Today I was featured again on White Ibiza, the travel & lifestyle guide for the the island. We spoke about my annual Ibiza retreats – everything from the who, what, where, when & most importantly WHY.  Read on and enjoy…

There are times when we know exactly what we need to do in order to manifest the lives we wish to live, however this can also seem a little out of reach when you’re caught up in the day to day throes of balancing work, family and friends. Wellness life coach and yoga instructor Leslie Saglio understands this feeling all too well – based on her own life experiences – and has designed a powerful, transformational Ibiza Wellness Retreat to guide those looking to give fresh perspective to their lives and make long-lasting, positive changes. “Sometimes we just need someone to help turn on the light to find our own path to harness the power we’ve always had within,” she says of the experience.

Leslie carefully curates her intimate groups (just 12 participants in total) to ensure the right combination of people and personalities connect on retreat. “I truly believe every participant has a divine purpose being there and is contributing in their own way to the magic experienced,” she says. The majority of her clients hail from major metropolitan cities across the globe, looking to de-stress from high profile jobs or deal with a transition in their lives such as change of career, moving to another country, finding balance after giving birth or dealing with loss of a loved one. The beautiful Mediterranean island of Ibiza – bursting with abundant nature and healing energy – is the ideal destination in which to take stock of your life and take actions to change it.

“In order to transcend your circumstances, you often need to remove yourself from your current space of understanding,” says Leslie. “Being in an unfamiliar yet safe environment can provide profound healing, as you look at your life experiences with a new and heightened awareness, moving to a place of gratitude and forgiveness. When we leave our everyday routines, we can find the answers we’re looking for and really start to create lasting change.” While the Ibiza Wellness Retreat group dynamic is very carefully curated, each individual’s experience will certainly be different. “We’re all on our own unique journeys,” Leslie explains. “We’re all going through the same things, just taking a different form, and we all want the same things – to be happy and free.”

Previous retreat participants have reported to have found more peace, balance, clarity, courage, love, and joy following their experience in Ibiza with Leslie. “I really just wanted to take a break, just breathe and connect for a little while,” says Barcelona-based Amy of her motivations for attending. She enrolled in the Ibiza Wellness Retreat as she was preparing to relocate to another country – cue new home, new language and new career and was looking for the opportunity to let go and be herself. “To close a last chapter and be prepared for a new one – the retreat really allowed me that space.” Meanwhile, Jayne – a New York based busy working mother and wife – sought out the retreat in order to take a much-needed break from her hectic lifestyle. “I just needed to get back in touch with myself and being in a beautiful location was a great opportunity to do so.”

Throughout the week, participants are given a safe space to be heard as they connect with each other and most importantly, themselves. “This is something so important but so often overlooked in our modern-day society amongst the hustle and bustle,” says Leslie. “We hear each other but rarely are we ever really listening to each other and making a real connection.” Jayne describes Leslie’s coaching as an integral part of the retreat experience. “Making yourself vulnerable in a setting like this amongst strangers requires a strong facilitator and Leslie has been really helpful in allowing me to ask questions of myself, of the people I’ve met, and even prompt them to open up as well,” she says.

“Leslie’s coaching is fantastic,” agrees Martin, a former participant from London. “It’s a real catalyst. We all are capable, we’re smart and objective and able to see our lives, but if I was left to my own devices I would almost naturally repeat the same thought processes. With Leslie’s subtle structure, I still do all the thinking but I get to very different conclusions or I start to see things that I was blind to before.” Leslie credits her facilitating skills to her own commitment to personal development. “I believe investing in my own health and wellbeing allows me to strongly identify and connect with those also on a personal growth path – on a goal level and on a soul level,” she says.

Leslie’s first ever retreat experience was a seven-day yoga teacher training – the first time she’d spent an extensive amount of time away from her children and a year after her best friend had passed away from cancer. She found herself alone with her thoughts for the first time in a very long time. “For years, my thoughts and actions were consumed by tending to the needs of others – rarely did I consider what would nourish me,” she says of the eye-opening experience. “As a mother, I felt I had to constantly remain a pillar of strength. Feeling completely safe and supported, finally I was able to just let go. Being on retreat was exactly what I needed to reset, recharge and reshape my mind, body and spirit.”

These days, Leslie considers attending retreats an investment in her own wellbeing. “Every time I come back, I come back a better mother, a better wife, a better person,” she explains. “Sometimes we feel unworthy to indulge in time for ourselves, but we all deserve to be healthy and happy – really there’s no price tag for that. When you start to live a more meaningful life, this also brings more meaning to your loved ones, creating a better and happier world.” She brings these principles into her own retreats, leading guests through a week of wellness activities, coaching, yoga, meditation, nature walks, nourishing vegetarian cuisine and workshops all designed to alter their lives in a positive way. “Life is about evolving,” she continues. “When we personally approach it with a growth mindset we can also bring great value to our lives professionally.”

“Throughout the week my job as a facilitator and coach is really to allow and give participants full permission to slow down,” says Leslie of her role as host. “When we slow down, then and only then, can we invite space in mind, body and spirit, to experience that there is more to life than rushing from one thing to another.” Each day begins with yoga and meditation practice in the mornings – suitable for all levels – to allow participants to be open to the following empowerment workshops and coaching sessions. “The agenda is spaced out really well to give you a great start to the day and then also giving you downtime to relax and have self-reflecting moments as well,” says Jayne.

“Looking at where my life is currently and envisioning how I would like it to be in the future, and then actually having the time and space to document it and understand what steps I need to take to make changes or to make progress… it’s been part of a self-awareness and action plan that I can take forward when I return home.” Supporting clients like Jayne as they re-enter the real world is a priority to Leslie. “I work with clients to help them become more present and conscious to create dramatic shifts in their lives as they integrate back home – that’s when the real work begins.”

“The people I’ve met here have such interesting lives and journeys and I can learn a lot from everyone as I seek my own life journey lessons along the way,” continues Jayne. For Leslie, it is seeing the transformation in her participants over the course of the week. “For me the most enjoyable experience is having everyone finally come together, meet, connect and share this beautiful experience,” she says. “It’s so touching to see, feel and hear the group getting along amazingly from laughing by the pool to hugging each other after workshops to being so deeply connected and exchanging contact info at the end – it’s the little moments that make it so memorable.”

Leslie is now accepting applications for her 2018 November Ibiza Wellness Retreat, which takes place from Thursday 1st to Sunday 4th at professional retreat centre Can Amonita in the island’s beautiful, bohemian north – a stunning traditional Ibiza villa immersed in nature with indoor and outdoor yoga facilities, a swimming pool and plenty of tranquil, sun-drenched corners in which to relax. While the location is indeed very special, the Ibiza Wellness Retreat really is the sum of all its parts. “It’s a combination of the people, the place, Leslie, and enabling us to just be ourselves,” says Saghi, a former participant from Los Angeles who described the overall experience as phenomenal. “Life is about more than just people and things. It’s finding your inner peace and what makes you happy, and being content with that.” Leslie wholeheartedly agrees. “A wellness retreat is so much more than just food and yoga in a fancy location,” she says. “It’s hands-down life changing.”

For the article on White Ibiza go here.

Is there something you’ve been wanting to heal for years? Join me this November 1st – 4th for my annual retreat in Ibiza. Click here for more information and to apply.

Much love and many blessings,

Leslie xx

P.S. Join my FREE private community On Purpose Collective so you can connect with a global group of like-minded people and where I facilitate live weekly & multi-day trainings.