2-Day Retreat: Yoga by the Sea
22-23 June 2024
Come practice at the Cliff House in Cuckmere.
Daniel and Alistair have the great good fortune to live in a historic Coastguards Cottage in the Sussex landmark of Cuckmere Haven. Sitting in the presence of the famous Seven Sisters cliff it is a unique and potent place to practice yoga.
It's a small venue so we are limited the places to 12. And there is no on-site accommodation so you will need to book a night in one of the many lovely B'n'Bs or hotels in the area. (There are lots to chose from).
These retreat are quite intimate and friendly in tone; and spontaneous and flexible in content. Details of the specific retreat below.
Gentle Yoga with Daniel and Kirsty
We're really happy to have not only Daniel but Kirsty Davidson at Cuckmere this summer to lead us a beautiful weekend of gentle yoga, breathwork, yin yoga and yoga nidra.
Many of you may have worked with Daniel when he ran the yoga studio in Newhaven or during our lockdown sessions. And Kirsty needs no introduction if you've been on any of the Mindsprings Holy Island retreat where she leads us all in yoga - morning and evenings.
So, whatever your level, come and join this kind and friendly duo and sink into your bodies by the seaside at Cuckmere.
About Cuckmere Haven
The striking cliffs of the Seven Sisters and the famous snake-like meanders of the Cuckmere river make the natural reserve of Cuckmere Haven a world-famous tourist attraction. But what many of the day-trippers from around the world discover when walking here is a place of enormous natural diversity, striking energy and subtle magic.
The walk down to the beach is an almost perfect example of chalk downland with the accompanying array of butterflies, rabbits and wild flowers that make this landscape unique in the country. And the meeting of the river and the sea at the Haven beach is a potent spot energetically.
Our house is one of the four coastguard cottages, which date back 200 years. Originally built to keep guard against smugglers the cottages have had a fascinating history through the two world wars and are now featured in countless pieces of art and photography.
Daniel and Kirsty will be leading this retreat.
Rough timetable:
Saturday 22nd
We can start to gather at the cottage at 9am for tea/coffee and breakfast nibbles.
10 until 1.30 Daniel will lead practice in gentle yoga and breathwork.
1.30-3 pm A delicious vegetarian lunch will be served.
In the afternoon, Kirsty takes the helm with Yin Yoga and Yoga Nidra.
5.30 pm Lovely soup and fruit supper
From 6.30 till 7 we will chant along with the shruti box and finish with a restful period of self-practice by the sea till 8pm.
Participants head home at 8.30 pm.
Sunday 23rd
8 am Gathering at the cottage for a light breakfast of yoghurt and fruit.
8.30 till 10 Daniel will lead gentle yoga and breathwork.
After a comfort break, Kirsty will guide us in tai chi and yin until noon.
There will be 90 minutes of yoga and breathwork with Daniel before lunch at 1.30 pm.
3 pm till 4pm After lunch, Kirsty will lead us in Yin and Yoga Nidra
To close we will conclude with a sharing circle out by the sea.
The retreat ends at around 4.30 pm.
Team and schedule
Food, Accommodation and Pricing
Unusually for Mindsprings this is NOT a residential retreat - our home is too small! So, you will need to find a place to sleep on the Saturday night. Luckily this is Sussex and so there are innumerable lovely hotels and BnBs to be found across the Cuckmere area. The villages of Jevington, East Dean and Alfriston are all excellent locations. (Why not stay a few extra days!) But you might like to find somewhere in nearby Seaford as well.
Daniel will be cooking and looking after us during the weekend. He cooks excellent and tasty vegetarian food. And we will have teas and coffees and snacks to tide us over between meals. We can cater for allergies but not for individual preferences. So if you have a food allergy please let us know in your booking form. Note: because we will be using our own kitchen to cook, we cannot guarantee it will be nut-free if you have a strong allergy to nuts.
We are charging a flat rate of £250 for this weekend. As usual, if you have a strong desire to come but can't stretch to that financially then please let us know in an email. We never want money to get in the way of meditating.
But please note we can only host 15 people on the cliff so we apologise in advance if you cannot get a place this time round.
About the teacher
Daniel Martin is a yoga teacher, potter and co-teacher in Mindsprings. His yoga classes helped many people through the Lockdown. And after a year-long hiatus he is back teaching.
Kirsty Davidson is a yoga teacher and co-teacher at Mindsprings. She has worked for Yoga Scotland and specialises in Yin Yoga and Yoga Nidra.
Getting to the Cottages
We live on a reserve without motorised traffic so to reach the cottages requires a pleasant mile-long walk down a track through the chalky downlands. If you have mobility issues then please let us know and we can organise a lift from the car park.
Full details of how to get to the cottage will be sent out with your booking.
