Reflections From the April 2026 Be The Better You Retreat
I sat down to write about my weekend. I ended up getting sucked into my Monday morning work routine instead. It’s surprising how easy it is to slip into the same old habits –
That’s why this weekend retreat was so powerful – totally new environment, different group of people. There’s no set habits in a new environment, so you create your own. It’s the honeymoon phase of a relationship vs. years of ups and downs, lingerings feelings of guilt, memories of things that haven’t gone the way you want them to. You can create a new mindset and be who you want to be, because you don’t have to conform to the expectations of those in your day to day life.
The weekend itself was fantastic. It was incredible to see how meaningful this was to the attendees. There was joy. Sadness. Feelings of overwhelm. A strong sense of camaraderie. Hope, for what could be the future. Deep connections. Breakthroughs. Self-realizations. (And there was really good food, too.)
And even though I might not have said it to the participants at the beginning, I approached the retreat as a participant myself.
Hear From Real Participants:
I was looking forward to the exercises, the discussions, the opportunities to practice being present. So much of my mental health journey has shifted from ‘fixing’ things to just being grateful with what is and what exists in the here and now. And this weekend was an opportunity for that.
- Morning yoga to start our days, to ground our minds and bodies, and move into the day with a sense of camaraderie.
- A deep feeling of connection with the other attendees; of permission to say and do what you felt like doing, without having to worry about having a mask on.
- A 5-minute staring exercise, where we had the opportunity to sit in silence and start at each other for 5 minutes – I was scared of this one, and I’m proud of myself for getting through it.
- Downtime to reflect on everything – sometimes that meant being by yourself, and at other times that meant conversation and hanging out in the hot tub.
- And really great food – did I mention that part?
I also learned a lot about myself. I revisited pain that wasn’t resolved yet. I learned about the guilt I was holding, and how I yearned for forgiveness. And how forgiving myself could lead to giving myself permission to feel fun, joy, and happiness – the emotions that I feel are missing.
I learned more about my fear of letting go of control, and how that was tied to the fear of losing everything I’ve built. The fear that if I took my foot off the gas, that all of the things I’ve built for myself – my business, myself, my physical fitness, my family, the positive qualities that people think of me for – that somehow that would all go away, and that I’d be left standing in front of the world with nothing but myself to feel good about, which wouldn’t be enough to be loved and accepted.
Maybe most significantly is what I received from the men who attended – the knowledge of their desire for me to be happy, to be well. To be easier on myself. To have fun. That they may have started Man Flow Yoga because the workouts resonated with them, but that they were ultimately there because of shared values and goals.
These are the kinds of realizations that don’t happen unless you’re in an environment that facilitates it. You can logically come to these understandings about yourself through reflection and therapy – but actually INTEGRATING it; feeling the emotion, the pain, the fear that comes with that understanding, that’s a different thing entirely. And it’s only through that integration of understanding and feeling it in your body that the healing and the self-growth occurs.
I learned a long time ago that the uncomfortable emotions I’m afraid of are the opportunities where I can do myself the most healing. (This concept applies to other areas of life as well – the exercises you struggle with in your workouts are the best ones to help you get stronger, the thing you’re scared of doing and is taking up all of your attention is probably the thing you need to do to move forward.) So wherever I feel sadness, guilt, regret, overwhelm – basically, any emotion that makes me feel bad – I lean into that. I know it wants to be experienced – because I know it wants to be let go, so I can heal, so I can be more like my true self. And I hope that through the courageous vulnerability I practiced that I was able to inspire others to do the same.
Man Flow Yoga Events
The Be the Better You retreat is a high-end intensive weekend and we only do it once or twice per year. We also have a series of In-Person Wellness Weekend Events that are still open and available if you are interested in linking up with a community of like minded men.
- Seattle Wellness Weekend – September 19-20, 2026
- Atlanta Wellness Weekend – November 7-8, 2026
And if you’re ready to take the first step into reclaiming your physical freedom, increasing strength & flexibility, and building a body that lasts Start Your 7 Day Free Trial.
