Retreat

About:
This two-day retreat will offer yoga practices inspired by the wonders of the full moon combined with Kirtan chanting to nurture the soul on the cliffs of the ocean. With opportunities for meditation, walking, delicious food and stunning scenery this is sure to be a weekend of oceanic bliss.

Retreat includes:

• 2 transformational vinyasa flow yoga sessions with Katy each morning with opening invocational chant with Nikki
• 2 lunar yoga practices with Katy each afternoon
• Opening & closing retreat Kirtan with Nikki
• 2 blissful noon chants with Nikki
• Special delights with Nikki & Katy on Saturday night
• 2 nights accommodation at beautiful Florence House, Sussex
• 3 sumptuous meals a day plus unlimited fruit, tea, coffee and water

Retreat doesn't include:

• Transport to and from Florence House
• Food and beverages other than those included in price
• Local excursions

Kirtan

Come and bathe in the practice of chanting form the heart and Resonate your Dreams.

Through chanting Kirtan and inner voice work hear your key note and align with the vision you are creating for your life, such that when you return home your view of life will transform beyond your wildest dreams!

We will chant, sound and move freely to attune the instrument that we were born to be!

Kirtan is the calling, the crying, the reaching across infinite space — digging into the heart's deepest well to touch and be touched by the Divine Presence.

Kirtan is singing over and over the many names of God and the Goddess, the multi-colored rainbow manifestations of the One. It is said that there is no difference between the name and that which is being named, and as the words roll off our lips in song, the Infinite is invoked, invited, made manifest in our hearts.

Kirtan is part of an ancient form of Yoga known as Bhakti, or the Yoga of Devotion. But in Bhakti we redefine “devotion”, we expand the meaning to include every shade of color in the palette of human emotion, turned towards God through song, dance, and worship. These chants have been sung for millennium by sages, sinners, devotees, and the great primordial yogi alchemists of old. And, as we sing, we touch the spirits of the millions of people across the centuries who have sung the same songs and cried the same tears. As we sing, we immerse ourselves in an endless river of prayer that has been flowing since the birth of the first human beings, longing to know their creator.

Kirtan is a vessel that can hold love, longing, union, separation, lust, despair, mourning, anger, hate, sadness, ecstasy, and oneness. Powered by the fire of these emotions, the chants of Bhakti become like a ship, singing us to the other shore. In lightness, in darkness, in despair, in joy we sing the names — The Name — and turn our human hearts toward the One, who is closer to us than our own breath. Kirtan is food for the spirit, a life raft of song.

Kirtan is for all people. There are no masters of kirtan, no experts, no teachers, no advanced students, no beginners. The practice itself is the teacher, guiding us to ourselves. Kirtan teaches itself by allowing us to enter into a mystery world — a world where all the logic of our minds, all the conditioning and learning are left outside — and we allow ourselves to expand into the mystery.

And in this mystery, we create a temple inside of our hearts, a place of refuge, a place of love, a place of being, a place of sanctity… whatever we need.

There is no right or wrong way to sing kirtan. Kirtan can be breathtakingly beautiful, the music can be stunning and masterful; and it can be cacophonous, dissonant, and almost painful to the ears. Aesthetics don't matter. All that matters is the spirit, the feeling. Don't worry about what you sound like, feel whatever you feel, have no expectations, no inhibitions. Kirtan is an oil well digging deeper and deeper into the heart. A power tool of love and longing. A train carrying us home. Make these kirtans your own prayers and use their power to set fire to your own soul.

We sing together and each person has a totally unique, individual experience. Yet by singing together we give strength, safety and passion to each other, and give ourselves permission to sing and dance freely, releasing and expressing through our voices and bodies, the emotions tightly locked in our hearts. The pain of separation is one with the bliss of union. And finally kirtan is an offering, a gift to the great One who has given us everything, and to whom we can give nothing in return but our loving remembrance.

Location

Florence House was built in the 1920's and has been beautifully restored into a perfect venue for retreats. It is nestled in stunning 6 acre grounds. The peaceful walled garden provides the perfect place for quiet meditation and inner reflection.
Inside, the oak panelled library, dining room, comfortable lounge with a wood burning stove and charming rooms this give this historical house both an elegant yet relaxed ambience.

The house can accommodate 24 people thus providing an intimate and comfortable venue, perfectly suited for retreats.
It is located two hours from London on the brow of Seaford Head on the South Downs in East Sussex.  A coastal path leads from the house into the Seven Sisters Country Park and unspoilt beaches are only a short distance away making the location perfect for a multitude of stunning coastal walks.

Rooms

Triple and double rooms are available, each one unique and offering a slightly different theme. Rooms offer sea views or views over the rolling hills of the South Downs and private gardens.

Florence House is renowned for its creative, fresh, home cooking prepared by their very own chefs. When possible, food is sourced from their own garden.

Travel

Road: From London Take the M27 to Brighton. Travelling east on A27 from Worthing/Brighton, follow signs to Newhaven/Lewes. At the roundabout after the rail crossing you have a choice between Lewes and Newhaven; take A26 to Newhaven / Seaford. Alternatively follow the coast road A259 from Brighton to Newhaven. In Newhaven, follow sign to the left for Seaford A259.

Carry on the A259 until you reach Seaford and a mini roundabout with the train station on your right hand side. Stay on the A259 going out of town and continue in the direction of Eastbourne. Look out for a church almost immediately on your right and take the third turning on your right after the church into Southdown Road. Helpful markers to look out for at this junction are: a traffic light, postbox and phone box.

Stay on Southdown Road and go straight down the hill towards Seaford Head and the golf-course, crossing over a couple of streets. At the bottom of the hill or Southdown Corner you will see Florence House, a large house on the hill in front of you. Take the first gate entrance and follow it to the front door.

Rail: 
From Victoria there are trains every 30 mins, change at Lewes for Seaford. Journey time is approx. 1 hour 20 mins. There are usually taxis at the station. Florence House is near Seaford Head golf course.

Local taxi hire firms include:

Martello Taxis: 01323 492929

Day-Night Taxis' 01323 896666

Beacon Taxis 01323 898888

Map:

Logistics

Arrival and Departure:
You can arrive on 4th May 2012 at 6pm
Dinner is at 7pm
Departure is on 6th May 2012 at 5pm, after tea and cake!

What to bring:
Yoga mat & a smile!

Book NOW!

	Non-refundable deposit	Balance, due by 14th March 2012
Twin Room, sharing £375 pp FULL	SOLD OUT	£225
Triple Room, sharing £350 pp FULL	SOLD OUT	£200

Terms & Conditions:
60 days or more prior to the retreat: Your entire payment will be refunded, less £150 which is your deposit.
59-30 days prior to the retreat: payments are not refundable, but are transferable (less deposit) to a future appleyoga retreat.
29 days or less prior to the retreat: payments are not refundable.