The Woman's Retreat Book :The Woman's Retreat Book :
A Guide to Restoring, Rediscovering, and Reawakening
Your True Self in a Moment, an Hour, a Day, or a Weekend
by Jennifer Louden
Paperback, 336 pages
Published by Harper San Francisco
Publication date: April 1, 1997
ISBN: 0062514660
Publisher's Synopsis :
A women's retreat springs from and is guided by a woman's inner knowing.
A woman's retreat is about stepping out of your ordinary existence to listen
to your truest,most authentic self. It is sacred (set apart) time to spend
tending the hearth of your inner life,feeding your muse, reclaiming your
dreams. Precious solitude in which you can assess what needs attention,celebration,
gratitiude and revision in your life. A place to reaffirm your values by
giving yourself permission to do what you need when you need it, not when
you think you should or when someone else thinks you should.
Fast becoming the way of the 90's, retreat is a simple, affordable way to "get away from it all," alone or with friends, and reconnect with yourself, whether you have ten minutes or a weekend. Now, Jennifer Louden, the modern-day pioneer of women's well-being, has created the ultimate retreat book for today's stressed-out women.
Filled with practical planning ideas, easy to-do-exercises, and inspiring discussions of how and why to retreat- all in handy, accessible sections and sidebars- The Woman's Retreat Book continues Louden's successful series of guides that focus on women's particular needs.With warmth and humor, Louden offers sound advice that is appropriate for all women who need to retreat from the rush of everyday life in order to nourish, revitalize, and rediscover themselves.
Reviews:
SinginRose, 12/22/97, A wonderful how-to manual for personal retreats
I found this book to be chock-full of excellent ideas, exercises and suggestions.
The author, Jennifer Louden, describes and outlines the key elements of a retreat, and includes retreat outlines. These include retreats lasting days or 'mini-retreats' of as little as 2 minutes.
I think it's a must-have for any woman interested in creating her own 'sacred mental space'. The exercises are well thought-out, numerous music suggestions are recommended, and there are notes in the margins for cross-referencing.
The author, Jennifer Louden , 07/14/97,
Everybody Needs to Retreat
Everybody needs to retreat. I wrote The Woman's Retreat Book because I thought
going on a retreat meant going somewhere and being lead by someone else.
But with a young child and a career, I couldn't do that. And while I was
still taking time for myself, I often felt I wasn't going deep enough, wasn't
gaining the peace and perspective I craved. And so I set out to discover
what a retreat really was and how you could do one for yourself, even if
all the time you have is ten minutes waiting in the car for your child to
get out of soccer practice or a day by yourself in your home. I love this
book -- I'm very proud of it. I think you might find it will help you discover
the gifts of retreat in a simple, profound way.