Spring Ayurveda and Yoga retreat, 24-26 April in Somerset

January 21, 2015

spring200013 This weekend will provide a grounding in Ayurveda and how to use it to feel balanced and healthy. It is a distillation of over ten years of studying and playing with Ayurveda and running Yoga retreats, so I hope it will also be lots of fun! The maximum group size is 8 so plenty of individual attention and time for massages/ Ayurvedic health consultations (diet/ lifestyle advice).

You are welcome to come on a non-residential rate if you live locally (please see below for rates).

Venue: The Weavers House, Batcombe BA4 6AB. Nearest train is Bruton, 2 miles away and approx £8 in a taxi. More travel information will be provided on booking : )

Please click here for a Booking form

Weekend Schedule (may alter slightly):

Friday

5pm: Arrival
6-7.30pm Yoga to arrive and ground
7.30pm Delicious Dinner (vegetarian, wheat/sugar free with veg from the garden)

Saturday

8-9:30am Meditation then dynamic yoga
9.30: Healthy breakfast with eggs from our chickens!
10.30-1.30 Ayurvedic consultations, treatments, massages, free time.
1.30pm Lunch then a guided walk in the valley
3:30-6:00 Ayurvedic Beauty & Body Care Workshop (see below)
6.30-7.30pm Restorative Yoga and Yoga Nidra
7:30pm Ayurvedic feast!

Sunday

8-9:30am Meditation then dynamic yoga
9.30: Healthy breakfast
10.30-1.00 Ayurvedic Nutrition and Cooking Workshop (see below)
1.00pm Lunch then a guided walk in the valley
3-4.00pm Ayurvedic treatments, consultations, massages, free time.
4.00pm Closing circle, chai and treats

Ayurvedic Nutrition & Cooking Workshop

Draws on both Ayurvedic and Yogic principles. If food is indeed medicine, what is the best diet for you and your individual dosha?

How to nurture our digestive system (known as ‘agni) and get rid of the effects of improperly digested food (‘ama)
The three types of digestive imbalance seen by an Ayurvedic practitioner
Why modern wheat and pasteurised dairy is hard to digest and what to do about it (including making your own sourdough bread and sampling unpasterised milk in a chai)
Introduction to a powerful ten day home detoxification programme using mung bean soup
Preparing and eating some delicious vegetarian dishes, including Kitchari (Indian risotto, vegetable curry, raitas, ghee, fresh chutneys, and detoxifying mung bean soup, also some healthy treats)
How Ayurvedic cooking is about principles not rules so you can be creative.And it doesn’t have to be Indian food!
Take home samples of spices such as hing (asafietida) and fresh curry leaves

Ayurveda Beauty and Body care Workshop

Ayurveda is a very practical science and this workshop offers a chance to play. It covers:
Dosha questionnaire to assess your Ayurvedic psychosomatic constitution (inc. your skin type)
The Ayurvedic daily routine- cleansing the 5 senses- including how to use a neti pot and tongue scraper for everyone to take home and use for life!
How to turn your bathroom into an Ayurvedic spa
Making a simple but effective skin product out of ingredients good enough to eat
Why massage is considered so essential in Ayurveda, and how to give yourself a free daily massage

Yoga

Joanna teaches Sivananda inspired Hatha yoga according to Ayurvedic principals. Sivananda yoga has a complete approach with pranayama, sun salutes, inversions, forward bends and backbends, twisting, balancing and standing poses, chanting, and a full final relaxation (which is when the Ayurvedic doshas are balanced by your practice). We will also be including Yoga Nidra and meditation practices. The Yoga is suitable for all abilities, including pregnancy. Recent feedback:

“The yoga was wonderful. Joanna is a creative, gentle, thoughtful teacher – the classes were varied and sensitive to the needs of the moment”

Accommodation

There is room for up to 5 people to stay in our beautifully restored Grade 2 Listed home (mix of twin, double and single accommodation). Otherwise there are lovely B&Bs in the village (less than 5 minutes walk). If you live nearby, feel free to come for the day from 8am till 8pm and go home each evening for a reduce rate.

Massages, Treatments and 1: 1 Consultations

Joanna and fellow Ayurvedic massage therapist Gwen Corbet are available to give warm oil massage. Perfect for balancing the doshas at any time of year.

Ayurvedic Balancing Massage with warm oil (60/75 or 90 minutes for £40/45/50):A deep massage using firm, deep strokes with hands, thumb, fingers, knuckles, fist, forearm and elbow. Reduces imbalances in the body, as well as being relaxing and rejuvenating. Ideal with stress, anxiety, exhaustion and all Vata dosha disorders (eg: nervous system imbalance, muscular and joint pain, tension). It is especially relevant for worn our bodies due to excessive physical or mental exhaustion.
Indian head massage massage (45 minutes for £35): A seated massage which relaxes, detoxifies, de-stresses, encourages healthy hair growth and balances the body’s energy system. This treatment includes work on the upper back, arms, shoulders, head, neck and face. It’s especially good for eyestrain, migraine, tension headaches, blocked sinuses, irritability, insomnia, and knotted shoulders. It also triggers endorphin release, leading to contentment and happiness, and increases the alpha state of brain.
Ayurvedic 1:1 Consultation (60 minutes for £60): After a through health assessment, the focus is on diet and herbal remedies to address the root cause of imbalance and treat current symptoms. A detox plan may also be advised. Ayurveda places great importance on even the smallest signs of things ‘not being quite right’. The pulse and tongue are assessed to help read symptoms of imbalance. Some lifestyle suggestions may also be discussed.

Booking and payment

Investment for this tailored retreat (8 people max.) is £300 pp for twin room and £350 pp single room

2 nights accommodation in either the Weavers House or a B&B within 5 minutes walking distance
All food, drinks and snacks
Two Ayurveda workshops
4 Yoga sessions and guided walks

Local non-residential rate is £200 pp for all activities on Friday/ Saturday and Sunday.

Massages and Ayurvedic Consultations are charged accordingly.

To secure your place, please send a cheque made payable to Joanna Webber, to The Weavers House, Kale Street, Batcombe BA4 6AB. Or make a BACS payment to my Co-op Smile account (089286/ 12201732) using your name as reference. Please also fill in a booking form which I will send you.

Please pay either the full amount, or a 50% deposit with the remainder due by 24^th March.

“The weekend provided an intensive yoga and meditation practice which was suitable for beginners to advanced alike, with time for relaxation and lovely company.”

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