A Stillness Day Retreat
retreat day postponed to Sunday 18th april 2021
Venue : Samsara Retreat & Yoga
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*Update : this retreat day is now fully booked - I have opened a wait list. please contact me to be added*
"When everything is moving and shifting, the only way to counteract chaos is stillness. When things feel extraordinary, strive for the ordinary. When the surface is wavy, dive deeper for quiet waters" Kristin Armstrong
Winter is a time of maximum Yin. Daylight is short, temperatures are cold, nature is at its most still. Energy is conserved, Mother Nature lies fallow. Winter is a time of rest.. Modern society rarely wants to rest. The expectation is that we are productive all year round, however, as human beings, the microcosm of the macrocosm, we also require periods of stillness and rest or we risk running low on our resources.
We will bathe in stillness. There are many ways that we can invite or experience stillness not just in Winter but through each day.
My inspiration is that you will begin to cultivate seeds of stillness and invite the essence of rest, nurture, ease, renewal each day as we flow through daily life. We will immerse in stillness through the following - stillness in movement , through qigong, yoga and walking. Stillness with awareness through Vipassana, stillness in guided meditation, sound and Chadao Tea Ceremony. Joining me on this day to share these precious seeds of stillness will be Lera and Emmeline (more details below)
The Water Element
In Chinese Five Element theory, the Water element is associated with Winter season. The organs associated with water are the Urinary Bladder and the Kidneys. The Urinary Bladder meridian is the Yang, running the back length of body close to surface, starting at the corner of the eye down to the little toe. The Kidney meridian is the paired Yin channel deeper in the body starting from ball of foot ( Bubbling Well, K1) , up inner legs, to the chest. The emotion associated with Water element is fear.
In balance, water flows effortlessly, naturally and spontaneously in nature. There is a non doing, effortless effort, action non action persona in this known as “Wuwei” which is a fundamental principle in qigong. In our stillness, can we cultivate the action of softness and ease. In our silence, might we listen and hear more clearly and in balancing our organ meridian may we approach our fears with wisdom.
About Lera
I met Lera by chance when my friend made a surprise trip to London from Hong Kong recently. I asked my friend if she wanted to meet for coffee and she invited me to a tea ceremony……… what is a tea ceremony? how are tea and stillness connected? I love the essence of this video. You can listen as Lera shares in her own words …. you can also read more about Lera here
Lera will be sharing a Chadao Tea ceremony on our retreat day
About Emmeline
I met Emmeline back in 2018 when I visited her beautiful garden lodge near Sevenoaks for a reflexology treatment. Since then The Lodge at Riverhead has become a part of my own self care routine. Emmeline is a Holistic Therapist and Meditation teacher. You can read more about Emmeline here . Emmeline will be leading a guided meditation on our retreat day
image credit : INGMAR via Squarespace
“Seek out a tree and let it teach you stillness”
About our day
Our day will take place at Samsara Retreat and yoga in their heated Bedouin tent so we will have warmth in what may be a cold day. I will wish for sunshine!! Whilst this is not strictly a silent retreat day, I would like us to observe stillness as much as possible. There will be an opportunity over lunch to journal any thoughts that may arise x
Venue address
Samsara Retreat and Yoga , Clements Cottage, Forge Lane, West Peckham, Kent ME18 5JP
(40 mins drive from Orpington, 20 mins from Sevenoaks, 25 mins from Tunbridge Wells)
Schedule (subject to slight change)
9.30am - arrival for 9.45am start
9.45am-11.30am qigong, yoga and meditation
11.30am-11.45am juices
12.00pm-1.30pm Silent Forest walk - Gover Hill ( Woodland Trust)
1.30pm-3.00pm - lunch and journaling
3.15pm-4pm - Yin and Sound meditation
4.00pm-5pm - Chadao Tea Ceremony
5pm - Cake!
Cost
The cost per person for the day will be £89.00 with my teaching offered by dana.
The cost charged covers all fixed costs for this event. Deposit payment will be non refundable at £50 to confirm space with balance to be paid by January 10th 2021.
Please email me via my contact form to book. I would love you to share this day with you