'Summertime, and the Living' is Easy'
July 17 - 19, 2020
July is the perfect month to experience the thrill and excitement that summer brings. The flowers and crops in the fields are burgeoning, we have peeled off even more layers of clothing and the long, warm evenings summon us to embrace adventure, conviviality, and more time outdoors.
According to Taoist philosophy, Summer is a Yang time of the year – when the energy of the sun vibrates more strongly – and our activities and physical vitality tend to reflect this. The feelings of exuberance, freedom, and abundance that we so easily experience during this time are life-affirming and can fill us with a sense of wonder and possibility. Yet we can also get caught up in the momentum of the season – working overtime, not getting enough sleep or quiet time for ourselves – with the risk of drying up physically and energetically.
This retreat, co-led by Orla Punch and Elena Moreo, will be about embracing the joy and abundance of summer, while balancing its more fiery elements with cooling and grounding practices to find a more natural rhythm that supports our well-being.
The morning yoga classes led by Orla will focus on poses that open the heart and awaken the spine. By finding a place of stability and ease in each form and initiating movement from the core, we can begin to know when to push and when to yield in our practice and how to direct and contain energy skillfully. We will explore hip-openers, supported back bends and gentle inversions as embodied ways of cultivating openness to life, grace in our hearts, and lightness of spirit (a hefty dose of humour always goes a long way!).
The evening sessions facilitated by Elena will be a fusion of slow flow yoga and yin/restorative postures done mostly on the ground. By focusing on long-held passive stretches that emphasize our connection with the earth, gravity, and stillness we will learn to soften, drop the guard, and sense the tensions and restrictions – both physical and emotional – that may hold us back so that we can gently release them.
The morning meditations/reflections will be about connecting with the cyclic nature of the breath and its relationship to the wisdom of the body. By listening intimately to the rhythm of our natural breath we can experience a sort of homecoming: We learn to open up to new experiences from a place of equanimity and to appreciate the inherent intelligence of receiving, pausing, and letting go that marks each breath cycle. During the retreat there will be plenty of time to immerse ourselves in the stunning, unique landscape of the area, enjoy scenic walks, dip in the wild Atlantic, or simply lie down in the grass and count the stars.