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.
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December 2019
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