Pictures day retreat 2020 'Align with Nature'
On August 16th we hosted our very first Align with Nature day retreat at Buitengewoon in Vogelenzang, North Holland. We look back on a wonderful day with amazing people in beautiful nature. In this report we look back on the events of this special day.
We started our day getting to know each other over tea, decaf coffee and vegan cake. How very yogi of us. During our first session of the day we worked up a sweat with a nice and mellow yoga flow by Emma. With the sun already shining bright we took it easy and in between poses enjoyed the view (galloping horses in the meadow, true story) and gentle breeze.
‘‘What a wonderful and special day! From the very beginning the vibe was relaxed and familiar. Darcy and Emma really thought of éverything making the day go by so smooth and natural.’’ - Fleur
As much fun as we had together there was also space for alone time. We ushered in a period of silence with a guided meditation by Darcy after which there was time for a silent walk in the forest. A moment of reflection, contemplation and real connection with nature for everybody.
‘‘Walking in the forest and picking fruits and veggies directly from the garden were my favourite parts even though I originally signed up for the yoga. Somehow wandering in the nature was definitely needed after staying too much in the concrete jungle that I live in’’ - Melvil
The period of silence was broken for our communal lunch with products from the garden. Everybody received a goody bag that was already filled with different types of flower seeds that were procured by drying wild flowers from the garden. To really connect with everything that grows and blossoms we filled up our goody bags even more with veggies and fruit that we plucked during a tour from garden-owner Els. Els expertly guided us and taught us about organic gardening and permaculture. We even learned how to grub for potatoes, no easy task!
‘‘Emma and Darcy made the day completely stress free and that was awesome. Even having a ride from the train station to the yoga retreat and having a plant-based lunch that was very yummy’’ - Melvil
After some hard work in the garden we ended the day with a well deserved yoga nidra session by Darcy so everybody went home newly energised, well rested and relaxed.
‘‘The arrival with tasty home made (vegan) cake, an amazing yoga flow, a very special silent forest walk, the delicious home cooked lunch, the tour through the organic garden and to end the day with a yoga nidra. It was all a great experience that I would recommend to anybody!’’ - Fleur
© Pictures by Hans de Haan