- Tags : 30th Anniversary, african fridge, Agrosyntropic, Aguilas

I wanted to go back to Sunseed for many years now. It had been 7 years from my last visit and 8 years from when I was uprooted from the valley after having spent there the best year of my life until then as Sunseed’s Sustainable Living Coordinator. A year to surpass that is yet to come. Many times I have tried to gather the old crew together and arrange a visit but have repeatedly failed. Lucy rarely looks at her emails, Tomi is transcending, it is the wrong season for Linsday’s veg, Matteo replies with goat songs, Enrico just says how much he loves everyone etc etc. So when my pal Toni showed interest in visiting Sunseed, I wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip away. The greatest coincidence of all was that the time that suited us both was Sunseed’s special 30^th Anniversary week.

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I booked my tickets early on and just the thought of going back to this extraordinary, magical place filled my thoughts all through the summer with joy. The time came and I had to prepare for my pilgrimage, a trip back to my happiest memories, so unique that going back was making me nervous. After planes, trains, buses, and coffees, we arrived in Los Molinos with Toni, Hugo, one of the Sunseed Trustees and Lara.

The first thing that hit me, was the smell. The Main House, still smelt the same. I went into the house looking around with awe. New roof! New stove! Office looking swish. But the same beautiful smell lingered on. It was pommegranate season, numerous trees in the valley heavy with this perfect fruit. Kostas, Sunseed’s Education Coordinator (Greek!) said they had recently found the little book I had made about them. Bound by string I did not expect that it would have survived the time. Many things in Sunseed do not.

I spent some time taking it all in. Exploring the Sunseed houses and gardens. Memories forgotten kept bubbling to the surface of my psyche. At times I felt uncomfortable, possessive. What are all these people doing in my house? They are not doing things like we did. And how is it possible that they don’t know me or any of my crew? Not long after, I came to realise that this one year that affected my life so much, happened 8 years ago, and that in that time people I will probably never meet (but would love to) also experienced Sunseed in profound and meaningful ways. Just like I did. Sunseed was not only mine, and that made it even more special.

The 30^th Anniversary Week, was full of workshops, talks, seminars and some serious fun. From cob house building, to Hugelkultur, talent show, cooking and perhaps the most emotional of all the “night with the elders”. Shirley, Graham, Hannah and Martin, shared with us amidst laughs and tears, tales from the past, Green Deserts, times with houses with no windows, and the true belief that Sunseed was there to change the world. I cannot say if Sunseed changed the world, but I know for a fact, a lot of people whose worlds were changed because of Sunseed. As Graham described “Sunseed is like an ever changing painting, that keeps being painted by the people who come to it. And it is not seem to be finished yet”.

As the week went on I planted carob trees, collected pommegranates, foraged saltbush and forgotten onions, cooked lunch, swam in the river pools, found out about the intensive olive plantation upstream of El Rio Aguas that threatens the valley, prepared olives, had great chats and amused my self with my numerous deja vous (when the rota goes around they still tell people to put the lid on the pen while thinking of what chore they want to do :)). The current Sunseed crew, bright, genuine, welcoming, inclusive, full of energy and connection. What a joy it was to spend 9 days with them.

Sunseed still feels like my home and the whole valley like my garden. I walked around all day in bliss, feeling totally safe, with nothing but my camera on me. I needed no money, no keys, no nothing. Just like I do when I am at home. I don’t walk around with my bag on my shoulder inside my house, that would be a very odd thing to do.

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I left Sunseed with the late bus to Almeria. It was not as painful as the first time, but it was a bit sore still. I spent my last night in Hugo’s house. “Good morning Manolia” he said as he was leaving for work. “You smell like Sunseed”. With a heart full of joy I begun my journey back home.

Lizzie, Andreas, Gabbie, Etienne, Michael, Jon, Errica, Hannah, Martin, Hilda, Pauline, Eva, Tania, Morgan, Rory, Lesha, Toni, Saska, Gorgie, Carol, Luke, Vijan, Siggie, Kostas, Jef, Dave, Shirley, Graham, Barbara, Bob…how nice to be with you all.

___________________________________

By Manolia Vougioukalou, Sustainable Living Coordinator at Sunseed 2008-2009 and the biggest fan ever since.

Sunseed News

What’s the best thing about working at Sunseed?

By Communication Coordinator on

September 2, 2016

- Category : Sunseed News

- Tags : 30th Anniversary, african fridge, Agrosyntropic, Aguilas

“The people.”
“The stars at night.”
“The chance to experiment – you get real responsibility and you can always try new things.”
“Meeting volunteers from all over the world.”
“It’s a human place – it looks after me as a whole person.”
“Swimming in the poza, obviously!”

Everyone had different answers when we asked our team of coordinators what the best thing about living and working at Sunseed is – but the one thing they all agree on is that it’s an experience like no other.

So what does a Sunseed coordinator do all day? It can’t be all stargazing and swimming, can it?
Well, no. It depends which role you’re taking on – the roles are very different depending on if you’re in the support team (Facilitation, Education and Communication), practical team (Sustainable Living, Organic Gardens, Drylands Management) or technical team (Maintenance, Ecoconstruction and Appropriate Technologies).

*The support team also takes care of our market stalls*

The support team is based in our light and airy office, with stunning views of the sierra. They might be planning activities for a school visit, designing new pages for the website, writing an article for a magazine or taking bookings for future volunteers – though if there’s a vegetable delivery to be unloaded, or guests to show around, they’re always ready to drop everything and help out. It’s important, varied work that keeps the project running smoothly, and is fantastic experience in NGO administration.

The practical team work in our many gardens, the arboretum and dryland terraces, working with volunteers to experiment with sustainable gardening techniques that work in harmony with the desert surroundings. The sustainable living coordinator works hard to ensure that we’re getting a varied, nutritious and ethical diet, as well as making the most of the natural abundance of the area – so you may find them researching herbal remedies, or recipes for natural cosmetics (like this one!)

Keeping busy in the workshops and around the project you’ll find the technical team. The maintenance coordinator looks after the project’s infrastructure, as well as the upkeep of the acequia for the whole village-the ancient water line that provides our water supply. The ecoconstruction coordinator might be helping volunteers make a cob house, while in appropriate technologies they’ll be busy maintaining our solar panels, wind turbine and other energy solutions, as well as planning future activities and researching sustainable technologies to try out.

There are some duties we all share – because an integral part of being at Sunseed is learning to live and work as part of a team. On Mondays we all clean together, then throughout the week everyone will be on the cooking and cleaning rota once or twice. Coordinators also share water collection, shopping, laundry and other tasks that involve heading out of the village – which is also a chance to take a break and have a cold drink and some tapas in one of our lovely local towns.

All coordinators spend time in the office planning their activities, writing up projects, blog posts and so on – but the lion’s share of the time is spent working and learning together with volunteers, offering activities around the project in the morning and helping them with personal projects in the afternoon. It’s busy, challenging work, but the pleasures and rewards are infinite, from sharing ideas with people from all over the world and picking up languages, to working in stunning natural surroundings and being supported by a caring team of like-minded individuals.

And yes – there’s still plenty of time for stargazing and swimming.

Does working at Sunseed sound like your cup of tea? Keep an eye on our staff vacancies page for all our latest job postings.

Appropriate Technology

Los Molinos gets a new ram pump

By Communication Coordinator on

August 30, 2016

- Category : Appropriate Technology

- Tags : 30th Anniversary, african fridge, Agrosyntropic, Aguilas

Los Molinos de los Rio Aguas got a sharp reminder never to take water for granted when the hydraulic ram pump that provides the whole village with water stopped functioning recently. With no water from the taps or showers, we had to collect it from the acequia (water line) – a tiring and time-consuming job every morning! With the pump needing replacement and improvement on an old design, technical team assistant Joe and his friend Ryan stepped up to do the job; a stressful experience with no test run requiring a lot of determination and teamwork.

The first self-acting ram pump was invented in 1796 by Joseph Montgolfier, co-inventor of the hot air balloon – the designs now change depending on location and equipment, but the idea remains the same. Ram pumps use the kinetic energy created from the water source when the impulse valve (pressure head) pushes it to an outlet of higher elevation. Unless you use a petrol pump, the ram pump is a zero-pollutant technological piece, perfectly appropriate for the ecovillage which Sunseed is a part of.

According to Joe, ram pumps can be used anywhere as long as there is some height for water to drop from to create the correct flow and a consistent and sufficient source of water such as a river or brook. Therefore, the diverse terrain and undulating region of Andalusia makes the ram pump the perfect source of water for Los Molinos and Sunseed.

The new ram pump was successfully completed within one full working week, much cheaper and more efficient than getting one made and delivered. Ram pumps can cost up to €3,000, while Joe and Ryan estimate that all the equipment is only around €550. They also both agree that the fact that no external energy required is key, avoiding added equipment and the use of any manual labor after construction except for the annual maintenance check.

Water is delivered at all times now to all taps and tanks twice as efficiently as the previous pump and with a perfect water cycle – any extra water falls back to the river, so none is wasted. Across a large area that is arid and dry, an even distribution of water is available to the whole village and this should be the case for the next 40-60 years which is 2 or 3 times as long as the last ram pump lasted, approximately 20 years.

Joe and Ryan made the ideal ram pump for all the villagers in Los Molinos and we thank them for it. Out of respect for nature and one another, Los Molinos continues to thrive towards our vision of low-impact, sustainable living.

by volunteer Lara Worthington

Courses and Events, Eco Construction

Cob Building Courses at Sunseed

By Communication Coordinator on

August 24, 2016

- Category : Courses and Events, Eco Construction

- Tags : 30th Anniversary, african fridge, Agrosyntropic, Aguilas

Dates

13th – 26th November 2016

Arrival Sunday 13th 5pm

Departure Saturday 26th 10am

15th – 28th January 2017

Arrival Sunday 15th 5pm

Departure Saturday 28th 10am

About the courses

The “10 days intensive cob building course” is a hands-on practical learning experience with small theoretical sessions. During the course we are going to build a small shed out of cob – from the foundations to the roof.

You will learn how to make a perfect cob mix, how to build with cob, how to build window and door frames, how to build a roof and how to give the walls a nice finishing.

The courses takes place in the Sunseed Education Centre on Sustainable Living within the frame of the Eco-Construction Department. Sunseed has been an education centre since 1986 and is based in Los Molinos del Rio Aguas, a small off-grid village in Andalucia in southern Spain, one hour from Almeria.

During the course you will learn about:

the history of cob building;
why use cob? Its benefits;
testing soil;
site and design;
the ideal cob mix;
building with cob;
building foundations;
building the roof;
inserting doors and windows;
natural plastering;
making your own tools.

Programme

Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5
Tour of Sunseed Presentation about Cob	Trench and foundation Theory and practice	Soil test and suitability Tools Mixing Cob Building walls	Building walls Door frame	Building walls Inserting glass bottles
Day 6	Day 7	Day 8	Day 9	Day 10
Building Walls Inserting Windows Inserting glass bottles	Making the roof	Making the roof Inserting niches	Rendering Inserting niches	Rendering Closing up and feedback

About the instructor

Michael Hart is the Eco Construction coordinator in Sunseed and will be the main instructor for the course.

Location

Sunseed is an education centre for sustainable living and will provide the structure and spaces for the retreats. With a view to educate on low impact lifestyles, Sunseed focuses on Eco-Construction, Organic Gardening, Drylands management, Appropriate Technology and Sustainable Living.

Sunseed is located in a small village, Los Molinos del Rio Aguas, in Southern Andalucia, Spain. Abandoned during the rural exodus of the 1950s and 60s, Los Molinos has experienced a vibrant resurgence since the 1980s and is the hub of numerous ecological and progressive organisations including Sunseed Desert Technology, Cultura de la Tierra and Pita Escuela.

The stunning arid landscape that sourounds Los Molinos and its location in a lush oasis in the middle of the desert provide the opportunity for quiet contemplation and observation of nature.

You could make the most of your trip by combining it with some time off to explore the area and visit the nature reserve Cabo de Gata, the beaches along the Costa del Sol or drive up to the mountain range of Las Alpujarras or the Sierra Nevada.

The closest airports are Almeria (1 hour) and Murcia (1,5 hours) and Granada (2 hours).

Prices

10 day cob building 12 days, 13 nights €495

Prices include all materials and instructions, basic accommodation and three meals per day (delicious, local and vegetarian).

Accomodation

Sleeping facilities will be in dormitories, with access to toilets, showers and electricity.

What to bring

ecological body care products
flashlight/torch
comfortable shoes
a swimming suit for the natural pool
earplugs
raingear

How to get to Sunseed

Click here.

For bookings, questions or more information

Email: michaelhart86@hotmail.com

Tel: +34 9511 90263

Eco Construction

A dream come true: building a cob house, part I

By Communication Coordinator on

August 4, 2016

- Category : Eco Construction

- Tags : 30th Anniversary, african fridge, Agrosyntropic, Aguilas

A dream comes true – I am building a small house with my hands out of mud!

A month ago we decided to build a new toolshed in the garden and get rid of the ugly plastic structure there was before and change it for a beautiful cob house.

First of all we had to clear the whole space of course, which meant bundling a lot of small branches and caña and bringing it to a new place and destroy the old tool shed.

We marked where we wanted to have the new shed and in the end it came out bigger than we thought. Therefore it is going to be a shed for three departments: drylands, gardens and eco-construction.

The first thing to do for building a cob house is the foundation. The foundation of a building serves the purpose of carrying the weight of the load of the building: the roof, walls, floor and things inside the house. It prevents the building from sinking into the ground, potentially causing cracking of the walls and even a collapse of the house.

We dug a trench around 30 cm wide and 40 cm deep all along the marked line and an extra straight part a few meters away from the circle for drainage. We filled the trench half with gravel and compacted it a little bit by stamping on it a few rounds. After that we laid a pipe with holes in the trench and the exit point away from the building. It is important to have a slight slope towards this point, so that the water gets drained away from the house. After laying the pipe we filled the trench up with gravel and compacted it again.

During two amazing communal activities we collected a lot of big stones from the other side of the river and carried them all the way to the gardens! Thanks to all the wonderful people here!

On the gravel we built a small wall, which spans the full width of the trench bedding it really thoroughly into the gravel. It is of course way easier to build a stable wall when you have a lot of flat stones, but in the end we managed quite well to lay three layers of stones. The second and third layer is further stabilised with lime mortar.

After finishing the foundation we started preparing everything for building the cob walls. We dug a 2*1 m pit and laid it out with plastic. This is going to be the mixing area.

For building with cob you always use subsoil, which we got luckily from Guy’s greenhouse project, for which he dug a big hole right next to where the cob house is going to be. Through a simple soil test and previous knowledge we know that our soil here is really high in clay content – perfect for building with cob!

The ingredients for cob are really simple and easily accessible: clay subsoil, straw, sand and water.

First you pour a few buckets of water into the mixing pit. After sieving the soil for stones and possible sharp pottery parts or caña you pour it into the water and start stamping. We added 2 to 3 shovels of sand while stamping. Everything needs to be mixed really well. A simple method for doing so is pulling the plastic every now and then from one side to the other, so you get the dry soil from the bottom to the surface.

After having mixed everything thoroughly we started breaking up the straw a little bit and put around the same volume of it on top of the mud and mix it again. To know if your mixture is ready you take a big piece of mud and tear it apart. If you have straw in each of the parts the mix is ready to go, if not you have to add more straw.

Now you can start building the walls. For this you take some of the mix on a flat surface. You further knead it a little bit and compact it into a square piece. This piece is then put onto the stone wall and compressed into its place. You continue with the next, taking care that the individual pieces are pressed together to form one mass.

Building with cob is an extremely rewarding and fun process and very physically demanding work. And overall I just find it super exciting to build a small house just with your hands and mud!

Stay tuned for the next steps in the process as we continue construction…and if you’d like to join in the build, there’s still time – join us now! Book here.

Courses and Events

Stillness, sound and starlight: a Sunseed meditation retreat

By Communication Coordinator on

August 2, 2016

- Category : Courses and Events

- Tags : 30th Anniversary, african fridge, Agrosyntropic, Aguilas

Nestled deep in the heart of the Andalusian mountains, in the bustling Los Molinos ecovillage we are gifted with a weekend of calm and tranquillity, of looking deep within and also making a profound connection with others and the natural world that surrounds us. On the third weekend in July, this came in the form of the Sunseed meditation retreat, with the theme of ‘being at ease.’

We began on a Friday evening, in the candlelit sanctuary of the Casa Rosa, with a round of introductions and a simple breathing exercise to start off. The weekend continued with an engaging mix of talks, meditations and mindful walks in nature, gently guided by Siggy’s wealth of practice and experience on the subject.

I found my own meditation practice challenged by the Hindu and Buddhist approaches that we learned, much more rooted in sitting in complete stillness than I’m used to! It’s a mark of great discipline I think to be fully relaxed and rooted in the earth with nothing to guide you but your breath. All the participants, from many walks of life, benefited in some way from this immersion in deep silence and introspection.

We learned a range of meditation techniques, including Indian mudras (hand positions) to embody different emotions, such as compassion and loving kindness. We also learned the Feldenkrais, Yoga Nidra and Pranayama techniques, all of which focus on deep breathing and connecting with our bodies in a way we rarely do in everyday life.

We talked about using our voices and bodies to release stress and trauma that can build up, and can be painful but is necessary for achieving our goal of ‘being at ease.’ Siggy made the comparison to the way that animals go through an extraordinary amount of trauma but don’t show traumatic symptoms unless they are held in captivity or attacked by humans. They release this trauma alone through their bodies, shaking violently and feeling it completely for as long as they need to, then going back to their normal lives. We find many ways of burying trauma and pain, via a hundred different distractions in the form of substances or processes, but to truly be at ease, it must be physically felt and then released. We did this through a ‘talking and listening’ exercise, listening to a partner describe who they are without stopping for five minutes, and without reacting in any way. This kind of ‘automatic talking’, paired with simply being with ourselves, brought up issues in many of us things we might have buried, to deal with in a safe and embracing environment.

My favourite gifts of this course though, were the evening sessions on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday we went down to the beautiful stone labyrinth and sat in a circle in the candlelit twilight, and created our own ‘symphony’ of sounds, whatever came to us in the moment. The result was a sometimes amusing, sometimes intriguing combination of sounds. Eventually we trailed off into silence, honoured by the flickering candles and bright moonlight lighting our circle.

On Sunday evening we went up to the roof terrace of the Mirador and stargazed, watching as more and more stars appeared in the darkening dusk. It also became an impromptu cloud spotting, as the bright moonlight lit up the passing clouds that rarely appear this time of year in Los Molinos, and satellite and plane spotting too! It was a treasured chance for the mostly city-bound attendees to connect with our unpolluted night sky.

We finished with a check-in circle and final meditation on the Monday morning, and finally our goodbyes, met with smiles and tears all round. I’m glad to have had the opportunity to examine and expand my own practice, but mostly to have shared this space so intimately with such wonderful people. I look forward to attending another of Siggy’s retreats in the future!

By EVS volunteer Sophie

If this has piqued your interest, check out details of our next retreats here.

Sustainable Living, Tutorial

Make your own natural moisturiser

By Communication Coordinator on

May 26, 2016

- Category : Sustainable Living, Tutorial

- Tags : 30th Anniversary, african fridge, Agrosyntropic, Aguilas

Part of our mission to live sustainably involves working with the natural abundance that’s at our fingertips to create products that are better for us and our environment. Our Sustainable Living department has been using the beautiful calendula in the Sunseed gardens to make a soothing and hydrating natural moisturiser – and you can make your own with just a few products following the steps below.

Jar of natural moisturiser with calendula flowers

Natural Cosmetics – Hydrating Cream (Calendula Base)

To make a cream, you need three main constituents, Oil, Water and an Emulsifier. Once you combine these three in the right quantities and conditions, they form a soft, velvety and hydrating cream.

You can change the thickness and moisture levels of the cream by altering the ratio of oil to water (thicker creams, like a balm, will have much higher emulsifier levels, especially if using beeswax.)

So prepare your ingredients for 100g of cream:

Oil Part (24g in total)

(12g) Almond Oil infused* (see below) with Calendula

(8g) Olive Oil (mild quality, not too strong)

(4g) Emulsifier (i.e Local beeswax or any store bought veg protein, i.e Lanette or Emulsifan)

Water Part (76g in total)

Distilled (or non-chlorinated) water. You can make this a herbal infusion to strengthen the cream, for example with a handful of rose petals, calendula, chamomile, rosemary etc. Be wary that if you add plants to the water part, it will not preserve anywhere near as long.

Preservative Part = Vitamin E (in oil form) or Vitamin C (dehydrated powdered form). If using Beeswax, this acts as a preservative, as it is a natural anti-fungicide.

Essential Oils: (5-10 drops) Any that you feel suit your cream, medicinal purpose, or personal taste. I often use Lavender, given its clean, fresh aroma and anti-bacterial properties.

Method:

Make an infusion for the water part, leave for 4-12 hours to combine. Preferably water is around 60C-80C, not boiling.
Mix together all the ingredients for the oil part in a non-metallic bowl (almond, olive oil and emulsifier).
In separate pans, heat both the oil and water parts to 60C-65C, once they reach this temperature immediately remove from the heat. (NOTE: I often find using a water-bath technique to slowly heat the mixtures a safer approach).
Now they have been removed from the heat, use a blender to whisk the water part. While its whisking, slowly add the heated oil mixture into the water mix.
Once evenly mixed, it will form a runny creamy consistency – allow it cool slightly, and then add in your essential oils and Vitamin E/C.
While still hot, pour the mixture into your cleaned/sterilised jars (when warm is it much easier to pour).
The cream is ready to use once cool and set, which means it will have thickened.

Making natural moisturisers in our herbarium

*Personally, I like to infuse the oils I use with a particular plant, so in this case I chose Calendula for its emollient (skin softening) properties and that it helps sooth burns and mild abrasions/cuts.

*To infuse the oil with a plant, put a handful of the dried herb into a glass jar, fill to the rim with oil and leave for 30-40 days in the sun, turning/softly shake each day. Or for a quicker, but less effective approach, heat the plant (dried or fresh, just use double the amount if fresh) in a saucepan with the chosen oil, bringing it to around 60-65C. Once reached, take of the stove and leave the saucepan covered overnight to infuse. The oil is ready to use the next day (once you’ve filtered the piece of plant out).

Enjoy!

Feel free to get in touch for more information or clarification. To buy the more technical ingredients i.e Lanette, Vitamin E or C and Essential Oils; I use this website: http://www.cremas-caseras.es/ as we are based in Spain; however there are a number of ecological organisations around to source this from over Europe.

Luke – sustainable.living@sunseed.org.uk

Want to learn more about how to create natural cosmetics? Join us as a volunteer in the Sustainable Living department!

Uncategorized

Meditation Retreats in Sunseed

By Communication Coordinator on

May 6, 2016

- Category : Uncategorized

- Tags : 30th Anniversary, african fridge, Agrosyntropic, Aguilas

Programme for Meditation Retreats

June 2016
Finding Deeper Connections: 9^th – 11^th, Thurs 5pm – Sat 6pm €110*
Finding Deeper Connections: 22^nd – 24^th, Wed 5pm – Fri 6pm €110*

July 2016
Being at Ease: 15^th-18^th, Fri 5pm – Mon 10am €135*
Being at Ease: 27^th-30^th, Wed 5pm – Sat 10am €135*

August 2016
Being at Ease: 5^th– 8^th, Fri 5pm – Mon 10am €135*

September 2016
Touching Silence: 16^th-22^nd, Fri 5pm – Thurs 10am €330*

*Prices are all in and include basic accommodation, all meals provided (delicious, local and vegetarian) and meditation teachings. Three meals per day are provided, as well as dinner on the evening of arrival and breakfast if the retreat finishes in the morning.

About the retreats

This series of meditation retreats will take place at the Sunseed Eco Education centre in the rugged mountains of the South of Spain. They will consist of silent meditation sessions as well as exercises to raise our psycho-emotional awareness. The meditative practices, supported by the rural setting of the retreat and the guidance of the teacher will provide the space needed for inner work, which will enliven our hearts, reawaken our spirits and re-sensitize us to life.

The “Finding Deeper Connections” retreats will focus on how to deepen our connection to others, ourselves and the world around us, thus decreasing our sense of ‘aloneness’ or ‘separateness’.

In the “Being at Ease” retreats we firstly allow inner restlessness and uneasiness with others to rise, in order to courageously move through it and find a greater ease, calm and spaciousness within.

The “Touching Stillness” retreat explores what is in the way of inner calm. Allowing inner conflict, restlessness and tension to surface will support the emergence of the underlying quietness and peacefulness that naturally exists within.

What to expect

The retreat will consist of

guided meditation sessions,
contemplative walking,
raising psycho-emotional awareness through interactive sessions in pairs and groups,
talks by the teacher,
meditation sessions in nature (cave, mountaintop, rooftop),
yoga, relaxation or stretch class.

Just as we can consciously release physical tensions through our awareness of the body and its postures, we can also release emotional tensions simply by recognising them and allowing ourselves to have the problem in the first place. As with physical tensions our emotional tensions have greater power over us the more unconscious they are.

About the teacher

Siggy Verelst has been practising meditation and other spiritual disciplines from a very young age. Having been committed to her inner work and development since her early years, she has immersed herself in meditative practices from various traditions throughout her life.

Motivated by a strong compassion for people and a desire to assist in alleviating suffering through raising one’s awareness Siggy studied psychotherapy for four years and obtained a Masters at the Cairnmillar Institute of Psychology and Psychotherapy in Melbourne, Australia in 2013. She has since been practising as a psychotherapist and holds her own private practice when not teaching abroad. She has also investigated the mind-body connection which she studied in India, Australia and at the Esalen Institute in California. She is also a hypnotherapist and Yoga Nidra teacher.

Siggy’s work has been influenced by teachers like Krishnamurti, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Carl Rogers and Peter Levine. Because of her interest in both psychotherapeutic theories as well as eastern philosophy, her retreats have a strong psychological focus aimed at increasing our emotional understanding of ourselves and improving emotional wellbeing.

For more information on Siggy visit www.amindfulpractice.com