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