So there I was, seven hours to Belize with a fresh copy of “Yoga for Dummies” and a Xanax for the flight. Soon I’d be on a beautiful beach in Belize, nothing but the warm sunshine, cool water, oh and 14 other yogis who will be joining me for the world renowned “Sarah Burgess: Restorative Hatha Retreat.” Yogis are what people who do (practice?) yoga call themselves. Now, I deeply appreciate the art and culture of yoga. It has a beautiful history, and helps people heal their minds and bodies. But have you ever tried yoga? Have you ever tried yoga for the first time with a group of people who are supposed to be experts in the field? Well, I was about to find out what that was like. Surely people with ridiculously flexible limbs, calm minds and impeccable breathing sequences can’t be too judgmental right?

As I got off the plane, I was greeted by a friendly man who was to drive me to the retreat. The off-the-grid resort is an hour and a half from the airport, beyond cell reception and without Wi-Fi- every millennial’s worst nightmare. But rather than dreading this time of disconnect, I was really looking forward to leaving the world behind and finding my inner peace, or whatever it is that you are supposed to find when you do (practice?) yoga. Each day began with morning sunrise stretching over a placid pool of serenity. The air was clean, the food was fresh, the people relaxed. 

These moments of calmness and serenity I experienced will stay with me forever. Sarah Burgess moved through the poses of our morning detox flow as if she was a fluid stream of water. I struggled to keep up at first. But her attention to each body had me feeling at ease, even the most experienced yogis there still needed and accepted guidance. Each day, our morning routine was designed to help us be present. I found that even in the middle of paradise, it’s so easy to have your mind wander back to your email, cellphone and to-do list. But by the end of the week, I had managed to kick my nasty habit of constantly refreshing my iPhone and avoiding human interaction in favor of checking social media. Beyond learning the flows of Hatha yoga, a type of yoga that is most common in the Western world, yogis were able to attend various workshops learning terminology, nutrition, physical healing practices, and how to better instruct students in their respective studios at home.

I initially felt more self-conscious than a preteen going through puberty, and by the end of the week I was still only able to touch my toes. But while my physical progress wasn’t overwhelming, my mental clarity and confidence was exponentially stronger. One of the fellow yogis I had the privilege to practice with, Victoria Richmond, says, “With each practice, Yoga teaches us to peel away all the layers of ego, fears, expectations, and constraints and unwrap the authentically divine Self.”