I rocked up in Montreal for Recrear Magnify 2015 with very little idea of what to expect but filled with a strong sense that it was just what I needed right now, both personally and professionally…..I was content to simply ‘surrender to serendipity!’
My initial sense of enthusiasm didn’t even dissipate when I realised my luggage hadn’t made it with me from London. I spent the first few days in an improvised mishmash of clothing offered up by my new friends, with the initial three day personal development retreat at a rural yoga and meditation centre providing the perfect setting for trying on a new identity not just wardrobe-wise, but also in terms of lifestyle. I’m certainly no natural yogi, but getting seriously out of my comfort zone right from the outset, through a series of meditation and mantra chanting sessions, enabled me to quickly bond with the group.
Upon our return to the city, we kicked off the ‘conference proper’ with an expectations setting session, outlining i) what we hoped to learn from the experience, ii) what we felt we each brought to the table, and iii) what we hoped to UNlearn during our time together!
It was comforting to discover that others faced challenges with both ‘tolerating authority’ and ‘bossiness’, and – like me – were hoping to use the experience of Recrear Magnify 2015 as a channel for finding direction for our passions!’
The afternoon was spent ‘visioning’, with each of us asked to take a series of three photos to represent our personal vision. I chose images representing the illumination and sense of magic I get from experiencing ‘newness’ in the shape of people, places, books, or whatever other kind of experience comes my way.
Part of the Recrear Magnify experience is about exploring everything the host city has to offer, so the super inspiring day was rounded off with attending the launch of a new album by the hauntingly beautiful Heirloom….definitely one to add to my Spotify playlist!
