Goodbye Goa

The sun has set on my time in India and I'm back in the UK. My flip flops are now in the cupboard and it felt very strange to put on boots for my dog walk this morning.  As I wrote in last week's blog, the retreat was a wonderful experience - Anahata Retreat Centre was a beautiful place to stay and India was as fascinating, colourful and interesting as always. 

India can be a challenging place to visit (the India tourism tv ads slogan tells you to "expect the unexpected") but Goa is a good introduction, easing you in gently. It has a laid-back vibe and the people are friendly and welcoming. Goa has wonderful beaches and great weather - the temperature is consistently between 30 and 35 degrees C but there is a lovely breeze which means you never feel too hot. The holiday seasons runs from October to March, after which the monsoon rains set in and the tourist ends. 

After the retreat my friend Suzie and I travelled down to south Goa for a few days, where we relaxed on the beach drinking Strawberry and Mint lassis, reading our books and planning next year's trip to Goa. 

Post-yoga breakfast

curious visitors to the restaurant (they're calves - cows
are sacred and are allowed to roam about wherever they like)

Patnem Beach

Strawberry Lassi

Lassi is a traditional Indian drink made of yoghurt, fruit and ice - so basically it's a milkshake! It's often made with cardamom for a more savoury drink or mango for a sweet one. I especially liked the Strawberry ones so I thought I'd share the recipe with you. 

You will need:

• 400g ripe strawberries, hulled
• 240ml plain yoghurt - I used Greek yoghurt which made it really thick so I thinned it slightly with a little bit of milk
• 2 tsp sugar, or to taste - I decided not to use sugar but, when I tasted it, I felt it needed a little so I added just half a teaspoon
• ice cubes, to serve

How to make it:

Blend the strawberries, yoghurt and sugar if you are using it until frothy and smooth. Add some ice cubes to the blender for a quick pulse and then serve. 

On the beach I had a Strawberry and Mint lassi which was delicious so I'll add a big handful of chopped mint to the blender too next time. 

The Root Chakra - Muladhara

Last week I talked about the Heart Chakra, Anahata, because of the connection to Anahata Retreat Centre, but I really ought to start at the beginning with the first chakra, Muladhara. Also known as the Root chakra, this energy centre is located at the base of the spine and it is concerned with stability and security. When the Root chakra is unbalanced there is a tendency to be frantic, scattered and unfocussed. When this chakra is balanced however, there is calmness, clarity and a sense of being safe and comfortable with your place in this world. The Root chakra has a physical association with the legs and feet, the skeletal system, the bladder, kidneys and large intestine.

Meditation is a good way to balance the Root chakra. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, you can take your awareness down to your sitting bones - your connection with the earth. Feeling rooted and grounded at your base you feel stable and secure, able to cope with whatever life may bring you.  Standing poses such as Mountain Pose, Warrior II and Triangle Pose all require that sense of grounding down through the feet, and seated poses such as Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana) and Supine Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana) also encourage awareness of being in contact with, and connected to, the earth.

The Root chakra's mantra is Lam, it's colour is red, and it's symbol is shown in the picture below.

Upcoming Retreats

Although I won't be returning to India until next year, I will be running 3 weekend retreats in the UK this year. If you feel that a weekend immersed in yoga, enjoying beautiful surroundings, nourishing food and the company of other yogis is just what you need, then do come along and join the fun. You'll leave feeling revitalised and relaxed, and recommitted to your yoga practice, and your health and wellbeing. 

The dates and prices for these weekends are:

22nd to 24th April at Florence House, Seaford, East Sussex - £360 (2 places remaining)

10th-12th June at Tilton House, near Lewes, East Sussex - £335 (4 places remaining)

14th-16th October at Florence House, Seaford, East Sussex - £360 (5 places remaining) 

You can come on your own - it's a lovely way to meet people - or bring a friend too. Don't worry if your yoga is a bit rusty, you'll quickly get back into the groove but please note that these weekends aren't suitable for complete beginners. 

If you'd like some more information please contact me a hi@thriveyoga.co.uk and I'll send you details of what to expect and some more photos of our previous weekends. 

Feeling on top of the world at Firle Beacon
 at the Tilton House retreat

Relaxing in the garden at Tilton House

The yurt where we do our yoga

Finally, a lovely video for you of the most beautiful flamenco dancing - definitely rooted and grounded, the dancers are strong, sure and believe in themselves . The video is by Iron & Wine whose album was, coincidentally, being played one evening at Anahata. Synchronicity :-)

Anahata - retreat centre. Anahata - heart centre.

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.

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.