Life doesn’t slow down…
Unless you make it.
Lately, I’ve been hearing this quiet ache from people I love:
“I’m just spread too thin. This job is really complex and makes me an obligatory background character when all I want is to be in my life.”
That line stopped me. I’ve felt it too—those times when I’m stretched thin, running on autopilot, saying yes to everything while what I truly want waits, quietly, on the back burner.
Earlier this summer, I found myself in a sun-drenched courtyard in Sicily with Sara—my dear friend and fellow teacher at Archetype—surrounded by artists, seekers, teachers, and new friends. We had flown there for a retreat with our teacher Dages—a week we both almost said no to.
I wasn’t sure what to expect. Part of me resisted the idea of spending a week with people I barely knew. I didn’t know if I had the space or energy for that kind of openness.
But something shifted there.
Time stretched. We moved, breathed, laughed. We shared meals under the late Sicilian sun. And I remembered what it feels like to be both held and expanded by community—stripping away all the shoulds to give space for what we truly want to breathe.
One evening, Rosi—who I’d only just met, but felt like an old friend—said something I’ll never forget:
“Every situation is a beautiful opportunity to explore. Life is a dance—you just have to say yes.”
Saying yes to life takes courage.
It also takes trust. Stillness. Risk.
It means getting honest about what you want—and reclaiming agency over how you want to feel, and who you’re becoming.
And that’s not just mental work. It’s physical. It’s visionary.
When I’m not in my practice, I drift. I choose the shoulds over the wants. I search outside myself for answers.
But the truth lives in the body.
We forget our feet. We forget the soil beneath them.
We forget that life is something we shape—every day—with what we choose to prioritize.
It’s an act of creation.
Sicily reminded me what it feels like to be in the right place, at the right time, with people who are willing to show up for their own joy and growth. This fall, I’m saying yes again. I’m heading to Greece for a retreat I’ve wanted to lead for years.
If you’ve been longing to reconnect—with yourself, with others, with what matters—Greece might be that place.
If you feel it in your body too…
We’ve put together a simple guide with all the retreat details and FAQs. If finances are the only thing holding you back, reach out—there’s always a way.
Whether or not you join us in Greece, I invite you to find your own space this fall—to pause, breathe, and ask yourself what you truly want.
With love,
Mei-Ling