Happy Daze: SpotLIGHT on the 2023 Fall Retreat!

The L.I.G.H.T. House is a theme house on campus dedicated to promoting a healthy lifestyle for individuals and the community. It is centered around the ideas of achieving balance and self-awareness through mindfulness; like yoga, meditation, journaling, group discussions and more. The L.I.G.H.T. House is located at 17 College St. and hosts weekly events upholding health and wellness. If you are not familiar with the L.I.G.H.T. House, I recommend you get familiar as they aim to improve the lives of students, and some of their events can truly transform your journey at St. Lawrence University.   

One of the amazing opportunities they offer to students is the chance to go on a weekend-long yoga retreat in Lake Placid, New York. This has been offered for many years at the University; however, it faced inevitable turbulence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Luckily, this relaxing weekend has made a comeback in the last three years and is kindly funded by the L.I.G.H.T. House, the Wellness Education Office and Thelmo’s Student Activity Contingency Fund. I was fortunate enough to attend this event and want to spread my gratitude and share my experience in hopes others embark on the pursuit of becoming the best versions of themselves and healthier in their habits.   

The retreat was run by a talented SLU alumnus Anna Izzo ’18 who currently runs her own wellness brand, Wholly BanAnna. The retreat consisted of hiking, wellness workshops, farm-to-table meals, art, meditation time, breathwork and of course, yoga. About 15 SLU students were able to attend and were picked via lottery. We all loaded into a university van Friday evening for two nights and one and a half days of healing. Upon arrival in Lake Placid, we stayed in a rented house that had plenty of space for everyone and was warm and inviting. I was able to rest in a way I have not been able to on campus, as the nature surrounding the house provided a quiet space for reflection and relaxation. During our time together, we engaged in a range of yoga practices that encompassed the well-being of our mind and spirit in addition to our bodies, including therapeutic and restorative yoga! As a special treat, we practiced Nidra (or sleep) yoga with an outside practitioner SLU alumni Morgan Doyle ’19! The experience, of course, would not be complete without Anna’s dog and fellow yogi, Loyo, who provided wonderful support and cuddles.   

Overall, the experience was immensely positive as this provided much-needed rest and relaxation from the chaos on campus. I was able to meet many like-minded peers who also valued and prioritized yoga and wellness and formed healthy habits outside of campus. Many have often questioned whether a similar retreat would be successful on campus, and to that I would respectfully argue it would not be. What made this retreat special and memorable is that I was able to escape the unspoken social pressures that inevitably fall on students living on campus. This retreat offered adequate space from campus so that we could reflect on who we are fundamentally, not just who we are on campus. This was major for me as each semester I find it hard to separate myself as a SLU student and myself as a person. This is primarily due to the fact that, at St. Lawrence, I eat, sleep, study, party and work all on campus. Can you relate? Unfortunately, we all, in some way, have felt all-encompassed in the SLU culture, and this can, at times, be too much. This is why it is so important to have an outlet and break away from campus.  

Though our time at SLU may be memorable and impactful, it is a small portion of our adult lives. We must be able to function and support ourselves out of the SLU bubble, and this retreat was one way to help us build healthy habits to do just that. I hope to see more opportunities like this for connection, self-discovery and growth in the future and urge all eligible students to give an experience like this a shot- it will be an experience to remember. A big thank you to the L.I.G.H.T. House for organizing this event and Thelmo and the Wellness Office for helping fund mental health initiatives like this on campus!