Yoga for Meditation - Bank Holiday Weekend Retreat May 2026

7:00pm 01 May 2026 - 12:30pm 04 May 2026

Cost: £100.00

Venue: Samye Ling

Bookings for this course (and guest accommodation) will open on 1st March 2026.  Please send an email on 1st March or after, giving your details to bookings@samyeling.org.

With the use of traditional yoga practices this longer weekend offers practical support and encouragement to those who wish to develop a regular meditation practice.

For many people it can be challenging trying to develop a meditation practice, both physically and mentally. Yoga offers a variety of tried and tested preparations and practices to those who seek the benefits of meditation.

There will be an even balance of breath work, movement, relaxation and meditation. This weekend is open to everyone so the posture work is slow and gentle and therefore suitable for complete beginners and those with conditions for which strenuous exercise is not advised.

Preparations:

Breath work; breath awareness, abdominal breathing, viloma, and alternate nostril breathing.

Movement;  joint releasing sequences, hip opening series, spinal movements, back and abdominal strengthening.

Relaxation; yoga nidra -a withdrawal of the senses leading to deep relaxation and conscious sleep and yoga nyasa - directed awareness synchronised with breath.

Meditation Practices:

Kaya sthairyam - body stillness.

Antar mouna – the practice of inner silence.

Ajapa japa - the repetition of mantra synchronised with breath.

Complete beginners as well as more experienced practitioners and teachers are all welcome.

The course begins after supper at 7pm on the Friday and ends in time for lunch at 12.30 pm on the Monday.

NOTE: Please bring comfortable layers of clothing so that you can move freely yet remain warm. The joint releasing movements can actually lower body temperature. Please bring your own mat, sitting block or cushion and a blanket.

Johnny can be contacted at www.jgyoga.co.uk