International Lifestyle Magazine Issue 53 | Page 9
OU
mountains? What kind of climate
do you feel comfortable in? Do
you seek a challenge? Who are
the other attendees?
My retreats offer over 10 classes
run first thing in the morning and/
or in the early evening. Their
base is essentially yoga as a
format that is recognisable and
accessible to most. You do not
need to be a super stretchy bendy
Wendy, nor a tri-athlete, nor a
dumb-bell lifting strong man! They
are designed to be accessible
to all levels. Underpinned with
learning and using Pilates core
strength exercises to keep the
yoga postures safe, the classes
also incorporate ideas of flow and
posture from dance as an aid. I
am a staunch promoter of good
standing posture and this is a key
factor in the training I provide. If
the body is standing healthily, my
goodness don’t we feel better
about ourselves! Through the
movement in class we get in touch
with our bodies, our thoughts, and
our feelings. All of this links into
the here and now of the place
where we practice. Breathing
exercises, guided visualisations,
meditation and guided therapeutic
art and writing exercises (don’t
panic – you don’t have to be
Picasso or do a ‘show and tell’)
aid your exploration and learning
about you.
Between classes you can organise
a one to one session with me,
there are a range of treatments on
offer from the Yoga Centre’s team,
or you can visit the local hammam
or natural spas.
Having
had
beautiful
and
successful retreat trips to Egypt,
working by the shores of the
Red Sea and in the depths of the
Sinai Desert, potential retreatees
were seeking a country feeling
a little less volatile in its capital.
So we’re off to the soft gardens
and agricultural lands of Dalyan,
Turkey, where the sea and beach
is a riverboat ride or short bus
ride away; the mountains provide
a safe container for the peaceful
countryside; and ancient ruins
remind you of the past, hold you in
the present, and help you consider
your future.
On the 28th April, 2014 for a week
we will stay at a beautiful specially
designed eco-centre for Yoga
Retreats . The rooms are all ensuite so privacy isn’t a problem if
that’s what you seek; wonderful
vegetarian cuisine is provided; the
yoga studio is open on one side,
so one looks out over the gardens
to the mountains, over which the
sun rises in the morning; and the
staff are friendly and helpful. A
short walk away is the village
centre with riverside restaurants
and cafes, local craft shops, a
hammam and boats for hire. This
is a nurturing and holding space
that I can’t wait to share.
So let this article inspire you to
seek your own retreat and find
room for some time for caring for
you. Maybe you can even come
and join us in Dalyan.
www.paulinemcintosh.com
[email protected]
Pauline has private practices in
Hampshire and West London, UK
www.internationallifestylemagazine.com