FIGS x lululemon Immersion

FIGS x lululemon Immersion

One month ago I was fortunate enough to attend a life changing retreat in Malibu, CA hosted by two amazing companies. Going into the retreat I had no idea what to expect, no idea who was attending, and honestly no idea how I got lucky enough to receive an invite. As I was leaving work a few months back I opened up an email with the subject line “IMPORTANT: FIGS RETREAT” and instantly stopped in my tracks with pure happiness, until I looked at the dates and noticed I was supposed to be working 3 of the 4 days, and not to mention I had to RSVP by the next day. After thinking it over, I knew this was an event I couldn’t miss! I spent my 45 min drive home calling my boss and my clinical educator to figure out a way to make this possible, and I am seriously so grateful to them for being so supportive and understanding. I pulled into my driveway, sent in my RSVP, and went into my house literally jumping.

Leading up to the retreat FIGS did an amazing job at getting us excited without really telling us any details. Honestly, it was pretty comical trying to explain to people what I was doing. “Why would a scrub company fly you to Malibu?”, “Where are you staying”, “Who else is going”, “What are you going to do while you are there?” Literally I had no answers to any of these questions, but it didn’t matter because I was so excited!

Monday – When I arrived at LAX I was greeted by large signs and three of the sweetest and most energetic lululemon team members. I jumped aboard a travel bus filled with other attendees and we headed off to Calamigos Guest Ranch, a location with the cutest décor, most breathtaking views, and the best atmosphere. Upon arrival, we gathered and introduced ourselves to one another. At first it was a little intimidating meeting all these individuals because I already followed most of them on social media, and truth be told they had no idea who I was. However, I quickly learned that these individuals had such amazing stories to tell and so much kindness to give. It felt as though we had been friends for years as opposed to the three hours we had actually known each other. Monday was mostly a travel and meet and greet kind of day, but we did partake in our first yoga class that night. According to our yoga instructor, we all looked nervous and unsure during that first class [I mean, I’ve literally only done yoga like three times in my life so yes I was nervous]. The night ended with a yummy dinner and off to bed we went to prepare for a fun day ahead.

Tuesday – I woke up in my beautiful bungalow and 8 am yoga was first on the list. I found myself more relaxed during this session and actually feeling more confident in my movements compared to the night before. After class we were spoiled with the best breakfast and back in for some self-loving, phone free, and digging deep time. During the two days we got to partake in many exercises during this time that I truly LOVED. One of the exercises included sitting knee to knee with a partner and staring into their eyes for four minutes. When the exercise began, most of us were so uncomfortable we couldn’t even look our partner straight in the eyes without laughing. But, the CRAZIEST thing is after about 2 minutes of staring I felt calm and felt like I was learning about her without even talking to her. We started to breath at the same rate, all judgments disappeared, and it even made us emotional. Looking back at the moment it’s hard to describe the experience and emotions we felt, but it was something that I recommend to everyone to try at least once! We had a couple hours to kill prior to dinner so a small group of us took the shuttle to the beach for some fun in the sun! That night we had an amazing happy hour by the fire, yummy dinner with many laughs, and got to hear from the two amazing women who co-founded FIGS. They shared their stories, their hardships, and their future for the company. It was a night I will never forget.

Wednesday – Surprise! Off to another 8 am yoga, breakfast, and self-loving time. This morning’s yoga was by far my favorite! Ryan our amazing lululemon yoga instructor decided to add a mini dance party into the class [shhh don’t tell on him though, apparently that’s frowned upon in the yogi world ;)]. Honestly, I was so freaking sore at this point so moving to a little hip-hop music was just what I needed. We then went back inside for some more fun. Another exercise we did involved writing a speech to ourselves (in third person) pretending it was our 100 birthday. We had to write about our accomplishments during our lifetime and the people we love, and little did we know this speech was going to be read to us by another member of the group. It was honestly so unique hearing someone read the true thoughts I felt about myself. As humans, we often find it hard to accept compliments and see the best version of ourselves, but this gave us each the chance to feel special. Before dinner, we went on a hike to watch the sunset over the gorgeous Malibu mountains, which was simply breathtaking. Back to our rooms we went to shower, get dressed up, and ready to partyyyy. Dinner consisted of fun drinks, yummy food, and LOTS of dancing with our rad DJ who partied with us until the late hours.

Thursday – The final day had arrived 😦 Half of the crew attended another morning yoga, and the other half decided to sleep in [I won’t tell you which one I did hehe]. We ate breakfast, said our goodbyes, and loaded the buses headed for the airport. Leaving the beautiful ranch and saying goodbye to the amazing people I met was so hard, but I was so grateful for the chance to experience it all. Since being home, I have tried to incorporate the practices, self- love, and strong community I got to experience during the retreat into my daily life, and I’m so happy to share it all with you now. If there’s anything you take away from this blog post, I hope it’s the mindset of self-respect, happiness, and taking the time to appreciate the opportunities you have been presented with! You all are outstanding people, and every life looks a little different from the other.