WE ARE Yoga Retreat
We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dreams...
Book before 1st March 2023 for your £100 discount
An overview of the retreat
WE ARE is a yoga retreat with a difference. Morven and Gina offer you a week of yoga, reflection and daily invitations to explore the arts. Exploring creativity can be a healing modality, a fun way to spend the morning, and a way to connect with others and yourself.
The beauty of this experience is that there is no expectation to produce anything, or create something "pretty". We are gathering together to have fun and to see what happens when we follow our intuition.
Your host, senior yoga and mindfulness teacher Morven, will guide you through twice-daily yoga and will lead yoga nidras and gong meditations in the evenings.
Artist, writer and yogini Gina Beach will be holding a space you can visit to play with painting, drawing, words, voice and movement. Each day will offer something different and we invite you to join as your mood takes you.
In all of our group sessions, the emphasis will be on having fun, being with yourself and soaking up the restful, reflective atmosphere of the retreat in the company of like-minded people.
Yoga will take place before 9.30am breakfast and before 7pm dinner every day except Friday, when we will take a (optional) day trip to Amiens to take in the floating gardens and other sights of the area.
Workshops with Gina will take place mornings after breakfast on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
In the evenings, you can sit outside and chat at the firepit, enjoy the cosy living room or rest with yoga nidra and gong.
EXAMPLE OF DAY'S SCHEDULE
7.30 am Meditation for early risers
8 am Yoga
9.30 am Breakfast
10.30 am Workshop with Gina
1 pm Lunch
5.30 pm Yoga
7 pm Dinner
9 pm Yoga nidra/ gong meditation
ABOUT THE YOGA
Each day we will start the day early with morning meditation for early risers, followed by a wake-up holistic yoga practice before a 9.30am breakfast. Evening sessions will be a blend of restorative and Yin yoga. Yoga nidra and gong meditations will be offered after dinner.
Beginners and seasoned practitioners will be encouraged to explore their limits and deepen their understanding of the body in movement. We will explore the body in relationship to the Earth and space, playing with shapes and conversing with gravity. Much of this work involves developing interoception - your perception of your inner space - taking cues from the inner body about how we can move mindfully with joy, integrity and grace.
Yoga is a life-affirming practice which has at its roots the concept of "So Hum" - I am that. Through physical movement, breath work and concentration we come to understand our essence as an awareness that is beautiful, enduring and connected to all that is. You can't be "good" at yoga - you just simply are, and that is mind-bogglingly wonderful in itself.
Every yoga practice will include movement (asana), meditation (dhyana), relaxation and breath work (pranayama).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
GINA'S WORKSHOPS:
We are artists
In this workshop participants will experiment with mark making using various pencils, charcoal, conte crayon and pastels. We'll explore the expressive qualities of line through doodling. Then we'll dip our toes into the craft of field journaling by sketching and documenting our observations and interpretations of the natural world around us.
We are painters
In this workshop, participants will play with paint as they explore various watercolour techniques and experiment with brushes, opacity, texture and mixing colour. Watercolour can have a mind of its own and is full of surprises. In this workshop you will learn how to take advantage of these unexpected "mistakes" and incorporate them into your creative play.
We are writers
In this workshop, participants will spend time with their journals through the medium of self-writing to explore their past, present and future. Using timed prompts we'll dive into our own stories and memories. People who spend time writing about where they came from, who they are and their future goals tend to be happier, less anxious and physically healthier than those who never introspect.
We are improvisors
This workshop is all about getting out of the head and into the body. Through playing a variety of improv and theater games we'll explore body language, communicating through movement and responding without overthinking. Reconnect with your inner child and get ready for lots of silliness, laughter and clowning around.
Gina Beach is an American artist, writer and yogini who lives in the Welsh valleys. She is a 200 hour RYT, Vipassana meditator, and National Board Certified fine arts instructor. She has over a decade of experience leading writing and creativity workshops designed to allow participants to play with ideas and tap into their inner artist.
TRAVEL:
This location has been especially chosen for its proximity to the UK, removing the need for air travel. There will be a minibus provided by The Mill, which will leave Folkestone at 1pm on 5th Sept. and take us to the retreat by Eurotunnel. The cost of minibus transport from and to Folkestone is included in your retreat payment.
It's also possible to drive to the retreat centre, or alternatively you can get the Eurostar from London to Paris and then taxi to the retreat.
FOOD:
You will be served three delicious vegetarian meals per day, which will be eaten together as a group in the dining room.
If you have any dietary requirements, please let us know well in advance so we can accommodate you.
ACCOMMODATION AND PRICES:
Price includes food, yoga, workshops and minibus transport from and to Folkestone leaving at 1pm on 5th September '23 and returning at 3pm on 11th September '23
The early bird rate is until 28th February 2023 and gives you a £100 discount.
Dorm with up to 4 people sharing, shared bathroom: £800 pp E.B./ £900 pp
Wagon by the lake (see photo in the gallery below): £880 pp E.B./ £980 pp
Single room shared bathroom: £1180 pp E.B./ £1280 pp
Double/Twin room shared bathroom (two people sharing): £1000 pp E.B./ £1100 pp
Single room en suite bathroom (3 left): £1300 E.B./ £1400
Double room en suite bathroom (3 left) (two people sharing): £1030 pp E.B./ £1130 pp
Private barn (two bedrooms shared kitchen, living room and bathroom suitable for two - four friends): £1400 pp
NOT INCLUDED:
Travel to Folkestone on the 5th Sept or onward travel from Folkestone on the 11th Sept.
Day out in Amiens on Friday 8th September
AMENITIES AND FACILITIES:
The Mill Retreat Centre boasts its own lake and 30 acres of grounds for us to enjoy exclusively.
Go boating on the lake, take a walk in the nearby stunning countryside or borrow one of The Mill's 6 bikes to explore on wheels.
The nearest town is Aumale, which has some interesting architecture dating back to the 16th century and is a lovely place to wander.
Take a look at the photo gallery below to see the grounds, the food, the rooms and the yoga space.
PAYMENT & BOOKING
Select the desired option for your accommodation and click "BOOK NOW" to go to the booking form. A £300 deposit is required to secure your place. Final payment must be made by 1st August 2023
If you would like to pay by payment plan, you can set up a monthly payment which we will agree on together. Please state your preferred payment option on the booking form.
If you would prefer to drive or fly to the venue instead of travelling in The Mill's minibus from Folkestone, the price is the same.
The day trip to Amiens on Friday 8th September will cost £45 per person and is an optional part of the schedule
"I found the sessions to be very powerful as it really opened me up emotionally and I found some deep themes came up so thank you for that! I think you are one of those yoga teachers which somehow goes very deep."
Katy (online)