the gift of yoga is a being on the mat , to be authentic with ourselves 

your invitation to retreat with Hayley & I  this summer in Menorca

it can be uncomfortable to meet ourselves 
the journey beginning with just the power of stopping 

teaching an intro worksop  in a Catalan secondary school this week , the gift of simply being offered a space to stop and listen

the kids arrived to the sala de actividad  a cold room with rows of metal chairs I pushed to the sides and a stone grey floor on which I put the thin gym mats, the kids entered , a rush of  taking shoes off and mild embarrassment and concern over doing yoga ?!
within a few minutes we were talking about relaxation and the connection to the body , and sharing with them how the heart has an electromagnetic field 5000 times larger than the brains , that the body including the heart feels and knows and has the power to shift us out of stress and into positive emotions, rational thinking and better communication. 

In other words the body knows!  With the  way in being the breath, within 5 minutes of beginning  breath work the kids were laying down with their  knees bent,  practicing landing into the powerful balm of the breath.   Everyone and it seemed everything in the room shifted and slowed down, dropping in to a sense of more belonging , more here and just being. 

because as seen  here,  something magic happens in the sharing and making true relationship with our own imperfect selves 

just to be here already in our wholeness 

the gift of yoga is a being on the mat , to be authentic with ourselves 
to grow our sovereign power, by meeting all of ourselves,
it takes courage ,
which we could skip, like the path of least resistance in an approach to pushing through the posture , as though pushing against the discomfort 
just another way of finding a temporary distraction to cover up 
what is painful or difficult or to continue to blame or project this shadow material, in ways we can’t see 

past stories held , where these imprints arise from a belief that occludes our view of life
from a past need to survive or adapting ourselves to fit in , we snip off parts of ourselves that are our true glory 
their story continues 
where we are made to fly 

what if instead our wings can strengthen and open
through allowing ourselves to allow all of what we are 
to shine 
for life to be flowing through us 

so the presence of our imperfection has something to teach us
we turn towards it 
yoga can help us hold the line 
staying loyal to  our inner transformation 
again and again …

staying in the fullness of our soft alive feet on earth ,
staying in the calling of our deep tissue 
for our wings to gather 

the tenderness is our friend,  
our unique footprints on the ground 

Join Hayley North & I

Monday 5th – Friday 10th June 2023

 The Radical Act of Stillness

for your wildest dreaming and authentic self 

Yoga & Qi Gong

Julie & Hayley invite you to 5 days & 4 nights on the beautiful & wild island of Menorca.

A space of radical rest for your deep unravelling & renewal. 
&
Connection with deep nature.