"Escape from the hustle and bustle of city life and feel like you are light years away. Amongst the palms and gumtrees, cool ocean breezes and rainbow lorikeets, you’ll forget that you are in the heart of Burleigh Heads. Instead you will feel transported to a place of tranquillity and comfort"
"If you have heard about the Free Mini Yoga Retreats that The Australian School of Meditation and Yoga run, come and check them out for yourself. They are a day not to be missed. Full of fun, laughter, health, meditation, yoga, sumptuous vegetarian food and a massage – you get to end your week in a spiritually satisfying way. Make new friends and explore the wonderful physical, mental and spiritual benefits that yoga has to offer"
Many of our June retreaters booked in again for July, and I think that the mouth watering homemade crusty bread and Indian dhal might have had something to do with it. Monika (one of the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga volunteer chefs) baked homemade bread, which proved most popular. She needed to give us all a cooking class so that we could go home and whip up some of our own.
The day got kick started with a yoga session. Each Sunday at Burleigh we hold a free yoga class from 10:30 – 12:30pm. This is such a popular class. Fradgley Hall is filled to the brim with people of all ages and backgrounds synchronising their Salutes to the Sun. The fresh sea air drifts into the hall, bringing with it what are often referred to as the vitamins of the air (better known as negative ions). Negative ions improve alertness, mental clarity and energy levels by increasing the flow of oxygen to the brain.
In case we weren’t already chilled out enough, Margaret guided us through relaxation and meditation techniques and invited some of the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga musicians to lead us in beautiful and inspiring chanting. Margaret discussed with us spiritual ideas from the yoga texts or sutras. She spoke about how the ancient yoga system is one to help a person understand more about themself and their essence and where we can place our interests to bring lasting happiness into our lives.
We finished the day by learning to give and learning to receive (this part was most difficult!) a relaxing Shiatsu Massage. Paired up, we got better than a mid afternoon siesta. Jodie took us through a Shiatsu routine and we experienced how effective this style of Chinese massage is for relieving tension and balancing the flow of chi or prana in the body.
A welcoming invitation to continue the day saw many retreaters sticking around for the Sunday Spiritual Gathering. There was beautiful chanting of sacred mantras, a guided meditation session, a sumptuous but very healthy vegetarian dinner and a talk on the spiritual essence of the yoga teachings.
The Mini Yoga Retreat was a great way to finish the week and start a new one. Our next Free Mini Yoga Retreat will be 21 September. If you would like to book in contact us. To read more visit www.asm.org.au/yoga.
Namaste,
Amara
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga
