My Yoga Retreat Experience

My Yoga Retreat- A Regenerating and Repeatable Experience

by Rae

Statue in the grounds	Meditation in the Sanctuary	Lounging around in free time	Vineeta and I on a bush walk	Aio Wera Retreat

Not long ago, I really, really needed time away from the busyness of life and technology and only had a window of two days to satisfy this need.  So when the opportunity for a yoga retreat, only half an hour or so from home, presented itself I booked and diaried it in without thinking too much of what it meant.   After all who couldn't survive for two days and one night even if it meant discomfort.  Anything to get away from computers, ipads, TVs, phones and meals and work. At a cost of $170 I wasn't expecting too much.  Was it worth it?  Yes, definitely.  I'm going again.

You know how it feels-  mid-winter, not having been away, with at least 3 more months of windy, cold, rainy weather to endure.  Add to that having sold one's home with a shift looming and working in two businesses where a computer screen is the focus of every day.  Feeling tired, blobby from winter food, and stiff from too much sitting and you have the picture.

Along came the appointed day and without any thought of what the weekend entailed, my lovely intrepid friend Joan and I set off in the early morning darkness.  Stopping for a moment to have a last coffee in the knowledge that the food was vegetarian, and the weekend was caffeine and alcohol free.  Plus, we needed to brace ourselves as we had been told to bring our bedding and had no idea if we were in dormitories housing a multitude, or whether it would be two to a room.  We certainly hoped so.

On arrival, in the midst of the Waitakere ranges, we were pleasantly surprised to find a long low inviting building, Aiowera Retreat, set amidst native trees and expansive grounds. However, the first person we encountered coming through the early morning mist was an alternative looking gentleman with a long beard whom we thought may be representative of the attendees.  Oh well we thought, we can handle a night or as we counted out, guiltily draining the takeaway coffee, 30 hours, til break out at 3pm the following day.

Ha!! Were we surprised. After being swept into a room for 2 and shown the bathrooms down the way with heated floors, we gathered around a log fire in a cosy sitting room adjacent to a dining area enhanced with wafts of delicious home baking, to meet the other participants who turned out to be normal, fun and delightfully entertaining.  And then, it simply proceeded to get better by the hour.  Our delightful and very competent yoga instructress, Vineeta (a name given to her on retreat in India), gently led us into our first lesson followed by free time, a superb lunch, and the best ever 1 hour meditation which helped the food digest, to the soft snores of some of the other participants.  Attendees variously wandered off to have either a spa or sauna or bush walk,  and by dinner time we were all so relaxed we could barely keep our eyes open.  Those who wished ventured by torchlight to the Sanctuary for an evening meditation session in a very serene candlelit room amidst the trees. However, Joan and I took this opportunity to hit the showers and retire for a solid 9 hour sleep. The early morning meditation and yoga sessions were accompanied by the calls of the native tuis and the soft sound of rain showers.  How much better does it get we thought.... and, then came breakfast. Beautiful fruits, porridge, meusli,toast and preserves.  Not to mention the previous nights baked apples. Plus the clever Vineeta had brought sachets of coffee for those who couldn't miss the morning cappucino or moccachino.

We were led through pilates sessions, yoga sessions interspersed with free time for reading or whatever, so by the time we finished the next day, the outside world seemed insignificant and very far away.  We all left very regretfully but not before re-booking for the September weekend.  Easy to fit in to anyone's busy schedule and a brilliant opportunity to realign with oneself and take stock of just what is and isn't important in our very busy lives.

For anyone interested in Vineeta (Wendy Vermeulan's) retreats - please email: evolvetraining@hotmail.com
Aiowira Centre