Rooted in Grace Retreat - the first!

A word from an attendee:

“Thank you so much for the retreat. There were several things Kerstin said that have stayed in my head and have made me pause to think about my life, my journey and who is in it. When you talked about looking at other women and thinking they have it all together and I don't, it really resonated. I am working on trying not to compare myself to others and just trying to look at where I am and where I am headed. This retreat was nicely timed since I am working on some changes for myself and some of your words helped.”

Guys! We did a thing. and without spilling all the beans (because we hope to do it again…and maybe again after that :)) I’m so excited to share it with you!

When I first started dreaming of Pillows of Grace I had a long list of products, quotes and designs I’d hoped to create. But what comes as a surprise to most is I was just as excited about creating events and retreats to bring people together in genuine community. Insert my mother in law, Mary Jo, yoga extraordinaire and nonprofit owner, and this business goal was met much sooner than expected.

We hosted our very first Rooted in Grace women’s yoga retreat on Saturday, Sept. 21st at Santosha Ayurveda & Yoga Studio in Delafield, WI. Twenty ladies, some new, some known, squeezed into the studio expecting Lord knows what…but they showed up and put in the work. That’s more than half the battle, isn’t it?

I don’t need to tell you that life gets busy. You put your head down and work hard, fulfill your responsibilities, take care of others, and suddenly look in the mirror and realize you haven’t done a darn thing for yourself in far too long.

We pour into others at the risk of our own cup running empty…and we start to unravel. We can't fight off that negative voice like we used to. We forget our worth. We forget what roots us. We get caught up in the comparison trap and believe no one else feels the way we do. We try to push through to at least appear as if we “have it all together,” and we end up even more exhausted. Can you relate?

….We thought so.

At the heart of Pillows of Grace is a mission to inspire women and empower you to live confidently as your true authentic self. To embrace your full story, (behind the scenes and all, not just the highlight reel) and then love others through the same. No one has it all figured out, but we’re stronger together. We need to catch each other on pillows of grace (…wink).

So we created an opportunity to do just that: two hours for women of all ages to come together for some body and soul care. To share a message from the heart about staying rooted through comparison and embracing your full story, and to reflect on a few questions about living that out. And then to work it all out (literally) with over an hour of aerobic vinyasa flow yoga to get the heart pumping and the endorphins flowing.

For some it might’ve been too much. For some not enough. But most (if not all), walked in running on fumes and walked out with a cup overflowing. We laughed, we cried, we sweat, we namaste’d. And we walked back into the world knowing:

Comparison is the thief of joy.

Anchor deep in what roots you.

Embrace your full story, honor your gifts, and run your race as your true authentic self.

Choose vulnerability to love others through the same, and sprinkle it all with grace.

And most importantly remembering:

God’s never looked at you and wished He saw someone else.

You are strong.

You are beautiful.

You are loved.

You are enough.

If you were able to join us, we’re so proud of you for taking two hours to fill your cup.

If you missed it, we’re already so excited to see you next time. Join the grace tribe email list (link below) to be among the first to learn about future opportunities to become rooted in grace.

Namaste, lovelies :)

October 2, 2019