You are invited to enjoy a relaxing and rejuvenating week of Yoga & Singing in the Marrakech Desert, Morocco.

We will be staying at the stunning ‘La Pause’ with 360 degree surrounding views of the desert and views to the Atlas Mountains, where you will enjoy twice daily yoga, sounding & singing, relaxation & meditation, delicious local food and stay in traditional mud & straw built guesthouses. 

Sleep or eat under the stars in nomadic tents, listen to local musicians, lie in hammocks amongst the olive groves, read, swim or enjoy the spectacular sunsets.  Lots of outdoor activities to choose from - horse/donkey rides, mountain biking, golf and camel treks. And only 30 minutes from Marrakech, where we will visit for a day of shopping in the Souks and experience a traditional Moroccan hammam (steam bath).

An opportunity to deepen your practice or begin yoga for the first time and ‘find your voice’ in a calm, peaceful & natural environment conducive to relaxation, rejuvenation and unwinding.

There will be only one group in residence, so we will have the intimacy, peace & quiet of La Pause all to ourselves over the week. Our own private oasis!

Various therapies will also be available...so you can treat yourself to some love & nurturing during your stay!

The retreat will show you the possibility of extending yogic practices and awareness into your everyday life. Applying yoga in this way can make your day to day activities more fulfilling and less stressful. Students of all levels of experience welcome.

Accommodation & Facilities

Built out of the beautiful thick pisè (traditional mud & straw), the 4 guesthouses have a simple, modern and authentic charm. Rooms are on a shared basis (twin or double) with up to 3 rooms per guesthouse, and a suitable number of bathrooms to accommodate guests.

Sleep under the stars in nomadic tents situated around La Pause, lie in hammocks amongst the olive groves, read, swim or enjoy the spectacular sunsets.  Lots of outdoor activities to choose from – walks in the surrounding desert, horse/donkey rides, mountain biking, golf and camel treks. Don't forget to bring your walking shoes for local walks.

For more details about La Pause and to see more photos, please visit their website at www.lapause-marrkech.com.

Program

1st day
approx 4.00pm ~ welcome chat

Daily

6.30am ~ Shatkarmas (cleansing practices )
7.00 – 8.30am ~ Yoga class
8.30 – 9.30 ~ Sounding

9.30am ~ Breakfast

FREE TIME

6.00– 6.15pm ~ Yoga class
6.30 – 8.00pm ~ Singing

8.15pm ~ Dinner

Please note: There will be no afternoon/evening program on day 4 to give you an opportunity to explore the local area, visit Marrakech, or go on any other excursions as you choose.

The program may vary slightly from the above.

Retreat Leaders

Abhijeeta’s style of teaching yoga is true to the Satyananda tradition, focusing on the meditative and spiritual aspects of yoga and incorporating the whole person, not just the physical body. There is an emphasis on awareness and you are encouraged to learn about all aspects of your personality through yoga. Through awakening individuals’ awareness and inherent self-healing powers, physical diseases and mental stress can be managed and relieved. By steadying the emotions and calming the mind, a sense of perspective can be gained, bringing a feeling of peace, freedom and inner strength.

I love teaching yoga and seeing the revitalizing, relaxing and transforming effects that yoga has on the students (and me!). I have a daily yoga sadhana and I believe that yoga is for everyone. It is my goal to pass on the ancient knowledge of yoga to my students, so they can experience the true spirit of yoga and begin to integrate some of this wisdom into their lives.

Guillermo is a singing teacher with a difference. What’s the difference? He relaxes you into singing. His way of teaching is totally in tune with Yogic principles. He helps you to find the right posture, which corresponds to effortless production of sound, in a simple, accessible and not at all intimidating way. He helps to connect with the
energy of sound, which, as in Yoga, can only be accessed if the ego gets out of the way.

I was introduced to Guillermo on a Yoga & Singing Retreat in Samos in 2008 and it was a definitely wonderful awakening experience for me on many levels – I truly ‘found my voice’…I learnt how to listen to the whole, keep a rhythm, harmonise and discovered safety, comfort and confidence in my own unique sound.

The combination of ‘Yoga and Singing’ on retreat is very powerful, it will expand, transform and awaken you in ways that you never thought possible. I feel it is very beneficial for anyone wishing to connect with ease in their body and expression through voice.

A few words from Guillermo…

What shall I say about myself? I love music, I enjoy helping people ‘find their voice’ and their connection with music, I’m thrilled about bringing people together and ‘making them sound’. I've been experiencing on a daily basis the joy of being vibrated by my own sound and the sound of other's voices, and it feels to me like a very simple way to feel ‘love energy’ and connection with All.

‘Sounding’ together…

I’ve been working as a professional vocalist and singing tutor for almost 20 years, but the starting point of these gatherings won't be to 'teach' you anything. Simply to usher one of many possible journeys for the sharing and enjoyment of the field that emerges when people make sounds together. We’ll start by 'sounding' rather than singing, which invites us to take away the pressure to make 'beautiful' sounds or any value judgment about one's own singing abilities.

Anybody can use the voice as a way for consciousness- expansion, energetic transformation, release and physical well-being and simply for dropping into a space of 'listening' where the unspeakable is shared and there's no need to 'explain' anything. Having said that, we might end up creating gorgeous music together!

However, the idea to begin with, is to journey through a range of sounds from noises to 'sung' notes, from long sounds to percussive ones, from fiery warrior's shouts to soothing whispers, to visit sonic places we haven't been to before and most importantly to listen to the silence that plays a huge part of the process of rhythm. It is all a big mystery and that ‘not- knowing’ is maybe where the beauty lies...

Singing together…

We’ll hold a safe, friendly space to explore and develop the voice. We’ll share songs with inspiration from diverse musical traditions from around the world (African, Gospel, Maori, Taize, South American, Eastern European) and expand our musicianship, understanding of rhythm and harmony singing. The material will be tailor-made to the abilities and voices of the participants, with the intention of having fun while we share the bliss of collective song. There will be simple rounds, soothing chants, vibrant harmony songs, some foot-tapping music from different corners of the planet, and whatever else emerges…

Fees

Include yoga and/or singing classes, accommodation, breakfast & dinner each day. Lunches are available at La Pause on request.

£640 p.p. - Yoga or Singing

£798 p.p. - Yoga & Singing

PARTNERS & FRIENDS WELCOME...

£460 p.p. - accom & food only

*Please note, rooms are shared – twin or double.

Depending on numbers, it may be possible for friends/family to join the yoga classes on an ad hoc basis and pay for classes attended.

Not Included

Flights to and from Morocco, transfers (EU50 return – max 4 people or 10 person minibus EU10 each one way), lunches, treatments & any excursions.

Suggested travel arrangements

Direct flights with Easyjet fly from London Gatwick to Marrkech daily. You can book through www.easyjet.com . Low cost flights also available with Royal Air Maroc (all London airports) & Ryanair (Luton). Flights are approx £100, depending when you book.

Please try to book a morning flight where possible, so you arrive in Marrakech by lunchtime/early afternoon.

EARLY BOOKING IS RECOMMENDED

If you wish to stay in Marrakech itself before or after the retreat, Riad Ifoulki (http://www.riadifoulki.com) is recommended and very central to the souks and main square. Please advise Abhijeeta if you wish to book this Riad and she can arrange it for you. Abhijeeta will be staying at Riad Ifoulki on 26/27th March - yoga classes will be a drop-in option during this period depending on numbers.

Booking & Information

For further information, please contact Abhijeeta on 020 8549 8637 / 07940 470 072 or at info@shivahealth.co.uk. To book your place, please complete the attached booking form and send a £300 non-refundable deposit (cheques made payable to Emma Adrians). The balance is due by end Jan 2009.

Please let me know your flight number so arrangements can be made for a taxi to collect you at the airport.

Early bird booking: 5% discount when booked & paid before 31st Dec 2008