The 2017 retreat lotto has now closed. We have been overjoyed with everyone's inspiring pledges…
2018 Free Retreat at Yoga Rocks #PositiveChangeRetreat
#PositiveChangeRetreat is now closed and the winner is drawn. Congratulations to Melissa Joy whose post you can see below. Sorry you couldn’t all win! Enjoy your positive changes.
#PositiveChangeRetreat is back. Another chance to win a retreat at Yoga Rocks by pledging to make changes in the way you interact with your environment. You get to make a positive impact and maybe win a revitalising holiday – can you say no to that in 2018?
Some ask can we make a real difference? – who knows, but with much at stake for the next generations why not give it a shot. Certainly you can make an immediate difference in the small circles around ourselves and sometimes this can expand outwards. Happily most changes you make for the sake of the world around you simultaneously make you feel better too. An old friend, when he was a doctor in LA with depressed unemployed actors in his surgery, used to tell them helping someone would probably be better for their condition than medication!
Last year after a slow start we were really overjoyed with the many pledges we received. We know one lovely Evelien whose pledge began with the idea of picking up litter once a week from the river Maas near her home. This snowballed as first friends then others got involved and evolved into an operation called YouPickItUp. The quest even got televised and picked up some scientific help that tried to establish which businesses up river some of the plastics were coming from. For us it was a dream outcome from the lotto – the sort of outward spiral that enthusiastically committing to something positive can create.
Our idea is that you pledge to do something tangible in your daily life to help the environment or other beings. Everyone is at different points in life – maybe cutting meat intake is a real and big change for some and potentially a springboard in the future. Presently plastics are in the news and there is a tiny, yet visible, move towards veganism with new vegan businesses popping up and options on the most mainstream of menus. It doesn’t have to be an expensive fad or old news next week. Let’s jump on this shift. For ideas try checking out last year’s entries on the 2017 entries on Facebook or the 2017 holiday giveaway page.
Please think before you post! The aim is that the pledge is to be a truly tangible shift for you, effecting your behaviour in the outside world, rather than a change in the inner landscape such as a dedication to a daily meditation practice. While these very personal practice developments are massively important and undoubtedly have a huge effect on your worldly presence, they are not what we are looking for here. We are hoping to encourage a direct positive change in the world around us. Choose a realistic goal but why not stretch yourself just a little as you would during an yoga asana practice. If we feel an entry doesn’t quite hit the spot, we’ll contact you so you can make it more suitable. Yoga asana starts with obvious physical changes but more subtle mental shifts like the ones we are hoping these pledges require can be more liberating.
When Facebooking please post with the hashtags #yogarocks #positivechangeretreat especially if posting on your own wall. We need to be sure to find your entries! Otherwise post in the group event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/213700459197170/ (you’ll have to request to join the group to post here – bear with us adding you to the group) If you have no Facebook or don’t Tweet we obviously don’t want to exclude you – please enter by commenting at the bottom of this page.
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/yogarocksretreat/
If Tweeting please #yogarocks #positivechangeretreat, or alternatively tweet @yogarockscrete. Twitter: https://twitter.com/YogaRocksCrete
small print:
- The holiday is for any week on our website where we still have spaces. This is an all-inclusive yoga holiday – yoga, room, food etc. It is sharing a twin room. Flights to Crete and travel to the retreat is not included. We reserve the right to offer to pay for flights and/or transfers for the winner should we feel it is appropriate.
- Competition closing date will be Sunday 21 January. We will put all entries into the draw and use a random number generator to pick the winner. The winner will be chosen by this random method rather than the best, biggest or most impressive commitment.
- If you win and already have a retreat booked with us in 2018 we’ll refund the holiday cost so you do have a free holiday or alternatively you can always choose to come twice!
If you’re feeling it please share this giveaway with would be retreaters everywhere, the more folk that get involved, the more positive change 🙂
Comments (19)
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Thank you for such a wonderful epic prize for life-changing experience in 2018 🙂
Much Love!
Kerry
I pledge to buy a reusable coffee cup instead of using a disposable one for takeaway coffee.
My pledge this year..(dont have FB )
I heard from a colleague that the books in the waiting room of the cancer ward of the largest hospital here in town are so boring and out dated so Ive already sent a whole bag of nice looking coffee table type inspirational litterature for them to have there for the patients.
I will continue this throughout the year and visit hospitals myself. I work with books in a second hand shop so I can freely choose daily among the nuggets to lighten the day and stay for sick people in our community.
Thank you for this wonderful opportunity!
Love n light.
Cecilia Vike (Sweden) ceciliavike@icloud.com
In 2018 I want to change my life to less waste, getting closer and closer to zero waste by using and developing alternative products and habits. I want to document my efforts on my blog and instagram (both currently set up but not yet filled with content) to inspire and motivate others. Every little step counts and I want to become part of that global community that believes we can change the world by changing litlle things in our life’s.
This is a great opportunity to commit properly to this – thank you.
I pledge to seriously start trying to make a community orchard happen in my very, very urban part of East London. I have a possible site in mind, just need to get a group together, contact the local school, start badgering the council, and get going! #orchardsfortowerhamlets
Hi!
I pledge to refuse all plastic straws, and encourage pubs etc to use paper straws instead.
Thanks!
xxx
Wishing you all the best for 2018
I pledge and promise to continue my yoga practice followed by cold showers and baths every day!
But first and foremost I will do my fare share to clean our oceans and planet from plastic!!
I will use as little as possible myself and dispose of all trash I see and try to inspire others in hope of spreading engagement and awareness!!!!
Best regards!
Namaste 🙂
Dear all,
Being made more aware of the terrible meat industry, I will pledge the following:
When buying meat for cooking, I will only buy organic. Plus, I will add at least two vegetarian days a week. No meat or fish on these days.
To many these are baby steps, but I do intend to learn how to walk 🙂
Love, Lisette
In the small town in which I live, a number of asylum seekers are being hosted. The mayor has set up a programme for volunteers to train them on skills, including language skills. I don’t have much spare time but I will volunteer to give regular support to this programme and see how I can help provide opportunities to people who are starting their lives again from zero.
Many thanks Yoga Rocks for your Positive Change initiative 🙂
This year I pledge to stop eating animal products so that I do not add to the suffering of our fellow creatures. I will also volunteer time in a recycling/up-cycling center to reuse stuff already created and reduce landfill. I will blog about the experiences of doing this and what my thoughts are along the way, (relating to how accessible it is to do so and what I get out of doing it)
I pledge to dedicate time to teach refugee children English, a useful language to speak no matter where they find a home.
My pledge for 2018 …my partner and I are already doing veganuary and have decided that we will continue throughout the year..which is a big thing for us really as we were huge meat lovers! Funny that neither of us have missed meat though. I also pledge to keep reusing my tote bags and not buy unnecessary plastics, I already refuse straws and am working on my godsons dad to stop buying them for him too.
Thanks for the opportunity to share.#positivechangeretreat
I’m not a resolution kinda gal, I try to do a little better every day and live in such a way that brings joy to the world around me! I’ve been thinking on this to participate and doing my research and have chosen to not consume anything that relates to another one of God’s creatures suffering in order for me to nourish my body. And to educate myself daily to avoid blinders. I am a bodybuilder and nutrition is a HUGE part of my journey. I discover something new each day, for example: the vegan protein bar I eat almost daily contains chocolate that is not recommended due to trafficking in Africa. Children are forced to suffer for me to eat this…no more. I cut bee pollen and my brand of coffee… I also will not feed others things that I would not consume myself! I read labels and google…I plan to extend this to my clothing and my business. I believe the more I learn the easier it becomes and it brings me joy to share with others my discoveries! I think the best way to lead is by example and each little person matters! Everything you consume is what you become and what a lovely thought to one day your entire body is composed of nothing that has harmed another! This summer I will celebrate my 40th year of life and I’ve never felt better mentally or physically…I want many more to be on this page! Much love and many blessings❤️
My pledge for this year…
Only use my bike for another year and not buy myself a car 😊
Everything we can do for the enviroment has an impact!
I feel extremely sad about our seas and oceans. The fact that we have created a ‘plastic soup’ in them. After watching Sir David Attenborough’s ‘Blue Planet’ and hearing about dolphin’s milk is toxic for their young, as well as what is inside the ocean animals, has left me upset and speechless. We all have to try and find ways of raising awareness, especially in developing countries. I will pay even greater attention to recycling and where ever possible avoiding plastic packaging, bags, bottles, etc and search out recycled materials. I will do all that I can, to raise awareness in my home country – Poland, through use of social media especially.
I love the way positive actions will make a vibe which pulses through more than we know.
Therefor I put my pledge into the world and ask the greater being to give me help to fulfill this so I can keep it going for a year.
My pledge sprung in my mind, what would be out of my comfortzone and be helping others?
I started with thinking about pieces in the Desiderata, from Max Ehrmann, that could help me.
This was mostly all about myself, but i saw something that triggers my comfortzone, so now my pledge:
I am going to share my food, healthy and bio, share it as a meal or give vegetables or fruit from our own garden, to people that have needs. This will start once a week for one year. And i will share this in my facebook account, so people can have a look and encourage me if i have that need.
José Jeurninck-Heijnen
I thank you for the opportunity to think in positive ways, only with that at home i can bring a positive change in the world. Not only in Crete but just at home it is also possible.
X José
My wish is that it will inspire others, just like Evelien did.
#positivechangeretreat
Im planning to go work as a volunteer again with Floating Doctors to help people in remote areas in Panama getting help and advise from doctors, nurses and other Health Care professionals when we put up medical clinics in their local environment. I did this in 2017 and it made so much sense❤️🙏🏻
Stop buying milk in plastic bottles and encourage the industry to develop environmentally friendly containers and packaging. ❤️🕊
Inspiring initiative !
My pledge for 2018 and beyond is: to the best of my abilities (living in Bali that is) even more reduce plastic in my surroundings: no straws, no plastic bags for take away food, buy in bulk all that is possible, clothes and the list can be longer.