RETREAT TESTIMONIALS
I feel so grateful for this Yogic journey we’ve been on with you and what a grounding, bonding, nurturing time it was.
Waking up 7 days in a row to do yoga first thing in the morning with a relaxed, experienced teacher in a beautiful setting is nothing but medicine for the mind and body. It’s like drinking water on a hot day. My body takes it in as a natural and necessary part of life and is so grateful I am listening and taking care. And like a super bonus the rest of the day is fun and interesting...not like at home when its back to the life grind after the yoga practice...so the experience is just deeper and in its own way more intense, it doesn't get undone by the life and driving and traffic and cooking and cleaning and regular life that sort of wears away at all the good work yoga does in the first place...its gets supported and amplified. The food and the sleeping arrangements were all bountiful and nurturing and the joy of being with people who appreciate Yoga and world travel was a bonus surprise to me on top of it all. I suppose we all search for community and its kinda tricky to find it...and after the long long period of COVID and more and more online life, we have all learned how to be even more separate than usual. So coming together was sweet in a new way as well.
The group was very well balanced with group activities and alone time and the tone of the group and you was very welcoming and inclusive. Come as you are. Rest if you are ill or weary. Come with whatever skill or injury you have. Come whatever time you have, even if you come late. Come with whatever props you have, we will make it work. Reach for a pose and stay in it for "any amount."....the overall message was so deeply welcoming and accepting, in contrast to my world, my society, my culture, my upbringing and my mental notes and messages from my parents. "Doing your best" vs. "any amount" is a profoundly different mental exercise. It reminds me of how internal the work is. Push if you want, or don't, but any amount counts...the important part is the doing and even the smallest doing will bring benefits. I think we all love Vivica because of the messages of "you are o.k." how you are, where you are...and we seek that message as much as the deep stretches and breathing exercises...
The accommodations on this retreat were wonderful and I could feel all the care of Andrea watching and choosing and discerning high quality places, food and experiences for us....I felt very cared for and nurtured by all her leg work. She is a real gem! The group did not feel too big or small for me. I know I was not in charge of them, but as a participant, it felt comfortable enough to be intimate and energetic.
Another highlight was the building and strengthening of my relationship with my partner, who came so hesitantly to the group, to yoga and to daily practice...but he so appreciated how his body felt and doing it first thing in the morning! We understand each other better and we have one more shared arena of common experience which is so lovely.
Thank you Vivica. For organizing and making it happen and thank you for being such a lovely caring and attentive yoga teacher.
-Susan S. (Morocco 2023)