Honour your kidneys with these top tips to banish those winter-kidney blues!

We all suffer that little low patch during the transition from summer sunshine to the darker days of winter! But try boosting your kidneys with some key yoga poses to ward off those winter blues and fight off those chills.

First of all – before you do anything, imagine your kidneys nice and warm. Either by visualising yourself in a lovely warm place, or even by placing a hot water bottle on the base of your back whenever you feel a little cold or just to give your kidneys some attention!

Yoga can help your body mind and spirit in many ways. But in general, a holistic yoga practice stimulates a healthy flow of energy and fluids around the kidney area, synovial fluid, lymphatic fluid as well as the production levels of blood and urine. Breathwork also helps to nourish the kidney area with fresh oxygen – flushing out out all the old stuff!

Certain postures put pressure on the kidneys can also help to flush and cleanse these organs. Add any twists, forward bends and backbends to your practice. And if you are new to yoga or don’t have a practice as such – just use your intuition… twisting your body massages the organs, and forward and back bends stretch and oyygenate this area… enjoy!

We especially love the legs-up-the-wall pose, Viparita Karani, with a hot-water-bottle firmly placed at the base of your spine to warm the little kidney friends from behind.

And don’t forget your diet… There is more and more evidence to suggest the link between the ‘superfoods’ and their antioxidant properties to keep us healthy. Pack your winter diet full of these key items to keep your kidneys smiling… red peppers, garlic, onions, apples, berries, berries and more berries, grapes, cabbage, cauliflower, fish and egg whites!

 

How do Pomegranates give your body such nutritional love?

Perk up the inner-passions and ease into winter with the wonderful POMEGRANATES we have on the island!! This time of year, we can pick them off the trees here in Ibiza and use them to sprinkle over salads like festive jewels… or Juice up for a MASSIVE vitamin C boost full of ANTIOXIDANTS and delight in the deliciousness of the colour of LOVE.

Persians believe that the Pomegranate was the forbidden fruit that Eve plucked from the tree of knowledge and its’ health-giving qualities certainly make this seem possible!  It will sharpen your mind and gift you with clarity.  Ancient Egyptians buried their dead with Pomegranates for eternal life and it is traditionally for good luck.

* Pomegranates are full of antioxidants

* Pomegranate seeds (and drinking pomegranate juice) increases oxygen levels to the heart

* And eating the seeds can even be a natural viagra!

So even if the sun doesn’t shine *every* day – there are still plenty of things to do…   in the kitchen…. and beyond :0)

 

 

Sunset Mountain Yoga Retreat with Lena Tancredi

August 12th – 19th – and weekly until the end of October! Imagine yourself in the beautiful Mediterranean island of Ibiza, overlooking sunset at Cala Compte and close to many of the island’s most stunning beaches with crystal clear turquoise water, getting high on yoga and delicious healthy food! Led by talented, Sivananda inspired Lena Tancredi from just €690 per person all inclusive. This Ibiza Yoga retreat is a great option for both advanced Yoga students as well as beginners.

All activities are developed with personal attention to each guest’s preferences and goals. The intense Yoga classes will tune up your body, mind and soul. And being away and resting from your normal routine, practicing yoga, meditation and being outdoors in nature, may help to give a fresh perspective and awareness of yourself and your life. You may prefer to take the week more as a retreat, with more silence and reflection during the free time. Or you may just prefer to relax and be on holiday! Most importantly you begin from where you are.

You will have 3 hours of Yoga daily, allowing you plenty of time to relax or venture out. You can stay at the pool listening to the sound of the birds in the morning and the crickets in the heat of the day or visit some of the 60 beaches, ride horses and go swimming with them in the sea, go snorkelling, diving, hiking in the coastal forest, which can be a great exercise if you want.  Or anything else for what Ibiza is famous for. So, immerse yourself in yoga, refresh yourself in the clear azure waters, go exploring or just indulge yourself with an afternoon siesta!

Sunset Mountain is set in one of the most beautiful points of Ibiza, surrounded by pine trees, with breathtaking views overlooking the sea and local islands. Choose between a range of accommodation dependent on your requirements and budget. The property benefits from an open-air 85m2 wooden covered Yoga deck with ocean view and just in case we need it, we also have a beautiful inside yoga room which is just as big. There are spacious in and outdoor living and dining areas, a colourful garden, infinity swimming pool, jacuzzi, chill-out areas and stunning ocean and sunset views across Ibiza.

Lena Tancredi has lived on Ibiza since 1990 and is a Sivananda Hatha yoga teacher as well as an artist. Yoga was her ‘medicine’ following a thermal shock which paralysed half her face and has never looked back. Her passion for yoga has progressed and been inspired by teachers from India and all over the world. Further 2012 dates:  * August 7th – 14th * August 16th – 23rd * August 25th – September 01st * September 3rd – 10th * September 12th – 19th * September 21st – 28th * September 30th – October 7th * October 9th – 16th * October 18th – 25th.

Yoga Teacher Training with Nora Belton Sept & Oct 2012

Spirit Body Yoga – Yoga Alliance 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training
 3 weeks: Sept 25th – Oct 1st and Oct 10th – Oct 25th, 2012

 Santa Eulalia, Ibiza countryside at “Saraswati Space”

.  Led by Nora Belton and co-taught by Kirana Stover, Director of Integral Yoga Barcelona, embrace the concept of service, develop the confidence to teach with safety, from the heart, with joy and expertise. Contact us for details

Nora believes if you are considering becoming a Yoga Teacher, it is worthwhile to look at the concept of service.

“The whole foundation of teaching is service, or as it is called in Yoga communities, “KARMA YOGA.”   Teaching is how I serve others.  I am fulfilled through service, because I feel it is my purpose and my calling.  The TTC is designed to root you, the Yogi, in the practice and achieve the confidence you need to transmit your knowledge and love of Yoga to others.

For me, Yoga is a way of life, a loving guide, and a loyal friend.  I imagine that the roots of my Yoga practice go much deeper and the purpose is more far-reaching than I can conceive.  Spirit Body Yoga Teacher Training aims to inspire you to find the right questions that help you evolve, and satisfy the needs of the Soul in being of service to others.

I consider Training Yoga Teachers to be both the pinnacle of my achievements and at the same time an obvious path that I somehow managed to avoid until I was mature enough to accept it.  I love nothing more.  There is a prayer we chant in Sanskrit at the beginning of Yoga sessions that goes like this:  “May we, teacher and student, be nourished together.  May we be protected together.  May we work together and our work bear fruit.  May our knowledge be transformed into light.  May we never lose patience with each other.  OM.  Peace. Peace. Peace.”

Yoga Alliance 200 hr. TEACHER TRAINING

SIVANANDA STYLE with daily CHANTING & MEDITATION. This course is an intensive residential Yoga immersion. The format allows for lots of personal attention and TEACHING PRACTICE. It gives students the opportunity to disconnect from worldly distractions in order to go inside and explore their relationship to Yoga & to themselves. It is a shared experience offering the challenges and support of a PROFESSIONAL GROUP dedicated to a common goal: to imbibe and transmit the spirit of Yoga. With SPIRIT BODY YOGA YTTC you will learn to teach with confidence and safety.

Please contact us for the full prospectus!

Fitness Retreats in Ibiza with Revival Wellness Team

August 26th – Sept 1st, enjoy Fitness Retreats in Ibiza with the personalised care of Kelly, James, Bryan, Kick-boxing champion Faye and the Revival Wellness Team.  With beach workouts, water-sports, strength & conditioning, core-fitness, scenic hikes, bike rides through pine-scented countryside, healthy haute-cuisine and fabulous creature comforts in Aguas de Ibiza 5 star hotel.  Then Massage any aches away and relax in the sumptuous pools and steam suite of the spa from 1785 GBP sharing all-inclusive.

A typical day will include beach workouts, strength and conditioning training, core fitness, and more. We also enjoy a scenic hike to one of Ibiza’s most magical cliff-top sites, a bike ride through beautiful pine-scented countryside and a day on the beach sampling a variety of watersports.  By the end of the retreat you should feel rejuvenated, re-energised and ready to face the world again with a new personalised fitness plan that will definitely give you wings!

With delicious nutritious cuisine.  Healthy & revitalizing, featuring dishes including: tuna tataki, grilled steaks, salads, soups and more. There is also the option of a raw fruit and vegetable detox, plus on site slimming treatments to complement the exercises.

Example Day’s Itinerary


08:00 Breakfast

09:00 Beach circuits or Aqua spinning

10:30 Rooftop Yoga

12:30 Lunch

14:00 Outdoor boxing

15:00 Strength circuits

16:00 HIT training or cardio circuits

18:00 Dinner and free time

 

Example Day’s Itinerary
 – including outdoor activities

08:00 Breakfast

09:00 Core fitness

10:00 Cardio circuit

12:00 Countryside bike ride through pine scented trails finishing on a beach with a picnic
 or 
scenic hike to Es Vedra, the third most magnetic place on earth finishing at a secluded swimming spot
 or 
Coastline hike to a beautiful beach for a day of watersports; chose from kayaking or windsurfing  and enjoy a relaxing paella on the beach.

Whats included:
– 6 nights Sunday to Saturday (5 and a half days of activities)
 – Accommodation and breakfast at the 5 star Aguas de Ibiza Hotel (Residential option)
 – Healthy lunch and dinner
 – All fitness activities including bike hire, watersports hire and transport for the excursions 
- Use of all the facilities at Revival Wellness Club including fitness centre, additional classes and spa
 – Fitness consultation including body stat analysis and fitness test at the beginning and end of the retreat 
- Maximum group size of 8 per retreat

Dates:

Sunday July 22nd to Saturday 28th

Sunday August 26th to Saturday 1st

Sunday  September 23rd to Saturday 29th

Sunday  October 14th to Saturday 20th

Tailormade fitness retreats can be created on request.

Price:
 Residential – staying at Aguas de Ibiza from £1785
 Non residential option available for £995