AN AUTUMN KULA DAY RETREAT - SUNDAY 21ST NOVEMBER 2021
AT “THE YOGA GARDEN” IN THE HEART OF THE SUSSEX COUNTRYSIDE
“Do not try to save the whole world or do anything grandiose. Instead, create a clearing in the dense forest of your life and wait there patiently, until the song that is your life falls into your own cupped hands and you recognize and greet it. Only then will you know how to give yourself to this world so worth of rescue.”
— Poem - Clearing by Martha Postlethwaite
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ABOUT KNEPP
Our venue for this day retreat is The Yoga Garden at Knepp Wildland. Knepp is an example of nature being allowed to express herself .The land at Knepp was once a working farm however, due the heavy clay soil, it was not conducive to modern intensive farming and the dairy herds and farm machinery were sold in February 2000. In 2002, Knepp received Countryside Stewardship funding to restore the Repton Park in the middle of the Estate which gave a chance to look at the land in a different way opening up to the possibility of rolling out nature conservation across the whole estate. From this was born a “rewilding” project where nature takes the driving seat.
Knepp is now a leader in the conservation movement and offers guidance to conservation organisations which include the RSPB, Wildlife Trusts, the National Trust as well as policy makers, farmers and landowners.
The land is home to free roaming herbivores - Old English Longhorn cattle, roe and red deer, Exmoor ponies and Tamworth pigs which imitate the mix of herbivores that would have grazed this land thousands of years ago. Knepp is now a breeding hotspot for critically endangered nightingales and turtle doves and has the largest population of purple emperor butterflies in the country.
AWAKENING TO THE YIN-SIDE
Autumn sees the ascension of Yin. Nature slows and prepares for rest after the harvest of Spring’s yang energy. Autumn is a time for appreciation and gratitude which we see celebrated for example, through the Harvest Festival and Chinese Autumn Moon Festival. Nature shows herself slowing down to prepare for rest. I love colours at this time of year with a shift from deep green to the rich and vibrant displays of red, orange, and yellow leaves. Then the leaves slowly fall and the days get cooler and shorter. Most of us connect more easily with warmer, lighter yang energies of the spring and summer, however, as nature shows us, in order to maintain balance and harmony, we must also embrace the darker, cooler yin energies of the autumn and winter. This is our call to stillness and rest.
AWAKEN TO TEA
One of the ways I awaken to the Yin -side is through sitting with tea…… so, I have invited the beautiful Lera of T-Lovers to share Cha Dao, translated as “the way of tea” . Cha Dao is a practice from ancient Chinese lineage used by the Daoists and sages integrating tea as a plant, beverage and tradition as well as a medicine for body, mind and spirit.
AWAKEN TO MINDFUL MOVEMENT
Mindfulness of breath and mindfulness of body awakens us to deeper connection to our self and awareness within. To slow down, to extend our movements and listen. It can be challenging to slow down when society has us constantly on the go striving to achieve more and more. What might happen if we do not slow down, pause, rest and restore? When we pay attention to the sensations in the body, when we listen, we can cultivate a more nurturing and nourishing spirit towards our self.
Metal is the Yin element associated with Autumn. The organs relating to the metal element are the lungs and large intestine. Next to the heart, the lungs are the most important organ in the body. Our practice will focus on the yin element of metal through breath, qigong and yoga. We will look at the qualities of metal in balance, recognising when metal is in excess and when it is deficient - a key theme being inspiration ( creating, achieving) and expiration (letting go)
We will have two movement practices on the day
AWAKEN TO SENSATION AND SPIRIT
As a rising yin element, metal can help us to slow down and see what is truly valuable and important in life. The lungs and breath are central to the metal element. The way we breath is a reflection of our mental and emotional state with each affecting the other. When breathing patterns are healthy we can feel energised and more positive, when breathing is impaired we can feel tired which may lead us to feel low in spirit, moody, uninspired.
On this day retreat, you will have the option of a wild swim in the Knepp Wild Swimming pond, dredged and deepened for swimming in 2018 …. yes it will be very cold!!! There is an outside shower by the pond…. (Note that there is a safe swimming guide which you must adhere to and that you are responsible for your own safety)
We will close our day with a soothing sound bath - an invitation to recalibrate the body at a cellular level being open to the sound energy of the gongs and singing bowls.
THE OTHER DETAILS :
There will be 10 spaces open for this retreat day which take place in the Yoga Garden yurt. The yurt will be heated using the log burner plus two additional heaters. There will be kettle facilities in the yurt and a two course lunch provided. The day will start at 10.30 and close at 4.30pm
COST AND DANA :
Cost per guest is £85 plus dana. A £50 non returnable deposit is required to confirm your space. Balance of payment will be due November 1st
As with all of my retreats, I do not include my teaching in the retreat cost and offer my teaching in the spirit of dana (Pali word for generosity) . On this occasion, I would like to invite you to donate your dana to a charity of your choice which is supporting the Afghanistan refugee crisis.
Please register for this retreat via direct email or here via my contact form and you will be sent a booking form to complete.
VENUE ADDRESS :
Yoga Garden, Knepp Wildland Safaris, New Barn Farm, Swallows Lane, Dial Post, West Sussex, RH13 8NN
Sat nav postcode will get you to venue. Drive times are just over an hour from Orpington, Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks