My 10 day retreat to India is coming to a close. It has been a magical time, full of yoga, friendship, sunshine and lovely beaches. Full of good food, laughter and a beautiful sea to swim in. It has been 10 days of connection - with the Self and with other yogis. It has been a heart-felt experience where we have created a little bit of space in our busy lives to recharge our batteries and to take care of ourselves in body, mind and spirit.
The place where we have been staying is called Anahata Retreat Centre. It is located on Ashwem Beach in North Goa, India. In total there were 28 of us, many of whom didn't know each other at all before they arrived but all of whom are leaving with new friendships and many happy memories. We have been staying right on the beach in little thatched huts and stone cottages, surrounded by coconut palms and lovely gardens filled with beautiful plants. There is a restaurant here too which served us a delicious brunch each day after our yoga class, and continues to offer a varied menu of good food all day and late into the evening.
We have visited colourful markets, sampled lots of different Goan food, bought about a hundred sarongs between us from the sarong ladies who sell on the beach (they've had a good week!) and relaxed on the beach drinking coconut water straight from the coconuts. And then relaxed on the beach a little bit more.
We have had a beautiful wooden deck to practice our yoga on - with a view of the sea and the coconut palms, and open to the lovely breeze that is always present, keeping us at just the right temperature. We held two classes each day, the first an steady paced yet energetic practice and the second, late in the afternoon, a gentle, mellow, restorative practice. With two classes a day, I think everyone has felt their yoga progress - it's inevitable, the more you practice the better it feels.
It's bliss to have the dedicated time to practice, with no distractions of feeling we ought to either be somewhere else or doing something else. The only distractions are the sounds of the local community around us (the dinging of the next-door temple bell in the mornings and the sound of the breeze rustling the coconut palm leaves).
Our yoga practice itself has had a theme of gratitude running through it - gratitude about being here and gratitude for those back at home who have taken over our daily tasks at work and home, therefore enabling us to be here. Gratitude for the wonderful place we are in and our new friendships, and gratitude for yoga itself and how it opens us up to new possibilities.
Anahata is the Sanskrit name for the heart chakra, which is associated with love, compassion and gratitude, so it feels very fitting that we have been staying at Anahata Retreat Centre. We followed our hearts to come here and we have opened our hearts during this special time together. I hope every one of the yogis who came on this retreat will listen to their hearts as they go back to their everyday lives and feel able to make any necessary adjustments in their lives to continue with their self-care - taking time to pause, time to do yoga and time to realise what's really important in this one precious life that we have.
Here's a story that my friend and fellow yoga teacher Suzie shared with us in class yesterday:
A vacationing American businessman standing on the pier of a quaint coastal fishing village in southern Mexico watched as a small boat with just one young Mexican fisherman pulled into the dock. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. Enjoying the warmth of the early afternoon sun, the American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.
“How long did it take you to catch them?” the American casually asked.
“Oh, a few hours,” the Mexican fisherman replied.
“Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” the American businessman then asked.
The Mexican warmly replied, “With this I have more than enough to meet my family’s needs.”
The businessman then became serious, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
Responding with a smile, the Mexican fisherman answered, “I sleep late, play with my children, watch ball games, and take siesta with my wife. Sometimes in the evenings I take a stroll into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, sing a few songs…”
The American businessman impatiently interrupted, “Look, I have an MBA from Harvard, and I can help you to be more profitable. You can start by fishing several hours longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra money, you can buy a bigger boat. With the additional income that larger boat will bring, before long you can buy a second boat, then a third one, and so on, until you have an entire fleet of fishing boats.”
Proud of his own sharp thinking, he excitedly elaborated a grand scheme which could bring even bigger profits, “Then, instead of selling your catch to a middleman you’ll be able to sell your fish directly to the processor, or even open your own cannery. Eventually, you could control the product, processing and distribution. You could leave this tiny coastal village and move to Mexico City, or possibly even Los Angeles or New York City, where you could even further expand your enterprise.”
Having never thought of such things, the Mexican fisherman asked, “But how long will all this take?”
After a rapid mental calculation, the Harvard MBA pronounced, “Probably about 15-20 years, maybe less if you work really hard.”
“And then what, señor?” asked the fisherman.
“Why, that’s the best part!” answered the businessman with a laugh. “When the time is right, you would sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions.”
“Millions? Really? What would I do with it all?” asked the young fisherman in disbelief.
The businessman boasted, “Then you could happily retire with all the money you’ve made. You could move to a quaint coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, play with your grandchildren, watch ball games, and take siesta with your wife. You could stroll to the village in the evenings where you could play the guitar and sing with your friends all you want.”
The moral of the story is: Know what really matters in life, and you may find that it is already much closer than you think.
Anahata - The Heart Chakra
Chakras are energy points that reside within the body. There are seven of them located along the spine from the tailbone to the top of the head. They are wheels of energy which, in traditional yoga, correspond to aspects of your anatomy, psychology and spirituality. They are invisible yet powerful, and disruptions to the balance of your chakras can cause disruptions to your health and wellbeing.
The first of them is the Root Chakra or Muladhara Chakra which is at the base of your spine, the second is the Sacral Chakra (Svadisthana) which is found in the lower back/abdominal area, the third is the Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura) found at your solar plexus between the navel and ribcage, the fourth is Anahaha the Heart Chakra, the fifth is the Throat Chakra (Vishuddha), the sixth is the Third Eye Chakra (Ajna) which is found in between and just above your eyebrows, and the seventh is the Crown Chakra (Sahasrara) found at the very top of your head.
I know it's unusual to start in the middle of this sequence at number 4 but, seeing as I'm currently at Anahata, I'll share a little of what I know about the Heart Chakra with you now, and then move on to the other Chakras in the coming weeks.
The Heart Chakra is all about love. It's about listening to your heart. There are lots of ways you can bring your awareness to this part of you and help to balance it. Just by placing your right hand over your heart, feeling your heartbeat and telling yourself gently that everything is ok is enough to soften and soothe yourself. Spend more time with people you love and less time with people who make you feel bad. Run, walk briskly, do some Sun Salutations to get your heart pumping. Practice backbends to open up the chest area and give your heart more room. Do the things you love to do. Love the people you are closest to, love yourself, and then love some more. It feels good.
The Heart Centre is associated with the colour green and it has it's own mantra (like all the Chakras do) which is 'Yam'.
Wishing you a good week ahead. Namaste.
The place where we have been staying is called Anahata Retreat Centre. It is located on Ashwem Beach in North Goa, India. In total there were 28 of us, many of whom didn't know each other at all before they arrived but all of whom are leaving with new friendships and many happy memories. We have been staying right on the beach in little thatched huts and stone cottages, surrounded by coconut palms and lovely gardens filled with beautiful plants. There is a restaurant here too which served us a delicious brunch each day after our yoga class, and continues to offer a varied menu of good food all day and late into the evening.
We have visited colourful markets, sampled lots of different Goan food, bought about a hundred sarongs between us from the sarong ladies who sell on the beach (they've had a good week!) and relaxed on the beach drinking coconut water straight from the coconuts. And then relaxed on the beach a little bit more.
We have had a beautiful wooden deck to practice our yoga on - with a view of the sea and the coconut palms, and open to the lovely breeze that is always present, keeping us at just the right temperature. We held two classes each day, the first an steady paced yet energetic practice and the second, late in the afternoon, a gentle, mellow, restorative practice. With two classes a day, I think everyone has felt their yoga progress - it's inevitable, the more you practice the better it feels.
It's bliss to have the dedicated time to practice, with no distractions of feeling we ought to either be somewhere else or doing something else. The only distractions are the sounds of the local community around us (the dinging of the next-door temple bell in the mornings and the sound of the breeze rustling the coconut palm leaves).
Our yoga practice itself has had a theme of gratitude running through it - gratitude about being here and gratitude for those back at home who have taken over our daily tasks at work and home, therefore enabling us to be here. Gratitude for the wonderful place we are in and our new friendships, and gratitude for yoga itself and how it opens us up to new possibilities.
Anahata is the Sanskrit name for the heart chakra, which is associated with love, compassion and gratitude, so it feels very fitting that we have been staying at Anahata Retreat Centre. We followed our hearts to come here and we have opened our hearts during this special time together. I hope every one of the yogis who came on this retreat will listen to their hearts as they go back to their everyday lives and feel able to make any necessary adjustments in their lives to continue with their self-care - taking time to pause, time to do yoga and time to realise what's really important in this one precious life that we have.
Anahata Retreat Centre
The beautiful beach
The restaurant
Partner Yoga class
Here's a story that my friend and fellow yoga teacher Suzie shared with us in class yesterday:
A vacationing American businessman standing on the pier of a quaint coastal fishing village in southern Mexico watched as a small boat with just one young Mexican fisherman pulled into the dock. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. Enjoying the warmth of the early afternoon sun, the American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.
“How long did it take you to catch them?” the American casually asked.
“Oh, a few hours,” the Mexican fisherman replied.
“Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” the American businessman then asked.
The Mexican warmly replied, “With this I have more than enough to meet my family’s needs.”
The businessman then became serious, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
Responding with a smile, the Mexican fisherman answered, “I sleep late, play with my children, watch ball games, and take siesta with my wife. Sometimes in the evenings I take a stroll into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, sing a few songs…”
The American businessman impatiently interrupted, “Look, I have an MBA from Harvard, and I can help you to be more profitable. You can start by fishing several hours longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra money, you can buy a bigger boat. With the additional income that larger boat will bring, before long you can buy a second boat, then a third one, and so on, until you have an entire fleet of fishing boats.”
Proud of his own sharp thinking, he excitedly elaborated a grand scheme which could bring even bigger profits, “Then, instead of selling your catch to a middleman you’ll be able to sell your fish directly to the processor, or even open your own cannery. Eventually, you could control the product, processing and distribution. You could leave this tiny coastal village and move to Mexico City, or possibly even Los Angeles or New York City, where you could even further expand your enterprise.”
Having never thought of such things, the Mexican fisherman asked, “But how long will all this take?”
After a rapid mental calculation, the Harvard MBA pronounced, “Probably about 15-20 years, maybe less if you work really hard.”
“And then what, señor?” asked the fisherman.
“Why, that’s the best part!” answered the businessman with a laugh. “When the time is right, you would sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions.”
“Millions? Really? What would I do with it all?” asked the young fisherman in disbelief.
The businessman boasted, “Then you could happily retire with all the money you’ve made. You could move to a quaint coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, play with your grandchildren, watch ball games, and take siesta with your wife. You could stroll to the village in the evenings where you could play the guitar and sing with your friends all you want.”
The moral of the story is: Know what really matters in life, and you may find that it is already much closer than you think.
Goan sunset
Anahata - The Heart Chakra
Chakras are energy points that reside within the body. There are seven of them located along the spine from the tailbone to the top of the head. They are wheels of energy which, in traditional yoga, correspond to aspects of your anatomy, psychology and spirituality. They are invisible yet powerful, and disruptions to the balance of your chakras can cause disruptions to your health and wellbeing.
The first of them is the Root Chakra or Muladhara Chakra which is at the base of your spine, the second is the Sacral Chakra (Svadisthana) which is found in the lower back/abdominal area, the third is the Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura) found at your solar plexus between the navel and ribcage, the fourth is Anahaha the Heart Chakra, the fifth is the Throat Chakra (Vishuddha), the sixth is the Third Eye Chakra (Ajna) which is found in between and just above your eyebrows, and the seventh is the Crown Chakra (Sahasrara) found at the very top of your head.
I know it's unusual to start in the middle of this sequence at number 4 but, seeing as I'm currently at Anahata, I'll share a little of what I know about the Heart Chakra with you now, and then move on to the other Chakras in the coming weeks.
The Heart Chakra is all about love. It's about listening to your heart. There are lots of ways you can bring your awareness to this part of you and help to balance it. Just by placing your right hand over your heart, feeling your heartbeat and telling yourself gently that everything is ok is enough to soften and soothe yourself. Spend more time with people you love and less time with people who make you feel bad. Run, walk briskly, do some Sun Salutations to get your heart pumping. Practice backbends to open up the chest area and give your heart more room. Do the things you love to do. Love the people you are closest to, love yourself, and then love some more. It feels good.
The Heart Centre is associated with the colour green and it has it's own mantra (like all the Chakras do) which is 'Yam'.
Wishing you a good week ahead. Namaste.
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