Photos by @fotoz_croatia
WE RISE - RADIANT AND RENEWED
“Walking the Moon Path consciously, with care and attention, is one of the greatest gift you can give to yourself; it will continue to nourish you in body, mind and spirit through the years. – Moon Path Yoga, by Sierra Hollister
We rise radiant and renewed to live and strive in the real world.
Practising yoga doesn’t exempt us from worldly distress. Being a yogini means living in the World and not outside, which doesn’t absolve us from the World’s vicissitudes. Yoga offers us tools to deal with outer, everyday struggles and to help us cope better with daily stress. Some moments and periods can be overwhelming for our body and nervous system. We can set up demanding goals and challenges that can drain us physically and mentally. Those periods mostly deprive us of time and space for self-care and our daily mindful rituals.
Most of us need to work for a living if we are not lucky rich hereditary, having more than enough resources from family-accumulated wealth. Even then, we will take care of the wealth and struggle with other problems. We have our relations and families, and our emotional lives revolve around them, which can also be exhausting sometimes. Living our life has never been easy, but that doesn’t mean we are not grateful to live this life we are blessed with.
The point is that we cannot avoid periods of heightened stress living anywhere in the World, after which we will need extra time to balance that overload stress.
NURTURE GRATITUDE OVER AND OVER AGAIN
The same with me. The last few months I spent under extreme stress juggling many duties and actions that made me feel like my head would explode.
You know those moments when you think the best is to let go and go to the ashram? But somehow, you take one step at a time and one task by another and things get done. And you tap yourself and congratulate yourself for doing such a great job. You know that Snoop Doggy Dog words:’ I wanna thank myself…’ He’s so right.
These periods usually suck out all our energy, so we need unique mindful protocols and rituals to regain balance and re-fuel our body and mind. There is nothing better you can do for yourself than having a time-out, and what is better than a quality time-out on the retreat?
Im so fond of retreats; you will have so many bonuses from going to retreat. It is not a simple vacation; it is a time when you immerse yourself in all sorts of healing practices to replenish your energies and rise again more shining and powerful.
SOLSTICE SUN POWER
We opened the season with a Solstice retreat on the beautiful island of Brač, just across Split City. The venue has a fantastic location, just by the beach with an amusing veggie garden and is easily accessible from the airport, which makes it an ideal retreat spot.
Solstice days are delightful and so crucial in our life trajectory.
Moments of pause and retake. Irresistible.
We gathered in the stunning house; a week full of Sun, sea smell, herbs fragrances, crickets song, and a laughing bunch of people will immediately set you calm and peaceful.
WALKING THE MOON PATH
All of us, regardless of gender identification, contain lunar and solar energies. Our yogic ancestors discovered and charted an anatomy that is invisible to the eye and understood more readily with our consciousness than a microscope. This system of anatomy is referenced as a subtle body. The subtle body holds the fields and structures of energy flow, including the nadis, the channels through which prana flows. Three of the many nadis are considered primary: Sushumna,Ida and Pingala. The Sushumna runs up the spine to the crown of the head and is a route of the rising kundalini. The Ida is our moon channel, beginning at the base of the spine, to the left of Sushumna. Pingala is our sun channel originating at the base of the spine to the right of Sushumna.”
– MOON PATH YOGA, Sierra Hollister
We were blessed with many things here, but mostly with our lovely teacher Sierra Hollister who is so passionate about sharing her wisdom. Thanks to her excellence, this retreat was a huge success. Her passion, dedication, wisdom and knowledge made this gathering so special. Her vast knowledge and experience in teaching made this offering so beneficial by all means. Sierra has so flawlessly led us deep into the delicate flow of our subtle bodies.
The reverence to the full moon and rituals to the Sun made us rise and restore. The practice was about energetic pathways, energy fields and bodies, and of course, the way that prana moves through our body. As Western anatomy is all about the visible, subtle body anatomy is about the invisible – the flow of energy. At the heart of the ancient teachings of yoga is the understanding of the polarity and interrelations of the balance of opposites. The principle of polarity resides across the universe as well as within us.
MOST DELICIOUS HEALTHY FOOD
Sanja, our chef, specialises in retreat cuisine, knowing perfectly how to fit our plate to our practice and daily needs. She is also a yoga teacher, which makes her kitchen magic irresistible. From cakes to spreads, rich brunches and colourful dinners are all super delicious.
Connecting with locals
We made such warm and lovely connections with a local community. We offered our work to support the community and were invited to participate in the women’s bocce competition, after which we also painted the fence of the bocce playground. A local lady judge joined us on our morning mat sessions and promised to continue doing yoga. We fell in love with this quiet yet vivid small island town and its sweet locals who made us feel at home. Our last Saturday session made us all cry with joy. And we know we gonna come back there again.
LEARN TO LET GO AND RELEASE
I came distressed to the island due to intensive preps for the retreat and renovation of my apartment, along with demanding job duties. Sometimes our external world imposes too heavy a weight on our backs.
Eventually, I left it in a blissful state of accomplishment and peace. Just driving home, I noticed that my hip itching due to the long drive had disappeared.
Oh, that was so surprise and a massive release. And my autoimmune skin discomfort almost vanished. I was filled with gratitude. And I’m still so.
Organising retreats is so rewarding, not financially due to the long list of costs, but in all other ways. These are all reasons to plan our next gathering; we will keep you posted.
Women have a deep, profound, and unique relationship with the moon. The moon moves through our bodies, in a cycle that was established while we were still in our mother’s womb – this is our “moon center cycle” — ‘Moon Path Yoga’, by Sierra Hollister
Aad Guray Nameh
Jugad Guray Nameh
Sat Guray Nameh
Siri Guru Devay Nameh
I bow to the primal wisdom
I bow to the wisdom that is true through the ages
I bow to the true wisdom
I bow to the great unseen wisdom
Sources: Moon Path Yoga, Sierra Hollister
We are NOW closing applications for our retreat, with Laruga Glaser offering the last few spots to participate.
This is a unique occasion to join this amazing teacher and learn the method from the best. Let’s be frank, we are all exhausted, overworked, and stressed, so we’re holding retreats for a full seven days to take some time for ourselves, learn, relax and reflect! Get deep inside to find new connections.
Apply NOW, and learn from the best!
Regardless, if you’re new to yoga or have been practising for years, this is an excellent opportunity to meet like-minded people and share an experience of a lifetime! All levels are welcome.
Join our international group of the happy yogini in Croatia.
RETREAT WITH LARUGA, Brač Island, 1-8 October 2023
CONNECT TO YOUR HIGHER SELF
The practices of yoga and meditation can help us know our higher self a bit better. Taking time to retreat helps us profoundly understand ourselves so we can have the life we dream of.
Our dreams can manifest from imagination into reality.
I invite you to bravely stand up to the parts of you that hold you back and go to that Retreat.
Your soul will thank you.
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