Refine Your Art – A Yoga Mentorship Retreat

Waking up with the sun peaking over the horizon you gently activate and regulate your energy for the day with early morning qigong. Fueled with a slow pressed green juice, your morning pages are initiated by sacred questions dedicated to re-affirming the connection to your hearts calling, uncovering any shadow aspects and making peace with your ego.

As you unroll your mat for our first yoga practice together the sounds of local birds can be heard as the sun is gently rising with its rays providing a gorgeous hue in the sky. The freshness of a new day holds the cleansing qualities which match the solar and heating aspects of our yoga and movement meditation practice, with a variety of Prana Vinyasa Namaskars, artistic sequencing and balancing pranayama your mind and body is flooded with gratitude to be on this path of refinement. Now you are ready for the earthly offerings of brunch to power up on vegetarian, vegan, raw and gluten-free deliciousness to get you through the day.

Gathering as teachers and students for a few hours each day, you start the journey of fine-tuning your art – the expression of your work and passion. You map out in your journal what you hope to achieve during the week as our first themed practice lab is dedicated to planning and executing the ideas you have not had the motivation to do. The healthy artisan snacks and home-made delights ensure that your mind stays inspired and in focus as you continue refining your art with a dedicated study session to finish writing a blog post about your latest experience of building core strength.

Rising with the sun and heading to one of the best beaches in Ibiza, Aquas Blancas. Be prepared to immerse yourself in the pristine waters of the Mediterranean sea while you feel the rays of the soft morning sun on your skin. With a dynamic active kriya meditation we harness any doubt, fear, anxiety and uncertainty to be cleansed and transformed by the salt in the sea. You dunk yourself several times into the refreshing waters for total rebirth or infuse theses energies into pebbles found on the beach and cast them back into the waters to be gone for ever! During this moment you liberate yourself and fully let go of that which is holding you back before directing your energy and passion into your dharma and your purpose!

With mental clarity today’s study session and practice labs are dedicated to cleansing your work space or studio. By inviting others into our environment they bring with them a lot more then their physical selves and when they leave their energy (positive and negative) lingers. You learn how to make sure your work space is a safe place of nurture and open relaxation for all who come to learn from you. From burning incense to playing gentle music and lighting candles, all theses things help to cleanse your space but so does programming crystals, feng shui and chanting. Together we experiment and make a list of ways to keep the balance and equilibrium in your working environment.

Walking through the winding pebbled stone streets and small entrance ways common to Spanish architecture you feel magnetically drawn back through time. The walls of the castle are seeped in history remembering the once simple village life of being romanced by the smell of baking bread and buying your fruit and vegetables direct from the farmer. Little boutique shops line the streets with local people sitting around drinking homemade sangria and playing cards.

Here we witness the strength of the stone walls and how they have protected the island from pirates and invaders for decades. Today’s themed practice lab provides you with more insight into holding space and how the strength of your presence and actions can affect your group or the individual you are with. The way we communicate and the languaging used also invokes a sense of ease or unease within your environment. Witnessing each others body language, non verbal communication, simple gestures and tuning into how this co creates the bhav or energetic state of the room. Partnering up with someone you only met a few days ago gives you an incredible insight into how to transform the vibe of your clients experience which enables them to go deeper into their meditation and build trust in you as their teacher on their journey of self discovery.

Ibiza is an island of hidden gems and mystery with many isolated beaches only reachable by boat and hidden secret caves. During your meditation in the cave for Goddess Tanit, a wave of motherly love washes over you induced with a sense of support, encouragement and wild abandonment! In this space you feel a serge of motivation and passion that gives you the realization that you are ready to establish yourself as a experienced, knowledgeable and trustworthy teacher in your community, one who people seek out for advice, inspiration and guidance. The locals believe that Goddess Tanit was a warrior of dance, fertility, creation and destruction and Ibiza was her Island until the Romans suppressed her cult.  This essence of wild abandonment provides you with the strength and courage to have faith in yourself regardless of the challenges we face on and off the yoga mat.

During your visit to this Goddess cave you leave behind a personal symbolic offering for Goddess Tanit, it may be a candle, a poem, a crystal or something in relation to your dharma. In doing so there will always be a special part of yourself continuing to soak up the mysterious and transformative energy of Ibiza.

This evening is free and open for you to create more lasting memories of your time here in Ibiza. You feel fully charged and adventurous to explore and taste more of the best local cuisines the island has of offer, from homemade gelato, incredible paella and local almond liquor, this evening dazzles you with Ibiza’s finest in shopping, eating and living like a local on a very rich and abundant island.

The kinesiology session you experienced a few days ago is starting to take effect, your blocks have been released and you are feeling empowered to continue implementing refining your art at home with the tools and techniques share with you during the week. You have your manual with notes and reference points to turn too if need be.

For sunset Es Vedra is calling! Some believe this location is the third most magnetic place on the planet after the north and the south pole. The peace, potency and tranquility vibrating in the air while sitting on the cliff edge is similar to other sacred sites around the world such as Stonehenge, the Taj Mahal and the great pyramids of Giza. There is no mobile phone signal and on special occasions the sunsets can last for hours. Sealing in our week of refining our art together by going deep into meditation, silently chanting to yourself, writing or just sun gazing as we witness the sea swallow up the sun as another day on this magical island ends. Many people feel they leave a part of themselves at Es Vedra so you can draw upon its potent power at any time regardless of where you are in the world.

Gathering as a group for the last time, you notice a brighter spark in each others eyes, you are brimming and over flowing with newfound skills, ideas and plans of action to inspire your yoga community back home. During the closing circle your heart is a total expression of gratitude and joy, exchanging hugs you feel your newfound friends are now part of your extended family. Deep inside of you is a knowing that they will support you from afar and you will be forever connected.

You feel the lessons and experiences from the week will continue to have a ripple affect long after you return home. With renewed confidence, a focused motivation, inner strength and knowledge from this week of transformation and refinement together you are ready to inspire others by bringing your dreams into reality and to pass on what you now are living and breathing daily.