During a random phone conversation with Nina Kovner one morning we discovered she was attending and speaking at a Pilates Retreat hosted by Whole Body Method for their student instructors. She was describing the location in Ojai, CA and we may have invited ourselves to crash the party.

Thinking we would be doing a little mat work and eating really yummy organic food seemed like a fun relaxing weekend. We would still of course be stalking all our favorite hairdressers and hair happenings via the interwebs.

pictures of the nature and wildlife envisioning a new texture entry into the What’s Next Awards or perhaps even NAHA.

Imagine our horror when we pulled up instagram to start sharing our fun and there was no signal. No walk around with your hand up, no stand on top of your car, no signal…not at all…. none. Had we made a grave decision? What were the Nerds to do without our best friend and favorite stalking tool, the internet.

If it isn’t uncomfortable, you aren’t growing…

Pilates Retreat turns #HairVenture

If you have ever sat in on one of PassionSquared’s webinars, you are familiar with Whole Body Method, a Pilates studio in LA. As it turns out, they are truly SO much more! We got to spend time with owners, Nigel and Daria, as well as their Pilates certification students.

Whole Body Method is: a method of working out and within that connects you to health and happiness. A space of calm, in a busy town, designed with the “soul” purpose of uniting your body, mind and spirit. As they like to say, “Connect to your Happiness!”

The weekend was spent recharging our minds, renewing our energy and reflecting. Though don’t think for a second, we didn’t have tons of silly moments and laughter. This was a complete weekend of awesome and as fate would have it you might have a chance to attend something similar! *Details to come..

Push Your Boundaries

Let us be very clear… we have VERY little pilates experience. Sure, a class or two in our twenties… but mostly we just wear yoga pants (to the grocery store) and “pin” pictures of really fit blonde girls with amazing bodies in the gym with sayings like “Excuses Don’t Burn Calories”. (Which as it turns out… they don’t..damn!)

We had no idea we were walking into one of the most inspiring and challenging experiences of our lives. How many times have you felt totally uninspired and thought “ Ok, I need to get to a class or show asap because I am losing it.” We have always preached being involved in the industry and community to keep your creative tank fueled.

What we found this weekend is that sometimes taking a step back and trying something completely different every once in a while might be the perfect solution.

The growth that happened was painful and euphoric all at the same time. Here are a few of our take aways….

Are You HERE?

Like really, really HERE… 100% present in your life. This question was insanely profound to us.

Are you here… with your clients?

Are you here… in education?

Are you here… in your career?

Are you here… at home?

This was a big one for me. I write posts for the website on the sidelines of my kid’s soccer games. Turn HairVentures into pseudo birthday celebrations. I couldn’t even remember the last time I sat with my family and watched a movie without browsing Hairbrained or crafting a plan to stalk someone. -Erin

What are we missing out on by dialing it in and not being truly present in those moments? What are we robbing the people we care about the most of ?

We aren’t saying we are going to become Soccer Team Moms and start driving minivans or stop crashing hair events and hanging with our favorite hairdressers… let’s not get crazy!!

The intention we want to set each day is to be present in every moment. So when we are with clients, we are WITH clients… when it is #HairBaby time, we are WITH the babies… when we are at the Ted Gibson Advanced Academy taking a class, we are 100% immersed in the education and learning experience. (We are just putting that out there… Ted Gibson Advanced Academy or Bust!)

You = Your Business

Talk about a no-brainer…

While working on our career vision boards during PassionSquared’s breakout session, we began to see a direct connection between the things we need to do for ourselves personally and the path we want to take within the industry.

As it turns out.. you need to be your best self to become the best hairdresser, educator, salon owner, etc. It isn’t rocket science, but it definitely took us a minute to get there.

Things as simple as going to bed.. I always say I am going to go to bed early and end up staying up until 3am writing and researching events . As most everyone who knows me can attest, it is not unusual to receive an e-mail from me at 3:30am. The problem is our bodies apparently need sleep to be fully functioning. – Erin

Sometimes You Just Need to Breathe

We spent hours just breathing this weekend. There were actual Breath Workshops and while our first thought was how does one dress and do their hair for a Breath Workshop, it turned out to be INTENSE. After laying on our back we were instructed on circular breath, Nigel kept the pace and in a dimly lit yurt, while we laid there focusing on our breath.

Talk about.. you can run but you can’t hide…. If there were ever any emotions you conveniently stuffed deep down inside and plastered on a fake smile…. you were about to become reacquainted.

By the same token, it was incredible to be still..be calm and let the mind wander. There is something very rejuvenating about just breathing, it is our most basic action.

Let’s do THIS Together!!

So word on the street is that PassionSquared and Whole Body Method might be teaming up to create a Whole Body + Whole Business Retreat for 2015… We hope to see all of our favorite hairdressers there!!! Imagine all the fun we could have.. There are yurts for crying out loud! #YurtLife

While it may seem like we are just trying to lure you to a remote location and hold you hostage, we promise to be on our very best behavior because we think EVERYONE could get a ton out of a weekend like this!

Hair Nerds go to Camp