Aloha, babes! I am back from Maui and feeling so inspired, motivated, and grateful?
This post might be a long one, just because trying to sum up 5 incredible days in the most beautiful place surrounded by exceptional women is pretty challenging! But, I do want to tell you a bit more about the We Are Haumea Mother of Fire Retreat, which was originally organized by Joie Ruggiero, a Maui native, fitness instructor, and all-around stunning human being inside and out!
I was given the opportunity to participate in the Mother of Fire Retreat after meeting Joie last month at an event. I knew that with the timing of things to come (aka me launching my business!), going to Hawaii for a few days of fitness, fun, manifestation, empowerment, and connection was just what I needed to kick things off.
So, without further ado, let me share with you some of my favorite moments from my trip to Maui, Hawaii with We Are Haumea!
Athletic Geometry with Joie – You guys. If I had to pick a favorite workout of all time (that isn’t a dance class), it would have to be Joie’s class. It’s a combination of cardio dance and sculpting, and though it’s quite possibly the hardest workout I’ve ever done, it’s SO fun. Each move has a true purpose and helps sculpt more than one muscle group at a time, so it’s efficient, too. Joie teaches at ModelFit in LA and Alo Yoga too, if you’re in the area and ever want to go to her class!
Manifesting with Gwen – On our first full day of the retreat, we had our first workshop with Gwen, who was the vision and healing coach throughout our days in Maui. The first of her three workshops was my absolute favorite because we got to dive deep into what we see for ourselves in the future. We wrote down on paper who, what and where we want to be. Instead of writing these things down as “I want” we wrote them in present tense as “I am.” We then spoke these desires out loud to one another and somehow it made them feel more tangible, like there was no question that we could achieve each and every one of them. Afterwards, I felt like I could do ANYTHING, and still do.
Yoga with Elise – I can’t even tell you how sad I am that Elise is based in New York because I would literally take her yoga class every day! While her classes definitely call in strength and make you sweat, they also stretch and move the muscles in ways I don’t do very often. Her voice is incredibly soothing, she’s funny, kind, helps with poses if you need any adjustments, and really brings something unique to her practice. If you’re based in NY too, find her at any of the three Sky Ting locations!
Getting to Know the Women – I truly think the best part of an experience like this is meeting the other people. It’s kind of amazing, but all 9-10 of us had incredibly unique backgrounds and yet had so many things in common, too. For example, Elise and I actually went to NYU at the same time and even have mutual friends. How crazy is that?! I just couldn’t have asked for a more incredible group of strong, powerful women to be surrounded by. Some were in their late 20’s or early 30’s like me, some were mothers, some were business owners and some were just trying to figure out what they wanted to do, but we ALL connected in a way I can’t even begin to describe.
Sunrise at Haleakala – So I’ve seen the sunrise at Haleakala before, but I can tell you that it is just as breathtaking the second time around (and probably the 3rd or 4th, too). We woke up at 4:45, drove up the mountain and caught the sunrise from the 3rd tallest mountain in the world at 7:05am. I’ve never seen anything like this anywhere else in the world – you’re high up above the clouds and the colors are just spectacular. If you’re lucky, the park rangers will be chanting in Hawaiian as the sun rises, but no matter what you’ll be able to see the incredible crater with deep red rocks once the sun has fully risen.
Exploring the Grounds at Lumeria Maui – Man did I try to take a photo beautiful enough to do this property justice, but I don’t think I even came close. Imagine the most lush place you’ve ever seen, add in some gorgeous red and purple plants, palms, and hibiscus flowers. Then include a few beautiful buddha statues, twinkle lights in the trees, an area with 4-5 hammocks, a great lawn and a stunning pool. Please just come visit this magical hotel if you ever get the chance! The food was to die for, too.
Beach Workout + Cleanup – This one was another super special moment to me. On day three, we did a bit of sculpting on Baby Beach, then spent about 40 minutes picking up micro plastic from the beach. At first you don’t even notice it (it almost looks like specks of colorful seaglass) but then you realize it’s EVERYWHERE – just tiny pieces of plastic that sea creatures like turtles can accidentally swallow littering the beach. Seeing how real this micro plastic problem is made me feel a bit helpless, but also motivated to reduce my plastic usage now that I’m back home. I’m also grateful that we had the opportunity to give back to the land we were visiting.
Well, if you made it the end of this post, you’re a rockstar and I can’t even begin to express how much gratitude I have for this platform and the incredible people it’s brought into my life. If you want more, you can watch my vlog from the trip below:
Thank you for reading and please let me know if the comments if you have any questions! I truly think anyone could benefit from attending a retreat like We Are Haumea – it truly is life changing!
xo Jordan