Life can be busy. Often there are too many demands, too many choices, too many schedules and too many people, each bringing a sense of commotion to your life. What is often lost in the clutter of noise and duty is receptiveness to the natural world. As a participant of a yoga retreat on Lord Howe Island, not only will your yoga practice be enhanced but so will your contemplative awareness of the outdoors.
Under the guidance of Peter Bisson, a yoga teacher since 1992, this seven-day retreat allows the Self to slow and become present with nature. In this way, Lord Howe Island is a perfect destination in which to appreciate the restorative benefits of yoga, the rewards of which should last well after your return home.
Yoga Retreat Encourages the Self to Slow
The approach to Lord Howe, as seen through the small window of the QantasLink flight from either Brisbane or Sydney, reveals a dramatic landscape. The rugged peaks of Mt Lidgbird and Mt Gower dominate the southern end of the island. Their dark basalt cliffs fall away to a crescent-shaped stretch of land to the north, the curve of which cradles the world’s most southerly coral reef. This now-extinct shield volcano is a testament to deep time. In comparison the Self seems as fleeting as a heart beat.
Yoga Practice Meets Nature
Soon after check-in at the comfortable and well-equipped Leanda-Lei Apartments, the ten participants on this yoga retreat settle themselves into a quaint weatherboard church hall for the first of six, two-hour yoga sessions. The doors and windows of the hall are kept open, as much for ventilation as to allow the sounds of the outdoors to be a part of each yoga session. Having a receptive presence with the natural world helps the mind, body and heart engage with the outdoors. No longer will you simply exist in parallel with nature; on this retreat you will find a connectedness to it.
The sense experience of the outdoors on Lord Howe is often that of nature alone. There are few cars on the island; most people walk or cycle. And with a permanent resident population of just 350 and tourist numbers capped at 400, nature need not compete with human influences. Visual pollution is minimised as there are no power lines and very few street lights. Sometimes the biggest distraction at the yoga sessions is from Lord Howe Island woodhens foraging outside the open doors. These flightless birds are one of the world’s rarest, saved from near extinction in the 1980s by a captive-breeding program. To share the same space with them is a privilege, so they can be excused the disturbance of their jangling leg bands.
On the yoga programme Peter takes participants through a series of hatha yoga postures each session. Hatha yoga is a low-impact yoga focusing on bringing balance to mind and body through breath awareness, postural alignment, meditation and relaxation. The routine is not fixed and participants are encouraged to indicate areas of their body which need special attention. “Listen to your body,” Peter says, “progress at your own pace.” There is no prize for the longest-held lateral angle pose. Yoga is not competitive.
Qigong Sessions
Six qigong sessions are included in the package. The sense of peace created by these slow, flowing movements, intended to regulate and control qi (pronounced chee) or life energy within the body, is enhanced by the locations where they are held. Some are at dusk, either at The Lagoon or at Ned’s Beach where kingfish and mackerel can be fed beforehand. Others are at dawn on a cliff looking out to the Pacific Ocean. As the sun rises, so do the island’s many rare and endemic bird species. Red-tailed tropicbirds, shearwaters and masked boobies are just a few of those seen working the waters during these sessions.
Other Activities on the Retreat
Other activities on this retreat help participants enhance their receptiveness to the natural world. Scuba diving, snorkelling, hiking, kayaking and guided nature walks are all available. Each activity provides a unique opportunity to experience the island’s natural beauty and rare flora and fauna which contributed to its World Heritage listing in 1982. Peter’s background in marine biology adds to the experience and enhances understanding of the diverse aquatic life found at Lord Howe.
Some of these activities and a number of group dinners are included in the package.
Thursday is a free day on the retreat. This gives participants the chance to explore Lord Howe’s dramatic geography and unique wildlife further by doing one of the island’s longer hikes. The Mt Gower climb is a challenging but rewarding 8-9 hour hike which will put your yoga lunges to good use. Others might settle for a less strenuous option such as beachcombing or swimming.
If metaphors on how to live well can be drawn from the natural world then Lord Howe is the place to find them. Here, you will have the opportunity to listen with a quiet mind and allow nature to bring you back to your Self.
For further information about this retreat visit www.peterbissonyoga.com
Sally Piper - Sally Piper is a published writer whose fiction and non-fiction has appeared in Australia and the UK.
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