*** SPECIAL NEW EVENT **** Yoga and the Birds ~ Spring Retreat

When

28/04/2017 - 01/05/2017

All Day

Bookings

Bookings closed

Event Type

Special Events

Bird Watching Holiday, Denmark Farm, Dolphin watching, Mandalas, Mindfulness Holiday, Retreat Wales 2017, Yoga Retreat, Yoga Weekend 2017

Feel the magic at Denmark Farm Spring Retreat.

A long weekend bursting with activities to nourish your body, mind and soul.

Yoga & The Birds (2)

The Denmark Farm Spring Retreat is an exclusive gathering with places for just twelve people
All retreat participants will take part in the birding activities as one group
For the yoga and geometry in nature / mandalas options you can choose in advance which activity you prefer
The programme is as follows, although is possibly subject to some small changes

Friday 28^th April	Saturday 29^th April	Sunday 30^th April	Monday 1^st May
	7-9am:- Breakfast	7-9am:- Breakfast	7-9am:- Breakfast
	10am-12pm:- ALL – Denmark Farm Bird Walk: Calls and Songs	10am-12pm:– Choice of Yoga or Mandalas	10am-12pm: – Choice of Yoga or Free time to relax and socialise
	12.30-2pm Lunch	12.30-2pm Lunch	12.30-2pm Lunch
Arrivals: from 4pm	2-4pm: – Choice of Yoga or Geometry in Nature	2-5pm: – ALL – Bird Trip to New Quay to include a one hour boat trip	Departures after lunch
6.30pm-8pm Dinner	6.30pm-8pm Dinner	6.30pm-8pm Dinner
Free time to relax and socialise – Films available for viewing	Evening – Bat Walk	Free time to relax and socialise

The Birds…

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At the height of the bird breeding season, come and spend a delightful Saturday morning with local birder Caroline de Carle, getting closer to our feathered friends. April is the best time to hear and see some of the speciality birds that Denmark Farm is known for including; Pied Flycatcher, Blackcap and Redstart, all spring migrants. They are joined by other tuneful visitors such as Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler as well as some of our more familiar and much loved resident birds. You will take a gentle stroll around our 40 acre site, stopping to emerse yourself in songs and calls along the way. Caroline will also introduce you to a useful App for getting to grips with individual bird songs and calls.

On the Sunday afternoon we will all be going on a short trip to nearby New Quay (approx 15 miles), from where we will take a one hour boat trip with the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre. The boat trip will be an opportunity to get up close to an amazing coastal spectacle of seabirds including; Razorbill, Guillemot and Kittiwake. There is also a good chance of spotting Bottlenose Dolphin and Harbour Porpoise at this time of the year.

Please bring binoculars if you have them, if not let us know and we will find a pair to loan to you.

During Saturday evening there will also be an opportunity to discovery some of Denmark Farm’s nocturnal wildlife “nocturnal wildlife …. on a gentle stroll around the site with Aline Denton, listening out for these fascinating creatures with bat detectors. (The bat detectors will be provided, but bring a torch if you have one).

Choose from either Yoga…

Yoga will be with Leanne Bird of BirdSol The yoga classes will be led by instructor Leanne Bird from BirdSol Fitness | Adventure | Nutrition | Well-being and are in the classical yoga style with postures, breathing, meditation and relaxation. Don’t worry if you haven’t tried yoga before or you don’t do it reguarly; all classes will be appropriate for beginners, as well as those with more experience. Yoga mats and cushions are provided, please bring a blanket if you wish.

…or Geometry in Nature / Mandalas

With leader Anne Thomas of www.shiningedge.co.uk

Saturday: Geometry in Nature.

When we look deeply at the world around us, we can see that each life form has its own intrinsic geometry, from the smallest micro-organism to the massive shape of a galaxy. However, within a world of seemingly endless variety, patterns and shapes are in fact repeated, time and again. We may notice the occurrence of ‘five-ness’, for example, in the petals of a Hawthorn flower, and then begin to observe that the phenomena of five petals occurs in most fruiting plants. They share a common geometric expression, just as they share similar biological functions.

Similarly, in observing the movement of the sun, moon and stars, or the water, carbon and nitrogen cycles, we may reflect upon the presence of circles and cycles within ourselves – in our circulatory, respiratory, menstruation and other life rhythms. In this way, by looking more deeply, we begin to realise inter-connectedness between ourselves and the whole of nature. The sense of separation begins to melt away.

Sunday: Mandalas

may-bal-small-2 A mandala is a circular design that expresses wholeness, through harmoniously bringing together colours, patterns and forms. It can be a focus for meditation, both during its creation and subsequently, as an object of contemplation. It can be perfectly simple, or elaborately complex in colour and construction, sometimes incorporating symbols and sacred geometry.

In this workshop, we will be studying the intrinsic geometry of flowers, to find inspiration for creating our own mandala design. Learning to draw geometry with compass and ruler, while taking time to relax and go deeper within. Whether simple or complex, the creation of a mandala can be a deeply satisfying process, providing a way to work artistically that can help us feel more centred and connected with ourselves and the world around us.

‘The mandala is the centre. It is the exponent of all paths. It is the path to the centre’ – Carl Jung

Your leaders for the weekend:

Caroline de Carle

Caroline has had a love affair with birds for over forty years and visited many wonderful places to indulge her birdwatching hobby. Caroline worked with the RSPB for seven years and now she provides female-only and small-group birding experiences around Wales, designed to allow you to see birds and other wildlife at a gentle and stress-free pace.

Anne Thomas

Anne is a freelance artist and complementary therapist based in Mid Wales. She has quietly painted mandalas for most of her adult life, embarking on exhibiting, publishing and teaching her work in recent years. Visit Anne’s website at: www.shiningedge.co.uk

Leanne Bird

Leanne is a Yoga Teacher and Personal Trainer. She qualified as a yoga teacher with Wise Living Yoga Academy, affiliated to the Yoga Institute in Mumbai, India – the first such institute in the world to offer Yoga to the ‘common man’. She is a member of Yoga Alliance UK. Leanne also has a Level 3 Certificate in Personal Training and is on the Register of Exercise Professionals.

Visit Leanne’s website at: www.exerciseyourfreedom.com/

Aline Denton

Aline regularly leads walks with her local Bat Group and has been involved with conservation management and wildlife monitoring at Denmark Farm for many years.

The Food…

The Spring Retreat is inclusive of three delicious meals a day.

Breakfast will be self-service and include a choice of locally made organic sourdough bread with spreads and jam plus a selection of cereal or muesli, fresh fruit and yogurt. Wash it down with a wide choice of teas, fresh coffee and fruit juice.

Both lunch and dinner will be prepared and served by Cath, our very favourite local caterer, from Caths Vegan Kitchen. All meals will be vegan and include two courses (a main and a dessert). Whether you are vegan or not Cath’s cooking is delicious and nutritious and definitely not lacking anything in flavour.

The Accommodation…

At our Spring Retreat you can choose between a range of Eco accommodation, all on site at Denmark Farm.

The Eco Lodge sleeps up to twelve people in six ensuite bedrooms (singles, twins and doubles).
The shared dormitories include a seven bed ensuite room or The Cwtch sleeping two-three people. The dormitories are generally single sex unless a group of friends wish to share.
The Glamping Yurt sleeps two people on a double futon and also offers an additional two armchair beds.
Finally, we offer those who prefer to bring their own camping gear, a pitch on our quiet Eco Campsite.

Charges…

The following are charges for the fully inclusive Spring Retreat weekend: three nights accommodation, three meals per day plus all workshops, activities and equipment.

	For one person		For two people sharing
	Early Bird	Full Charge	Early Bird	Full Charge
Eco Lodge – Double en-suite bedroom	£480	£504	£900	£945
Eco Lodge -Twin en-suite bedroom	£480	£504	£900	£945
Glamping Yurt (Minimum of two people sharing)	–	–	£750	£787
Shared Dormitory	£360	£378	–	–
The Cwtch – (Minimum of two people sharing)	–	–	£720	£756
Eco Campsite (bring your own tent)	£330	£346	£650	£682

Early Bird* Charges are valid if places are booked and a deposit is paid before 31st January 2017.

To book a place please use the booking form below and pay a deposit of £100 per person. Please state which accommodation option you prefer in the ‘comments’ box.

We will contact you approx six weeks before the event to request the balance.

Cancellations: If you need to cancel, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can try to fill your place. Deposit payments are non-refundable. If you cancel more than three weeks before the event we will retain 50% of the full costs of the booking. Cancellations within three weeks of the event are chargeable in full, unless we are able to fill the place from a reserve list or if special circumstances apply. We reserve the right to decide whether the latter applies.

Bookings

Bookings are closed for this event.