Listening to my heart on a Seeds of Silence retreat in Portugal
Sarah Garbett reviews a yoga retreat in the Southern Algarve and discovers a different style of yoga, the joys of local nature and new perspectives
In the autumn of a year when I separated from a long-term partner and felt very much in transition, I booked onto 'Hear the Voice of Your Heart', a retreat at Seeds of Silence in Portugal.
The creation of Belgian yoga teacher Cindy, the retreat is a spacious, single-storey villa, inland from Faro in the Southern Algarve. It has been a labour of love for Cindy, who was taken seriously ill by a tick bite just after she agreed to buy the property and was still in recovery while she set about the huge renovation project with the help of her husband.
Cindy led the week assisted by her friend Lieve, who gave sound healing and therapy. I arrived just before dinner and felt instantly at ease in the beautifully decorated, homely space. The other guests were four Belgian women in their 40s, all professionals or business owners, and a retired Scottish couple. We easily meshed as a group over the first of many well-planned, always moreish, vegetarian meals prepared by a talented local chef. Due to a delayed flight, I'd missed the opening circle and felt a little disconnected from the theme of the retreat until I had chance to sit down with Cindy the following morning to talk it over.
“I realised that I was processing recent life events and needed to accept how I was feeling and nurture myself more. I spent a gorgeous afternoon alone by the pool reading and listening to birds, bees, the tinkle of Balinese umbrellas and palm leaves in the breeze”
Monday started with sound healing (which surprised me a little, as someone who loves a dynamic morning asana class to kick off a retreat) but I went with the flow and tried to keep this as my mantra for the week. Each day we picked cards, whether they be for spiritual guidance or inspiration, which often rang true with some of my personal themes around love, family and vocation. I was able to chat each card through with Lieve and gain some new perspectives on the life stuff I was going through.
The week had an easy schedule of two classes or sound healing sessions daily with the option to join in on activities such as a pottery workshop, bike riding and excursion to the nearby islands.
Otherwise, there was plenty of time to potter around the villa and lounge in one of the seating areas, swim in the saltwater pool or curl up in a hammock. I loved my en-suite room with its huge Buddhist monk print, plants and pretty fabrics, and slept well throughout my stay.
Each morning there was a smoothie prepared for us before class, a huge brunch afterwards and a three-course dinner in the evening. We tasted seasonal fruits from the chef's garden, local cheeses, homemade bread and cakes with different eggs each morning and we looked forward to our dinners with African, Indian, Indonesian, Mexican and even Italian influences, which always ended with a naturally sweet dessert.
Cindy's yoga classes often drew on the Kundalini practice, with some intense breathwork and repetitive seated and standing movements designed to shift energy. I haven't practised this style of yoga for a while and missed the uplifting energy of a moving vinyasa flow. As a teacher she has taken numerous trainings and brings a mix of styles to her classes, depending on the group.
Cindy is a clear, confident teacher who I felt safe with as a student but as the week progressed, whilst I found the yoga sessions had therapeutic and relaxation benefits, I felt I needed some activity. There are e-bikes free for use at the retreat and one day I rode down to the beach. It was quite an adventure, from the rural setting around 13km inland to the sands of Praia de Fuseta, as the markers I was following were missing in places, but I enjoyed the challenge and a dip in the sea. I also went for a couple of short circular runs along the reddish rocky paths around the retreat.
Despite the mix of activity and relaxation, as the week went by, I felt quite mentally tired and wrote in my diary that I felt like I was 'going through the motions' rather than thriving off the experience. I felt confused as I was sleeping and eating well, but I realised that I was processing recent life events and needed to accept how I was feeling and nurture myself more. I spent a gorgeous afternoon alone by the pool reading and listening to birds, bees, the tinkle of Balinese umbrellas and palm leaves in the breeze.
In our closing circle we were invited to reflect on our heart's voice, or heart's desire. I realised that the experience for me was ultimately about releasing the fear that my heart's desire won't become reality. One of the cards I picked (twice on different days) was about everything happening at the right time, and as simple as that is, it was the key take away for me from the retreat. After a couple of nights in my own bed I felt the benefits of my retreat, more at peace and ready for the next phase of my life.
