Our first day of yoga began at 7.30 am with a gentle session to ease ourselves into the week. Carl’s style is flowing and kind to the body, and as well as stretching my limbs, I was pleasantly surprised to find my heart and mind opening further each day. A pranayama session followed each class, in which Carl introduced various techniques, some of which were familiar, but some were new to me. Following this there were short self-study sessions in which we considered the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and Carl explained and discussed the yamas and niyamas. We would close with a short meditation session, sometimes including chanting, which was new to me and which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Following the morning session, which lasted up to two hours, we were served a delicious breakfast, including fresh fruit from the orchards, home baked spelt bread, Gemma’s cheeses and honey, and tea and coffee.
- Ilka Mawhinney