On arrival at
Trivandrum (real name Thiruvananthapuram) airport – the capital of Kerala, this
was the message received on our mobiles! Palm Tree Yoga retreat centre is
located about 30 minutes drive south in Kovalam, a busy fishing town located on
the Arabian Sea. It’s far enough away from the touristy Lighthouse beach and consists of three separate houses on a
hill-top overlooking Samudra beach, a
quiet locals’ beach so we were able to observe the fishermen and absorb the simple
way of life, with both mosque and temple close by. As stunning as the scenery,
the sounds of nature were vibrant and exotic. A bit like living in a tropical
jungle with the most beautiful hill-top beach views to wake up to. It took my
breath away and still does:
Yoga classes ran
between 6.30 and 8.30 before a hearty and healthy breakfast at 9.00. You really do want to be up as early as
possible and not miss the quiet, stunning beauty of morning-time that is my
favourite part of the day. Evening yoga ran from 4.00 to 6.00 pm to explore the
‘Yin’ and restorative side of yoga. Sunset happens quite quickly in Kerala between
5.30 and 6.00 pm and, since we were practising on the rooftop, we wanted to
avoid the worst chance of being bitten around sunset. It worked perfectly as four hours of daily yoga always worked
up an appetite and we were all ready for the culinary delights of dinner in our
own Curry Leaf Restaurant by 7.00 pm.
Not to mention the very welcome Kingfisher beer (some of us / others detoxing!)
just seemed to slip down a treat before dinner.
Kerala is known as
‘the land of spices’ and everyone was purely blown away with the level of
expertise shown by these culinary experts. Everything grown locally was put to
good use, including lots of coconut oil, and the result was the most marvellous
selection of curry dishes – both vegetarian and fish. We were certainly spoiled
and over-indulged food-wise and curry in our local restaurants or take-aways
will, from now on, be a huge disappointment! The level of service
and dedication to what the staff all did for us was incredible. It was the
genuineness and congeniality of the people looking after us that had the most
profound effect. We were treated with the utmost respect seldom seen today in
our busy culture. I happened to get named ‘Teacher’ but every member of staff
down to whoever washed the dishes in the kitchen wanted to meet us and get to
know us and had time to learn our names and interact in a very genuine way. It showed us what yoga is really all
about – being the best we can be in our daily life whilst treating others with
the same respect as we deserve ourselves! It was truly a humbling and huge learning experience for
all. Happiness was felt abundantly with minimum materiality and simplicity as
the key!
Along with 4 hours of
yoga a day (including 30 minutes meditation every morning), we also found time
for chilling out on the beach, shopping (so much to buy at ridiculous prices!) and
aruvedic treatments. Kerala is the home of aruvedic medicine and is part of
their regular way of life, not an unaffordable luxury for most as it is in the
west. We were offered a range of aruvedic massages for less than £10 and I
managed to find a great reflexologist for my feet who gave me an hour-long
treatment nearly every day for £2 (don’t worry I tipped him as well). On top of all this a
number of sight-seeing and cultural trips were available if you wanted them. We all enjoyed a welcome and relaxing boat
ride through the stunning back-waters which Kerala is famous for. We enjoyed a
trip to the nearby elephant sanctuary where we helped wash the baby elephants
with coconut husks and then a ride on one of the larger elephants. Some students
took a trip to ‘the tip’ of India (Kanyakumari) which is the southernmost
tip of the Indian sub-continent, a place for both pilgrimage and tourism as it’s
the meeting point of three bodies of water. Closer by, there was a trip into the
bustling city of Trivandrum to experience the vibrancy, colours and culture of
India.
Being my first trip
back to India after 20 years, I can confirm it was life-changing for me and I
know it’s a place I need to return to with my students. As a consequence, I’ve
booked the next available slot with Free Spirit Yoga: 7th – 20th
February 2016. A UK Yoga teacher who noticed our PowerYoga retreat photos
has already booked onto this trip. I don’t know who she is but am both thrilled
and honoured. The feedback from my students has been incredible and I’d like to
share this one:
“Thank you so
much, in fact I will never be able to thank you enough for such an amazing holiday and for helping me fulfil my dream of visiting India! I loved every second of it and it was just incredible. You are a truly fabulous teacher and
it is a privilege to be able to attend your classes.”
This has definitely been
the highlight of my teaching career to date. Although I’ve only been full-time
yoga teacher for one year, I’m simply loving the journey and may there be more
experiences like this to come.
Thank-you to every one of my students for bringing me to this place and
for leading me to God’s Own Country.
Om, Namaste
