Darling WYLDones,
Hope you're all having a phenomenal weekend and you're rested and hydrated!! It's been chaotically humid these last few weeks!! And as we enter to what seems like is going to be another hot hot weekend, please remember to keep that water bottle full!
Now only just a couple of weeks ago 🤪 (3 to be exact - yup that's how long I've been working on this blog entry!!!), I attended one of the most wonderful experiences. It was a 1/2 Day Retreat created by The Feel Good Tribe.
Now even the name screams WYLD! As I have always referred to being in the "FEEL GOOD" industry! Not Fashion & Lifestyle! As over the years (I hope it is ) our little Joo Chiat Sanctuary has become a place where we want people to come and literally Feel GOOD.... whether it's browsing pretty colourful things during their WFH lunch break, searching for a vacay outfit, gifts for loved ones or simply hanging on the PURPLE COUCH to have a chinwag, take a work call, enjoy the free Tea, Coconut Water & Nespresso's or have a quick cat nap lol! 💜
But yes, so it felt so aligned to attend an event / experience where this was the main aim. And let's get to the Theme of the Event. FEELING BALANCED. This is truthfully something I have not felt in a long time, which I am sure so many of you can relate. Even to sit and take the time to write this post, with a constant stream of notifications, pings on whatsapp, DM's on insta, emails that have banked up, requests and a to do list that's so constantly and consistently overwhelming with a heaviness in heart as well as ALL the thoughts you have as a MUMMA!!!! And for those who relate... now that's some next level shit. Even when you're trying to do " other things" anything... work, exercising, "trying to find balance" lol you're still thinking about them ------ what you have done, what you haven't and what you need to do next for them, what they need and what they don't etc etc it is constant and a beautiful never ending relentless to do list that takes up such a huge proportion of our thoughts and energy ✨ ( will be sharing more Mumma stuff in future babbles)...
So at this FEEL GOOD Retreat that happened at the OUTSET on Saturday 24th May, I may have not felt that balanced to begin with because to share, I have only just started to stop working Saturdays in the shop ( which I have been doing so for nearly 7 years). So felt a bit weird to be taking a Saturday "to myself" when I felt I was supposed to be with my boy and spend time with family...... and so already turning up feeling the Mumma guilts bad. But the moment I went in, the vibe of the room was so calm and inviting with people chatting and connecting, having coffe and a breaky snack (which was delish), the Owner of the Retreat, Leanne greeted me and made me feel so welcome and awesome, I immediately felt this is where I need to be today..... and I told myself I would try and stay present and in the moment as much as possible....
Now, I will try not waffle too much! But I'm going to give you a run down on the schedule of events that took place and share the goodness of each segment on the agenda!
So after the chia pudd + ginger shot morning mingle with a WYLD GF, we embarked on a Tai Chi Journey with Simon Wong of the Tienji Academy.... which was absolutely magnificent. The breath, the movement, the quietness which felt awkward but pleasantly beautiful. Even though it was challenging to follow the flow of movements. The energy was incredible, like I could feel that is definitely something I should be doing more often.... haven't experienced a lot of breath work tbh( except for once at the shop one evening - but will share on that event later too!!! ) but this was intense and I really tried just to shut my eyes and listen to Simon's voice take us through the instructions. Anyway, loved it, different to any other movement like yoga or pilates.... But just like them, this is a lifelong practice, not something to be mastered but just... practiced.
The next section was a beautiful Meditation guided by Pamela Puja Kirpalani from Inner High Living.
Now, I love to “attempt “ to meditate but as I am sure some of you can relate. It is dang hard. When you’ve got a busy mind always running at a guzzllion miles an hour and the only time you “try” and fit it in is when you’ve finally finished either zooming, editing, creating, replying, reading etc etc become horizontal,( kid/s are asleep) you can’t sleep and don’t want to resort to any “sleep assistance “ so u pop on a mediation on spotify. “(sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t right? ) And now I know we’re supposed to put our phones in another room so we can sleep better ( says Mel Robbins and a bunch of other peeps - and I am going to start doing it this month - #watchthisspace ) either way…. u don’t really get a good sleep cos your ear pods falls off or you've let it run and you end up having meditation in your ear for 4 hours and only realise when you wake up to pee and someone is weirdly still talking to you..... either way not sure we're fulling benefiting from the meditation because we fall asleep…. (Hallelujah) but then again, is that the point... to be relaxed enough to drift off... so unfortunately... super predictable ofc this is what happened....
Now Pamela told us not to lie down because we were doing an "Active Awareness Meditation" and that there was a cushion/pillow fo us to use. And I have had lower back issues for years.... and when I hear pillow and lie down (even though she has told us not to) my body does a little happy dance as they are the two things it craves! And although I tried. As predicated... we probably weren't even 10 mins in and I was lying down.... 🤦🤪 Towards the very end I woke myself up with a snore I think.... ( ooopss 🙏 sozz to my fellow meditators). Anywaysss, that's the long and short of that. I will attempt to try again. In the meantime, Pamela has some extremely helpful content on her Insta page.
She does 1-1 Coaching and has even written a book!! We may even carry this one day in the shop! Watch this space! Then after my short nap, we had a scrumptious and nutritious snack and a break! Then headed straight into short PILATES Workout ofc Lead by Founder of THE FEEL GOOD TRIBE 🏋️ 🏃💪 Leanne who is a certified personal trainer, nutrition coach and Pilates instructor!!! I find all exercise a bit of a challenge, but Pilates has been one form of fitness that I actually look forward to participating in ( because you lie down most of the time lol 🤭) but I do find Mat Pilates a lot harder than Reformer! But Leanne took us through some basics and this was a great way to move before our next next speaker.....
So I have known ELIKA TASKER for many years and it was a joy to hear her speak again. Not only watching in awe of how she presents her knowledge but was completely in awe, actually BLOWN AWAY by the information she shared. I could not help but try and soak in every word and thought how APPLICABLE and relevant it was to my life. I feel like I have been on a hamster wheel for a few years now and masking my anxiety, borderline depression just generally being super unhinged, adding humour to it all because I'm drowning, feeling constantly overwhelmed, unstable and basically so beyond exhausted from it all, I end up staying on the hamster wheel because it seems easier and literally can't find a way offfff the darn thing!! And this is life right. But just getting back to Elika's talk, I have never ever felt more of an understanding of how important it is to listen to your body, know your body & your cycle. And this all comes at such a profound time of where I am in my life, and how I need to treat my mind and body moving forward and being super vigilant with SYNCING to my cycle. THIS IS GUYS IS #GAMECHANGER even if you don't follow verbatim THIS is a guide to GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION to slow the F down, be gentle with yourself in whatever " SEASON" you are in. WINTER, SPRING AUTUMN AND SUMMER!!!! - How to nourish your body, move your body, how to manage your workload and what to expect with relationships!!! GOSHH! I hope that this helps SO MANY of you....... and your loved ones. ( I even put my hand and asked if she could present this to a group of men!) For male partners, (any partners actually) to understand a woman and how her body works and how it affects EVERYTHING!!! Could improve so profoundly the depth of connections ~ the energy and love that relationships deserve. And this talk even more so confirmed the scientific POLARITY between the men and women who inhabit this earth.........
PIC: @pinterest
So please reach out to ELIKA, she is also a bad ass Energy Optimisation Coach who specialises in helping you start a journey of doing the inner work and supporting you to live your best life! She's been through it, under it, over it and having experienced burn out first hand, she found herself through her journey wanting to educate and help others!! Here's her intro :
I'm known as an expert in unlocking something special in you, getting you to understand what makes you...you! The insights that creates change that the mainstream one size fits all approach just can't get to you!
Which brings me to the second last segment, led by the wonderful girls Laura and from Secret Sunrise Singapore. The segment that bought on tears and lots of emotion (which no one saw - cos everyone in the zone.. lol ) especially when we all grouped together, arm in arm and dancing and singing into the circle together 😭😭😭. The free movement and singing loudly to GAGA & PINK ... a reminder that's always needed but I am deeply grateful for daily is, the love of the sisterhood.
I kid you not. I would be dead in the water and that is not a lie, if I didn't have my tribe. They are my everything ( and I am sure they know it), apart from the love of my child, there's just nothing like other women who support and uplift each other no matter what. And that's why YOU guys, my WYLDones are so incredibly special to me. And as tears stream down... please know how imperative it is for women to need, want and love each other. The power of female friendship, the camaraderie, the showing up even when you got your own shit going on, exhausted yourself and there's not much left in the tank. These connections are not to be taken lightly. This empowerment (along with lots of inner personal work + self belief) is what will catapult you to heights you never even dreamed you could reach. Lean into your tribe. The ones that are the for the awesome, the good, the bad, the mediocre, the meh, the ugly and the plain right shit town. ALL OF IT. NO MATTER WHAT. And I hope that you can all come and share this experience with me one day..
oooohhh and actually maybe you cannnnn!!!! THERE IS ANOTHER FEEL GOOD RETREAT BEING HELD ON 20TH SEPTEMBER!!!
Early bird price: $260
Ends JUNE 30th 2025
And to wrap the day... we actually got to lie down!!! And it was such a beautiful end to an emotionally charged introspective yet community driven day...The sound therapy led by Wil from Soul Oasis Rhythm.was super divine but for me it was a mix of calm and anxiousness - a quiet storm so to speak. And let's be poetic for a moment, "My body softened, but my mind stayed alert, not yet sure if it could fully trust the stillness. Healing, I’m learning, doesn’t always feel like bliss. Sometimes it’s just being with the weird in-between.”
And it was so divine to see a couple of WYLDones already attending!!! Wearing their WYLD Gear!!! Maku T-shirts and Freedom Moses Slides!! So so Cool!!!!!
My new way of finding balance? Making time to write to you! To be real, to share freely, and to tell ALL the juicy WYLD tales—about life, love, fur babies and our journey to feeling fabulously free.
I am extraordinarily grateful, for the experience, had the opportunity to meet and network and learn of other peoples journey's here in Singapore! I cannot wait for the next one, in the meantime I will be consciously working to towards finding and feeling balanced with some of these new practices, ESP - the CYCLE SYNCING!!!! Also finding strength and courage to embrace this next part of my WYLD journey through life and continuing to encourage YOU.... OUR WONDERFUL WYLDones to do the same. Because it's at the core of what we do, which is to encourage self- empowerment and lots of self-love!!!!!
PIC: Instagram @thefeelgoodretreats_
Thank you again, Leanne and Feel Good Retreats. See you at the next one!!!
Lots of love to you all
Have a brilliant amazing day, Live WYLD live FREE!
💜kb xoxo