Gentle and restorative Yoga on Retreat

Keeping the body moving during a fast deepens awareness and relaxation

The Yoga offered is super gentle, and becomes progressively more horizontal as the week goes on as your energy levels fall. It maintains a fluidity not found if you grind to a halt and hibernate, as many tend to do while fasting.

Much of the hour-long session each day is spent on simple stretches that relax the Psoas and other major, deep muscle groups - this increases the sense of presence and overall relaxation, whilst focusing one’s attention on the internal mechanisms that affect our mood and well-being.

On Retreat

The Yoga plays a very therapeutic role on the retreats. Many people would simply curl up in a ball and become as sedentary as possible. And there certainly are times in the week when that is the best attitude to hold. However, as a general rule of thumb, if the body is able to move, without strain and stress.

Moving of any form helps the process of detoxification by motivating the blood. As the blood is the major vehicle, along with the lymph, for moving toxins around and out of the system, it is important to keep this flowing. Too little movement and the blood will become a dumping ground for toxins, without being able to shed them fast enough, and will become congested, leaving you feeling drained and depressed.

However, too much exertion, and the system will very quickly run out of available energy, and slump thereafter. So a fine balance is required, that is dynamic and surprisingly inconsistent. Only you will know what that balance is as any given moment.

We clearly recognise that as the week progresses, retreatants become less able to perform the more energetic postures, and so, the sessions become progressively horizontal. However, there is as much to explore in this position as any other, and people are frequently surprised how much more relaxed they can become consciously on the floor, rather than on a sofa watching telly !

Nikki and Jamus share the yoga throughout the year.

Posture Work

Asanas (yoga postures) strengthen and tone the body, improving the flow of energy, bringing the physical systems of the body and breath into balance.

Moving with awareness of the breath we learn to still the mind for meditation.

The objective in asana work is not how far you can stretch or contort your body, but to combine stability with ease and relaxation in the mind and body.