Yoga & Meditation - Autumn Retreat at Voewood
House
Julee
Yew-Crijns & Dr Itai Ivtzan
14-16/
October / 2011
Thank you for joining the Voewood Retreat, it has been an amazing weekend!
If you are looking for a moment of nostalgia and would like to look at the pictures from the retreat CLICK HERE.
If you would like to read the kind, loving, beautiful feedback from participants in this weekend CLICK HERE.
Join us this autumn, as we travel to Voewood House for a
weekend of yoga, meditation, and relaxation. This year, the weekend will be
centred around the subject of ‘Living with Full Awareness’. We have chosen a
magical venue for the retreat, which allows you to experience inner peace and
calm. The Yoga and Meditation sessions invite you to relax, recharge, and work
towards inner balance.
Yoga
Moving In Stillness
Julee will lead the yoga on this weekend. She is a
committed yoga practitioner and teaches in her studio in Norwich. The yoga will
be repetitive Vinyasa Flow – strong, but accessible to all. We will practice
moving our awareness away from the outer body and towards the inner body and
from the inner body towards outer expression. We will draw awareness towards the
cultivation of inner steadiness, especially when faced with challenges. This
practice also aims at removing any excess restless energy from the body in
order to prepare it for the meditation to follow.
Dr. Itai Ivtzan - a Psychology lecturer in London and at
the UEA - will be leading various meditation sessions on this weekend. Itai’s
teaching and Psychotherapy work focuses on deconstructing the patterns you
hold, whilst creating more self-awareness in your life. This method will allow
you to let go of negative patterns that prevent you from experiencing life to your
full potential.
During your weekend here, Itai will introduce his work to
you through four forms of meditation; Zazen Buddhist Meditation, Active
Meditation, Walking Meditation, and Chakra Meditation. The root, benefits and
challenges of each meditation will be clearly explained prior to each session.
The main intention is to make this practice easy and available to all by
connecting to a method that speaks to you. In addition to the practical aspect,
the importance and benefits of meditating will be theoretically discussed, and
data from various psychological studies will be presented.
Voewood House
Voewood is one of the great houses of the Arts &
Crafts Movement, set in a beautiful Grade 1 listed garden. It is a tranquil and
unique property; a feast for the eyes. The grounds are varied and extensive,
and include a rose garden and a walled garden planted with persimmons,
greengages, plums, pears, apples and grape vines. The location is peaceful,
with ample space to escape to in your free time. If you wish to visit the
beautiful town of Holt, or the nearby beaches, these are just a few minutes
drive away.
The retreat includes all meals. The food will be
vegetarian, fresh, local and organic produce from one of the best farm shops in
Norfolk.
We have an option for a single room - please email for details.
Non-participants are welcome - if space is available.
The price includes accommodation, food, yoga, and
meditation.
PayPal - Paypal is free, It takes only a few
minutes, and it's the safest and most secure service on the internet.
You can pay with any major credit/debit card or with your PayPal account.
If you would like to pay by Cheque or Cash please Email Itai.
Other Information
Participants are advised to arrive on the Friday. You may
arrive at any time from 15:00. The retreat will end on Sunday afternoon. You
can choose whether you wish to participate in the Yoga sessions only,
Meditation sessions only, or both.
Meditation
& Yoga Retreat – Living life fully – Timetable (Subject to changes)
Friday 14th Oct
17:00 - 18:30: Arrival, Light Supper
19:30 - 21:00: Opening session – The art of living
Meditation
Saturday 15th Oct
7:00: Waking-up
7:30 - 9:00: Yoga session I
9:00 - 10:00: Breakfast
10:00 - 11:30: Relaxation time - walking in nature,
meeting others
11:30 - 13:00: Meditation session I – Zazen, Buddhist
meditation
13:00 - 14:00: Lunch
14:00 - 16:00: Relaxation time
16:00 – 17:30: Meditation session II – Exploring active
meditations
17:30 – 19:00: Yoga session II
19:30 - 20:30: Dinner
20:30 - 22:20: Kiratn - Live Music and Meditation
Sunday 16th Oct
7:00: Waking-up
7:30 - 9:00: Yoga session III
9:00 - 10:00: Breakfast
10:00 - 11:30: Relaxation time
11:30 - 13:00: Meditation session III – Walking
meditation, Chakra meditation
13:00 - 14:30: Lunch and Departure
Sessions:
Opening
session - The art of living Meditation:
In the Great
Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness, the Buddha said that a monk
knows "I am walking" when he is walking, knows "I am
standing" when he is standing, knows "I am sitting" when he is
sitting, and knows "I am lying down" when he is lying down. As part of
this session you will be invited to experience the meditative state of mind
throughout the retreat – as you speak, walk, eat, dance and as you practice
yoga. In this introductory session we will contemplate the importance of
meditation in our lives.
What are the roots of meditation in the Eastern spiritual
philosophy?
What are the benefits of meditation?
What are the challenges of mediation?
This session will end with a number of practical examples
of meditation techniques.
Meditation
session I – Zazen, Buddhist meditation:
What is Zazen Meditation?
How is it related to the Buddhist philosophy of
meditation?
What is the difference between mindfulness and
concentrative meditation?
What has psychological research taught us about the
influence of meditation on the brain and our thought patterns?
During this session we will learn a variety of Buddhist
meditation techniques.
Meditation
session II – Exploring active meditation:
During active meditation, we utilise movement. Yoga
practice is an example of active meditation – where you engage with the
movement of the body while bringing your awareness to your breath, being as
present as possible in posture.
In this session we will play with one of Osho’s active
meditations where you will dance, move, breathe, and then sit still and enjoy
the spontaneous silence that follows chaotic movement.
This session will make you re-assess the conventional
definitions of meditation (sitting rigidly, not moving, eyes closed, etc.) and
open yourself to a brand new experience.
Meditation
session III – Walking meditation, Chakra meditation:
In our final session we will experience and explore 2
interesting meditation methods while discussing their theoretical importance.
Walking meditation – Walking meditation is a form of
meditation which has been performed by Buddhist practitioners for thousands of
years. It is an alternative to sitting meditation and allows you to practise
mindfulness (the art of being in the present moment) in a more dynamic way. In
doing so, walking meditation allows you to bring this state into your every-day
life more readily.
Chakra meditation – “Chakras” is a Sanskrit word that
means vortexes of energy.. There are seven of these energy areas in our body and
they control different aspects of our physical and spiritual lives. During this
meditation we focus our awareness on our Chakras as we explore the sensations
we might have.
Cancellation Policy - Terms and conditions:
If for any reason you cannot attend the retreat you have booked we will do our
best to fill your place and fully refund you. Please note this is not a
guarantee and if we cannot do so you will be charged 100% of the retreat price.
Retreats
re, Itai will introduce his work to
you through four forms of meditation; Zazen Buddhist Meditation, Active
Meditation, Walking Meditation, and Chakra Meditation. The root, benefits and
challenges of each meditation will be clearly explained prior to each session.
The main intention is to make this practice easy and available to all by
connecting to a method that speaks to you. In addition to the practical aspect,
the importance and benefits of meditating will be theoretically discussed, and
data from various psychological studies will be presented.
