From the MASSAGE Magazine article, "For Self-Care, Retreat," by Brandi Schlossberg, in the July 2010 issue. Article summary: If building quality breaks into your schedule has proven difficult, consider taking a retreat. Leaving town, you won’t be tempted to check e-mail, do chores, stay glued to a cell phone or book that last-minute client.

by Sunny Klaber

It's no wonder the massage industry is experiencing an increase in demand for continuing education (CE) retreats. Who wouldn't jump at the opportunity to fulfill CE requirements while relaxing on an exotic beach in Brazil, or while floating on a bamboo classroom in Thailand? There are many obvious reasons to clear time in your schedule and take advantage of a week or two of tax-deductible wellness—the sun, the healthy food, the sleep and the time for reflection—but have you ever thought about what an amazing networking opportunity this style of holiday offers?

As massage therapists, we spend a lot of time working alone or in settings where time for meaningful, uninterrupted work-related dialog with colleagues is hard to come by. As a result, many massage therapists are looking for new ways to cultivate peer relationships, find the guidance

and support they need to take their careers to the next level and catalyze positive changes in the massage industry at large.

Continuing education retreats provide a perfect environment for massage therapists to satisfy their essential need to connect interpersonally and grow professionally.

I have been facilitating continuing education retreats for six years, and I can attest to the fact that when a participant makes the choice to let go of her daily routine and become fully engaged in learning new skills with like-minded people who are similarly motivated to make a valuable contribution to the healing arts community, magically synergistic relationships evolve. The groundwork is laid for inspiring personal transformations to occur and powerful collaborations to manifest.

If you are ready to galvanize your career and your life, register for the continuing education retreat of you dreams and make it happen.

Sunny Klaber is the program director at Integral Travel, where she designs and facilitates cross-cultural continuing Edventures in Spain, Brazil, Thailand, Maui and beyond. She writes a travel blog on www.massagemag.com that celebrates massage as a medium for exploring our inner and outer worlds.

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