I am still buzzing after our first Sunday Mini Yoga Retreat. Four lovely people came and we met down on the beach at the north end. Blue sky, no breeze and a full, foaming surf. We walked up to an area of lawn, surrounded by native bush and overlooking the ocean and did yoga there. Nothing beats doing yoga in nature. How I love looking at nature in an inverted pose!
Afterwards we walked to a place where we sat under pohutakawas and looked over the ocean -out to Mayor Island - below surfers caught waves and we could hear the pounding and spraying of the swell on rocks. It was like being on a ship with only the ocean before us. Here we meditated for about 20 minutes as we experienced a different meditative technique, although two people thought the view was too beautiful to close their eyes and they sat and drank in the view.
Back at the studio we enjoyed breakfast on the sunny deck -again amidst bush. Fresh fruit platter, quinoa flavoured with cardamon and cinnamon with chia seeds, linseeds, almonds, ginger, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, dried apricots and prunes for the gluten free ones and crunchy granola for the other with yoghurt. I had made fresh almond milk which was good for the lactose intolerant people and they enjoyed it.
The bread I made early in the morning was very similar to Vogels - and one I will definitely put in my repetoire (from Annabel Langbein's book), otherwise there was gluten free toasted bread with homemade conserves or avocado.
Teas were from the garden - lemongrass and fresh ginger or sage, rosemary, oregano flowers and kaffir lime leaves. All this while the sun shone, the tuis chorused and we chatted.
Meditation workshop was to share thoughts and research and ideas to motivate people into their daily meditation practice and then we did several different practices. Over the morning we did 5 different meditative practices and the advice was to find a practice that they enjoyed and continue on a regular basis for a while.
I am so looking forward to the next Sunday Mini Yoga Retreat on the last Sunday of next month and hopefull they will run all year.
Afterwards we walked to a place where we sat under pohutakawas and looked over the ocean -out to Mayor Island - below surfers caught waves and we could hear the pounding and spraying of the swell on rocks. It was like being on a ship with only the ocean before us. Here we meditated for about 20 minutes as we experienced a different meditative technique, although two people thought the view was too beautiful to close their eyes and they sat and drank in the view.
Back at the studio we enjoyed breakfast on the sunny deck -again amidst bush. Fresh fruit platter, quinoa flavoured with cardamon and cinnamon with chia seeds, linseeds, almonds, ginger, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, dried apricots and prunes for the gluten free ones and crunchy granola for the other with yoghurt. I had made fresh almond milk which was good for the lactose intolerant people and they enjoyed it.
The bread I made early in the morning was very similar to Vogels - and one I will definitely put in my repetoire (from Annabel Langbein's book), otherwise there was gluten free toasted bread with homemade conserves or avocado.
Teas were from the garden - lemongrass and fresh ginger or sage, rosemary, oregano flowers and kaffir lime leaves. All this while the sun shone, the tuis chorused and we chatted.
Meditation workshop was to share thoughts and research and ideas to motivate people into their daily meditation practice and then we did several different practices. Over the morning we did 5 different meditative practices and the advice was to find a practice that they enjoyed and continue on a regular basis for a while.
I am so looking forward to the next Sunday Mini Yoga Retreat on the last Sunday of next month and hopefull they will run all year.
