The Autumn Herm retreat

So the Universe has now made its message really clear...the Yoga & wellbeing retreats on Herm should never start on a Friday evening! Yes, there was a great sense of deja vu last Friday when the winds were high and I received a phone call from my Mum saying the boat to Herm had been cancelled and so we would not be able to get across to Herm for the much planned retreat until the next day. I had to smile.

Of course I was semi-prepared this time and know that there is absolutely nothing I can do to change the situation and so there is little point worrying about it. Of course all the attendees were totally understanding and I am sure they enjoyed the opportunity for a quiet night in as much as anything else (plus the relief of not having to venture out on rough seas!). Unfortunately I was so unplanned for what turned out to be a quiet night that I honestly did not know what to do with myself, all a bit strange!

So we travelled over on the Saturday morning in the rain and while everyone set off to unload their bags in their respective rooms at the lovely Mermaid cottages, I hot footed it to the White House to set up the Yoga space in the conservatory for the morning class with the help of Hayley and Chris (thank you ladies). The light in the room seemed brighter than last February and the room was certainly warmer and more ordered somehow.

Thankfully my Mum had actually accompanied us this time so as well as doing all the organising, she was also on hand to set up the treatment rooms and ensure everyone was settled in their rooms as well as liaising with the Herm staff to ensure everything ran smoothly...which it certainly did. A huge, huge thank you to Mum, she was certainly my star over the weekend.

There were 15 practitioners and everyone had practised Yoga previously so the classes were an absolute dream, we certainly filled the room with one light vibration and over the weekend the weather seemed to reflect the change in our enery arriving from Guernsey in the wind and rain and leaving with the sun breaking through the clouds and the winds having calmed right down.

After class on Saturday morning Chris and I managed a swim in the sea, a proper swim too, and while it wa s little bit of a shock to the system we both felt great afterwards and it was lovely to chat while swimming around the harbour like that! Others took the more comfortable option of wrapping up in warm clothes and enjoying the peace and tranquility of Herm with a walk around the Island or simply chilling in their rooms.



Actually after lunch, while some were enjoying massage with Hayley, reflexology with Chris and Reik with Eugenie (thank you again ladies) Mum led a few of us on a walk out to the statue at the north of the Island and through the centre, past the enormous Herm cows and around the coast back to the Mermaid via the silver mine, which is super cool as you have to walk off the main path and down the cliff so you can access the entrance into the mine, which reaches back to the main path underground. All rather exciting; my Mum is a wealth of unusual Herm knowledge!



The afternoon Yoga programme kicked off with thirty minutes of chanting and while I am not sure how others felt about this experience, I could certainly feel the uplifting energy circulating throughout my body and tingling in my heart and fingers, let alone leaving my mind clear of thoughts (well for a few minutes in any event!). This was followed by a pranayama and meditation session before a gentle and restorative evening class so that we were all chilled out in time for our evening meal.

As always Tom and his staff did us proud and we enjoyed a combination of mushroom risotto, a sweet potato dish, rice and salad. Yum, yum. I went back for seconds and had to resist helping myself to thirds. There was the usual laughter as Hayley led the i-ching session and the angel cards were available to those who wanted to indulge, before tiredness set in and both Mum and I were tucked up in our respective beds with the lights off before 10pm - that has to be a first on a Saturday night for some time!

Sunday morning and Sarah and I set out for our early morning Yoga practice before we were joined by everyone for the morning class. I led a kundalini based class, focusing on releasing the spine and grounding the energy and setting us up nicely for breakfast. Chris, Hayley and I say by the open fire and indulged in warming porridge and poached eggs on toast washed down with lots of herbal teas, what a joy for a Sunday morning!

While others went off to relax in their rooms or enjoy another treatment, I managed another swim in the sea, a rather quick one this time, more of a dip I guess you could say before warming myself with a relaxing bath and spending an hour chilling with Mum in our room before we joined Eugenie in the conservatory for general chatter over herbal teas with magnificent views towards Guernsey.

Luhcn was earlier than usual and Mum and I decided we were still full from breakfast so spent the time helping Hayley and Chris pack up their treatment rooms instead as well a packing up what we could of the Yoga space in preparation for our return to Guernsey.



The rain had eased by the end of the lunch break so we were able to follow through with the mindful meditation walk. Mum led the walk, challenged by the fact she had to walk slowly and in silence too. Anyone passing us would have wondered what was going on, 16 women walking in silence up past the church and down the other side. There were moments where I had to resist a giggle as I considered that this was probably as challenging for everyone else as it was for my Mum and yet there is a certain joy which comes from being totally present while walking and having the chance to observe your surroundings without being distracted by chatter.

We finished the weekend with a Yoga Nidra which seemed to leave everyone rather spaced out and it was perhaps rather appropriate that as soon as the boat docked into Guernsey the heavens opened drenching us all in rain, and thus helping to ground us before the car journey home.

I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend, it was completely organic and seemed to take on its own energy and it was a privilege to spend the time with such a fantastic group of women. I can't wait for the next one in March...it will certainly be one night next time, and how special to have Herm to ourselves at any time of the year but especially when Spring is springing and all the spring flowers are beginning to blossom.

A huge thank you to all of you who attended and helped to make this such a special weekend.

xxxxxx

How times change

Another poem I wrote a while ago:

And in the darkness
of the night, my
heart yearned for
eager flight.
Rise up my love,
It calls to me,
Go far, be strong,
and all will be.

But in the moment
of the timeless
void, where all is
still, the world
is silent, I sit
and ponder the
path before me.
there are no
signs I can see.

Thankfully that was over a month ago. I credit a combination of the Reiki, acupunture and homeopathy (see my friends) to help me to see the light.

After a few months of feeling under par, I am feeling empowered and clear again with my future plans. It is all about accepting who you are, even if that is totally outside of the box. I love it. When you reach that level of acceptance and appreciate the clarity again.

xxx

Brrr...it has gotten very cold!!

Oh my gosh, it is really rather cold! We are nestled up on the sofa near the fire, even the cat has taken to sitting beside us to keep warm!

Two of my best friends have stayed with us this weekend, H and Han, and we have had so much fun together. There is nothing quite as special as spending time with your girlfriends and as it is not something I get to enjoy very often as my best friends all live off Island, I have made the most of it this weekend.

Ewan made us a bonfire on Friday in honour of Guy Fawkes's night so we stood around that for a bit watching the fireworks in the distance. Then Ewan decided to leave us to it(we were cackling like witches apparently) so we honoured the new moon with our own little letting go and new beginning ceremony and we also did some abundance work too, all good fun, before angel cards and the I Ching too. We managed a relatively early night and slept so well - must have been the fire and the melatonin release.

Saturday morning I taught a Yoga class - great fun, I do love the energy of the morning sessions and in the afternoon we enjoyed the Grande Mare health suite all to ourselves and drove along the coast to the Rockmount - 10 years ago this was our regular haunt, how times change, mind you the views of the stormy sea are still pretty cool. That night we continued the reminiscence with a trip into town and lots of dancing and smiling and yet more good times and memories.



We managed a walk before lunch at the Imperial with views of the crazy sky, one minute really grey and heavy with rain and the next clearing and looking like it may brighten up for the rest of the afternoon. We managed a trip to the Little Chapel too, it is such an incredible spot especially with the cows in the valley below. So yet more prayers before saying our goodbye's and going our own ways again...thankfully we will meet before New Year, this time in London before H moves out to Australia.

I am absolutely loving the colours of the great outdoors at the moment. Apparently due to the mild Autumn the leaves on the trees have maintained their moisture for longer than usual and hence the incredible oranges, auburns and ambers. Not only that but I happened to be awake for sunrise the other morning and saw the most incredible skies. And then a few days later I was driving through Talbot valley the other afternoon and was suddenly hit with this sense of awe at the wonderful richness of the landscape, the bright green grass and the bright skies. We do live in a truly beautiful world.




So another busy week ahead, incredible how it comes in waves. We have the Yoga and Wellbeing retreat on Herm this weekend, which should be so much fun and then I am off to Edinburgh to visit my other best friends and meet Lou's new baby, Matilda, and enjoy the cold Scottish weather!

Hope you have a good week.

xxxx

Happy Halloween!

Wow it is November already, time has just flown by!

Life has all of a sudden become rather busy. Nige and the children left us last Tuesday and I have been tackling all the washing ever since! Chris - our friend who has been living in the wing since August - left us on Saturday to return to Cambodia for 5 months of travelling, lucky thing, so more change in the household and generally. We managed a swim in the sea, in fact we managed one on Friday too, it is surprisingly pleasant at the moment, although I doubt I will be saying that in another month's time!

And then Sunday brought Halloween, hoorah! So a belated happy Halloween to everyone, I had meant to blog but ran out of time. I must admit I do love Halloween and it was perfect this year, not only falling on a Sunday but also with the clocks changing and gaining that extra hour in bed...only that I didn't because I got up to practice before teaching the Halloween trans formative chakra balancing workshop in St Peter's. The session was really inspiring for me, I am fascinated by the chakras and people's experience of working with them through a Yoga practice, so it was a great start to the day.

In the afternoon I forced myself out of the house where I was quite enjoying pottering in the kitchen and making Thai butternut squash soup and preparing quinoa, eggs and seaweed for lunch the next few days. But being Halloween I felt drawn to visiting the fairy ring and doing some pendulum work, all good fun! It was such a lovely afternoon, we are so blessed at the moment with all this fine and mild autumnal weather, there are still blackberries growing on the hedges down the lane from here, it is all very strange, no doubt we are in for a very cold winter instead!

We only had two trick or treaters in the evening and sadly we never did anything with the pumpkins we bought for the occasion. Still, I did my bit to honour "Samhain - All Hallow's Eve", which is a fascinating time indeed. Samhain means "end of the summer" and thus the end of the agricultural season and the beginning of the Celtic year. Samhain is really the festival of the dead - a time of chaos and the reversal of normal order: endings and beginnings happening simultaneously.

On an individual basis, this is the time to rest and reevaluate life and goals. Now is the time to get rid of any negativity or opposition that may surround achievements of hinder future progress. By Samhain we should have accomplished our desires ad now need to stabilize and protect what we have gained. This is important because it is impossible to concentrate and put energy into new goals if what we have is not secure. All very interesting really!

I started a new job on Monday, just 10 hours a week using my chartered secretary skills, all part of the bigger picture and utilising one's skills to further one's dreams and intentions. So far I have really enjoyed the change of scenery, it is really rather grounding being in an office and having human interaction in this way, let alone a structure to one's day - believe me, I never thought I would say that! It means I enjoy teaching even more than usual, good to have the balance and to know I am working towards my goals of getting out to Nepal again in December and starting my training as a Yoga therapist in February in Canada (North America is where Yoga therapy is really happening these days).

On Friday we celebrate the new moon. Check out this link for more info...again, all very exciting and I know my friends and I can all relate to the changing energy...http://realastrologers.com/new-moon-in-scorpio-november-6-2010?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Realastrologerscom+%28realastrologers.com%29

So have a good week and embrace the energy of the new moon and new beginnings. This is a magical time of beginnings, when you can recharge goals, or set new ones, where goals and wishes take root, as you reach out for spiritual wisdom, draw on unseen allies and open the door to magical change. You might get what you ask for, or something even better that you can't imagine yet. So start visualising and then writing down your intentions so that you are committing to doing your part to make them real. Some call it co-creating, since you're opening to universal energies to set dreams in motion.

Love and light

Em x

Half term fun

Ewan's best friend, Nige, and his three teenage children have been staying with us for the last 5 days, which has been so much fun - the house has certainly been more alive than usual!

On Sunday we went for a walk at Moulin Huett with Ewan's Mum. I haven't been to this beach in many years and I have to say that I had forgotten how stunning it is, quite incredible really, I will certainly be visiting more frequently now.

While Nige and Ewan went off doing boys things, I took the children out to the Fairy Cave at Lihou, I love this place, it has a certain energy about it, the children certainly seemed rather fascinated. We then went and did the obligatory trip to the Little Chapel - again quite incredible really, and I have to say that that valley with its lush green grass and beautiful Guernsey cows is one of my favourite on this Island.



It has been rather fascinating having the children to stay as I had forgotten how much noise and mess they can make. Admittedly a lot of time was spent watching the box set of Gavin and Stacey as the weather was not always great and they were on their half term relax - out, but that aside I have never seen so many towels in the washing basket, let alone done so much washing up.

They left on the boat last night and I returned home from Yoga to find an empty and incredibly quiet house and while the novelty was fantastic (I had not realised how much I love my space and peace), I was soon missing the energy of the children, there is something rather beautiful about their present moment and upbeat existence...we can learn a lot from them actually.

I hope everyone else is enjoying their half term.

xxx

Celebrate the full moon!

It is full moon tomorrow....and an exciting one too....see http://realastrologers.com/full-moon-in-aries-october-22 for more information.

The full moon is a time of immense - and intense - psychic awareness and great fertility. It is a wonderful time to celebrate the moon and its seasonal gifts by outdoor evening meditation and enjoying drumming, fires, gazing at the moon and singing and dancing with friends. It is also the time to resolve difficult tasks, to let go of anything which has been bothering you (it comes back to the fact you have to let go to let the new in), to cleanse crystals and to say a prayer of thanks to the Goddess of the moon.

Moon watching, generally, is a wonderful way of knowing and living with the circular movement of nature. Each of the thirteen moons in a year has its own name and is in harmony with the month it appears in bringing with it seasonal energy. The full moon in October is often known as the "blood moon" as this moon marks the season of hunting and slaughtering (not good for us vegetarians!) of the animals for winter food and clothing. This is a time for thanksgiving, rest and reflection.

Since the beginning of time people have been influenced by the moon and its phases – everyone is “moon touched” although some more than others. The moon can influence our energies in a powerful way. For our ancestors moon watching was a part of life as it helped to light the skies and guide hunters, warriors and travellers safely through the dark and back to their tribes.

Furthermore as our ancestors looked to the heavens, they saw how the moon waxed and waned, how night turned into day, spring into summer, and summer into winter. They saw the seas ebb and flow; plants bring forth grain and life burst forth from the womb. Everything in nature seemed to move in harmony with the phases of the moon, including women’s menstrual cycles and pregnancy.

In fact for women, governed by monthly cycles, the moon was particularly significant and still is, as women we subconsciously know our connection with the moon through our bodies. The feminine qualities of the moon are highly celebrated with many moon goddesses linked to “her”. In fact the Great Goddess worshipped in old Europe became equated with the moon, in whose divine light she was reflected. As the moon waxed and waned, so did the inherent power of the Goddess.

The mystical moon ‘influences’ that people once used to use to improve their lives are still important to many pagans and natural spiritualists today. For example, many people are turning once again to the principles of lunar gardening, something that was developed over 10,000 years ago and handed down over generations until they became ignored and forgotten with the development of chemical fertilisers in the 20th century. For more information please see www.lunarorganics.com.

As well as the full moon, other significant moon times are:-

The new moon – this can be a great time for starting new projects, planting seeds, setting out intentions for the moon cycle. Sit outside, burn candles and incense and connect with flowers and plants and seasonal fruit and vegetables.

Waxing half moon – the energy is building so this is a good time to take steps towards realising plans and intentions, a good time to try new and challenging ventures. Get out there and walk in wild places, connect with the birds, animals and signs that nature puts in your path.

Waning full moon – as the energies of the moon become less, so it becomes a good time to think of letting go, banishing those things from our life that we no longer need, those things that hold us back. This is the time to do less and reflect more, contemplation, meditate, listen to music and tend to the seeds that you have planted.

Dark moon – this is often a time to take the pressure off, give into the low energy that you may experience, it is a great time to reflect on where you want to go next in preparation for the new moon. So give yourself a break and enjoy sitting outdoors and allow quiet into your life.

So happy full moon everybody, I hope you enjoy the energy as much as me!

Lots of love Em xxx

Weekend of enlightening Yoga, hoorah!

I have just had a great weekend on the local Art of Living course. It was absolutely fab to be able to sit and immerse myself in my breath, be led through asana, meditation and relaxation by someone else, meet new like-minded and spiritually interested people, eat vegetarian food with others and only have to journey a mere 4 minutes every day unlike the usual trips I have to take to other places in the UK and indeed the world to gain the same sort of Yogic experience.

Needless to say I was slightly high after finishing the course, although lucky old me finally has a cold - this is actually not a bad thing, colds help the body to let go of stuff it no longer needs, so a healing of sorts, although it has gone to my lungs, which is not good and I can't help wondering if all the Pranayama over the weekend has taken it deeper than it would otherwise have gone. Oh well.

Change seems to have happened very quickly all of sudden. I had felt "stuck" for ages, lacking in any clarity and all of a sudden over the last 3 weeks everything has become clear again and I realise - again - what I want from life, which may sound awfully dramatic, but just means I know where to direct my energy rather than simply all over the place. It is all rather exciting really!

I have been a slacker on the swimming in the sea front and it may well have helped ease my cold now I come to think of it - not so sure about the lungs however! I did do a castor oil liver pack on Saturday night while watching XFactor all warm and cosy in front of the fire. I then had a super hot epsom salt bath to try and shift the toxins...I guess I'll do the same all over again tonight, not only should it help to quicken the healing process, but generally results in a good night's sleep.

I managed to catch sunset last night down at Vazon, it was great, in fact it was a lovely crisp Autumnal night last night, we are building up to a full moon at the weekend and the moon was shining brightly as were the stars, and there was just that lovely Autumnal smell in the air - amazingly, despite the cold, my sense of smell seemed to improve enormously over the weekend. This is one of the things I love about doing these intensive Yoga weekends - your senses become more alive and everything looks clearer and brighter. Got to love it!

So I am off to snuggle up on the sofa and eat some homemade Thai butternut squash soup for dinner, and try and attempt to shift this cold before I teach tomorrow evening!

Sweet dreams. xx

A weekend in the UK and a fresh perspective

Ewan and I have just returned from a weekend in the UK visiting friends in London and Brighton.

As always it was good to get away, as much as I love Guernsey the energy can be stifling at times and there is a sense of freedom which one feels when landing in Gatwick and being anonymous for a change!

Ewan and I spent some time wandering in London and took the bus so we could gain a better idea of how everything fits together, it is easy to lose all concept on the underground. We also walked through Regents Park and along the Canal to Camden...as well as visiting London Zoo. I must admit it was Ewan's choice and I was reluctant, caged animals are not my thing, but I do appreciate the conservation work they zoo are doing and I must admit seeing a Tiger moving and up close too was quite a highlight and made me realise how much joy one can feel by simply watching animals do their thing (as much as they can caged in a zoo of course!).



The weather in Brighton was glorious and the sea front rather busy but still a lovely place to enjoy the mini Indian summer! Ewan and I wandered around the lanes and came across a few alternative shops, I just love them, all those books on esoteric subjects, the smell of incense and all the angel paraphernalia and spiritual stuff, it is just great, I could spend days in one of those places just absorbing the energy and pottering around, a bit like a child in a sweet shop I guess.

I saw a naturopath on our last morning and she used one of those machines to read your vibrational energy and discover what is out of balance. It is a fascinating device and really does help you to make sense of what is going on as often there is stuff which can go undetected in other tests an diagnoses. So it seems I no longer have a virus and am no longer sick...so I am very happy and strangely am feeling much more energised and myself again. I wouldn't even know where to begin.

Thank you to everyone who made the weekend so much fun and enlightening...the focus is returning!

xxx