The group on our last morning in the garden.The beautiful Penroc Barn, set in a lush river valley surrounded by rolling hills. Mandy and Scott have refurbished the 16th Century barn with great love.
Yoga and Reflexology with Simon and Benita
hosted by Mandy and Scott at Penroc Barn
22-26th Aug, Llandovery, south Wales.
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It was such a delight to leave the heat of Spain in summer and come to the relative coolness of Wales, the countryside was so green after the scorched brown of Andalucia. The participants of this week were from all over the country and different backgrounds but they all had great enthusiasm for the yoga and reflexology.
Each day would start with some chanting and yoga, always so special to break all our 'normal' habits and the atmosphere in the barn was powerful, the sound echoing round the old wooden beams.
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In the reflexology sessions Benita introduced working on the lymphatic system which is a useful tool to help anyone's immune system. I am always amazed how quickly and intuitively people grasp the healing nature of reflexology. The atmosphere in the barn soon became so calm and focussed as people gave and received the massage on the feet. After the morning session of reflexology and a tastey lunch either there was freetime or an excursion to some in the local area. Below are pictures of one such trip to Dinefwr Castle. |
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 views from and of Dinefwr Castle |
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| On one evening Marye and Rajesh, friends who live nearby at yoga retreat centre called the Mandala Ashram came to play beautiful classical indian music. There is a whole branch of yoga that believes sound and chanting is a direct and accessible way for people to come close to the divine. |  |
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| In the second half of the break, Benita looked at the spine which fitted very well with the yoga practice. It is always interesting to look at this wonderful bit of engineering, the spine, almost all the nerves emerge from it and almost every action we make depends on it. This is graphically demonstrated to us when our back goes wrong and we can hardly move without pain. It was incredible to see how acurately Benita could pinpoint weakness in the spine by working the reflexes of the feet. One afternoon, Simon gave a talk on the Alexander Technique which also fitted well with the work on the spine. The Technique is a strategy for becoming conscious of our body, as this happens our general level of consciousness is raised, making it similar to traditions such as yoga. Within the Technique it is said that if the spine is lengthening and the back widening then the whole body will be performing at its best. |
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All too quickly our 4 days together came to an end, after lunch on the Thursday we said our goodbyes. Many thanks to Scott and Mandy for hosting our break and thanks also to all the group for being so open and friendly.
Benita and Nadia saying goodbye in the garden.
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