Yoga Retreat for Wellness

If you have never been on a yoga retreat you might be put of thinking you have to be a certain size or flexibility. Wrong I teach yoga for the person where they are at.

I have been a qualified yoga teacher for ten years and started because I had a bad back after years of cutting hair, my posture was bad.

I use yoga and well-being techniques to support clients to feel better.  As human beings we all go on different journeys with our bodies, we need different support at different times in our life.

Yoga for times of change

Being perimenopause myself I wanted to do practices that support women going through this landscape. It’s important in this challenging time we allow time for ourselves.  I run wellness retreats to improve wellbeing and allow time to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. You will be able to do practices that nourish your well-being. 

• Breathing techniques to lower stress levels. Which in turn reduces anxiety and removes negative thoughts from the mind, creating a peaceful state of mind.

• Ayurveda self-care practices to cleanse mind and boost the immune system and strengthen emotional resilience.

• Yoga Nidra is a special kind of yoga that helps you rest and restore through what’s called `yogic sleep`. It’s a deep relaxation done with lots of pillows and support no physical movement.  When doing this practice, the brain activity reduces and the body goes into a healing state. Therefore, it is said that one hour of yoga nidra can be the same benefit as a four-hour sleep.

• Restorative yoga which deeply relaxes the body and stills the mind.  Releases muscular tension, improving mobility and flexibility. Helps soothes the nervous system and is gentle on the body.

• Delicious fresh meals cooked each day by our chef.
• Being in beautiful Spain with walks in the national park
• Massage, facials and various treatments available

Restorative Times are needed.

Restorative yoga is a practice that allows the nervous system to shift from what is known as “fight or flight” – Sympathetic nervous system into relaxation mode – Parasympathetic nervous system. The postures are longer held, anything from 5 – 20 mins, to enable the body to rest and release tension. Restorative yoga has a calming effect of the body, contributes to lower blood pressure, stress, and anxiety levels. The practice increases your sense of well-being. Props are used to help the body truly relax; bolsters, blankets, pillows blocks.

I am really excited its been a long time coming but its now ready to be delivered out into the community The Yoga Of Recovery Programme.

Yoga of Recovery is the integration and practice of Yoga, Meditation and Ayurveda which forms a recovery toolkit to help over- come addictive and self- destructive behaviour patterns.  The recovery programme enables students to learn new ways to support their health and well-being.

Eighteen months ago I began volunteering at a local residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation project called Studio House providing weekly yoga well-being sessions.

I worked closely with this client group and saw how much yoga supported their recovery. After working with them for about eight months I wanted gain more knowledge about addiction and the recovery journey.  This prompted me to research the area of Yoga and Recovery which led me to travel to the USA to study on a certified 100-hour Yoga of Recovery course that I successfully completed.

I have since incorporated this knowledge and practice into the programme I have been delivering at Studio House.  I am now uniquely qualified in this field and have been able to implement this knowledge into the Studio House programme and build a Yoga of Recovery eight week programme.

BASIC CONCEPTS of RECOVERY

1.People need to feel well in their bodies in order to live well

People in recovery need to release toxins that have been stored in their bodies over the years.

They need to release pain and trauma trapped in their muscles and joints.  Uncomfortable physical sensations, tightness in the shoulders, neck, back, hips and legs reflect stress that has been formed in habitual ways and areas.  These negative feelings are lodged in their bodies, muscles and joints.

Yoga offers a way of releasing these tensions.  Hatha yoga- yoga of recovery can lead the person and the body into more of a balanced state.  Given that depression, anxiety and insomnia can be gently alleviated through the physical practice of yoga, addiction recovery and yoga are a natural fit.

2. Yoga with vulnerable people is a revolutionary act

Yoga encourages people to get to know themselves rather than being manipulated by others.   Yoga creates a quiet place for people to experience their own bodies, mind and feelings. The asana (yoga postures) help to clear the blocks that we have in our bodies, they help liberate the energy by freeing the mind.

3. How does hatha yoga heal the body?

There are many physiological benefits to practising Hatha yoga.  Almost immediately your body responds positively to deep breathing and stretching.  You begin to relax.  As you stretch your muscles, you are lengthening them.  Longer muscles are more efficient and less prone to injury.  The postures you learn help you to become more flexible and strong.  Your internal organs are toned as well.  As you continue to practice the poses, they help flush out toxins from your body by activating and stimulating circulation, digestion and elimination.  Regular practice also regulates your metabolism and the working of all the glands and organs as well as the nervous system and the mind. The reason why yoga is so successful for addiction in recovery, is that if you can physically feel your body, feel your fingernails, feel the warmth of your hands on your knees, feel your clothes as you breath, in all these sensations your mind can`t think and you become much more peaceful, you have a break from all the endless chatter, the endless insecurity the endless longing for something else, in this present a really connection to the universe can grow.

4. The importance of Breath work – Prana.

Coming back to our body and breath– Yoga works by creating the mind, body, breath connection.  Students have frequently report that breathing is the most important practice they take away from their yoga classes and the tool they most frequently used outside of the yoga practice in their daily lives.  Because breathing is such an easy accessible tool for self-regulation.   In each session students learn a range of breathing techniques that help connect and ground them. Students recovering from addiction or self-destructive behaviours breathing can be low and shallow so bringing more breath (Prana) into the body can support the nervous system, quiet the mind and relax the body. These are helpful techniques for day to day living and supportive for someone with addictive behaviours.

5.Using Ayurveda and Yoga together for recovery.

Ayurveda, the medical/holistic healing, sister science of yoga. Ayurveda works at healing and purifying the body and mind; giving practical advice on diet and lifestyle adjustments needed to live in harmony with your environment (both internal and external). In this programme you will learn your Ayurveda Constitution. This knowledge can be of great benefit in recognising your addictive behaviours and the needs and vulnerabilities that underlie them.  Your Ayurveda Consultation will determine what kinds of activities and changes in your lifestyle can best help you restore balance in mind and body. Simple, practical methods are taught such as proper daily and seasonal routines. In the recovery programme students learn new ways to revitalise the body and boost the immune system.  This then provides a strong foundation in health to face the challenges and stresses of daily life without resorting/relapsing into old addictive behaviours.

Yoga of Recovery Programme.

In the Yoga of Recovery programme, the students learn a set of workshops which will be the foundation and building blocks they can learn and use in their daily life to support their recovery.

The 8-week recovery programme is delivered in ninety-minute sessions for students to attended once a week.  It’s a programme which will support recovery and enable students to gain new knowledge and skills to take care of themselves to lead a healthier life. The programme will look at recovery from the holistic view point.

The recovery sessions will include learning breathing techniques, gaining an understanding of yoga. How yoga postures support the body and how the practice can be incorporated into daily life.

Students will learn about their body type through Ayurveda and how, what we eat, or our lifestyle choices through drugs and alcohol can affect how we feel. In the Yoga of Recovery Programme, we look at addiction, behaviours, triggers, lifestyle, food, body types and how yoga practices, meditation and Ayurveda can cleanse the body and support it towards getting back into balance.

This programme provides students with a holistic tool box to support recovery and to help overcome addictive and self-destructive behaviour and learn healthier ways to support recovery and lead a healthier life.

The Yoga of Recovery Programme.

Workshop 1 and 2 Life is Longing–  The spiritual aspect of any dis-ease. In this workshop we look at how we are always looking at something outside of ourselves to feel better or to fix ourselves, with drugs, alcohol, more stuff, material things etc. Yoga is the connection of union- body, mind and soul. Creating a daily yoga practice to connect back with ourselves rather than a quick fix solution.  Learning how to honouring our time and space with positive input and recognising when we are feeling out of balance otherwise it will corrupt into cravings.  Throughout this programme we learn yoga postures, breathing techniques and meditation practices that provide students with a range of techniques that can help support healthier life style choices.

Workshop 3 and 4 Life is Prana– In these workshops we look at how the human condition is dependent on certain things to continue- dependency is built in.  We are dependent on air, water, food, sound touch and sunlight all these things are known as sources of Prana – vital life force. We focus on how we can bring healthy prana into our life by incorporating Hatha yoga- asana and pranayama- Students learn about Breath work and nutrition. Connecting with nature, eating fresh foods and drinking pure water. Ayurveda is translated as knowledge of life and encompasses the idea of how to live wisely.  In particular, it’s the knowledge of how to live according to your unique and individual constitutional make-up.  It offers a unique system of treatment based upon life style adjustments, dietary program and a spiritual focus on yoga and meditation. Through using the Ayurveda approach, we find out each person Ayurveda constitution. This knowledge and understanding of recognising yourself and understanding how you might act out when your out of balance and the things you might be drawn too can be of great benefit in recognising addictive behaviours.

Workshop 5 and 6 Life is Relationship– Genetics, abuse etc., can be the cause of many addictions – we need people to survive and thrive.  Addiction tends to lead to greater and greater isolation, feeling apart.  The first word of the 12 step is WE – the social aspect helps many people.  It’s our closest relationships that determine who we are.  Lack of spiritual company is the main cause of psychological unrest. Life is relationship coming back to our mat creating a healthy relationship with ourselves building a practice that can be used in daily life. We focus and learn about treating ourselves with love and kindness using yoga postures that can support us in our daily life. We learn about restorative postures where we use bolsters and cushions to support our body so we can allow the body to let go and release tension.

Workshop 7 & 8 Life is Progress – Addiction is a process not an event, so is recovery.  We Keep coming back to the meetings (if you choose) to the mat, (physical yoga and meditation), to our own self-care tools and for each other. Practice, one day at a time and in-corporate our new healthy habits that feed the body, mind and soul.  We practice and harness all we have learnt in the programme.

Costings for Yoga of Recovery Programme

8 Recovery workshops sessions.  Classes will run for 90 minutes and 30 minutes will be allocated at the end of class to support individuals, do health declarations and talk about any issues that may arise.  Students are encouraged to write a journal throughout the programme.

£130.00 two-hour recovery session.

The Yoga of Recovery Programme which consists of 8 sessions costs £1,040 for the eight-week recovery programme.

I can work with mixed groups or single gender.

I will bring mats and props for each session.  Students will need to have a journal.

The programme has been devised to work with 10 to 17 students max.

I have transport and can travel to the selected venue for more information on the work I do please visit my website www.sarahhillwellbeing.co.uk

Feedback

“I would say to anyone at the end of the day if you`ve got a problem and your open to a solution give it a go.  Where I come from no one did yoga, but I was willing to give it a go and its paid dividend, it’s fantastic I would not be able to live without it.  I am not obsessing over it, it just a big part of my life, I live a happy and healthy life.” Quote from William resident at Studio House who completed the Yoga of Recovery programme.  March 2017

Please let me know your feedback or if you know groups that would benefit from this programme.