As we embark on the New Year, we have created this retreat as a chance to reset oneself; reconnecting with who you really are, and allowing you to gain new perspectives and deeper insights and inspiration, steering you towards a more authentic and fulfilling life. Everything we do in the outer world begins in your inner world. By retreating back to your roots, you will discover your purpose, what makes you feel most alive, allowing you to move forward making wiser choices and changes, guided by the intuitive voice within. 

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Often the only real obstacles standing in your way to a fulfilling life is your past. Understanding the things that hold you back will enable you to move forward and make a conscious effort to act differently in the future. In yoga, all our past triumphs and grievances combine to form the psyche are known as Samskaras. Referred to in buddhism as grasping or clinging, the mind holds onto anything and everything that has created a deep emotional response on the body. Letting go of these Samskaras is the basis of our yoga practice, shredding both the good and the bad will help us to connect to the true reality, not our perception of reality. These Samskaras are stored as condensed energies within the Meridians / Nadis (energy channels), and we release the energies through mindful practices of both Yin and Yang, Yang to provoke the energies to surface and Yin to encourage purification, it's through the balance of both Yin and Yang energies that we gain access to the soul. 

 

Morning practices of Vinyasa will be deeply focused on locking these energies as we move through an embodied practice, ignited with invigorating Kundalini breath work practices and stimulated further by sound as each practice will flow with the use of shamanic drumming, crystal bowls and the powerful transformational sounds of the gongs. 

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Through the cleansing restorative practices of Yin Yoga, we will create space for deep introspection, letting go of any unpleasant experiences that are affecting your present behaviour, stored within the subtle fascia layers of the body. Through mindful meditation, taught using the Buddhism technics of RAIN, we will explore how the energies of our emotions are stored within the body as we learn to sit comfortably with the emotions to create a truly transformational healing experience that will equip you with the skills to deepen this practice , beyond our experience together on the retreat. 

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Our weekend will conclude with a 3 hr Kundalini Yoga workshop on the Sunday which will be the perfect tonic to the previous energy work on the retreat. Kundalini Yoga is a blend of Bhakti yoga (the yogic practice of devotion and chanting), Raja yoga (the practice of mediation/mental and physical control) and Shakti yoga, (for the expression of power and energy). Through the practice of Kundalini Yoga we gain an increased self-awareness, silencing the mind, unblocking the chakras and enabling the vital energy to flow freely within. 

 

Kundalini Kriyas, combining rhythmic movement with breath work, create a system of communication between mind and body bringing strength and balance to both the sympathetic and para sympathetic whilst regulating the hormones bringing them back to a state of equilibrium. Kundalini Yoga is suitable for all levels of experience, and the profound effects can be felt by all. 

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“The process of growth through Kundalini Yoga is a natural unfolding of your own nature,” Yogi Bhajan has said. “Like a snake, you will need to shed old skins to be more of who you are.” 

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Retreat package - 3 nights accommodation, all meals and the full retreat programme-

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• Yoga Workshops  - Morning 3hrs & Evening 2hrs - Vinyasa; Kundalini Yoga; Yin Yoga

• Sound healing - Crystal bowls; Shamanic Drums; Gong Soundbaths

• Mantra Chanting (healing sound vibration)

• Yoga Nidra (deep semi hypnotic relaxation)

• Guided Meditations 

• Philosophy to deepen and enhance your understanding of yoga and the subtle body

• Guided walk

• Vegan gluten free cuisines to nourish and replenish

 

Additional Extras - Private yoga / soundhealing sessions, massages and facials from our onsite therapists.

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Teacher Ananda ~ Madeline Diaz Meiners

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"This retreat encompasses all the different healing modalities and studies I have been practicing and teaching over the last decade. My focus for my practice and studies has always been for my own personal development and healing which I later share in a way that has resonated with me and created the most profound results. My Yang classes can be physically challenging, but also completely inclusive, so wherever you are with your physical experience of the practice, this is irrelevant, it's the tip of the iceberg so to speak.

 

My aim is to empower you to take ownership of your body and to find a new sense of love and compassion for all parts of your experience, the physical, the mental and the emotional, to lead us to the spiritual.... the source of light within.. That source of light is available to us all irrelevant as to whether the exterior image of the posture is picture perfect. As we embark on this journey of self discovery it's what we learn about ourselves on the mat that takes us closer to the light, and that requires us to look much deeper than how it appears on the surface. This is where my love for yin comes in. I think I considered myself, looking back at the old me, before the yin, as quite possibly one of the yangest yogis on the planet. I found yin deeply uncomfortable, I was physically unable to keep still and totally out of my comfort zone with the whole prospect of keeping still. At the back of my mind I knew that this discomfort was a necessary process I knew I needed to go through, and I persevered. I have to say that it changed by life and my whole perspective on life.

 

My teaching methods have developed over the years, mainly due to the feedback and response I get from my clients. My main focus in the Yin is to create a deep enough sensation for which the awareness can rest in as a form of meditation, that remains both physically and therapeutically comfortable to maintain in stillness . The practice of Yin creates a bridge between the subconscious and the conscious and if we can remain still, steady and calm when we unlock the turbulence, without the instinctual need to suppress it back down, we are able to achieve the most incredible opportunities towards transformation.

 

As a sound healer, everything I do encompasses sound. Each and every cell, organ, muscle, joint, meridian etc. resonates to a different frequency. Through the vibrations of sound, we are brought back into harmonious balance; this can create the most profound experiences on all levels, physically removing pain and discomfort from the physical experience, emotional, mentally and of course energetically. These effects are possible in just a simple sound bath coming straight in from the street and snuggling into savasana... So, just imagine after 2 hrs of vinyasa or yin or kundalini when the body is open and the purification process has already started..... Say no more! 

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Kundalini is now my daily practice and I dare say that in a few years' time, this will probably be all I eventually teach.  I have incorporated this now in all the recent retreats, and judging from the feedback received, it's been the one that's provoked the deepest healing response. My heart opens when I even talk about this practice, it resonates with me on so many levels. I hope you will feel the same sensations when we join together and I share the practice with you. 

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I welcome you to join me on Retreating Back To Your Roots, looking back on my journey through yoga over the last 25years, with all its many layers and lessons, I am delighted to I share with you on this retreat the elements of practice that lie closest to my heart."

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xxx