Moving to Kenya has been transformational for yoga teacher, Laura Bunting, who found that immersing herself in wildlife has helped melt her stress away.
"In Kenya, we live with the sunrise and the sunset," she tells me via Zoom. "I live in a tented room, so when the sun rises, I get up, and when the sun sets, you can't sit on your computer and do last-minute work because it will attract all the bugs, so once it's dark you just have to go to bed - and it's really nice!"
It's not just living by the rising and setting sun that has changed Laura's life, but also by being immersed in wildlife. "In Kenya you are witnessing animals on such a large scale, watching them go about their daily life, without all the pressures and stress that we have in our lives.
"I sit and observe this whole world that's going on around me, without all the pressures of a to-do list or making plans for the future. It humbles me as a human to wonder why we are so complicated, what’s the reason?
"Living among wildlife has helped me realise that all the stresses I've felt don't matter. They're put on pause and I feel lighter when I do need to address them. It has been really nurturing to be humbled by wildlife."
So impacted by her life in Kenya, Laura now runs Wildlife & Yoga Retreats in Tsavo, where she lives, to help others experience the majesty of Kenya. Laura also releases recorded yoga classes for those unable to travel to Kenya, who still want a slice of nature.
© TEAGAN CUNNIFFELaura's retreats are designed to help people reset to their base level, as she explains: "When I host retreats, I don't engage in small talk. I don't ask people what they do for work or if they're married. I leave the space for people to come as they are and communicate as they are, rather than all these layers of ourselves that we have created in society.
"It's resetting people to their base without the external noise," she explains.
The move to Kenya
Laura moved to Tsavo to be with her boyfriend, who is a pilot.
"I extended my trip and extended my trip," Laura said of how she ended up moving to the remote area of East Africa. "I was in the wilderness with no people around, with no pressure, and it honestly changed my life.
"The initial move wasn't forced, I just went with the flow and it was one of the best things I've ever done," she says.
DISCOVER: I ditched my phone for a whole week – here's what I learned
Laura then decided to host yoga retreats, and despite major nerves, her refreshing approach to failure kept her from feeling too overwhelmed.
© TEAGAN CUNNIFFE"I had serious butterflies about setting up my retreats, but when you take a leap, that is when the good stuff happens - or nothing happens, and nobody even knows you failed!
"If your attempt doesn't work out, it doesn't matter, because it never really started," she laments.
"If my yoga retreats hadn't gone well, nobody would have thought much about them because nobody would have known! But luckily, they grew and are now flourishing.
INSPIRATION: Why 'life-changing' transformation retreats are set to be 2024's biggest travel trend
"I personally thrive off change rather than comfort, and living here there's no sense of grounding, you can be happy wherever you lay your hat."
Find out more about Laura's retreats, and join her online classes here.
