Yoga in Paradise

Hello from sunny and hot New Zealand!

This past week I've been in the verdant paradise of the Wainui valley on the
Banks Peninsula of the South Island at a Yoga retreat with Donna Farhi.

I'm working on getting some photos uploaded, so check the website often.
The trouble is that connections are slow so it takes forever to upload and I
am paying by the minute.

The retreat centre has no phone or internet access, and is located in the
midst of green rolling hills, with sheep, cattle, native bush, and a
cacophony of birdsong. So many types of tree I've never seen before. The
tea trees are in bloom (little white flowers), which is beautiful but
allergy-inducing (I've never experienced these types of pollen, so maybe
that's what my body is reacting to!). Native New Zealand flowering flax and
other interesting plant life. Saw a hedgehog while out walking, along with
several species of birds, all very much unafraid and cocky. Most of New
Zealand's birds are dull in colouration, owing to the fact that they never
had to evolve otherwise. The weather was hot, with one day getting up to 35
degrees and sunny.... hot enough to melt the tar on the country roads! That
was a day for swimming in the ocean! I thought it was quite warm, but all
the Aussies I was with said it was really cold! It's all relative I
suppose. I also went sea kayaking in Akaroa harbour. Beautiful greenish
blue water, and ocean swells big enough to surf down if one could get up
enough momentum!

Apart from the natural beauty, the food was phenomenal as well, with most of
it coming from the centre's own garden. It's fruit season now, so fresh
kiwi, nectarine, peach, plum, etc. Also amazing tomatoes in this part of
the world!

The retreat itself was very subtly profound, and I think it will take me a
good few months to assimilate and digest all the shifts that occurred.
Donna teaches in a very gentle, exploratory way, encouraging personal
inquiry and reflection. This, coupled with twice daily meditation sessions,
and living with a group of 27 powerful women, all contributed to the
richness of the experience. A few of the other participants are thinking
about traveling the south island as well, so we're meeting tomorrow to
discuss hiring a campervan and touring around and to Donna Farhi's farm for
a while. Otherwise, I'll start contacting farms in my exploration of
WWOOFing.

I hope you are all well and surviving winter! I'm thinking warmly of you
all (no pun intended!).

Hope to hear from you all soon!

Kristi