Yoga and Mindfulness Retreat

“Let Go, Let Be, Let In” Retreat to Bokpoort Mountain Lodge, Clarens.

We have been through a profoundly confusing global experience of isolation and interconnectedness. How do we make sense of this time, and open to its transformative potential? Can we find ways to reconnect at a deeper and more authentic level with both our outer and inner world. Perhaps this is the moment to ask:

• What do I want to stay in touch with (let be)?
• What do I want to be free from (let go)?
• What would I like to invite in (let in)?

Join Caitlin and Lucy for a weekend of inner practices that bring us safely home to the best of ourselves. It’s not always clear what we can DO with everything changing so fast, yet we can focus our attention on how to BE. When we take time away from daily concerns, in a supportive community, shifts inevitably happen. Join us in this exquisite Clarens venue, where you can reconnect with the beauty of the natural world, as well as with yourself. Through yoga, mindfulness, moving and sitting meditation, we’ll honour the changes that have been taking place within and around us, and learn to navigate the way forward. We’ll leave with a new commitment to some daily practices that can shift the relationship with ourselves, each other and our world.

Facilitators

Caitlin Hird is a mum to two little girls and recently moved over from a career of 10 years in environmental engineering to focus on growing her yoga community in her home studio in Parkhurst. A former dancer and gymnast, Caitlin’s classes are creatively sequenced to combine movement and mindfulness and are inspired by her love of trail running and the quiet spaces she finds in nature.

Lucy Draper-Clarke is guided by three words: joy, freedom and transformation. She loves supporting others to experience these qualities by facilitating embodied awareness practices, including mindfulness, yoga and dance. Having obtained a doctorate in mindfulness and teacher education, she offers Awareness Training courses and leads popular retreats around Southern Africa. With a focus on Contemplative Activism, she works with those engaged in social transformation and healing, to alleviate stress and increase resilience through awareness and compassion. As a Buddhist practitioner, she attends regular meditation retreats to deepen her own practice.

Venue

Set on a game-farm at the foothills of the Maluti Mountains, the Bokpoort Mountain Lodge (https://www.bokpoort.com) is the idyllic sanctuary for a weekend of connecting within, with friends and with nature. Bordering the Golden Gate National Park (only 10 minutes from Clarens), this 1000 hectare piece of heaven is yours for a weekend of relaxing, yoga, mountain hikes/scenic horse-rides and picnics in the veld. For those needing to lie low for the weekend, the lodge boasts classy accommodation with carefully chosen finishes that make it beautifully nurturing and homely. Relax on one of the covered patios, around the pool deck, at the fire boma, or at the dam, enjoying delicious produce from the farmhouse kitchen whilst appreciating the historical sandstone charm of the recently restored farm and lodge buildings.

Sample Programme

Although all weekend activities (including yoga) are optional, below is an idea of what the weekend will include:

Friday 8 October 2021

14h00 onwards: Arrival of guests and afternoon at leisure to explore the farm, relax etc.

18h00: Welcome and sunset yoga by lantern light, on the lawn at the lodge

19h30: Sundowners on the pool deck, followed by dinner in the dining room

Saturday 9 October 2021

07h00: Guided Meditation

07h30: Breakfast in the dining room

08h30: Hike/game drive/horse-ride (you choose) approx 8 km into the mountains with close views of wildebeest, zebra, eland and other game. End at dam.

10h30: Slow stretch and flow yoga class at the dam, and then leisure time to relax, read, swim etc.

12h00: Lunch at the dam and then afternoon at leisure.

16h00: Let Be, Let Go, Let In

17h30: Sundowners and canapés at Sunset Rock (1 km from the lodge)

19h00: Moving Meditation with Music

20h00: Candle-lit dinner on the pool deck

Sunday 10 October 2021

07h30: Morning Yoga and Meditation in historical sandstone chapel

09h30: Breakfast served on the verandah

11h00: Horse-ride into the mountains (or leisure time to enjoy the farm)

12h30: Closing Circle

13h00: Lunch served on the verandah, followed by afternoon at leisure to enjoy the farm or the town of Clarens.

Cost

The cost for the weekend is R4500 pp (sharing a room and a bathroom in a beautifully renovated historical farm cottage). This includes 2 nights accommodation (with rooms serviced daily), all meals, yoga and meditation classes, use of horses and game vehicle, tips for the staff (who are incredible) and exclusive use of the 1000 ha farm with its trails, dams, etc. You’re welcome to bring your own drinks, although they do have a fully stocked bar should you prefer to run your own tab for the weekend. There is also an option to stay on Thursday night, for an additional R1200. A deposit of 50% is due to reserve your spot with the balance due by 23rd September.