Posts

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Studio News! Yoga Nidra Workshops at Jala Flow Yoga Sidmouth

I will be bringing the ever popular Yoga Nidra Workshops to Jala Flow Yoga Studio in Sidmouth as from February 2016.  There will be a regular programme of Nidra workshops across the year and I’m really pleased to have secured a dedicated yoga space for these blissful workshops.

Jala Flow Yoga launched in June 2015 and is a dedicated space to practice in the heart of Sidmouth.  Set in an attractive grade II listed building, conveniently located on the High Street.  And just a stone’s throw away from the beach!

I will shortly be updating my website with the new yoga terms for 2016 plus workshops across the year in Exeter, Sidmouth and Swansea.  Remember to book early as these workshops do fill up quickly!

If you are based in Sidmouth & the surrounding area and fancy attending class at Jala Flow Yoga they currently have a First Class Half Price offer available.  Also if you are out of area, they have a weekly pass for visitors to the area.

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Aloha Yoga Retreat in Spain

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!

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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

Click here to join my mailing list and hear about upcoming yoga retreats!

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The Green Man Experience

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

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Back from the WILD

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 Remedies.  Team 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.

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blue puppet puppet

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

 

 

 

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Aloha Yoga Retreat in Spain, Sep 2015

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 >

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Yoga at Exmouth Beach

After the success of last year’s Yoga at Exmouth beach, I’ve scheduled two beach yoga sessions for this year.

Sun 12 July, 7.30am

Sun 16 August, 7.30am

No need to book, just come along!  Everyone welcome.

Attendance for each session will be by donation to raise funds for charity.  This year I have selected two charities to support:

Nepal Earthquake Appeal
On Saturday 25 April a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal. It severely shook the lives of at least 8m people and left many homeless.  Nepal’s major cities, including the capital Kathmandu, have been badly damaged and rural areas near the epicentre have been completely cut off by avalanches.

DEC member agencies and their partners are working urgently to provide emergency shelter, food, clean water and blankets.  Once immediate, life-saving needs are met they will work with individuals, families and communities to support them to rebuild their lives.

Ramana’s Garden Children’s Home
Ramana’s Garden Children’s Home in Rishikesh, India is home to over 60 at risk children and a free school for over 160 students from Ramana’s Garden and local underprivileged families. The school provides classes from kindergarten to eighth grade.

We’ll meet at the new Lifeboat Station on Exmouth beach towards the far end of the beach.   There is plenty of parking along the seafront.

Please bring your yoga mat and water.  You may wish to wear layers and bring a warm blanket in order to be prepared for varying weather conditions.  Remember that the format will be slightly different to regular class so please be prepared to go with the flow!

Wet weather plan: If heavy rain is forecast then the session will not go ahead.  I will check the weather and post updates on my Facebook page in the week leading up to this session.

Contact me if you have any queries.

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The Blog is BACK!

Finally my blog is back online!  Following recent upgrades to my website, the whole website crashed. This turned out to be a major issue requiring a full website rebuild. Over the last month my website has been rebuilt and upgraded meaning that I have been unable to blog during this time.

This website issue has coincided with the Mercury Retrograde which began on 18 May and will end on 11 June.

What is Mercury Retrograde?

It occurs several times a year when Mercury rotates slower than usual giving the illusion that the planet is moving backwards.

From an astrological standpoint, the Mercury Retrograde means issues with all forms of communication, legal contracts and technology. Those who believe in astrology would be advised by astrologers not to make any big purchases or major life decisions.

“Mercury rules all types of communication, including listening, speaking, learning, reading, editing, researching, negotiating, selling and buying,” wrote Susan Miller of Astrology Zone on her website. “Mercury also rules all formal contracts and agreements, as well as important documents such as book manuscripts, term papers, agreements, deeds, contracts, leases, wills, and so forth. Included under this planet’s domain are all types of code, including computer codes, as well as transportation, shipping and travel. When this planet retrogrades, these areas tend to get scrambled or spin out of control.”

Of course, this is not really a difficult time. Mercury retrograde wants us to reflect, look at things differently, review the past and to take our time. This has definitely been the case for me this month. I was rushing hoping to get my website back up and running but I soon realised that was not going to happen so I just had to let things unfold in their own time.

This has been a time for introspection, reviewing what areas of my life work and which need a little more work, time to be creative and to work on new or unfinished projects, contacting old friends, de-cluttering, taking time to rest.

Mercury retrograde wishes us to align spiritually. Major breakthroughs can happen during this time. This really is a time to “go with the flow” and to be kind to yourself.

We are now nearing the end of the Mercury retrograde, some astrologers recommend allowing a minimum of two days after Mercury moves forward before you initiate new projects, make big purchases or finalise legal contracts. The more time you allow the better.

I’m now planning ahead for my busy summer of retreats, workshops, classes, festivals, yoga at the beach, writing and filmmaking.  Upon reflection, this Mercury retrograde has been most useful!

Visit my Events page to find out What’s On.

Sign up to my Julie Bladon monthly e-newsletter signup for updates, events, blog posts and a free monthly meditation download.

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Why go on a yoga retreat? Why not?

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

Click here to sign up to my monthly newsletter – news, updates, free meditation downloads.

 

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Nurture Your Daily Yoga Practice

I’m now teaching for AUDIBLE YOGA, an online audio resource for yoga classes. The service offers over 700 classes ranging from 10 to 90 minutes. You can practice anytime, anywhere to suit your schedule.

Audible Yoga offers something unique: a way to connect teachers and students through the power of voice. Audible Yoga also gives everyone a way to create a consistent home yoga practice with:

  • Variety – from Anusara to Vinyasa and every style in between. Subscribers can take a wide variety of yoga classes taught by yoga teachers around the world.
  • Convenience – small file sizes means students can quickly stream or download a yoga class and practice wherever they are anytime of the day.
  • Flexibility – Audible Yoga offers classes from 10 to 90 minutes long so students can practice for the time they have available.

Audible Yoga classes are created with student’s needs in mind. Classes are designed to relieve pain, boost energy, reduce stress, improve immunity, lose weight, and more. The search feature allows students to find classes by level, yoga style, length of time, and purpose. A student with just 30 minutes to spare can quickly find a Hatha class with a focus on building core strength, for example.

The monthly price is $15 (less than a typical yoga class). The annual subscription of $150 gives a student two full months of free yoga. A 15­-day trial is included with every subscription. Subscribers can cancel anytime.

“Audible Yoga is the perfect way to get you on the mat and practicing without distractions. Just listen and move to experience the transformative benefits of your yoga practice within your body”.  Anne Hunt, Audible Yoga teacher

Audible Yoga answers a significant need in an overscheduled society where simply getting to a yoga class can be difficult. It also serves those in underserved communities where yoga classes are limited.

Click here to go to my Audible Yoga listing and classes.  If you wish to sign up please use my teacher code 3671.

 

 

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Green Man Festival, Thu 20 – Sun 23 Aug – Just confirmed as an In-House Therapist!

Thursday 20 – Sunday 23 August 2015, Brecon Beacons, Wales.

I have just been confirmed as an In-House Massage Therapist with Wild Wellbeing  in the Nature Nuture Healing Area at the Green Man Festival.

Leap, walk or crawl into the new Wild Wellbeing’s space at this year’s Green Man and discover our rejuvenating program featuring a vast selection of yoga classes, treatments and facilities all focused on your inner wellbeing.

Nestled just beyond the gentle gaze of the Green Man in a secluded glade of ancient Welsh oak trees, Nature Nurture is the perfect place to mellow out, stretch and release those last drops of stress.

Revamped for 2015, the Nature & Nurture healing garden is open from 7am to 11.30pm every day offering dedicated treatments – from qualified therapists, exercise classes (including yoga and Pilates) to simple, carefree indulgences such as a glass of wine in one of our glorious hot tubs.

The family-oriented yoga program runs from 8am until 8pm, for those seeking invigoration or to wind-down. There is something for everyone; acro-yoga, beginners yoga, family classes, kids sessions, pregnancy yoga, hot power yoga and restorative yoga.

Enjoy the luxury of pre-booked ‘Nurturing Relaxation Massage’, by a highly qualified therapist using natural massage oils or indulge in a treatment from the ‘Alternative Pitch Therapies’ – all of which can be pre-booked here.

Full 2015 line up information can be found here.