Welcome to SeawaysWe journeyed down from Shropshire yesterday for our second retreat at the beautiful Seaways in Cornwall. We were greeted with sunshine and fresh sea air and that gorgeous view. I'm always amazed at how quickly my mind and my heart are soothed by the sea and the expansiveness of the coastal view. It makes me realise how caught up I get in the day to day busyness and hustle and bustle of modern day life and how much my soul craves this connection to nature. And thats the reason and ethos behind our retreat - using the next few days to reconnect with nature, ourselves and the world around us. The Seaways team - myself, Emily, Lucy and Shakira set about getting the house ready for our retreaters, I always love this part of setting up sacred space. Incense was lit throughout the house, essential oils diffused in the massage room, yoga props and mats set up in the Shala and soup on the go! We once again have a small group of retreaters joining us at Seaways and they arrived yesterday afternoon all having had smooth journeys down here. We had our introduction and welcome circle and an orientation of the house and gardens and then sat down together for Shakira's butternut squash soup and homemade soda bread. After dinner our retreat group chatted in front of the log fire in the lounge and I managed to sneak in an hour of yoga practice which was much needed after the being cramped in the car. I went to bed relaxed, sleepy and looking forward to day one of reconnecting. Day 1Day 1 began with an 8am coastal walk to a very cute lighthouse about 15 minutes from Seaways. Before we set off we gathered in a circle for our first share of the day and to set our intention for the walk. Lucy led the circle and set the intention of becoming really present and really aware to all the different sounds along the walk. It was quite a brisk walk and we all felt like the sea air had cleared the cobwebs out somewhat. We spent some time at the lighthouse taking in the scene and then headed back to Seaways for our morning yoga practice. Em guided us through an hour of what she calls Ishtanga, a gentle modified version of Ashtanga, a perfect introduction for our retreaters who are all still fairly new to yoga. Even though it was gentle it was still challenging and we definitely all felt that we'd earned our breakfast! Breakfast was nourishing porridge infused with star anise and cardamon, served with stewed apples, yogourt and fresh fruit. In the mornings after breakfast we schedule our retreaters in for either their complementary massage or nutrition consultation with Em. Then we gather again for lunch. Today we had chickpea curry served in a marrow ring with brown rice and homemade coleslaw. Absolutely yummy! Post lunch is free time for people to enjoy the house, the garden and the town. At 4pm we had our Reconnection talk with Lucy where she introduced the group to the ethics and history of permaculture and the work being done here in Polperro. She shared with us some beautiful poetry incapsulating this connection with nature and we discussed the 3 ethics and 12 principles and how they resonate with a yogic way of life. This talk really got the group thinking and seemed to really inspire them. Our Reconnection talk was then followed by an evening session of Yoga Nidra. Yoga Nidra is a beautiful ancient yoga practice of conscious relaxation. I guided us through a body scan practice designed to lead to a feeling of deep relaxation and contentment. It was particularly lovely to practice in front of the log fire and we also used beautiful essential oils to aid with relaxation. Yoga Nidra was followed by Shakira's Thai sniffles detox soup and some more of her delicious homemade bread. The evening allowed time for everyone to do their own thing but it was lovely to see our retreaters sat in front of the fire, chatting away till bedtime.
0 Comments
Last week at our drop-in classes we explored a sequence of asanas to help find freedom in the lower back. Tight, uncomfortable and painful lower backs are very common these days due to most modern day people spending so much time sitting down and also because of habitual poor posture. This sequence is designed to help you de-compress the spine and find length and space for the lower back, it also focusses on stretching the hamstrings which play a vital role in keeping the lower back happy, a lot of the time problems in the back are caused by tight muscles in the legs. If you have lower back disc issues check these stretches with your health care practitioner as some forward folding poses are contraindicated with lower spine issues. I hope you enjoy this sequence, Namaste Childs Pose (Balasana)Start in a kneeling position and bring the knees to the width of the mat, begin to slide the arms forward and bring your forehead down to your mat or rest it on a block. Focus on lengthening the whole of the spine and drawing the tailbone down towards the heels. Cat/Cow stretchesAlternate between these two stretches for about 5-6 rounds. Inhaling as you take cow stretch and exhaling as you take cat arch. Try to keep soft elbows as you move so you dont hyper extend the elbows or lock out the joint. To protect the wrist joints, spread the fingers wide and press down in to all the fingertips and the knuckles of the hand and try to create a lift for the heal of the hand. If you have sensitive knees, use a folded up blanket underneath the knees. Downward facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)Much like childs pose Downward dog creates a lot of healthy space for the spine and really stretches the muscles of the lower back. If your hamstrings are really tight you might want to bend your knees a lot and focus more on finding length for the spine. Again be careful not to lock out the elbows and dont press the backs of the knees out. Press down in to all finger tips and knuckles of the hands to protect the wrists. Hold downward dog for about 5 breaths, pedalling out the legs. Standing forward fold (Uttanasana)Bring the feet hip width apart and hinge from the hips, folding the torso over the legs. Try not to hunch the shoulders up to the ears and again be mindful no to hyper extend the legs. If the floor feels a long way off, grab two yoga blocks and rest your hands on to them to forward fold, you can also back off the stretch by not folding in as far, particularly if you find its uncomfortable for the diaphragm or that boobs are getting in the way...it happens :) Wide legged forward fold (Prasarita Padottanasana)Stand with the legs as wide as you can, turn the toes inwards so they are narrower then the hills. Bring the hands to the hips and hinge from the waist bringing the crown of the head down towards the floor. Try not to allow the shoulders to bunch up to the ears and see if you bring the weight of the pose in to the centre of the heels. If the floor feels too far away, place blocks under the hands and bend the knees if your hamstrings are too tight. Seated forward bend (Paschimottanasana)Sit with the legs out in front and begin to flex your toes back towards you. Find a nice long spine by drawing the tailbone down and lifting up through the crown of the head. Begin to hinge forward from the waist but maintain the length through the spine. You can take hold of lower legs or the feet and look down at your knees to keep the neck long. If you find you're falling backward and cant hinge forward, sit up on a block, you can also use a strap around your feet if your legs feel too tight. Head to knee forward bend (Janu-Sirsasana)Extend one leg out in front and draw the sole of the other foot in to the inner thigh of the leg thats extended. Hinge from the waist and fold over the leg, bringing the head down towards the knee. Again you can use a strap and sit up on a block if needed. Try to keep the spine long and not to hunch the upper back. Repeat on the other side.
It's been on my to do list for some time to make a class companion for my students so they can practice the poses and sequences at home and also for people who missed a class. Here is my first go at this, would love your feedback.
|
Urban PriestessWelcome to my Urban Priestess blog, here I share my tips and tricks for seasonal and lunar living. Archives
December 2019
Categories |