Hi there, friends and yogis. Welcome to the Align Yogi podcast. I'm Autumn, founder of Ambuja Yoga and your host today.
I'm so excited to take you on a little journey. If you have ever wondered what it takes to create the space for transformation, community, and healing through yoga retreats, or if you've dreamed of joining one, this podcast is for you. Today I'm going to share how this whole journey started.
It's a story of bold moves, big dreams, and a lot of learning along the way. Over the years, I've discovered that my path to becoming a retreat leader is a little bit abnormal, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I think you'll find it inspiring, especially if you've ever felt called to make a leap in your own life.
I'd love to go ahead and kind of set the stage, give you a little bit of background. My husband and I had just gotten married and went on a six-month honeymoon traveling all around Southeast Asia. We trekked, we danced under the full moon, we swam in the sea, we snorkeled, we scuba dived, we climbed up crazy mountain peaks, went on some really amazing adventures, and we also got to practice yoga in some incredible locations.
People often ask me, is this the most beautiful place you've ever done yoga? I never know how to answer that question because I've been so fortunate to practice yoga and teach yoga in so many beautiful locations, but it was during this trip that I feel like I really embraced yoga as something more than just the physical poses. When we got back from our honeymoon back to Portland, Oregon, Steve and I were both on the same page that we were ready to do something different, to mix things up, shake it up a little bit. We packed up and moved to Bend, Oregon, a place where I had grown up visiting as a child with my family, but Steven had never really been there.
It was during that first or maybe second weekend in Bend that I met a lady named Jeannie who owned a yoga studio downtown Bend. She had a yoga teacher training that was starting in two weeks, so I had an opportunity to chat with her, connect with her, take a yoga class from her. Before you know it, I was signed up for a yoga teacher training.
I didn't even really think twice about it. I didn't have anything else going on at the time. I wasn't working yet because we had just moved and something inside me was just saying, yes, do it.
Now is the time because I had looked at yoga teacher trainings in the past, but the
universe was definitely giving me that nudge that I needed. It was perfect timing. It was that divine timing.
It was about halfway through this training where I had a deep undeniable feeling that there was something more, that I was meant to teach yoga, but not just any yoga. I didn't necessarily want to just teach at yoga studios and gyms. I wanted to lead yoga retreats.
I wanted to create spaces where people could step away from the busyness of life and reconnect with themselves in beautiful, inspiring settings like I had had the opportunity to do during my honeymoon. And so it wasn't too long after I kind of had that self- realization that I decided to launch my business. So I launched Ambuja Yoga, still in my yoga teacher training.
And a few months after training, I led my first retreat in Oregon. I think I had six women sign up. One of them was my mother.
Another was my aunt and I had a friend sign up and a couple of women from the internet, but I did it. I just leapt right in headfirst, dove in. And then a few months later, I led another retreat in Nicaragua.
I maybe had like 10 or 11 people. I can't really remember the numbers. It was a long time ago.
That following summer, I hosted another retreat in Oregon and I had 17 women. So it was growing. Something I was doing was right.
And then in the next year, my third year, I had 36 women sign up for the Back to Nature retreat in Oregon. And that was the year that I had to add a second session. I think I had 16 or 17 or so sign up for that second session.
It was also the first year that I realized that I couldn't do it all myself and I needed to bring on an assistant. So I brought on Tony and she has been with me ever since. She's absolutely incredible.
And it was around that third or fourth year when I discovered that the women that were joining the retreats, they weren't just seeking yoga. Yes, yoga was like the common denominator that was bringing us together, but they were seeking more than that. They were seeking connection with themselves and with other women.
They were seeking empowerment and healing. They were seeking an opportunity to rest and recharge, but also to be seen, to be witnessed, to be accepted. And that was exactly the space that I was creating.
It's been really amazing over the years because I get these sweet emails from students
from previous years and they'll be like, hey Autumn, remember, remember during that ceremony when I said I wanted to call in dah, dah, dah, dah, dah. It's happened. It's come true.
And that is the biggest blessing as a yoga retreat facilitator, seeing these women realize their dreams. I've had students open the boutiques that they've wanted to open, open the yoga studios they've wanted to open by the land that they saw in their vision. Absolutely incredible.
But it's more than even just about the women that attend these retreats. It's about the ripple effect that comes from these women realizing their power, realizing their strength and their gifts and going out into their communities, living a life that feels so aligned and abundant and joyful and connected to their truth. They are going back to their communities and inspiring other women to take charge of their lives, to love abundantly, to be willing to take the big leaps.
They are teaching their children to be confident and compassionate and strong. And it's moments like these that make me realize just how much impact these retreats can have. Empowered women empower others.
They ripple confidence, strength, and growth into their families, their communities, and the world. And now it's 2024 and I've led more retreats than I can count. And I'm not going to lie.
It hasn't always been easy. It hasn't always been sunshine and rainbows. And I wouldn't change a thing over the years.
I feel like I have had every curve ball just about thrown my way while hosting retreats. From torrential downpours to scorpions falling on people's yoga mats during class. We led retreats all through COVID.
I led retreats while pregnant with Atlas. After I had Atlas, I brought him along on retreat. I'm not impervious to the challenges that other retreat facilitators are facing.
I just see those challenges as opportunities for growth, opportunities for possibility for trying something new. That I think is where my success has come from. The willingness to do the hard things, the willingness to pivot, to get outside of my comfort zone.
This journey hasn't been without challenges, without doubt. Logistics, learning, but the joy of facilitating transformation keeps me going. So let's go ahead and fast forward 10 plus years over a decade later and Ambusha Yoga is thriving.
I'm leading over 10 retreats in 2025 and getting ready to travel the world while doing work that truly lights me up. I am living the dream I envisioned all those years ago and it still feels surreal sometimes. That is exactly what I want for each of my students.
I feel so fortunate and so blessed that I get to travel regularly. I get to bring my son along on these adventures. I get to bring my husband along sometimes.
I get to be in community with beautiful, empowered women. I get to show them what is possible. Whenever I share that I launched a yoga retreat business fresh out of yoga teacher training, I always get like wild eyes, big smiles and like, oh what? That's crazy or that's amazing from the people that hear that story.
But here's the thing, we are all capable of taking big leaps just like that to step into our truth and I want you to know that I see that for you. I see that that is possible for you. So I want to know what big leap are you going to take this year? In the next episode I will be diving into the hidden benefits of yoga retreats beyond the yoga itself.
We'll talk about why these experiences are so much more than a getaway and how they can truly transform your life. You're not going to want to miss it. Until then, have a beautiful day and week and I'll see you next time.
Bye for now. If you're inspired by today's story, I'd love for you to join my email community for the behind-the-scenes insights, retreat news and exclusive content. You can sign up at ambujayoga.com or autumnadamsyoga.com.
