Dear friend,
I recently went on a 4 day silent retreat with my sons Mahdi and Kazim.
I hadn’t seen them in 8 months and felt it would be a good opportunity for us not just to connect, but to reboot and get support on an individual level and together as a family.
To my surprise, the kids did not resist, and despite it being their first time embarking on a silent retreat, they did not find it too challenging and are keen to do it again. Maybe without me next time…
During the retreat, we only spoke to Dr. D, who was there to support us during the experience. Every morning and late afternoon we did yoga, meditated and swam. We would take a nap after lunch which was a first for the boys. We were all vegetarian so as to keep energy consumed by digestion to a minimum, and had early nights.
It took the boys two days to feel a shift in their energy levels. As they were still spending a lot of time at home, with Kazim having his classes online, the continuous time spent indoors and online had really impacted their energy levels.
Daily physical activities during the retreat kept us alert, combined with the yoga and meditation which helped calm the mind to find our inner stillness. We also took the time to reflect on what needed to be purged – writing down all that no longer served us, and things we needed to let go of. It took me 2 days, and the boys 3 day to let go but after, we were able to write down what we now wanted to invite into our lives.
The retreat allowed us to go through an internal cleanse and feel grounded again. We were able to press “control alt delete” and reboot our system.
I was pleasantly surprised as I shared with families post retreat, their interest in wanting me to help them create something similar for themselves and their family, and a number of others who requested if they could join me on my next silent retreat.
As we are halfway through the year, please consider taking some time to reboot. I invite you to reflect on what you need to let go of, and what you want to welcome into your life.
With love and gratitude,
feisal
We may not be able to stop our mind or thoughts, but we can teach our mind how to ‘think better’ – producing happier, more uplifting thoughts by having an awareness when our mind starts going in a negative direction. Life Fulfillment head Anisa Carim shows us how we can practice self-love and self-care by bringing out the inner child in us to have fun and stay true to who we are.
Our Functional Medicine Head Dr. D shares simple ways we can try to boost our immunity and improve our physical, mental and emotional state.
The inflated ego that comes with success often makes us feel as if we’ve found the eternal answer to being a leader. But the reality is, we haven’t. Breaking free of an overly-protective or inflated ego and avoiding the leadership bubble is an important and challenging job that requires selflessness, reflection, and courage. Read more here
It’s easy to pass on business plans and profits and trust funds, but it’s far more challenging (and important) to pass on our values. The things that will offer our children and grandchildren the opportunity to not only grow the businesses we created but be happy doing so. Read more here
About 33 million or so Americans have quit their jobs since last spring in a phenomenon commonly called the “Great Resignation.” While family businesses have historically done better at retention than non-family firms, now is a great time to take a look at why this is. Read more here
Jeff Bezos and Peter Thiel are pouring huge sums into startups aiming to keep us all young – or even cheat death. And the science isn’t as far-fetched as you might think. Read more here
“If you create the right kind of atmosphere within you and around you, existence will respond to you in a wonderful way.”
– Sadhguru
“When we embrace each situation as it arises, treating it as just right for that particular moment, gratitude permeates our state of being.”
– feisal alibhai