Shiva / Shakti and the journey to wholeness
20 - 22 May 2022
Join us in magical Avalon for a weekend exploring the divine masculine and feminine through sacred movement, sound, community and stillness.
Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd May
A space for integration
Glastonbury or the isle of Avalon as it is often referred, is a space of integration. For thousands of years Avalon has been a spiritual site of learning and pilgrimage. It was the home of a pagan priestess temple, Glastonbury Abbey and King Arthur and the Knights of the round temple. It is believed that Jesus visited Avalon with his uncle Joseph of Arimathea as a young man, and there are rumours that the Holy Grail and other relics were brought here after his death.
Explore a land of myth and magic
This is a land infused with myth, magic and the divine, and so the perfect place for us to explore how the divine feminine and masculine has been understood and brought to life in different times and different traditions.
Creating union
In yoga, the integration of polarities is the goal. Yoga means to yoke, to connect or to create union. The union of self requires us to understand, accept and embody the masculine and feminine archetypes we all give rise to (as well as many other things). This masculine-feminine polarity will be our focus during our time together.
Avalon calls to those who have known it before. Perhaps we walked the hallways of the priestess school, or as wisdom holders alongside the early Christians many hundreds of years ago. If you've ever been drawn to Glastonbury or you feel it calling you now, this is the response, the opportunity to return and to explore these ancient energies once more.
What to expect
There will be space to move, but we will also make time for restorative and spiritual practice including mantra, pranayama, meditation, satsang (spiritual discussion) and journaling.
I will be accompanied by Oliver W Huntley who is an expert on these sacred lands and who has led tours of Glastonbury for many years. Oliver has a special interest in Joseph of Arimathea and the Christian relationship to this land through the ancient wisdom school that Joseph and Jesus came to learn from during Christ's lifetime. He is also an expert in the pagan mystery school that was grew up in Glastonbury. Last year on a tour with Oliver my interest in Feminist Theology was ignited and I have become fascinated with Mary Magdalene, her relationship with Jesus, and their embodiment of Shiva and Shakti here on earth - Oliver can talk a lot to this! He is fascinating, so knowledgeable and leads through storytelling and ritual. I'm so glad he will be with us for this retreat!
Friday
Arrival day. Join us from 5.30pm to get settled and ease into our time together with a welcome circle and grounding practice.
5:30pm - Arrival, tea, snack
6pm - Welcome circle and arriving practice
7:30pm - Dinner
9:30pm - Bedtime meditation and journaling
Saturday
A day of exploring the divine feminine. Join me for pranayama, sacred sound, movement and meditation to awaken the goddess within (both for men and women!). We will also spend the day with Oliver exploring Glastonbury by foot, wear your walking shoes! Expect storytelling, sound, ritual and meditation.
7am - Yoga practice
8:30am - Breakfast
10am - Meet Oliver in Glastonbury for day 1 tour of sacred sites
1pmish - Lunch out and about in Glastonbury
2pm - Afternoon tour of sacred sites
5pm - Evening practice
7pm - Dinner
9pm - Bedtime meditation and journaling
Sunday
A day of exploring the divine masculine. We will explore our relationship with the male archetype, what it means to us and how we can balance these archetypes for ourselves. Day two with Oliver, this time exploring sites like the Tor and hearing about masculinity in the early Christian tradition.
7am - Yoga practice
8:30am - Breakfast & pack up cars
10am - Meet Oliver in Glastonbury for day 2 tour of sacred sites
1pmish - Lunch out and about in Glastonbury
2pm - Afternoon tour of sacred sites
4pm - Closing circle and goodbyes
Accommodation
We will be staying in a beautiful four bedroom home in Wells, a village a short 15-minute drive from Glastonbury. The house has a private garden which I hope we will be able to use for some movement practice (weather depending!) a comfy living room which we will use for introspective practice, and a beautiful eat in kitchen where we can enjoy our meals together.
We have two twin rooms and two double rooms available, two of the rooms have ensuite shower rooms and the other two share a bathroom. If you are interested in coming with a friend or partner, they do not need to have done yoga before, it will be a mixed level practice with many options given and a focus on introspective practice. They must only be drawn to a pilgrimage to Glastonbury and open minded to join the adventure.
Rooms will be allocated based on a first come, first served basis.
Investment
The cost of the weekend is £475 per person based on two sharing including accommodation, breakfast, dinner, yoga and tours with Oliver. Lunch is not included but we will stop to eat together at one of the cheerful cafes in Glastonbury.
I would love to have you join us on this trip. If you have any questions or would like to know more about the retreat please drop me an email at templeofyogastudio@gmail.com.
About your hosts
Ayesha
Ayesha brings almost twenty years of personal yoga practice to her teaching. Over the past five years she has deepened her connection with the divine feminine and likes to incorporate visualisations and mantra dedicated to the goddess. Her classes enliven the spirit using breath, movement, sound and stillness.
About her teaching, she says, "I believe in the inherent goodness, wisdom and beauty of all beings, and as such it's my job to simply put seekers back in touch with this part of themselves.
Once we taste the true nature of who we are, we naturally want more."
About herself, she says,
"My name comes from the arabic verb عايش "to live". I am only just coming to appreciate the vastness of that verb. To live, to be alive, to be an active participant in one's own life, to embrace the reality of the world we live in, and to be an artist - a shaper of the things we touch.
It is my purpose to live whole-heartedly, and to contribute positively to the world around me."
Oliver
Oliver is a wisdom keeper, storyteller and sacred site retreat facilitator. His focus is on bringing back lost Mystery School Wisdom and Initiations from the Essene, Ancient Egyptian, and Druid traditions.
Currently deepening his connection to the Land and Mysteries of Ancient Avalon, he is reweaving together a story long forgotten about the origins and culture of this mystery school. Unlocking and connecting how its magic spans many cycles of time including the Druids, Jesus & Mary Magdalene, King Arthur & Merlin, and how all of these figures and archetypes offer an incredible teaching for our modern era.
Read more about Oliver's work here.
