Padmadarshini 

I have long been interested in exploring and working with the body. Since being a teenager coming into my body through movement has been a way of connecting with and resourcing myself. I have taught yoga at Bodywise in Manchester for many years now. During this time both my personal practice and approach to teaching have ongoingly changed and evolved. It has been important to me to see the practice as a process of enquiry, exploration and creativity. This has drawn me to study with various teachers over the years and I am particularly grateful to Sarah Powers and Donna Farhi for the rich teachings I have received from them.

In more recent years  I have also been drawn to also exploring more somatic /embodied movement approaches - allowing movement to arise from listening to impulses within the bodymind and from outer stimuli. In particular I love the practice of Authentic Movement, a little known but very rich embodied relational movement practice. It’s a bit like doing the metta bhavana through movement! Whether through movement or meditation I am really interested in discovering how the body can be a 'doorway' into listening to ourselves and can help us find a deeper, more open, easeful relationship to ourselves, others and the world around us. 

Inalu Ruth Antoli -is a yoga teacher and body movement therapist. She completed the Iyengar yoga teacher training in Edinburgh and studied in Pune, India. She further developed her practice following the teachings of Vanda Scaravelli. She has also studied Thai Massage and Shiatsu, which greatly enhances her work and makes it truly holistic.

Her passion for working with the body began 20 years ago, initially through contemporary dance and currently improvised movement, butoh dance and expressive arts. For her awareness is core to the practice, grounding ourselves into the body, into the present moment, inviting our inner wisdom to shine. Out of her research and explorations in working with the body she also offers Fluid Body, a conscious dance movement practice, a space to develop creativity, awareness, expression and vitality through the moving body.

Suryadarshini walked into a yoga class twelve years ago seeking balance and flexibility, but discovered yoga's greatest teaching is how to become aware of your heart. After joining the Triratna Buddhist Community in 2008, she began weaving her practice of yoga asana with the Buddha's teachings. She qualified with Bodhiyoga, a training developed by Sadhita and Sudaka that incorporates meditation, posture work and mindfulness skills.

The Buddha's teachings of mindfulness and metta (lovingkindness) explicitly inform Suryadarshini's approach; she values the clarity of his instructions in understanding the workings of her heart-mind. She infuses her yoga asana with these teachings, encouraging moments of stillness and ample time to rest. In these moments, she encourages reflection on the four foundations of mindfulness: the body, sensations in the body, emotions and mood, and thoughts. She invites observation of these things as they are, keeping an open, non-judgmental quality of awareness.

Open to all, these retreats are suitable for both beginners and those with more experience, but no previous experience is assumed. All these retreats include introductory meditation teaching and periods of silence.