
I have been pondering about some of the things that I love most about practicing yoga, but that took me a long time to be brave enough to do. The biggest one of these is going on yoga retreats. I was worried it would be 12 hours of sun salutations and vinyasa flow and headstands at lunchtime. I was worried that everyone would be 19 and made of rubber! I was worried about all sorts of things!
The first taste I had of a nearly yoga retreat was when one of my teachers ran a 2.5 hour yoga session focussing on releasing back tension. I felt happy to go because I knew her teaching and I knew the sort of thing she would be offering. I loved it, from that I grew in confidence and attended a couple of half day and whole day retreats with new teachers too, because I realised that you could tell from the plan for the day whether or not you’d be expected to perform 108 sun salutations and a headstand before you had even had a cup of tea!!
Instead, on these retreats I found a longer, slower practice which allowed me to go a bit deeper and get a better grasp the nuance of some poses. I found lots of like minded people in a really calm positive and welcoming space. I found long guided relaxations and a nice chat over tea and cake. In all a very nurturing and positive experience which left me feeling nourished and connected and with a feeling of wellness – like I was bathed in calm and strong.
So, I am asking the question yogis of Emma’s Yoga Hut, and anyone else who is interested…. Would you like a half day retreat one weekend?
It might look a bit like this:
Arrive in early afternoon, take a gentle extended yoga practice, nothing crazy, just a little bit longer, a little bit deeper, a little bit more detailed so you get to deepen your practice, about 1 hour 30 / 1 hour 45 mins.
Time for a break for tea and delicious homemade cake.
Continuing the afternoon with a lovely long guided relaxation in the form of Yoga Nidra, giving your body a chance to digest its delicious cake and tea. At the end of the Yoga Nidra you will be treated to a lovely aromatherapy blend oil to use during some pranayama (breathing exercises) to help ground you and get you ready for returning to the real world!

In total it would be about three and a half to four hours. This would be held pretty close to the yoga hut, venue to be decided but certainly no further than a 15 minute or so drive! It would have more people than our usual three, partly because I think it would be lovely for the gorgeous yogis from different classes to get to meet each other and maybe we will even meet some new people who aren't part of the Yoga Hut already.
So, what do you think? Would you be up for trying a half day retreat, taking a chance to immerse yourself in yoga for a whole afternoon? Giving yourself a break from responsibilities and the demands of life for a while? Taking time out for you, safe in the knowledge that no one is going to ask you to do a 1 armed handstand or 3 hours solid power yoga?! All this AND bonus cake too!

Let me know what your thoughts are in below!
With love
Emma xx
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