Within this drowning hectic routine, the sensitive nature of a human being inevitably gets burnt out. Almost every third person suffers from a mild to dangerous form of depletion and exhaustion.

Burnout is a state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion, caused by prolonged exposure to high pressure, and deadlines. Usually resulting from demanding work schedules, it has been defined by World Health Organization (WHO) as a work-related disturbance. However, anyone can experience its symptoms, regardless of their profession or personal circumstances.

Identify the roots of burnout

The first step in preventing burnout is to identify the risk. Burnout starts appearing as a tremendous sense of tiredness, lack of energy and inspiration. It can also be signaled as a depressed state, lack of clarity, feeling isolated, inability to be productive or creative, apathy, and even systemic health issues.

Connecting these symptoms to the root cause helps people get awareness of their disconnected state, so they can slowly build a ladder to begin their healing process.

Even though the ideal solution would be to take at least two weeks’ break and go on a retreat, it is not always possible to do so. To navigate this serious health issue, it is crucial to get support from therapists, or a wellness practitioner. As well as meditation teacher or energy healing practitioner, that can speed up the recovery.

Slower pace lifestyle

When on the verge of burnout, one must find ways to minimize stress and pressure. To create personal boundaries and take only as much as you can really handle can seem impossible but soon becomes not negotiable – consciously preventing a breakdown is more sustainable than actually rebuilding your life from a place of absolute depletion. Saying no is a powerful tool

Wellness hygiene is crucial, such as going to bed no later than 11 pm, intaking less caffeine and practising mindful eating. But one practice in particular has been emerging as a powerful tool against burnout: guided meditation.

At the core of losing touch with oneself and feeling turned apart lies destructed attention. In these overwhelming times, when one is constantly stimulated and demanded, the mind loses its centre and gets overwhelmed. We cannot talk about mental and emotional health when our attention is diffused and overstimulated.

As we navigate through high intensity states, giving your attention a break by closing one’s eyes for 5 minutes and letting the mind settle becomes another obvious healing tool.

Meditation heals the overwhelmed mind

People often experience life through the mental perception of things, and when the mind becomes heavy, life itself starts to feel unbearable. The Indian guru Ramana Maharshi once said: “Mediation applies the brakes to the mind”. And by doing so, we are letting ourselves to slow down.

Guided Meditation can become a ritual of conscious rest and self-nourishment. Scientifically speaking, it is proven to lower the levels of cortisol, a hormone that is released in response to stress. Also, it activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for deeply resting the body, reducing heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension.

From mild to severe burnt-out state, practice of Meditation will become an oasis of presence, allowing to continue the day at a slower pace and being aware of the level of energy available at a moment.

Integrate meditation into the routine

There is no independent area of life. Everything is interconnected, weaved together by an invisible thread that creates the unity of all. And to build a healthy life is to heal and enhance every single aspect of it.

Just like medicine, to truly feel the benefits of meditation, a regular practice is needed. Saving a few minutes every day is enough to reconnect with the ground that sometimes seems to be gone. Following the breath that leads to the present moment is a shield against overthinking, and frequent practice improves its capacity.

However, it is not always easy to create – nor to maintain – this habit. To set the foundations for burnout healing and adopting practice of mindfulness and meditation the best way is to take time and go on a retreat. In the space without destructions and stressors, designed for slowing down, one can truly heal the nervous system and recover higher levels of energy.

With that in mind, Bliss Body Journeys carefully designs programs to support those who wish to incorporate meditation into their daily lives. Anchored in the so-called grounded spirituality, they expose people to the balancing point between mundane experiences and spiritual fulfilment. Suitable for all levels, their meditation retreats and virtual programs provide tools to better navigate through difficult times, helping one to create a shelter within.

Click here to learn more about their sacred journeys.

The post How to prevent a burnout?<span> Conscious tools to take back your life</span> appeared first on Bliss Body Journeys.

Going on a meditation retreat is the perfect opportunity to take time aside and find stillness. However, knowing which experience to pick in a world overflooded with information and options can be a challenge. 

To help in this critical decision, our teachers and specialists in spirituality put together some important points to be taken into consideration whenever looking for a meditation retreat: 

The place and duration of the retreat 

Going on a retreat might be the doorway to your inner self. But for this meeting to happen, it is crucial to choose the right location.  

The best option is always somewhere amongst nature where we can forget about the hectic city pace and create the setting to slow down so that we can hear our essence and listen to our intuition. Nature retreats and venues far away from the urban centres allow proper grounding in silence. 

A meditation retreat must be an immersive experience, it goes beyond a staycation in a hotel room. For people to actually feel the change, they need to be away from their normal life for at least four days.  

Ryan Grimes, Bliss Body Journeys Silent Retreat facilitator, states that on the earlier days, guests are still a bit guarded and that only mid-way he feels they start to open up. Retreats are a chance for profound healing, but people need enough time to let go of their defences and finally step into the deep transformation.  

Privacy and comfort are fundamental 

Another important aspect is the number of participants in the retreat. A good dose of solitude is required since the seeker needs time and space to be able to get intimate with himself.  

Going within is an individual work, and it can be difficult to focus with a lot of people and distractions around. Retreats for limited groups, from 6 to 10 people, are the best option for a peaceful experience.  

This way, you will receive more personalized guidance and will have more privacy to go under your own healing process. Another option is to book a private retreat, where you can have a truly tailored made experience.  

Each person has its own standards and comfort requirements, being it casual or luxurious. Important is that you make sure you have them met, otherwise the retreat can become a space of tension and dissatisfaction.  

For you to deeply enjoy your experience, you must be able to let go of basic hospitality worries. 

Get to know the program and the facilitators 

Knowing what you want out of the retreat is what will lead you to the right place. There are many different meditation retreats with different approaches to wellness and spirituality. Reading the program, checking which practices they offer and validating it with the previous reviews is crucial.  

A good program would include at least two 90 minutes sessions of meditation or yoga practice per day, but not much more than that. Vlada de Sousa, Founder of Bliss Body Journeys, does not recommend retreats packed with activities, as the space between practices is essential for the impact to be felt.  

The facilitator is the core aspect of a retreat. It is the one who supports people on their personal journey, providing them with guidance and assistance, so they can find their own way into peace and clarity. It is the leader of the journey, and it is essential that you feel safe and calm around them.  

Having a qualified teacher that can offer a customized approach to each guest is what will tranquillize you, shedding light onto your path and supporting you moving forward.  

If you are a beginner, make sure the planned teachings are suitable for any level of experience. 

Food as a healing experience, treatments as regenerative rituals 

Having a plant-based holistic cuisine must be one of the pillars of a meditation retreat. Food is a natural healing remedy, and we must consider it whenever choosing the right retreat for us.  

As we said, going on a retreat is a deep transformational experience, and clearing the physical body is an amazingly effective way to complement this inner work. By eating plant-based food, you will have a sensation of lightness and renewed energy, raising your awareness, and intensifying your spiritual growth.  

Individualized wellness treatments and daily rituals for each participant will ensure that the transformation within can be reflected on the outside. Besides the health and aesthetic part, there is an important sense of being taken care of, which multiplies the effect of everything happening during the retreat.  

What we see during our retreats is that, for many of our guests, that is the only week of the year in which they are not taking care of their family, employees or being stressed by never-ending problems. 

Pre and post support 

The most difficult part about going on a retreat is coming back from a retreat. Having to deal with daily life issues while trying to maintain the calmness of spirit achieved is a real challenge.  

Receiving pre and post support is a powerful tool that can make a lot of difference in your spiritual path. Daily practices, habits and supporting circles will ensure that the escape originally intended becomes a more profound ongoing experience.  

Only with a grounded approach to spirituality, you will be able to really find the balance between the mundane affairs and the connection within your higher self.  

At Bliss Body Journeys, we are proud to offer highly personalized experiences, with heartfully made programs capable of igniting the sparkle of change inside of yourself. Visit our website to learn more about our upcoming meditation retreats.

The post How to choose the <span>right meditation retreat</span> appeared first on Bliss Body Journeys.

Hong Kong is a very intense city, whose hectic pace might be very overwhelming. How does it affect the citizens?

Hong Kong is a place where things need to happen really fast. In this high-speed rhythm, people feel like they are in a race where they must go faster and faster every time. We are kind of programmed to do always more, getting more and being more.

In the longer run, this becomes a costing experience, when you always need to be the best at everything, always striving and performing. We need to liberate ourselves, so we can really start to land in our bodies and reconnect with our inner selves.

Especially after going through this last challenging winter, with lockdowns and uncertainty, in which there was an experience of fear in the air. A lot of people were feeling suppressed and trapped in one place. So, now is the perfect time to expand and overcome this energy of stuckness.

But how can we do that, how can we liberate ourselves?

Everything we experience gets imprinted in the physical body, so, with time, it may become a posture, a repetitive movement, or chronic pain. We must observe how our body reacts and responds to these unnatural and unusual dynamics, such as a lockdown.

Practices like breathwork can start to liberate people from blocks in the depth of their being. Breath is the access to our soul, and we really need to breathe it out, moving the low energies out and letting it all go.

Only when we find our way back to our bodies we can begin the healing process, recovering our energy and regaining that sense of freedom. And we start reconnecting with the idea that our being is actually a free being. This is exactly what a healing retreat is about: creating the atmosphere and giving structure to this process to happen.

And how does a healing retreat work? Why is it different from other meditation and yoga retreats?

A retreat is in itself very healing. Because when you get into that safe space in which you don’t have to worry about anything or plan your day ahead, you start having extra time and space just for yourself.

When you do it for a few days in a row, that really allows the mind to rest. And for modern human beings, the notion of rest for the mind is extremely rare, I would even say it is a luxurious experience. Stillness and silence have become a relic.

But a true healing retreat must, first of all, be settled in an organic environment, allowing people to replenish amongst nature. And is not a one-day experience. It is a full program that, from the beginning to the end, consists of practices that continuously takes you further and further into your healing process.

“Resource” which is the new program I designed for Bliss Body Journeys is a deep healing retreat. Packed with breathwork, yoga nidra, and vibrational therapy, focusing a lot in changing people’s energy.

So a healing retreat is one that is specially planned to recover people’s vibration, helping guests to gently seed new energy into their life. In “Resource”, each day carries an energetic shift, and by the fourth day, you can actually feel the difference.

Bliss Body Journeys has been setting the bar high when it comes to meditation and yoga retreats in Hong Kong. We could say this new program follows this rule, then?

“Resource” is a beautiful journey into a renewal of energy, it has a whole spiritual aspect to it and is very well thought through. Everything has an intention behind it. I think this is the perfect time to release this new program because we know how much healing is needed now.

There´s a new and fresh feeling coming into our lives. We want to experience life again. We want to be free again. No better time to start peeling off the old and embracing the new possibilities ahead.

When you really get in tune with yourself and you balance your energy, the answers to all the questions that bother you will simply pop up. “Resource” helps you with that, making you experience clarity in a whole new way.

By immersing yourself in nature and being open to the idea of nothingness, everything starts to flow naturally and you will be able to go through life in a beautiful and organic way.

We must consciously choose to take care of ourselves, and healing our energy is the ultimate self-care.

What would you say makes this program so different from others?

What I find very unique about “Resource” is actually the middays wellness and spiritual lectures. In these sessions, we explore a little bit of Yoga theory and bring up the why of everything.

Why do we have this kind of experiences? Why do we get anxious? Or why do we close up and are not able to be vulnerable again? How do we maintain sanity when the world is really going a little bit insane?

In these deep conversations, we provide our guests with tools so they can remain in their inner freedom and own bliss and joy. This coaching part is a very big additional aspect of the program. Because then you don’t simply do your practice, you get into the roots of it, and that is what makes the difference afterward.

When we understand things and how we feel, and how to work from the body-mind energy perspective, that is when we get the tools to go through everything more empowered.

Any final words to our readers?

At Bliss Body Journeys, we plan and schedule our programs in a meticulously thought way. So for those who wish to experience a deep and transformational journey, my advice is that they need to let themselves be held, trusting that the process itself will take them to where they want to be.

As we said, Hong Kong is an action-oriented city but true healing often happens when you don’t do anything. Literally. It happens in between practices when you stop awhile and your system gets to digest and integrate the healing inside of you.

But you must be willing to go through it. We take the immersive aspect very seriously, so we don’t use digital devices and expect everyone to be fully present, only then you can actually feel the impact.

We can see people really rested, restored, rejuvenated, empowered, and full of joy. That can only happen when we let go of our phones and deeply enjoy the process and the container.

Vlada de Sousa has been working as a meditation teacher, energy healer, and spiritual mentor, supporting people all over the world to transform their lives on all different levels. The new program she designed for her brand Bliss Body Journeys is being launched this May in Hong Kong. You may learn more about it here.

The post Coming back into the body: <span>an interview with Vlada de Sousa</span> appeared first on Bliss Body Journeys.

Even though I practice yoga and meditation regularly, I assumed the experience of the retreat would be absolutely different, and I was quite curious to see how it would impact me. As we drove to the Tuscan farm where the retreat took place, I felt like I was transitioning into a new and undiscovered dimension.   

In the seven days that we stayed there, I was able to explore multiple parts of myself, understanding a bit better how I exist in relation to others and in relation to existence itself.

The path within

Our deepest feelings tend to slip through our fingers, and the best way to access them is to simply let them surface. During the days of the retreat, I noticed that things started to show themselves to me, surfacing so I could acknowledge, cleanse, and finally release them.   

A retreat is a profound dive inwards, not only through the spiritual practices, such as meditations, yoga Nidra, or breathwork, but also through journaling or even listening to other guests. Everything turns into a mirror, and we start to see ourselves in everything that surrounds us.   

However, this self-expedition must always happen with a good dose of self-love. Spiritual work can be quite challenging, but healing is a true sense of freedom, and life gets so much lighter when we stop carrying the weight on our shoulders.  

I sometimes tend to push myself to the edge, expecting too much of myself. By sharing my thoughts and fears with the group, I remembered to love myself along the way. Being grateful for every step I take and accepting the time of each process.  

Instant healing

In the day to day life, we unlearned how to stay quiet. Our overwhelming routines and the constant presence of our devices make quietude a stranger.  

However, when you go to a meditation retreat, you are taken into a nourishing flow of emptiness. Everything is carefully orchestrated, and all we have to do is to focus on ourselves and our spiritual journey. It is surreal, to put it bluntly.   

I finally understood why Bliss Body Journeys states that their retreats work as a container. It is a perfect setting, amongst peaceful and healing nature, and a program that is delivered so that it can progress along with the guests. It felt magical as if everything was set and prepared for me to grow and expand.

We are not alone

One thing that always struck me in my spiritual path is how lonely growth can be. During that seven days, I learned the power of expanding in togetherness. It was beautiful to see such a supportive and friendly environment.     

If, in the beginning, we were strangers to one another, as the days passed by, we began to grow in each other. I was more and more secure to share my problems and the challenges I was facing during the sessions.   

Listening to other peoples’ experiences and hearing what they had to say about my own was enriching. They always helped me see things from a different perspective, which was a great support in my personal process.   

Just in one week, I developed care and love for each soul that shared the experience with me. And I will take them forever in my heart.

The ease that comes with spirituality

With the daily spiritual practices, I started to feel like something was happening behind the curtains. I am a very mind-oriented person, and especially after some years of therapy, I sometimes find myself overanalyzing the situations I am in. Spirituality presented me with the simplicity of not having to circle around things, dealing with them directly, without needing a rational process.   

During one of the breathwork practices, for example, I was able to access some stored feelings that I was not aware of. There were tears, there was love, and there was a relief. It was a beautiful and liberating moment for me.   

But healing may also be extremally joyful. I will forever remember us dancing like kids, reviving our purest expressions, running with each other, and laughing from our hearts. I will forever remember the sound of the bees pollinating the lavender fields, as we sat there recognizing we are part of the balance of all. 

Transformation may come slowly 

When I look back at the time I had in Bliss Body Journeys’ meditation retreat, I realize how subtle transformation can be.   

When we hear about life-changing experiences, we automatically think about how dramatic they must be. However, I can honestly say that those seven days made a big difference in my life, as I now feel more equipped to deal with issues that may appear in my way.   

The key aspect of a meditation retreat is that it lightens the way into a higher state of consciousness, our inner home to which we can go back anytime we need. Vlada de Sousa, the spiritual teacher, pointed the direction and each practice or talk simply exposed the floor beneath so that I could take one step at a time. Her mastery and the insights that inevitably came are now mantras I walk with.   

Inspired by the purpose of supporting modern seekers who wish to ignite the sparkle of change, Bliss Body Journeys offer spiritual retreats in healing locations around the globe. Visit our website to learn more about our upcoming meditation retreats. 

The post My first meditation retreat: <span>a doorway to self-discovery</span> appeared first on Bliss Body Journeys.

Wellness is one of those terms that can mean different things for different people. Only in a few years, the world has gained a vast number of experts on this topic, which is in fact many millennials old. We saw hospitality brands replace the word spa with wellness, and the global press merged different modalities into this single word, that is now a multi-billion industry.

World Health Organization (WHO) defines wellness as “the optimal state of health of individuals and groups” being it expressed as “a positive approach to living.” For this article, we will take wellness as the ability to connect with our body, mind, and spirit, allowing us to live life as an expression of inner harmony.

Many of us may experience the best relaxation massage while still stuck in a destructive inner talk. Even experienced meditators can live a full life totally detached from their inner essence, or what we call spirit. It is time to dissolve typical boundaries as body vs mind, work vs personal, and holidays vs routine, as this positive approach to living must be experienced in a fully integrated way.

By discussing with our teachers and clients, we observed a few trends that are shaping the way we plan our activities. People do dream about escaping into beauty and nature, but there is a longing for more personalized spiritual guidance, so that deep inner connection can truly occur.

Trend 1 – Ultra high-end Secret Retreats

The demand for exclusive spiritual experiences, in which people have time and space to deeply replenish their energy, revive their soul, and realign with their essence, is on the rise. It is, however, crucial that the focus is on the process and not on hospitality trivialities. Metamorphosis can only occur in a private safe container. For specific audiences, these personalized wellness immersions in healing locations amongst natural landscapes and magnificent buildings work as an initiation ritual. Transformational therapies, signature holistic nutrition, and an exquisite level of comfort set the ground for an outstanding journey that comes to life through embodied spiritual teachings.

Trend 2 – Spiritual Work on Relationships

We are witnessing a pandemic of loneliness across the globe. There is a need to heal the wounds of unworthiness and rediscover the power of the self. People do not want to keep on the surface anymore, they want to explore the profound waters of intimate relationships. However, as a society, we spent too little time learning how to love in a healthy and positive way. Faced with this reality, online offerings focused on love and relationships are taking off. Through 1:1 work or private group mentoring, they support healing processes and open participants’ hearts to deeper connections – being it with themselves, their families, lovers, or even with the divine.

Trend 3 – Conscious Corporate Retreats

The demand for truthful and lasting bonds is also entering the work environment as we irrevocably spend most of our waking life with co-workers. Conscious Corporate Retreats are an opportunity to create healthier work relationships and to build a safe ground for more open communication. Spending healing time away from the office humanizes the team dynamics. Through mediation sessions, yogic practices, and breathwork, these retreats bring renewed clarity and focus, helping the team to realign strategies and find brainstorm solutions that seem impossible while stuck at the desk.

At Bliss Body Journeys, our mission is to contribute to the upgrading of awareness around the world. We genuinely believe that by supporting our clients, guests, and partners, we can generate a ripple effect of positivity that will bring society closer to this utopic optimal state of harmony.

The post Upcoming <span>Wellness Trends</span> appeared first on Bliss Body Journeys.

When people are surrounded by an overwhelming environment, the hectic mind gets even more alert and reactive, making it more difficult to slow down.  

Going on a silent meditation retreat is a powerful opportunity to dive into the inner self, a place in which one can finally disconnect from the thinking mind, and listen to their core essence.  

Where to find Silence in Hong Kong

To escape the intense pace of the city, the best solution is to go on an immersive journey. Silent meditation retreat is carefully designed to support you in finding tranquility and peace.  

“When you are living in the constant buzz with time it blends into the background noise, that exact noise that causes people chronic anxiety. And only when you find yourself in the silent retreat, surrounded by tranquility, you finally realize how loud that noise was. And you can not believe how you managed to get used to it. That is the beginning of mental health.” , says Vlada de Sousa, meditation teacher and the creator of Bliss Body Journeys’ Silent Retreat in Hong Kong.  

Benefits of a silent meditation retreat 

There are plenty of beneficial aspects when it comes to silence and silent meditation retreats. Our experts in meditation and spirituality collected a few of them: 

Find peace through digital detox 

We live in the era of digital connection. With a mobile in hand, one gets intensely attached to the outside world, and this overstimulation brings up constant worry and anxiety.  

When the focus is turned to what’s happening on the outside, it is not possible to go inside.  

“When I speak to our guests before their silent retreat, they express that the biggest concern is to let go the phone. And when I speak to them after the retreat they are amazed how profound and impactful it was for them to live a few days without their digital devices. I can confidently state that digital detox is a powerful medicine for modern society.”, says Vlada de Sousa. 

Recover from stress and burnout 

The mind is designed to protect us. It keeps itself alert and wired to think about the worst possible scenarios. But when one realizes there is no possible control over our thoughts, the only way out is to disengage from them.  

When people are immersed in the space of silence, they begin to let go of their thoughts and start focusing on the present moment, which immediately brings the body and mind to relaxation.  

It is not always possible to change the circumstances around us, however a conscious decision to go on a meditation retreat will grant you the shelter for deep rest and healing. 

Practice of being in the here and now

As Vlada de Sousa constantly points out, undigested and unprocessed traumatic experience take us out of the body into the state of dissociation. “The first step to get out of mind spinning and disconnection from the present  is to ground back again into our physical bodies. I teach embodiment practices during the retreats to support people finding their way back again into themselves. With safety.”, she says. 

Participants will be going through the steps like: breathwork, energy release practices and conscious bodywork to feel ready to sit down and meditate.

“The mind will settle and ground in the present, once we do the work of detaching our attention from the past, and from the stories we are re-telling to ourselves. As you get into the body, you will get out of the mind.”, she adds.  

In a silent meditation retreat, the facilitator presents guests with these tools to better manage the never-ending mind chatter, while guiding them through yogic and meditative practices, so they can experience what it is to be in the here and now.  

Gain clarity 

However, a silent retreat must be closely planned in a way that takes guests further and further away from their mundane problems.

Once people are given the opportunity to experience emptiness and total care freedom, they begin to shift inside. They are able to connect their thoughts with their emotions, and their emotions with their body.  

After accessing this sense of clarity, the answers to the big questions in life start simply to appear. 

Discover how to better navigate through life 

True transformation cannot happen just in a few days, let alone in one afternoon. Going on a retreat is an invitation to change, however, maintaining the peace achieved during the retreat can be challenging. 

That is why Bliss Body Journeys focuses on providing guests with tools that can be used daily as a lifelong support. 

“Liberation is the freedom from the prison of the roundabouts of the mind. And every silent retreat is a tremendous gift, tremendous opportunity to get closer to this liberation.”, says Vlada de Sousa. 

Bliss Body Journeys has been offering full immersive experiences in Hong Kong since 2020, creating a true healing centre amongst the nature environment of New Territories. Their signature silent retreat in Hong Kong, designed by Vlada de Sousa in collaboration with Ryan Grimes, has been supporting residents to recover and replenish ever since. Click here to learn more.

The post Hong Kong: why you should go <span> on a silent meditation retreat </span> appeared first on Bliss Body Journeys.

Vlada de Sousa is a meditation teacher, energy healer and the Founder of Bliss Body Journeys. In order to support people to find those so wanted answers, she has created a new program, a 7-day meditation retreat to dive within and to pull back the light of our soul.  

Ever since you left Hong Kong, you’ve been expanding, picking new locations for your meditation and yoga retreats. What inspired you to create this particular program?  

I’ve been working 1:1 with people all over the world for many years now and what I sense is that people are unsatisfied, there is something lacking. Even those who have already accomplished a successful career or a loving family are still searching, but they don’t know what they are looking for. 

People come to me and say that, even though they have everything, they feel like something essential is missing. That is when the journey begins, when we accept the emptiness and decide to dive into it, so we can pull our soul back to fill in all the spaces in between. 

So I decided to curate an immersive experience for our guests just like I do with my private students remotely and across time. “Soul Revival” is a 7-day process of investigation and exploration. I want to help people remember that we are not just our bodies, minds, or the identity we’ve been reproducing ever since we were kids. We are a soul. And this meditation retreat was made specifically for those who I call soul seekers. 

So you think people are lacking a spiritual connection? 

Absolutely! I started to notice that on some level all of us are still trying to figure out who we are, what is life about, and what is really important. Whichever stage we are in life, this is still  consistently experienced. 

Especially in this modern world, where there is a continuous need of chasing something, trying to get there, to do more, to be more, to see more, to experience more. This never-ending search leaves us with a sense of lack, which might make us a little bit depressed or unsettled with ourselves.  

It is time for people to turn inwards. We chase all those things, but in fact, what we are really looking for is ourselves. And sometimes we look inside and all we see is dry inhospitable land. It might not be an easy process but we must cross this desert until we find the oasis within.  

That is why I have made it my life-long purpose to support people in this self-discovery journey. Helping them understand their light, powers and gifts, but also helping them to create an intimate relationship with themselves, healing their inner dialogue and connecting with their intuition. Because truly we came into this life to discover who we are and to become more and more our own light. 

“Soul Revival” is about going deeper, overcoming social pressures and finding out that there is way more to this human experience.  

But how do people reach this state of connection?  

Well, first of all, people need to quit the action state. That is exactly what a meditation retreat is made for, to encourage guests to slow down. Only when we do that, do we start to connect with more subtle layers, feeling ourselves on an energetic and spiritual level.  

In the “Soul Revival” process, I will help people reestablish the interconnectedness between the human mind and the soul. So they begin to awaken to the experience of self, which is much broader than our usually limiting beliefs. When we get there, things become really clear and we get to see everything as it is. 

I want people to leave knowing how to find the answers inside of them. Because we all know the questions will never ever stop. What is important is that we understand where to look for the answers, and that is always inside of us. 

Our intuition is the most powerful guidance, we must allow it to guide us. And, of course, have the courage to trust and follow it. Reviving your soul means rediscovering this power.  

And which practices people can expect to do?  

My teaching style is very experiential. Instead of explaining something, so we rationalize it, I prefer to take guests on a journey, so they get to actually experience what we are talking about. This way, the mind plays a secondary role, and there is more space within for healing and connection. 

In the daily practices there is meditation, yoga and breathwork. As I said, I like to explore, so we will always be trying different approaches and practices. But since I am interested in encouraging people to clear space in order to connect with their inner self, I will be using a lot of breathwork, which helps us release unprocessed energies and feelings.  

There is a very special feature of this program, though. I decided to explore a bit more of Mauna, which is the ancient practice of keeping silence. Bliss Body Journeys has been holding very successful silent retreats in Hong Kong, and I wanted to bring a little bit of this energy to “Soul Revival”.  

During the retreat, we will have one full day of Noble Silence, as it really opens the door towards hearing the voice of our soul. When we take a vow of Silence, our voice of wisdom begins to arise and communicate through us, and we start having great insights about life in general.  

Is it suitable for beginners, though?  

Well, I would say “Soul Revival” is a program for everyone who has a soul and with that I mean, all humans (laugh). But really, It is great when guests have already a little bit of experience with yoga, meditation, or even psychology. However, it is not necessary at all.  

To be honest, the depth of the practices depends a lot on the student. So, if you’re a very experienced practitioner, this can be a great opportunity to go even deeper into your practice and self-exploration. On the other hand, if you’re new to the world of spirituality, it will simply open the doors to a completely new dimension. 

As I always say, the important part is to be willing to go through the process. That is what changes everything. And it is really beautiful to see the transformation in peoples’ eyes. Because when we realize that we are not just a set of thoughts in our head, a big shift happens. We start engaging in life from a different perspective and the transformation is inevitable.  

I will be there every step of the way, supporting them and clarifying questions. I really love seeing people who come to the retreat with their preconceived ideas and leave in a way more expansive state. It brings me so much fulfillment! That is exactly why I do what I do.  

And now you are coming back to Bali, where you founded Bliss Body Journeys. How are you feeling about that?   

I feel very emotional, to be honest. Bali is much more than a tourist island to me. It is a home for my soul, the place where I was blessed and received a new life. I have a very deep connection with the energy of Bali and I feel how much this energy supports my guests during the retreats.  

The history of Balinese culture goes back hundreds if not thousands of years. It is the only island in Indonesia that follows Balinese religion, which is a mix of Hindu, Tantra, and biggest sacred spiritual practices.  

Bali is famous for worshiping higher energies, resolving karmic knots, and clearing our souls from the ego. The power of Bali helped me to transform my life and always support those who come with intentions. 

That is why it immediately came to mind when I created the “Soul Revival” program. It is such a magical island, where everything is still spiritual and the world of the soul is not forgotten. And I cannot wait to add the water temple ceremony to the program as it is a very powerful energetic reset and renewal. When sacred waters are beaming on the top of your head, you feel like false layers simply fall out. It is a truly healing and purifying experience. 

Vlada de Sousa has been working as a meditation teacher, energy healer, and spiritual mentor, supporting people all over the world to transform their lives on all different levels. “Soul Revival” is the new program she designed for her brand Bliss Body Journeys. It will be launched in Bali in February, 2023. You may learn more about it here. 

The post In the quest of the soul: <span>an interview with Vlada de Sousa</span> appeared first on Bliss Body Journeys.