May 5th - 12th, in Bab Zouina, Morocco with Eyal Shifroni
The trip began with a warm welcome from the staff and owner, Karim, of Bab Zouina, a yoga shala set in the grounds of a 'small oasis' full of pungent smells and plants full of bloom and colour. Birds of many varieties, including a peacock whose vocal cords joined in the chanting in morning class. The retreat centre sits on the foothills of the Atlas Mountains which make a stunning backdrop to the breakfast terrace.
The group was around 30 strong, students and teachers from around the world. We were all there to enhance our practice and to spend time to meditate and reflect in a world currently unsettled and uncertain. The days began with a 7 to 8 am class of 30-40 mins of meditation and then pranayama, followed by some delicious nuts fruit and mint tea to sustain us for the asana class from 8.30-11am. During these hours we followed the Nobel silence only to talk if questions arose in class. This was followed by a delicious Moroccan brunch and some time to ourselves before beginning the second class of the day from 6 to 8pm. Our days closed with dinner, homemade with love, and then an early night. The beauty of Bab Zouina was no WiFi in the rooms or the Shala - if required we gathered at reception to pick up messages from home. Mindfulness was our daily experience and a fantastic way to recharge.
The classes were taken by Eyal and his student Efat. The asana practice was assisted by props and the use of ropes and chairs were excellently explained and revised during self practice. It paved a way to further assisting myself in my personal practice and in my teaching where perhaps some asanas are not so easily executed and absorbed. We worked through forward bends, backbends, inversions, balancing poses, twists and restorative classes systematically as one would expect in an Iyengar retreat. The highlight for me was the meditation and pranayama in the early morning sessions, learning to meditate has become somewhat of a focus on my return to the UK - I found it challenging and rewarding at the same time. The Buddhist teachings of Thích Nhất Hạnh alongside the yoga sutras of Patanjali were beautifully presented by Eyal and put to the test in asana practice, especially focusing on Ahimsa and Satya.
“Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?”
We had a great deal of free time with excursions to a local woman cooperative, waterfalls, the atlas mountains and gardens. At the end of the yoga retreat six of us set off for a four day hike to the High Atlas, a stunning and challenging walk. We were assisted by lovely local guides and their mules.
I would highly recommend both the venue and the teachings of Eyal.