Appreciate to Energise

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As we draw to the end of summer-time, many magical summer memories may be flooding your mind. So draw on these memories to keep your inner-smile alive, immerse yourself in the beautiful photos, from your iphone, to your inner-eye. Print off photos and have them around you to surround yourself with images that reflect lightness, warmth and happiness. Like the butterflies warming their wings in the sun, appreciate the first rays of each day. Whilst work and home-life may require more attention indoors, keep taking time to prioritise walking in nature, to appreciate space, greenery, flowers, peace.

Where attention goes energy flows – everything is energy,

Here are 5 simple steps to keep your attention flowing positively at regular intervals, amidst the day-to-day routine:

(1) Begin your day by breathing deeply into your belly, long and slow and deep, appreciate the intricate workings of your body as a whole human organism, unconditionally living and breathing.

(2) Before you get out of bed, visualise your day ahead, unfolding perfectly… appreciate the people around you, from train and bus drivers to colleagues and life-partners, friends and children, who support your rhythm flowing easily

(3) Drink a hot water with lemon – for a sensory uplift that also gives the liver a recharge, appreciate the scent of the fresh lemon and notice how the smell and the flavour energise and clarify

(4) Whilst in the shower consciously cleanse and appreciate preparing yourself for the day – caring for your body consciously, your hair, you face, all the physical gifts you have been given

(5) Look in the mirror and appreciate yourself – at least 3 x different qualities – go on, give it a go! Notice how, as you focus on your positive traits, your inner power elevates

And lastly…. make it a practice to exercise your appreciation daily, even in the most challenging situations, appreciating something – even small, helps shift the energy into a brighter, warmer vibration.

Alkalise your diet, rebalance your life

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We have had the pleasure of teaching in some of renowned nutrionist (and co-author of Honestly Healthy) Vicki Edgson’s retreats. She has recently spear-headed the recognition of the alkaline diet internationally, as being fundamental to a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Enjoy this self-healing methodology in September, for rebalancing your system, when things get out of balance.

Vicki’s 3 Top Tips for Alkalising the diet:

Choose to increase your vegetable intake, rather than your fruits.  Whilst fruits are good for you, they tend to be laden with sugars, that render them more acid than alkaline.   Think green – chard, kale, watercress, rocket, parsley and basil.   All rich in minerals, and totally alkalising.

Think living, rather than harvested.  Sprouted beans and seeds are far more alkaline than their picked or dried counterparts.  Sprout your own mung beans, lentils and chick peas – easy to do, and fabulous sources of protein.

Choose to pulse your smoothies, rather than juice your vegetables – putting all the raw ingredients (stems, leaves and all, is infinitely more nourishing than stripping the fibre away.  If you make one investment in your kitchen this year, make it a strong blender, rather than a juicer.  you won’t regret it.

Soothe the system with watermelon smoothies

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Watermelon & fresh mint – with a twist of lime. Ibiza is an abundant island – full of goodness and some island secrets too. Right now it’s watermelon season – the “sandia” can be found for a really fair price at any fruit and veg stall you come across. Just make sure you are careful when you carry it as they are super heavy! So mother nature has ensured that watermelon’s grow here for a reason… and here’s why:

* Juicy watermelon is the ultimate summer beauty food, since it carries antioxidants like lycopene which helps skin cope with too much sun exposure.

* Watermelon also hydrates with electrolytes, thereby keeping us dewy and glowing.

* Fresh mint has cooling properties while aiding digestion.

* Lime has more vitamin C than an orange.

How to make it: watermelon, ice and a dash of water or so, for extra roughage keep the pips in, add fresh lime and mint for extra vitamin c lift and cooling mint for the mouth and nervous system.

Tip: Freeze the watermelon first for an icy touch to your smoothie.

Sip throughout the afternoon: or as a healthy precursor to your evening out.  Great as a lunch alternative or early evening sugar-lifter (yep they are pretty naturally sweet!)

Enjoy! x

The art of staying cool…

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“If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs…” (Rudyard Kipling.

By choosing a yogic way of life, we choose to live by certain principles. As one season flows into another, we look at those changes and with a slight shift of our techniques and practise – we commit to keeping our bodies and minds fit and adapting to the changes.

We asked the team here at Ibiza Retreats and here are our favourites.

#1: Breathe yourself cooooool…  Sheetali pranayama:
1. Stick your tongue out and curl the sides of the tongue upward towards the center of the tongue.
2. Breathe in through the mouth, hold the breath and slowly exhale through the nose.
Repeat five to 10 times.
You’ll find your body temperature cooling down.

#2: Stay hydrated – water is life! 
Our bodies are over 80% fluid… we need to keep it this way. Drink plenty of fluids. If you find plain water difficult to swallow – make thirst quenchers with added flavour (and nutrients!). why not try:
* A squeeze of lemon & fresh mint
* Pomegranate and grapefruit – the sweet and sharp is super refreshing
* Fresh Coconuts including the delicious juicy flesh are nature’s best way to hydrate
* Fresh mint tea – just hot water and fresh mint – then cool it and ice it!

#3: Slow flow yoga
* Adapt your usual flow to the change in temperature. Focus on lengthening your breathing and practice gently and meditatively to balance the mind and body
* Practise these very early or later than usual when it’s cooled down.
* Avoid excessive or overly-strenuous asanas when it’s extremely hot. Or even more reason to practise earlier or later if you need your strong practise. Be kind though to your body!

#4: East Consciously
* Don’t rush – take your time over your food and set time aside to avoid putting undue stress of your digestive system and organs.
* Reduce the spicy food, caffeine and sugar which can all stimulate the systems of the body
* Fatty food ensures the heart and digestive system have to work harder, so go light with your food. Salads, fresh veg are abundant this time of year and are perfect stay-cool foods.
* Yoghurt (dairy free if possible) is a wonderful sweet or savoury stay-cool snack. Easy to digest and cooling as you swallow. x

#5: Our absolute favourite – Viparita Karani
So many of our Clients find peace in this beautiful posture and we swear by it! After a long day – especially when it’s hot, it’s so important to calm the systems of the body down – including the mind!

Basically – the translation of Viparita Karani is “legs up the wall”.  We call it “legs up the wall (or anywhere else we can find)”. This pose helps the old blood and lymph fluid drain from the feet as well as asking gravity to help the heart return the blood back to be oxygenated. It also calms our old friends the adrenals.

Cover your eyes with an eye-bag sprinkled with a few drops of lavender oil. Add a blanket or bolster under your sacrum to really give the kidneys some love. This pose can be done anywhere, yet soft music and low lighting can add to the soothing experience.

Namaste…x

Feel, Heal, Transform in 2013

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Get out of your head….. naturally…. and dive into the Ibizan experience, simply allow yourself to “feel” to begin the healing.

Just being here in Ibiza encourages your transformation to happen, whatever this may be.  Everyone who comes feels something special, the colours, the warmth of the island people, the bright white light, the “be who you are” attitudes that encourage you to take off the “city” masks.  Escape to celebrate the karpe diem consciousness that encourages you to do what feels good to quiet the mind, to relax and to cleanse!  Explore treatments & therapies from reiki, to reflexology, yamuna body rolling to pilates, capoeira, dancing, singing journeys…. pure focussed yoga, meditation, yet all whilst listening to yourself so you can go with your-flow with spontaneity.  Take time to rest, to do nothing, to be with yourself in nature, to receive soothing hands-on treatments and lovingly given therapies.

Tune in to Ibiza’s hidden healing heartbeat, the expanding community of international flavours and cultures, blending ideas, knowledge and experiences, art, wisdom…  nature… beauty.

*  Explore the amazing natural environment, infuse your body with pine-fresh air

* Inhale clean, clear oxygen and swim in turquoise-emerald seas, cleanse in warm baths of glistening salt water

* Exhale city stress… and breathe again with ease

* Practice yoga in the great outdoors, hike up to cliff-tops for sunsets of magenta-gold

* Let go of thinking and enjoy the space and time to just be

And enjoy the newfound inspirations, fresh, clear visions that arise, the sense of presence, of being warm and happy and fully and richly alive.

Enquire here now. Join us and receive  “from the heart” support you to embrace your body, your beauty, your happiness, your wellbeing.