This year we are celebrating our 5th year of hosting retreats at Bala Brook.  Our summer retreat on Dartmoor has become a very special event in our annual calendar.  It is such an honour to host yoga retreats in such a magical and inspiring location.  It is always fun to be working as part our Bala Brook team and of course we always look forward to Christine’s delicious food which is always made with such love and care.

Our weekend programme included Yoga, Meditation, Chanting, Yoga Nidra and there was plenty of time to rest, explore the local area, see old friends and make new friends.

Our Saturday morning workshop “Art in the Landscape – Enshrining Space” was be led by Nicci Wonnacott, Artist/ Educationalist/ Activist – BA (Hons) Fine Art/Contextual Practice, PGCE.   In this workshop we gathered natural resources, reconnected with the land, celebrated the land and our ancestors and created a beautiful shrine.

‘I have been has been exploring Goddess archetypes through creative practice for over 25 years in my land work I consider art in the environment through site, ritual, intuition and meditation. As a gatherer I reconnect with the land and the goddess archetypes, ancient women who have walked the path. As I gather, walk and breath form which I create shrines as an act of celebration and respect for the land and the mothers who came before. Enshrining Space’ – Nicci Wonnacott

Nicci has worked as a site specific artist and lecturer for many years. Her interests in gathering help her produce shrines to honour nature as well as jams, wines, cordials, tinctures and natural dying. Nicci was commissioned illustrated The Seasonal Goddess Group with paintings inspired from Devon landscapes.

Our June retreat fell just after the Summer Solstice.  The Summer Solstice is a time to celebrate the fullness of life, to step further into our power, to embody this power and to bring it into the physical form as a new habit such as a new way of being in your body or as a new manifestation.

Bala Brook workshop

BB Jun 2016

Tree Dartmoor

Co-hosted by Julie Bladon / Jackie Dorrian

I’ve added a few sample Yoga Nidra (Yoga Sleep) meditations to Insight Timer, a meditation app with more than 600,000 registered users.

At Insight Timer they are committed to spreading the benefits of meditation and every day meditators play over 4,000 hours of guided meditations.

There are currently over 700 guided meditation tracks from people like Eckhart Tolle and Tara Brach. Some of the guided meditations have been individually downloaded over 250,000 times.

Visit Insight Timer to sign up.

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All of my Yoga Nidra tracks are available for streaming with iTunes, Spotify and TIDAL.  Search under my spiritual name JAYADEVI.  You can also purchase as CDs or downloads via my online shop.

juliebladon.com

As we head into the festive season, I would like to thank the yogis that I have had the pleasure of sharing yoga with, all of my Lomi Lomi clients and those around the globe who have listened to my guided meditations. 

I am most grateful for your support, kindness and inspiration you have shown me over the year. It has been a wonderful and busy 2015.  I have had the pleasure of working with a wide array of yoga students in Devon, Wales and on retreat in Devon & Spain.

The two Yoga at the Beach sessions in the summer raised £203 for two charities.  A big thank you to everyone that supported these sessions.  I will plan Yoga at the Beach sessions for summer 2016.  It is always enjoyable doing yoga on the beach!

My yoga colleague, Jackie, and I had a great time at Wilderness Festival and Green Man.  We were part of the in-house therapist team for Wild Wellbeing. Festivals are VERY busy but always fun!

The Yoga Nidra workshops are proving very popular.  It is such an honour to share Yoga Nidra and to witness the true benefits of this practice.  I also love to hear from those around the globe who listen to my Yoga Nidra meditations especially children who really love Yoga Sleep.

The new Meditation Classes at Exmouth Leisure Centre have a regular group of dedicated students.  Here’s feedback from one of the students Thank you Julie, for helping us to understand meditation, the physical and spiritual health it brings us. A time to recharge our inner batteries, in our busy lives we all need some quiet time, realising that once we can find the time everything else seems to fall into place.”

Finally a big thank you to the venues, yoga studios and retreat centres that I work out of across the year.  Your support is always appreciated.

I will be taking a break to refresh and replenish ready for a busy 2016.  I will hopefully have some creative time to focus on exciting yoga developments in the pipeline, to finish the next draft of my children’s book, to write new guided meditations and have some time to “just be”.

2016 is already shaping up to be my busiest year to date!  Yoga Adventure in the Himalayas Tour in March, two Aloha Yoga Retreats on Dartmoor, Luxury Yoga Intensive in Greece, Yoga Nidra workshops in Exeter and Sidmouth, weekly yoga classes, weekly meditation classes, Lomi Lomi massages, new guided meditation downloads and yoga e-courses.

For upcoming weekly yoga classes, workshops and events click here.

I look forward to seeing you all in 2016!  Wishing you a peaceful, restful, happy and healthy Christmas & New Year.

We are back from a truly wonderful retreat in Spain, the week was packed with joy, laughter and fun.  Below is the week in pictures!

pickerimage

Feedback from our guests:

Really loved the space created.  Particularly appreciated the suggestions for daily practice which I will take away.  Enjoyed the discussion in the studio in some sessions and Friday morning interactive session excellent, liked having time to ask about postures and learning from other people’s questions in the group.  Thank you Thank you Thank you

The place & people were very enjoyable & a good mix of personalities.  You two have been very accessible and welcoming.”

Thank you Julie and Jackie for a wonderful week, full of joy and fun.  It has been very interesting to experience different types of yoga practice and different teaching styles.  I feel I have learned a lot and have been convinced that I can include daily yoga practice into my usual routine.  You are both excellent inspirational teachers and I appreciate your hard work planning the sessions and all the smooth organisation.  Thank you again for your patience and kindness.”

Good caring and friendly group – I felt very comfortable being part of it.  Thank you Julie and Jackie for making the retreat such a pleasurable experience.  What a fantastic experience thank to you two. Thank you thank you! Yoga will never be the same again.”

Co-hosted by Julie Bladon / Jackie Dorrian

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It’s been a week now since my return from Green Man.  Green Man is an intimate festival with a 20,000 crowd and the festival site is nestled in the lush Welsh mountains.

I was working as part of the Wild Wellbeing team in the Nature Nurture area of Green Man.  The healing area was a small affair with an abundance of therapies on offer plus yoga, hot tubs and a sauna.  The beauty of the landscape added to the chilled experience.  A perfect space for people to immerse themselves in peace and tranquility in order to feed their body, mind and soul.

The rainy and misty weather didn’t dampen our enthusiasm!  I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the Wild Wellbeing clients, fellow therapists, Festival Staff, old and new friends alike!  It was a lot of fun!

It wasn’t all work and no fun though.  We managed to catch a variety of Festival events and sample the wide range of food on offer.  Working so close to the main stage meant that we caught many of the main stage acts whilst we were massaging so I don’t feel that we missed out.

A festival highlight was catching Charles Bradley.  A truly inspiring soul.

As a Black American who grew up in the mid-twentieth century, Charles Bradley’s back-story is one of struggle and hardship but it’s also one that’s steeped in deep love and adoration for the musical greats. It was after seeing James Brown in 1966, at the age of fourteen, that Bradley first discovered his own talent – but it wouldn’t be truly unearthed until a full thirty years later when he was spotted by Daptone Records’ co-founder, Gabriel Roth, while performing as a James Brown impersonator in Brooklyn in 1996.

It was truly special experience seeing Charles and witnessing the latest chapter of his music career.

Photo Credit: Wild WellBeing / Simon Clemenger

I’m back from Wilderness Festival where I had the pleasure of working for Wild Wellbeing in the Sanctuary area of Wilderness Festival.  We were blessed with glorious sunshine throughout the weekend.

The Sanctuary was bigger and better this year with a team of 36 in-house therapists providing massages and facials.  Plus many pitch therapists offering a broad selection of therapies ranging from massage, reflexology, tarot readings, acupuncture, solar powered showers, saunas through to gong baths.  A perfect space for people to immerse themselves in peace and tranquility in order to feed their body, mind and soul.

Massage and facial products were sponsored by Neals Yard RemediesTeam Pukka provided herbal tea and a much needed chill out area for both clients and all of the hardworking therapists.

This Festival is certainly more than just music.  Wilderness Festival is spread across 1,700 acres of Cornbury Park and prides itself on luxury.  With a huge programme on offer ranging from theatre, arts, debates, talks, workshops, banqueting, good food, wellbeing, lakeside spa, children’s activities, there is most certainly something for everyone.  At times, there are over 400 events laid on for festivalgoers.

It’s not all work and no play though.  Festival highlights for me included The Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Ben Howard and La Fura dels Baus.

La Fura dels Baus, Barcelona based performance company, presented a large-scale show ‘Blending (in the Air)‘, directed by Miki Espuma.  This performance involved participation and the combination of the flamenco singer Ginesa Ortega together with the Wilderness Festival Orchestra and the English choir Deep Throat.  60 actors performed this original La Fura dels Baus spectacle.  A giant puppet, operated by a crane, dominated the performance area and 43 performers – who had never done anything like this before – took part in an aerial spectacle in which they created a stunning human net.

LaFuraDeisBaus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

blue puppet puppet

Images Courtesy of: La Fura dels Baus, Wilderness Festival, Pukka Herbs, Neals Yard Remedies

 

 

 

Sat 19 – Sat 26 Sep 2015 at Tara Casa, La Magdalena, Murcia, Spain

We have TWO PLACES remaining for this retreat.  Get in touch if you’d like to join us!

Aloha Yoga is really excited to  be hosting a yoga retreat at Tara Casa, a beautiful country house set in the quiet village of La Magdalena, Spain.

Come and join us for a relaxing week of daily yoga, great food, a good programme, therapies, local tours, excellent company and sunshine.  You can book your place with a £100 deposit and pay instalments up to June 2015.

If you wish, you can pay the £100 deposit to reserve your place and then monthly instalments to spread the cost!

The week is led by two qualified and experienced yoga teachers, Julie Bladon (Jayadevi) and Jackie Dorrian (Jagdambe Ma), who will teach yoga classes in a variety of styles including Akhanda Yoga, Yin Yoga, Classical Kundalini Yoga, Sivananda Yoga and Yoga Nidra. This mixed programme is perfect if you are starting your yogic journey and wish to explore different styles or if you are more experienced and wish to immerse yourself in your practise.  Whether you wish to travel as a group or solo, this will be the perfect week for you.

We understand that life can be busy and stressful so this week is a perfect opportunity to take care of self, replenish, rejuvenate, relax and to have time to “just be”.

We truly love what we do and would  love to share a week of yoga with you in the beautiful sunny region of Murcia. Read More >

What a wonderful weekend retreat at Bala Brook, celebrating the inaugural International Yoga Day and the Summer Solstice. We are filled with gratitude, love with all the heart opening. Such a truly magical and powerful weekend.  Thank you to everyone. Namaste

Vision Boarding Workshop

Vision Boarding Workshop

Aloha Yoga Massage Room Crop

Aloha Yoga Massage Room

Crystal Cards Aloha Yoga Retreat

Yoga Class

Closing Circle Om Healing Bath

Closing Ceremony – Om Healing Bath

Aloha Yoga Retreat Relaxation

Aloha Yoga Summer Retreat 2015 – Relaxation!

Aloha Yoga would like to thank our sponsors of this year’s Aloha Yoga Summer Retreat goodie bags. Providing lots of yummy goodies for our guests. Mahalo!

Om Yoga and Lifestyle Magazine
Om Yoga and Lifestyle Magazine in now available in a variety of platforms. They kindly provided magazines and also free access to a magazine via their app.

The Soap Kitchen
This Devon based soap supplier and ingredient supplier is dedicated to the crafts of soap making, toiletry making and candle making. As one of the leading hand made soap manufacturers and ingredients stockists, they provide an unrivalled selection of products and ingredients.

Yogi Tea
For more than 40 years YOGI TEA® has been producing delicious herb and spice teas based on unique Ayurvedic tea recipes, which promote individual well-being. This unique Ayurvedic tea blend is based on an original recipe by Yogi Bhajan and contains cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and black pepper. It was first sold in Europe in the 1970s.  Today, people all around the world enjoy the special blends of more than 80 selected organically-grown herbs and spices that give the 44 varieties of YOGI TEA® their unmistakeable flavour and health-giving properties.

Audible Yoga
Practice yoga anytime, any place! Over 700 classes ranging from 10 – 90 minutes to download or stream to any device. The site has yoga for every level. Visit the website to try free sample classes.

 

goodie bags 930 x 494

Aloha Yoga Retreats, Tours and Workshops are co-hosted by Flourish Yoga and JulieBladon.com

Dates are now released for 2016 Aloha Yoga Retreat.  Click these links for the June retreat and the July retreat.  They are both booking quickly so please get in touch to confirm your place!

The reasons people choose to go on a yoga retreat are many but here are some of the popular reasons:

  • Deepen your practice

And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself?” ~ Rumi

Developing your practice can be challenging especially when you have a busy life and schedule.  Being on retreat gives you the chance to attend 2 classes per day, you will notice the progress and the positive effect this is having.  Distractions are limited so you can be sure that you fully focus.

I have had the honour to teach retreat guests who have only ever attended one yoga class before going on retreat choosing a retreat setting to begin to explore their practice, through to the more experienced yogi who seeks the space to focus more intensely.

  • Create a new perspective

The trees, the flowers, the plants grow in silence. The stars, the sun, the moon move in silence. Silence gives us a new perspective” ~ Mother Teresa

We all benefit from going to a new place, seeing the world and ourselves through different eyes.  You will have time to contemplate, to review what is out of balance and where you need to action change in your life.  This safe space will allow you to grow and learn.

  • Navigate life changes

It’s a good idea always to do something relaxing prior to making an important decision in your life” ~ Paulo Coelho, The Pilgrimage

Life is in constant change, some of which can be challenging.  A retreat allows you to step outside of your everyday life, to gain deeper understanding and create clarity.

It may be that you consciously decide to attend a retreat in order to work through change in your life or the outcome of a relaxing retreat may be a new perspective which leads to change.

I know for me personally, attending yoga retreats has enabled me to make big life changing decisions, to feel supported in that space and to know that I had the courage to make the changes I was being called to make.

  • Time to meditate

In meditation we return to where we already are – this shifting, changing ever-present now
If you wish to take up meditation, it must be now or never.” ~ Steve Hagen, Meditation Now or Never

You will be away from distractions, feel relaxed and ‘in the moment’ leading to a peaceful space in which to develop your meditation practice.  This is a perfect time to develop new habits.

  •  Take a digital detox

Spending the majority of our waking lives experiencing reality through a screen, endlessly plugged into our devices, is taking its toll… and we’re realising it’s not the answer. The era of burnout, multi-tasking, tech dependence, fatigue, ‘social media everything’ and information overload is coming to a close” ~ thedigitaldetox.org

By switching off your technology you can find space and balance.  You can evaluate your relationship with technology and develop a more balanced approach.  Understand that you can press pause, reconnect with yourself and those around you, saviour your life experiences and feel recharged.

  • Rest and Relax 

Turn off your mind, relax, and float downstream”  ~ John Lennon

On retreat you have the permission to fully relax.  You can tune into your body, rest when you need it, allow your body and mind to de-stress.  You are free to replenish as you wish, you are free from demands.

  • Eat well

Let food be thy medicine, thy medicine shall be thy food” ~ Hippocrates

All of the hard work is done for you, you will enjoy nutritious and delicious meals.  It is an opportunity to review unhealthy habits and to develop new behaviours.   Healthy food, yoga and rest will re-energise your batteries and assist the body’s healing process.

  • Make new friends. 

Every person needs a time out, away from stressful jobs, pressures from employers or clients, home responsibilities….  Everyone deserves to enjoy, visit unknown places, try other things, meet a lot of new friends, and feel at the top of the world. Life is full of fun, excitement, and adventure. Thus, vacation is an experience that’s worth remembering for a lifetime. It heals a weary mind and soul”  ~ Alon Calinao Dy

You may travel as a group or solo but it is guaranteed that you will meet like minded people on retreat.  Retreats are perfect if you are travelling alone, you have the choice to spend time with others or enjoy your own space if you wish.

I have met lifelong friends on retreat including my Aloha Yoga collaborator, Jackie Dorrian.

 “Little did we know that 4 years after meeting on a Yoga Retreat in Kerala that our lives would be completely different and we would be working together to deliver “Aloha Yoga Retreats and Workshops”. Whilst we teach different yoga styles and our therapies are from different parts of the world, we have common aims and our work complements each other.  We have some exciting plans in the pipeline including a Summer Retreat on Dartmoor, Music Festivals and a Retreat in Spain.” explains Jackie.

  •  Who needs any more reasons? 

Seriously no-one needs to justify going on a yoga retreat.  Why not join us for our Aloha Yoga Retreat in Spain and experience the benefits for yourself!

 “This is my first yoga retreat experience, and it has been simply wonderful. Super location, fabulous company, great food and beautiful guided meditation and yoga. Opened my eyes to new possibilities and practices. Amazing. Peace and Love” ~ Aloha Yoga Retreat 2013 Guest

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