was a little different to normal and I hope you still enjoyed it. As always reach out to me if you have any questions at all, Jess.
About Jessica
Jessica Lambert is a health-conscious passionate Osteopath (M.Ost), Yoga & Pilates Teacher who loves bringing together all kinds of exercise and habits to enhance the wellbeing of others.
She runs a virtual Yoga & Pilates studio 'The JL Collective' and hosts global retreats.
