Autumn Yoga Retreat: 13-15 April 2018

We invite you to the 4th Yoga Retreat presented by Charlotte Davies here at Old Joe’s Kaia.
Afford yourself the gift of a beautiful weekend in an exclusive setting with Charlotte’s well designed schedule and The Seedling’s delicious vegan food.

Autumn heralds the beginning of the cooler season, a time of turning inward and starting to conserve energy for the coming colder months.
Chinese Medicine’s Five Element Theory associates the energetic vibration of Autumn with that of our lung and large intestine organs. Quite literally, the lung and large intestine continually expand to “take in” air or processed food and contract to “let go” of what we don’t need, which literally would become toxic to our bodies! Just as the trees naturally let go of their leaves in the fall to conserve energy during the winter months, getting rid of what one doesn’t need – emotions as well as possessions – is as crucial to one’s health and survival as being able to gather, save, and store what we do truly need to nurture ourselves.

• Element: Metal 
• Colour: White 
• Nature: Yin 

Organs: Lungs, Large Intestine

BOOKINGS:  Please contact Old Joe’s Kaia on info@oldjoes.co.za or phone 083 2293751 – 072 2613519

FACILITATOR PROFILE – Charlotte Davies

Yoga is Charlotte’s passion in life and has been from a very young age. She is a dynamic and passionate Yoga Master, Yoga Therapist, Montessori trained Nursery School Teacher, Breathwork Practitioner, Reiki Master and Tea Ceremony Practitioner. She has been practising Yoga for the past 20 years and her studies and years of commitment to her Yoga practice have equipped her with a sound knowledge of various Yoga systems.
Charlotte’s philosophy regarding Yoga is to face the challenges on the mat, so that we may live our lives effortlessly. Her classes are challenging (yet easily modified), uplifting, and approachable, as she takes you beyond the physical aspects of yoga, and brings you into your own sacred space.
Through a variety of poses, and conscious sequencing, Charlotte’s classes, workshops and retreats will build strength, flexibility, and balance through stability, as well as provide the space to discover the truth in transition, and the sense of lightness in your practice.

COST:  

R 2995.00 per person sharing accommodation, including all meals, event activities, tea & coffee
R 1995.00 per non-participating person, including accommodation and all meals.
BOOKINGS:  Please contact Old Joe’s Kaia on info@oldjoes.co.za or phone 083 2293751 – 072 2613519

Weekend Schedule

Friday

Dinner (19:00)
After Dinner – Fire Ceremony in The Olive Room, with intent to release. A fire ceremony is a powerful and ancient practice used to release unwanted energies and attachments from the past and make space for new intentions. A fire ceremony can be used to release unhappy memories, fears, negative emotions, and anything that you are holding onto that doesn’t serve your Higher Self.  By releasing these unwanted energies and old patterns into the fire, you are healing at the soul level.

Saturday

Yang Yoga (06:30 – 08:00)
Yang yoga is a term used to describe the more dynamic and active forms of yoga. Ashtanga yoga, Hatha yoga, and Vinyasa yoga are specific styles that could be included as a yang practice.
Yang yoga poses often emphasize strength and endurance, they are active, powerful, and generate heat in the body.
This Yang practice includes poses that open the chest and lungs as well as support digestion and promote elimination. This is done through twists; Asana / poses that compress the abdomen (this massages the internal organs, thus stimulating digestion). We will also be focusing on Asanas / poses that open the chest, increasing breath flow
Breakfast (08:30)
Tea Ceremony (10:00 – 11:00)
The way tea culture and tea ceremonies evolved in the Chinese society mirrors the importance of this wonderful beverage which was first discovered and enjoyed in China. Tea was cultivated in the beginning mainly as herbal medicine and mostly within temples. Monks began to use tea for its peace and calming effects and as a sign of humility and respect for nature.
Chinese tea ceremony was born as a result of the respect for nature and need for peace which the religious ceremonies involved. The philosophies of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism have blended together giving birth to the magical Chinese tea ceremony. The traditional tea ceremonies were described as “he” which translates as “peace”, “jing” which translates as “quiet, “yi” which means “enjoyment” and “zhen” meaning “truth”.
As the air chills and leaves start falling in the autumn, oolong tea begins to make their way to the market.Unlike green tea, which is unoxidized, oolong teas come in various levels of oxidation. They come in the a range of frequency. The lightly oxidized oolong is like a violin, high in aroma and light in body.The heavily oxidized oolong is like cello, light in aroma and rich in body.The more heavily oxidized oolong tea is usually roasted. This process imparts “fire” to the tea, making it more warming.
Lunch (13:00)
Yin Yoga  (15:00 – 16:30)
Yin Yoga is a style of Taoist Yoga that emphasizes opening the deeper energetic channels of our body by relaxing the outer musculature and applying therapeutic stress to the skeletal and connective tissues”  Kellie Adkins, The Wisdom Method. Yin Yoga  is a a slow-paced style of yoga with postures or asanas that are held for long periods of time – from one to five minutes of longer.  It is a series of passive postures, primarily working the lower part of the body (but not exclusively).  A consistent practice over time can lengthen these connective tissues and increase mobility and flexibility.  The postures are designed to create the conditions for therapeutic change within the fascia (which are said to ‘en-sheath’ all of the major systems of the body) and connective tissues of the body as well as to engage the Meridians – energy channels within the body – to effect healthy change within these Organ Systems.  Additionally, the stillness and long held yin poses allow the Yogi to bring mindfulness practices while in the posture and effect change in the causal (emotional and mental) body.
In our practice, we will be targeting the Lung and Large Intestine Organ Systems and the Meridian Pairs that run through and enervate them.  The Lung and large intestines Meridian pairs run through the abdomen, through the lung and large intestine in the upper chest area and out through the inner and outer arms.  The Yin poses that tug on these meridian lines are those that affect the shoulders, arms, neck and wrists along with opening up and creating space in the chest area and upper back.
Dinner (19:00)

Sunday

Breakfast (08:30)
Pranayama (10:00 – 11:00)
With Pranayama, or breath control, we are controlling and channelling the life force of Prana / Chi within the body. By using different techniques of breath control, we can stimulate different energy fields within the body.
We will be focusing on of the most well-known of Taoist neidan practices is the “inner smile” – in which we smile inwardly to each of the major organs of our body(focusing on the Lungs and large intestines), activating within us the energy of loving-kindness, and waking up the Five-Element associational network
The Sacred Labyrinth Walk (11:30 – 12:30)
Spend some time in The Labyrinth for The Sacred Walk, illuminating the Inner Path, is the ancient practice of ‘Circling to the Centre’ by walking the labyrinth. The rediscovery of this self alignment tool is to put our lives in perspective and balance.
Light Lunch (12:30)

COST:  

R 2995.00 per person sharing accommodation, including all meals, event activities, tea & coffee
R 1995.00 per non-participating person, including accommodation and all meals.
BOOKINGS:  Please contact Old Joe’s Kaia on info@oldjoes.co.za or phone 083 2293751 – 072 2613519