Join Andy as he hosts a unique retreat with Helen McCabe in a beautiful Tibetan Buddhist monastery in foothills of the Himalayas, with which we have a unique collaboration for practice. Situated in the hills just outside Kathmandu, the Pharping Tibetan Monastery represents a truly unique place to hold a Yoga retreat, with the Shala housed within the temple building. 

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As a group we will become part of this Monastic community for this week, a perfect environment for peace and contemplation with the opportunity to join the monks for morning meditation before Yoga practice, a truly special experience. 

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Such happy memories! Everybody, do join these wonderful people if you can. Amazing teachers helping you to strengthen your own practice, body, and mind, but more importantly, such wise, kind and compassionate people who care about strengthening heart and soul.

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Silke Vogelsang - Nepal retreat 2018

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Retreat theme – 'Moving back to Centre'

Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is a synchronised breath-and-movement system in which we flow with each posture, following the breath as we move. Each asana has a unique choreography of movements into and out of it, and it is this focus that ultimately makes this beautiful practice become a moving meditation.

Yet as we are challenged to maintain a steady, focussed breath, the practice can feel anything but meditative. It is easy to fall into patterns of thought and movement that don’t serve us, or to create a ‘story’ around our practice that may lead us to judge or analyse it too much.

In this retreat we seek to return to the simplicity of the practice: breath, focus and movement.

Throughout the week, Helen and Andy will explore components and techniques to developing a practice that will resource you. We will explore how to work in a way that suits your body and its needs, to create a powerful, safe and sustainable practice that you can continue throughout your life.

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Through their many years of practice and teaching, both Helen and Andy have each cultivated a distinctive approach. On this retreat, they blend their experience to bring a rare depth and roundedness that enables each student to grow and flourish. Few teachers have their gift to bring together a diverse student group as one beautiful community, whilst paying dedicated attention to each person with individual guidance. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the week, we will learn how to cultivate a deeper ‘felt sense’ of movement and breath in our yoga practice.

 

 The retreat will include:

• Daily morning asana practice

• Afternoon workshops

• Morning and evening meditation

• Breath and Pranayama work

• Yoga Nidra, guided relaxation and an evening of Sound bath

• Dharma philosophy from the head teacher of the monastery

• Visits/hikes to some of the great pilgrimage points nearby

• Time for quiet contemplation in the spectacular location and joyful connection with like-minded others

 

 

Booking and further information

Visit the Mahalaya Nepal website for further information and booking by clicking here

 

 

About Helen McCabe

Helen McCabe is a practitioner and teacher of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga normally based in Dorset (UK), where she founded and directs ‘Yoga at the Space’. There she runs the weekly assisted self-practice programme as well as teaching beginners’ courses, mentoring new teachers and teaching pre-natal Yoga. She runs regular retreats and workshops both in her studio and internationally.

 

She started practicing yoga in 1991 when she was working in the film industry and had just had her first daughter. It has played a major part in her life ever since. Helen has studied for many years with John Scott and is a JSY senior teacher as well as a registered Senior Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance Professionals. She has also had the privilege of studying with a number of fantastic teachers including Lucy Crawford, David Keil and Dena Kingsberg amongst others and continues to be a student of this amazing practice.  

Helen teaches with a gentle, inclusive and incredibly encouraging approach that has brought countless students into the practice of Ashtanga. Her particular gifts include supporting students to connect to the energetic and meditative aspects of Ashtanga to evolve a personally-powerful practice that transcends the purely physical.

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About Pharping Monastery - our home for the retreat

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For Tibetan Buddhists, the hills of Pharping are considered as sacred as Bodhgaya in India, as it is where is where the second Buddha Guru Padmasambhava (“Guru Rinpoche”) attained the state of enlightenment, before going on to establish Buddhism in Tibet. During the week you will have the opportunity to visit the cave where he achieved enlightenment. 

 

The monastery which is our home during the retreat makes important contributions to the preservation and sharing of the TIbetan Buddhist teachings, and our stay there helps to fund education for the young monks who are resident at the Monastery, many of hom are from remote poorer parts of Nepal.

 

The yoga space overlooks the rice paddies of the Kathmandu valley, and – when the weather is clear – gives us stunning views of the sunrise over the Himalayas. Our home for this week provides a perfect environment for the peace and contemplation that makes for a deep retreat experience. 

 

The lovely guest accommodation, which is within the monastery grounds has spacious, comfortable rooms,  with attached bathrooms.

Accommodation is on a twin-share basis, and the retreat fee includes a delicious, vegetarian and substantial brunch and wonderful healthy dinner each day. 

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