Yoga Retreat: Balancing Activity & Rest - with Antonia Pont

Description

Balancing Activity & Rest - and the Transitions between - with Antonia Pont

Ninety minutes north of Melbourne in the King Parrot Valley, Clearview Retreat backs onto the Tallarook forest and ranges, with immense views 100 kilometres across to Mount Buller and other spectacular mountain ranges. Clearview is located on ninety acres of bush with bluegums, a tea tree forest, grasslands and majestic granite rocks.

Labour Day, sometimes called the Eight Hour Holiday, celebrates the establishment of the right to a balanced life for workers. Funnily enough, after all the struggles for these rights, today many of us lose the balance between the various spheres of our lives. Often work can become all-consuming, or we have difficulty changing modes from working to resting and back again. This retreat will seek to find a balance in practice between vigorous, clear movement, and periods of restorative yoga and relaxation. We will notice the way that rhythm is crucial to samtosha ('contentment', in Sanskrit). Often, when we are dissatisfied with our lives, it may be a question of not having found a sustainable rhythm that celebrates both the discipline of working and the contemplation and space of resting. The retreat will involve the practices of sitting meditation, breathing practice, postures, forest walks, and some discussion and study.

The workshop involves 7 yoga classes as well as relaxation, meditation, some periods of silence and two guided walks. Free time between yoga sessions allows guests to rest and explore. Optional massage can be booked separately. Class sizes are kept small and individual levels are welcome. Students of all levels of experience are welcome. If there are areas of particular interest or specials needs, i.e. injuries or pregnancy, please let us know in advance so we are able to better tailor the program to suit you.

Home-cooked, delicious, inspiring vegetarian meals beginning with Friday night dinner. Special diets catered for.

Antonia Pont has been practicing yoga for 16 years, and studying zen since 1996. She has trained and practiced with teachers in Australia, India and Europe, and taught locally and internationally. She is currently doing intensive study with her teacher, Orit Sen-Gupta (founder of Vijnana Yoga), and is nearing the end of a PhD in writing and philosophy. She teaches in Melbourne at Studio Cirq and other locations, rides her lovely bike about the city, and enjoys a daily swing in her hammock. Grateful for the privilege of encountering yoga, she finds immense joy in offering it to others. Her classes are steady, quiet, and at times hilarious. Not very talented at doing tricks, she has learnt postures the slow, gentle way. Sharing this patience in her teaching, she encourages students to enjoy the stumbling, startling journey that practice can be.

Other 2011 retreats

6-8 January 2012: Yoga Retreat: Summer Reboot - with Michele Maselli

20-22 January 2012: Yoga: The Practice gets personal - with Bill Walsh

3-5 February 2012: Yoga Retreat: Stepping Up To Your Edge - with Michelle Jayne

24-26 February 2012: Yoga: The Practice gets personal - with Bill Walsh

9-12 March 2012: Yoga Retreat: Balancing Activity & Rest - and the Transitions between - with Antonia Pont

16-18 March 2012: Nature Meditation Retreat: Autumn Equinox - with Paul Macgregor

27-29 April 2012: Yoga Retreat: Autumn - Grounding & Connecting in… - with Claire Heywood

15-17 June 2012: Yoga: The Whole Creative Story - with Fiona Cairns

27-29 July 2012: Yoga Retreat: Winter - rest, restore, renew… - with Claire Heywood

More retreats will be scheduled for 2011 - check the website later for updates or ask to be put on our email list.