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MINDFUL

Every day I see or I hear something that more or less
kills me with delight, that leaves me like a needle
in the haystack of light. It is what I was born for – to look, to listen,
to lose myself inside this soft world – to instruct myself over and over
in joy, and acclamation.  nor am I talking about the exceptional,
the fearful, the dreadful, the very extravagant – but of the ordinary, the common, the very drab,
the daily presentation. Oh good scholar, I say to myself, how can you help
but grow wise with such teaching as these – the untrimmable light
of the world, the ocean’s shine, the prayers that are made out of grass?
Mary Oliver (from ‘Devotions’)

Let us look and listen together, both as we turn our attention inwards and as we rest in appreciation of the outer world. Let us lose ourselves inside this soft world, softening ourselves, to welcome into the fold all aspects of our being. Let’s open ourselves up, inviting gentle and receptive awareness and asking, can I embrace the flow of life?

Let us instruct ourselves over and over in joy, finding delight in the ordinary. Let us grow wise together with such teachings.

Course Description

A little note on why we practice yoga…

There are many ‘whys’ to be explored. Let’s reflect on just a few. Why we might move and strengthen the body. Why we might get together and practice as a group. Why we might commit to daily practice during these two weeks. Why we might choose to turn the attention inwards. 

Moving the body, we release myriad tensions, held in our physical form. Some will be as a result of our physical activities, riding our bikes, carrying our children, long hours at a desk or driving. Others are emotional tensions, the story of our life playing out through the body, the feelings which were not released creating some contraction or another. The gradual release of these tensions over time frees us to move more freely, of course, but with the tensions released goes some of our baggage, our armour. Over time, we feel lighter, we may begin to see the world around us differently, we feel more connected to those around us and the wider world, we begin to soften.

When we practice as a group, just our presence and shared intention supports the others around us. The focus of one or two concentrated students can permeate the atmosphere and help others focus too, like the smell of coffee permeating the kitchen. The enthusiasm of one student may lift the energy of others feeling tired or lethargic, just as a joyful child, like a Mexican wave, brings a ripple of smiles to the faces of others within her vicinity.

Daily Sādhanā (spiritual practice). There is something that shifts when we commit to any practice as a daily practice, be it a movement practice, a sitting (meditation) practice, or perhaps a writing practice or artistic practice. There is a surrender in it. A courage to show up, on the days when we can’t wait to get on our mat or cushion, but most importantly on the days when we don’t ‘feel like it’. We are brought face to face with ourselves, our habits and our resistances. On retreat, to commit to twice daily meditation and yoga once or twice a day, we are really committing to looking inwards. 

Svādhyāya (self-study). Why look inwards anyway? We live in a time and a culture where we are led to believe that our happiness is mostly dependent on external factors. So, we invest our time and energy in those things that will improve our financial prospects and help us to be successful in the eyes of others. This might bring us a great deal of happiness and satisfaction, or not, but sooner or later we begin to see that much of our happiness (or unhappiness) is not governed by our outer circumstances and is so much influenced by the inner dance of emotions, reactions and thoughts which shape how we view the world and those around us.

When we begin to do the inner work, we start to shine a light on this inner dance and this knowledge is powerful; before we can shift an unhelpful pattern, we first need to see it.

In the in-between moments, the moments between the thoughts, when we are just observing, we touch a stillness, we taste a sweetness, a glimpse of the peace of our underlying nature, always present under the surface, like the still water beneath the crashing waves. These moments change us. The more we touch the stillness, the more we have insights, these little aha moments, that guide us towards becoming more open-hearted, more present. All of this is our journey.

Course Schedule

How will we practice…

How will we create the right conditions during this 2-week retreat, for this release of tension, this touching into tenderness?

We will have periods of silence each morning before practice, to allow for a quietening to occur, to let the snow settle in our inner snow globe.

Each morning practice will begin with a 20 to 30-minute guided meditation. In the beginning there will be instruction given throughout most of the period of sitting and over time, once many of the instructions have had chance to be absorbed, instructions will be a little less frequent and periods of quiet will last for longer.

After meditation, each day there will be a morning Ashtanga class. Depending on your experience, this will be either Mysore-style, where students practice independently and receive individual instruction in a quiet focussed setting, or in a led beginners’ class (led by Christine) where the beginning of the sequence will be introduced gradually over the course of several days.

Wholesome and nourishing food also contributes to a sense of balance and vitality which supports our practice. Rest in the middle of the day can also be very beneficial for us, particularly those of us for whom life feels very busy; this setting aside of our other responsibilities, to the extent to which we are able, creates a spaciousness supportive to inner shifts. 

Afternoon workshops provide a variety of practices for introspection – shining a light on our inner dance as well as deepening our understanding of postures and their connections with each other and how to perform them to create more space, more balance, more dynamism or more calmness. 

These workshops will sometimes involve reflective journaling with suggested questions and topics to explore and time to share about our experiences with others in small groups. 

Each afternoon workshop will include both a dynamic element and a restorative element. The dynamic element will involve exploring techniques to help improve understanding and practice of alignment and key actions in a wide variety of poses. The restorative element will consist of a series of recuperative poses, which allow the body to relax and open gradually, encouraged by the support beneath. We may include simple breathwork during the recuperative element of the class. The afternoon workshops take inspiration from the Iyengar tradition, which has been a strong influence on postural practice for all three of us.

We notice that regularity of meditation helps us enjoy moments of stillness, so we may include short periods of sitting meditation in the afternoon workshops too.

In the evening, after dinner, we will come together again to meditate together. The evening sitting will be mostly guided, however, there may be a few evenings without instruction when students will be expected to use the instructions they have previously received as their framework for concentration. Many of the meditations will be guided metta bhavana practices, which will support us in cultivating a sense of loving kindness towards ourselves and others.

Daily Schedule

Saturday 24 October to Saturday 07 November 2026
Arrival Day
14.00:  Students will have access to the rooms
18.00:  Welcoming meeting followed by dinner. All students should try to participate in this first get together.

***The welcome meeting will begin at 18:00 on the arrival day (Saturday), the first Yoga class is on the Sunday morning.  

Sunday to Friday
Guided Morning Meditation
Mysore-style | Beginners Class
Brunch (beginners eat brunch after their class)
Afternoon workshop* (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday)
Dinner
Evening Meditation (mostly guided)

*The workshop content we will cover is: preliminaries, standing laterals, twists, extension of the front body (backbends), restorative – we will choose which content to cover on which afternoons based on the energy levels of the group on the day. Rachel will teach one afternoon workshop per week.

Saturday
Morning Meditation
Breakfast
Free day to relax
Dinner

Departure Day
09.00:  Check-out of your room, followed by breakfast

About The Teachers

 

Joey Miles
Joey began doing a daily yoga practice in 1998 after a misspent youth pursuing the circus, martial arts and physical theatre. While at Goldsmiths University studying drama, he set up and directed the Yoga Society. On graduating he began assisting Hamish Hendry at Astanga Yoga London and for 3 years he practised and assisted daily. During this time he spent 3 months every year in Mysore with Pattabhi Jois and Sharath.

In 2004 he was authorised to teach the primary series by Pattabhi Jois and following that taught the Mysore program from 2005-2008 at Triyoga in Primrose Hill, London. In 2009 he relocated to Hebden Bridge and set up Ashtanga Yoga Leeds with the intention of supporting people’s yoga practice.

In 2012 Joey received authorisation level 2, meaning he had Sharath’s blessing to teach the full Intermediate Series. In 2014, Joey completed the 3rd series under Sharath Jois’ guidance at the KPJAYI in Mysore.

Joey has studied and practiced Iyengar yoga with Alaric Newcombe for twenty years, this process of combining different perspectives has been invaluable for learning to adapt and modify the ‘traditional’ ashtanga practice and make it a little bit more accessible; not only as people begin but also as they age.

Between 2019 and 2022 Joey trained in person-centred counselling, he currently volunteers with Noah’s Ark and runs a small private practice.

Joey has practiced silent sitting meditation in the Vipassana tradition and currently practices Zen under the guidance of Sandy Chubb.

Rachel Miles
I had the good fortune to stumble across yoga in 2009 whilst studying French and Philosophy at university. My interest in spiritual practice had been sparked many years earlier, by my father, who lectured on philosophy and psychology (amongst other things), and had studied many of the world’s religions. 

I have since been blessed with an abundance of instruction and inspiration. In 2010, I started practising Ashtanga yoga with Level 2 Authorised teacher Paul Kleesmaa and on my return to my hometown, Leeds, I began daily practice with Joey. My study has included four extended trips to Mysore, India, to study with Sharath Jois at the KPJAYI. 

I completed a two-year alignment focused Hatha Yoga training at Triyoga London and have studied Iyengar yoga with teachers including Alaric Newcombe. I trained as an assistant in Joey’s Mysore-style classes from 2013 – 2017 and then have been teaching alongside Joey for the last ten years. Whilst pregnant in 2019, I studied hatha yoga for Pregnancy and the Postnatal period with Birthlight Yoga.

I taught myself to meditate in 2010 from a book in the Triratna tradition, and not long after, sat my first Vipassana retreat. I practiced for ten years in the Vipassana tradition of S.N. Goenka, sitting annual retreats and later in the Sanbo Zen tradition. My practice now is one of exploring the divine feminine path and my core practices draw on chanting and meditative practices from the Shakta tradition and also from Dr Sue Morter a renowned teacher in the field of bio-energetics.

Despite the fullness of family life, spiritual practice is truly at the centre of my life. My practice is broad and is guided by my intuition. It encompasses 5 rhythms dance, chanting, self-inquiry and connecting deeply to nature, as well as postural practice and meditation.

Booking Information

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