The sun was shining from the early morning and has continued throughout the the whole day till the end of the retreat. We could not ask for better day.
Ayurveda and Yoga
Ayurveda is the oldest holistic healing system developed in India with some old scriptures go back to between 3,000 – 5,000 years ago. Ayurvedic approach promotes a balance between your body and mind and prevent diseases by restoring body’s intelligence for health by appropriate food intake and lifestyle. Promotes longevity and improves a quality of life.
Ayurveda and Yoga are two sister sciences that both come from the same philosophy. Ayurveda focuses primarly on the goal ofΒ ‘dharma’ ( living in the right way ) , while Yoga focuses primarly on the goal ofΒ ‘moksha’ ( enlightenment ) . Both are practical systems with a holistic perspective. People are seen as beings, individuals with a unified body, mind, and consciousness.
Yoga Ayurveda Mindfulness Day Retreat at Tofte Manor
We were small group of nine of us, with enough space for social distancing, everyone had enough space to stretch and, to keep everyone comfortable and safe throughout the day.
From the Ayurvedic approach to keep the whole ‘mind & body’ in balance, on the day, we tried Ashwagandha tincture to boost our immune system. Everyone enjoyed vegan lunch, we practiced slow paced yoga so we could connect with breath and poses ( PranayamaΒ and Asanas ), meditated outside in nature and each student have filled a questionnaire to find out an individual constitution or dosha. The food was specially prepared to compliment Ayurveda dosha and VATA Autumn season. Keep eye on the recipe as I will be sharing with you Vegan Kitchari in the next post.
On the arrival, we all had a shot of Ashwagandha ( organic tincture ). It has unusual scent of horse ( ashwa means horse ) but diluted with water it was pretty earthy to me. It’s calming, has rejuvenating effect and boost your immune system. Ashwagandha is considered as one of the most important herb in Ayurvedic medicine system and has been used in India over 3,000 years. The roots of Ashwagandha have also been used to treat such as: Anxiety, arthritis, insomnia, stress, diabetes, constipation and skin condition.
We have started our first morning energising practice in the Crystal room which is in the beautiful Courtyard just opposite the cottage where we had our lunch. Before the lunch, we enjoyed meditative walk through Labyrinth and have set intention for the season. The Labyrinths haveΒ been used for centuries for mediation, dance, intention settings, rituals, ceremonies. As they’ say; in Maze you can loose yourself but in Labyrinth, you will find yourself.
An afternoon yoga session for the season and three doshas including Yoga Nidra we practiced in nature under 550 year old ancient tree. The day was filled with warmth and relaxation, love and connection between the nature and each other and, very tasty lunch.
Here are few pictures from the day. Thank you to Theresa, Helena, Violet, Claire J. , Tracy, Donna, Claire R., Nataliya who joined this special day. Till next time ladies… lots of love.
The next late Autumn Yoga Ayurveda Day Retreat at Tofte Manor is on November 14th. See more info about the day and how to book. I have few more spaces available. Once again, it will be smaller group, quite intimate so if you are interested and want to learn about Ayurveda, click here to reserve your place.Β
Read more about Tofte Manor, the unique location for mindfulness Retreats.
Please email me on: julia@juliakyoga.com for any questions you have.
I look forward welcome you on the day.
Love and light,
Julia xx