The World Yoga Festival at Henley 10 year Anniversary

I made my way out of deepest darkest Norfolk this weekend, it is no mean feat just to leave our county I can see what so many stay put. 4 hours drive & a day delayed, due to doing up the new studio but on Friday night I finally made it, with the biggest smile on my face.

A whole weekend off and what do I do with it, Yoga of course ! I arrived at about 6pm on the Friday the vibe was delicious from the moment I got here a stark contrast to Latitude the weekend before, I mean I loved that but jeez it was really peopley.

Anyway arriving here I parked easily, loads of lovely guides to tell you where to go, I got a trolley and dragged a few belongings to my glamping tent hosted by Tee and Toast. A really great set up out of hours, called a mobile left at the entrance to the camping site and a cheery voice called back and said ‘Hi Clare Tent 85 you are , kind of on your own, right at the back I hope that’s ok?’

‘Absolutely perfect.’ I said. ‘Thanks !’

I chucked my belongings in my teepee and set about exploring ,nestled in a valley in Henley overlooked by tall trees and big skies, the vibe was super calm. Any first pit stop actually was shopping, a new yoga all in one red with anchor print on it lushous and a larey jacket handmade by a lovely lady who said she is an army wife trying to buck the trend. She was great and so is my new jacket.

I grabbed a programme for the weekend it was packed for fours days with some truly inspirational world renowned spiritual leaders, teachers, founders, practitioners I was super excited.

I enjoyed a general wander soaking up the vibe of just knowing you were amongst your tribe, you can really feel it in certain yoga circles it’s like coming home. There was loads of beautiful chanting and live music taking place so I sat for a while and got involved in some gorgeous Kirtan.

For those of your that are not sure what kirtan is…

Kirtan is a form of devotional music and chanting that originated in the Indian bhakti (devotional) tradition. It typically involves singing the names of God, mantras, or sacred verses, often in a call-and-response style led by one person and echoed by a group.

It’s beautiful Many people participate in kirtan because they find it:

• Calming and meditative.

• A way to cultivate devotion and gratitude.

• A communal spiritual experience.

• Helpful for reducing stress through rhythmic chanting and music.

I find all of that and more, as someone not very musical at all I am a bit obsessed with the Harmonium I would love to find one for our yoga studio, maybe one day.

I love how they build, the speaker talked about energy and raising the vibration, it comes naturally, they start off very gently and it gets super lively then usually calms right back down, it feels synonymous to most of my weeks at the moment.

After that I got some delicious food, beautiful small buisnesses finding there way but my gosh are they good. My food came fresh bbq vegetables and Daal, man those flavours ! I copped a squat in the field and drank all of the atmosphere in. Maybe I was an ancient yoga in a pervious life but it feels so natural for me to be in these environments I instantly feel relaxed and at peace. It brings me tons of joy.

I chilled for the evening listening to more mantra and went at 10pm to a sound bath and yoga Nidra - glorious for those of you that maybe haven’t heard of nidra it is one of my favourite practices i love to take Nidra sessions there will be more coming at the new studio for sure.

Yoga Nidra (literally “yogic sleep”) is a guided meditation practice that brings you into a state between wakefulness and sleep. Although you appear to be resting, you remain aware while systematically relaxing the body and quieting the mind. It’s bliss for me ! They say one hour of yoga Nidra is equivalent to 4 hours sleep although this is not scientifically proven I do find it the most resting practice, a great one to listen to if you struggle to go to sleep at night.,

After that I wandered through the grassy lane festooned with twinkly lights back to my mini teepee for a well needed rest.

I got a relatively good nights sleep and woke up thinking about the studio move to Bayfield Brecks which is my dominant thoughts at this time. Did a little meditation and went for a shower.

At 7 am I went to a Vedānta meditation with Swamini Brahmaprajnananda Saraswati Ph.D she is a Hindu monk based in Mumbai she guided two very beautiful meditations working with the inner child. She was sat on stage gently wrapped in an orange gown that was more a soft peach in colour, the words so delicately spoken they could not fail to resonate, ‘All of the experiences are burning away Karma.’ She asked us to contemplate I am enough. Her words were ‘I am not my roles, although my roles bring me much joy, I am unchanged apart from my roles.’

She encouraged us to consider how many roles we pick up and put down every day and what we are without those roles, how much of our identity is attached to them and to remember that we are whole without them. I floated out of there with lots to contemplate.

A breakfast was needed and a strong coffee after that !

The next stop was a really inspirational Yin class with the incredible Clare Allen who recited the Bhagavad Gita as she taught. She said she wasn’t great with timings, which is always a concern when it comes to holding poses in Yin. It was a really beautiful class and she was emphatic and expressive in likening us to the troubles Arjuna faces in battle. She concluded the class with ‘Be good, Be kind for the welfare of this world.’ I love the class and really want to bring a Yin class back to our new timetable when we move it is the most transformative practice I have found to really explore slowing myself down. I love a vinyasa class but give me a yin class to help me feel all the feels anytime.

It was time to sit with my reflections from it all so far, genuine and authentic teachings from world spirtual leaders is not something to be taken lightly. It made me think about how inspiring your yoga practice can be for your life, it helps you notice and work with your patterns, your healing, your own self worth, whilst reminding you fundamentally there is absolutely nothing wrong with you and nothing to be fixed. Following your own map, the nudges the synchronicity and aligning to the souls around you that fill your cup up, we all have some of them I am certain. But the work is ours and ours to do alone it is not right to tap into someone’s else’s energy to booster yours but with a good friend when you are flagging they might just lift you up a bit, that is compassion and a really good friendship -cherish those.

It is inspiring for what our next chapter looks like as I am the Storm evolves away from the mill which has been such a huge part of our identity, I am starting to place that down now, I am humbled to start over with complete surrender to how it will be, a low key vibe with the intention still to serve the community is what I am manifesting.

I followed my pondering and journalling by listening to another talk the tent was so full I sat on the grass outside I had been journalling for so long I had missed the start. As I approached words of wisdom floated in to my ears.

‘Don’t chase mystical experiences , have a consistent practice, a mystical experience won’t last’

We always look for all the shortcuts in life to healing and to feel better about ourselves the speaker was Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati a global world leader who had left a life in Hollywood behind to follow a spiritual path. I will pop a list of books at the bottom of the blog written by the speakers if anyone is interested. I think there must have been over a thousand people in the tent she said raise your hand of over the the last year you bought something because you thought predominately there was something fundamentally wrong with you.”

I couldn’t see anyone that didn’t raise their hand.

She talked about our inner voice and dialogue, and how neurology is now catching up with the fact that every thought, everything we do, can change our life.

She said, imagine living with someone, or a flatmate, that told you every time you saw them that you were useless, rubbish, ugly, not good enough. That person was with you all the time, followed you to the loo, sat with you as you fell asleep at night. She said you wouldn’t tolerate it. You would tell them to leave.

Yet this is our own self-dialogue all the time for the majority of us. Sometimes that self chat is so bad we might even put up with someone abusive like the imaginary flat mate for way longer than we should, it is a real journey to value yourself but yoga helps !

She asked us to do an exercise. Mentally, silently, loudly, and emphatically, internally say: Love, love, love.

She said, now do the same and say: Hate, hate, hate.

Which one feels better ?

She said you get to choose your words, your dialogue.

She said every day, every thought, every bit of self-talk can change us and how the brain is wired, and that it is now scientifically proven that every single thing we do can change the brain. Tape two fingers together and live like that for a month the brain will be rewired. Go barefoot the brain will be rewired and adapt.

The ancient yogis knew what they were doing, and today, to work with these harsh inner voices, we can still use these beautiful practices to change our inner dialogue.

Do Japa.

Meditate.

Follow the breath.

If we change the workings of our brain, we change our whole experience.

None of this is easy, and it is a deep dive, but if you want the change in your life, you have no choice but to put the work in.

She continued to say if we want conscious, yogic, dharmic, relationships, we have to remember: I don’t need to be fixed by you, or anything external will not fulfil me.

Remind yourself: you don’t need to be fixed. There is nothing wrong with you.

She said dive into yogic philosophy. We are told and taught that you are whole exactly as you are.

There’s a difference between being fixed and being free, as we all get stuck.

I have been in my element listening to these incredible minds. There was so much more from the weekend, but this blog will turn into a book if I carry on.

I finished my day with a strong Vinyasa class by the incredible and controversial Stewart Gilchrist. I have wanted to practise with Stewart for years. Beautifully traditional, with a fair bit of social commentary and a few comments that I am not sure would go down too well in some yoga communities, but he is humorous and reminds us that yoga should be enjoyable.

He got us into shoulder stand and then got us all to sing along to Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. Definitely not something I had experienced before in a class, but I was there for it.

Again, just because we do the same thing over and over again doesn’t mean it has to be that way.

I love the randomness of life and changing it up as much as possible. Routine is not, and never has been, for me personally.

You can find him internationally teaching, and also in London at the East London School of Yoga and Indaba, my favourite studio to visit if I get time in the city. His classes are fiery, dynamic, and fast-paced, and there is the odd moment where you pause and think, Did he actually just say that?

Here for the freedom of it all.

I went to one last Kirtan and was dancing away to Bhakti devotional yoga chants. Absolutely glorious by Radhika Das what a man. It is very special to be such a part of truly joyous, alcohol free energy.

I left Sunday morning after a cheeky brunch in Henley. Well, why not, hey?

A beautiful weekend off, and I will most definitely be booking to go again next year.

If you are looking for a truly authentic yoga experience that will make you contemplate your awareness, your existence, and the fact that you are not broken, this might just be the one for you. I have just got home cup filled back up ready to get stuck back into to the move to Bayfield Brecks and super inspired for our next Chapter it is such a beautiful journey following a yoga path.

Thanks for reading and for your patience while we move out yoga home

with love

Clare

Book list

Bhagavad gita as it is by His divine grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Hiding in unnatural Happiness By Devamrita Swami

You matter insights from Vedanta Swamini Brahmaprajnananda Saraswati

Come home to yourself by Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati

Hollywood to the Himalayas a journey of healing and transformation by Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati

The four questions a pathway to inner peace by Vaisesika Dasa

Peace for ourselves, our families, our communities and our world by H.H pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatij

The science of self realization by His divine grace A.C Bhaktivedanta swami Prabhupada

That’s a few to be getting on with !