We sold out this retreat this week, only to discover there is a new room available at the venue. So there are 2 more spots available if you’re wanting a yoga getaway weekend in Stanford.
Contact me to book: Monique 082 413 5896
If you’re still on the fence, here’s some inspiration:
Why go on a yoga retreat?
The traditional benefit of yoga is to still the mind, and going on retreat will allow you to focus on this more deeply. Instead of emerging relaxed from a class back into your busy home life you can carry that calmness with you throughout a whole weekend. Practicing yoga at home can be full of distractions; the dog, your partner/kids, your kitchen (haha!) and of course, your phone. Getting out of your usual space helps you switch off and explore your practice distraction-free in a disciplined way. Spending a weekend in this calm way helps you gain perspective of your life at large. You’ll get the chance to take a step back from daily life business, and reevaluate things. It’s a chance for true reflection and introspection.
If you struggle to find time to practice yoga in your everyday life then the benefit of going on a yoga retreat is being able to practice every day without distraction. A weekend of yoga will guide you deeper in your practice.
Giving yourself this space can be a truly healing experience physically and mentally. To book: Monique 082 413 5896 | R3600pp sharing, R6200 private room
Props can help you no matter what level you are at. They teach proper alignment so that you receive the full range of benefits from a pose. Props help increase your staying power in a pose, which let’s you go deeper, giving you more time to reap the benefits. As we stay in a pose, the mind draws inward, unnecessary thinking is quelled, and we experience more objectivity and humility. For some, props symbolize admission of a limitation, and the ego doesn’t like that. So often yoga props have been ridiculed. But for the humble practitioner, props will help grow sensitivity in a pose and unlock more advanced poses that are not yet available to you. Then, when the prop is removed, your experience of a pose is amplified with deeper understanding and direction.
Dive into the world of yoga alignment with one-on-one tutorage by Iyengar-trained teacher Monique Woolls-King. Whether you are a current practitioner of the Iyengar method, or have heard about it but never tried the practice, then this retreat is for you!
Highlights:
One on one attention
Personal adjustments in poses
Yoga Alignment
Prop usage for a more effective practice
Therapeutic sequencing for a healing weekend of yoga
Yoga breath work to soothe the nerves
Guided meditation
Vegetarian meals timed to suit the practice
Optional hikes/walks in the beautiful protea valley
Optional swim in the nearby dam
Yoga is traditionally taught one on one, between guru and student. This allows personal attention to students and gives the teacher the time to really learn the students practice and teach accordingly. Iyengar yoga teachers generally limit their class size so that there are deeper teacher/student relationships. This retreat is limited to 8 people to give each person the opportunity to work closely with Monique to deepen their practice.
There seems to be a move towards prop usage in yoga to deepen one’s practice. If you’re interested in this sort of work, then Iyengar yoga is worth a try. Iyengar yoga focuses on alignment, therapeutic sequencing, and prop usage to gain the most out of your yoga practice. It’s ideal for beginners who want a safe introduction to yoga, but also provides deeper instruction for more advanced practitioners. Teachers are trained to give everyone the suitable variation of poses to suit your personal needs.
About Monique:
Monique’s classes are motivating, inspirational and disciplined. Each class you will find new muscles and spaces in the body that gives you a feeling of lightness after each class. Monique guides you through each pose, giving a feeling of containment and confidence in the poses, while inspiring you to go deeper into them. Monique helps you improve your alignment and posture making you feel like you’ve walked away from a personal chiropractic session. Her passion for teaching and sharing her love of Iyengar yoga is contagious and wonderful.
Monique has a background in Architecture and Sustainable Development, and has completed degrees in both. Since 2015, Monique has changed her career radically from Architecture to teaching yoga full time because she believes in the powerful effects of yoga on the body and mind. She believes that it is in the alignment that one finds true freedom in yoga, and that alignment can help one go much deeper into one’s yoga practice. She is a qualified Iyengar yoga teacher; a certification process that takes 6 years to complete. She is currently leveling up her certification in the Iyengar method.
INCLUDES
2 nights accommodation in gorgeous farm style cottages
4 workshop-style yoga classes each with a specific focus to open an area of the body. These 4 classes are designed as a whole, so that at the end of the weekend you will feel a full body opening. The last of these classes will be a soothing and calming practice to wind down your weekend. You will be guided through a gentle yoga sequence, followed by supine (lying down) poses. You will gently stretch and relax in to each pose, supported by props
1 pranayama (yoga breathing) class. Pranayama is the 4th limb of yoga; the “science of breath”. Prana means breath, respiration, life, vitality, energy or strength. We access the mind through the body and the breath. Through breath regulation we can begin to calm the nerves, soothe the body and ultimately control the mind
A weekend of clean eating, vegetarian meals
Seated meditations
Optional swims in the nearby dam and hikes around the protea valley
Nothing is compulsory except to relax!
This is a boutique retreat (8 person max). We are excited to have already received bookings for this retreat, and have lots more interest. Please note that bookings can only be confirmed with full payments made to the account given below.
Your lungs don’t breath on their own, they are reliant on a symphony of muscles to inflate and deflate them. As you inhale, certain muscles expand the space for the lungs to inflate; the belly and lower ribs expand, creating a suction of air into the lungs as they expand. When you exhale, that space shrinks to expel the air, deflating the lungs. Your lungs will inflate only to the size of its vessel: the rib cage. When the muscles involved are restricted, the space of the vessel/ribs is compromised and therefore the breath limited.
When we breath, an orchestra of muscles are at work in the chest, neck, back and abdomen. Of this orchestra, your diaphragm is the most important player. If the diaphragm is tight, your breath is restricted. Anything that restricts the movement of the diaphragm limits your ability to inhale fully. Tight clothes, a belt, a slumped posture or tight abdominals will all limit your diaphragms ability to move, and therefore your ability to breathe.
This is a good reminder not to slump in your forward bends. When your posture is slumped, your spine rounds backward and your front ribs dig back and compress the diaphragm. Our emotions can play a role too, as fear and anxiety leads to gripping of the stomach and diaphragm. Gym exercises such as sit-ups or crunches are a recipe for restricted breath. Since our nervous system is a 2-way communication system, any tension in our abdominals from sit ups can lead to fear and anxiety.
Tight, short abs can also contribute to chronic neck pain and headaches. When the upper abs are restricted in breathing, we compensate by using the neck, shoulder and upper chest muscles to force air in to the upper chest. This can lead to over use of the sternocleidomastoid and upper trapezius muscles (front and back of the neck – see pic above). Neck strain and chronic neck tension follow, resulting in headaches and neck ache. So be weary of tight abs!
Yoga can set your breath free from the effects of tightness around your breathing muscles, and relieve the symptoms of fear and anxiety. Don’t get me wrong – strong abdominals are essential for a healthy back, but only if they are strong AND long. Yoga promotes a balance of both by ensuring your abdominals are stretched and long as well as strong and supporting. The practice of yoga also includes pranayama, or breath control. In this practice, the breathing muscles are prepared and stretch gently before practicing ancient breathing techniques. Learn more at my next pranayama workshop on 2 June 2019 – more infohere.
In summary; opt for looser clothes, be conscious not to slump in forward bends, become aware of how you respond to stress (release grip on abdomens), and don’t do abdominal strengthening without stretching them too. Free up your diaphragm, do yoga!
Below are a two poses you can try to stretch out your breathing muscles: Ustrasana on left and Setu Bandha Sarvangasana on right (beginner friendly).
This information was summarised from an article written by Julie Gudmestad called “Anatomy of a Yogi. Take a Deep Breath.”
Pranayama is the 4th limb of yoga, and is the science of breath. Prana means breath, respiration, life, vitality, energy or strength. Ayama means extension, expansion and ascension. Pranayama means breath extension or regulation. Regular practice of pranayama is as essential as a regular asana (pose) practice. We access the mind through the body and the breath. Emotional excitement affects the rate of breathing; equally, deliberate regulation of breathing checks emotional excitement. Through breath regulation we can begin to calm the nerves, soothe the body and ultimately control the mind.
This workshop will begin with a restorative yoga sequence to quieten the mind and nerves, followed by guided pranayama. The fireplace will be lit and the room nice and warm to accommodate relaxation.
Join us for this soothing and calming practice to wind down your weekend. You will be guided through a gentle yoga sequence, followed by supine (lying down) poses. You will gently stretch and relax in to each pose, supported by props.
Yoga Kurunta, or yoga ropes was invented by BKS Iyengar and is one of the lesser known props. The use of the ropes reverses gravity and allows the spine to gently decompress, which has major benefits for your spine.
This method promotes proper spinal alignment, deepens access into poses, and takes the pressure off your spinal discs, which are gel-like cushions between the bones in your spine. A negative pressure is created in the discs, that allows bulging or herniated disks to retract, and thus takes the pressure off nerves and other structures in your spine. This in turn promotes your bodies own healing potential; the space created allows the movement of water, oxygen, and nutrient-rich fluids into the disks so they can heal.
Doctors have recognised this method and use inverted suspension tables in order to suspend their patients upside down. You can use this method to treat various ailments, including:
Back/neck pain or sciatica (pain or tingling that extends down the leg)
Bulging or herniated disks or degenerative disk disease
Headstand is one of my top favourite poses. It leaves me feeling invigorated and inspired, clear and somewhat more alive, rejuvenated and clean. I practice headstand every single day, sometimes for a whole 10minutes. Here are two of my personal favourite benefits of headstand:
Being upside down stimulates and replenishes the pituitary, pineal and hypothalamus glands in the brain. These are the “master glands” that regulate all other glands in the body, and are therefore vital for overall wellbeing. Hormones by definition are chemical messengers that regulate our physiological and psychological behaviour. Just think about that for a second – physiological and psychological. That’s basically all of you. And headstand helps regulate all your hormones, therefore all of you! This is huge. Headstand has been proven to alleviate diseases associated with hormonal imbalance such as diabetes and depression.
My other favourite benefit of headstand is that it brings you in to the present moment because you have to balance. The moment your mind wanders, you fall. In our increasingly crazy busy world, this simple mental exercise is profoundly important for our mental health.
Other benefits of headstand are:
It draws your attention inwards Helps releives stress, anxiety and fear Relieves insomnia Keeps mind sharp and clear Relaxes and simultaneously strengthens the blood vessels in the brain which prevents migraines Increased blood supply to the brain which improves mental function Improves digestion Rids water retention in legs Stimulates the lymphatic system which helps rid the body of unwanted toxins Takes strain off the heart Assists venous blood return, allowing un-oxygenated blood that may be “stuck” at your extremities to return to the heart and be replenished Lessened risk of ischemic stroke
Join me for group yoga in Kalk Bay, or book a private yoga class to sharpen your headstand practice!
We are already heading into 2019 full steam ahead, and during this busy time we can easily be side-tracked away from our yoga practice. Here are some reminders of why keeping up your home practice is so important.
Classes vs home practice? Yoga is ultimately your practice. Attending classes helps you start and hone your skills, while giving new inspiration and challenges. Classes help spark new sequencing ideas, build different focuses and give us a disciplined environment in which to practice. This is the foundation for practicing yoga.
Going to classes is fundamental to keeping on track, and one should always seek new knowledge, however a home practice is crucial in its own way. A home practice is where you explore what you’ve learnt in class and cement it into your own understanding. It’s helps you realise what you might need further clarity on. So when you come back to class, you’re coming with in with questions. In your home practice you can begin to explore what works for your specific body and needs, and focus on those aspects.
Our lives get busy fast. However, we need to prioritise things that contribute to our mental and physical wellbeing. I always say that yoga doesn’t take time, it gives time! The time you sacrificed to do your yoga will come back tenfold; because yoga gives mental clarity and makes one more productive. Yoga gives you something back, some new energy, some extra quietness, something that is just for you.
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