Calm Sundays – Yoga & Mindfulness Events and Retreats

At the beginning of 2019, Purple Poppy Scotland teamed up with Diane.Yoga.Pilates to offer Wellness events in North Ayrshire. Allowing people to carve out some quality “me time” participating in both Yoga and Mindfulness sessions and enjoying some delicious healthy food to boot.  We particularly enjoyed the March events as we were able to bring a seasonal element to the theme and encourage people to connect, not only with themselves but with nature and the beauty of the present season.

Feedback that we have received from these events has been brilliant and people seem keen for these types of events to be held regularly.  So, we decided the next step was to organise our first retreat and after doing our research we think we have found the perfect venue on the tranquil Isle of Arran. The Lochranza Outdoor Education & Activity Centre, on the North of the Island offers a range of exciting activities for families and school groups. It boasts a variety of larger rooms, perfect for carrying out Yoga and Mindfulness sessions.

So let us tell you a little bit more about what we hope to achieve over the course of the weekend…

Our aim is to provide you with an opportunity to take some quality ‘me time’ and to develop more positive coping strategies for life’s everyday stresses. In this beautiful secluded location, we will celebrate the longest day, deepen our practice and draw upon seasonal energies and wisdom.

Over the course of the weekend, we will indulge in a combination of yoga and mindfulness to help reconnect with yourself and nature. We will also allow you time to reflect and absorb all that Lochranza has to offer. For those of you who haven’t visited this part of the island, it is a serene setting with an abundance of wildlife from deer to red squirrels and a variety of walks.We are both pleased to let you know that for the duration of the retreat, the venue will offer breakfast, lunch and 3 course dinners (catering for all dietary requirements) … although we don’t recommend going for a full English breakfast before the morning yoga session!

Sound good?  Then please drop us an email at calmsundays2019@gmail.com to secure your place.

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Gills journey to Mindfulness

My whole life I have had people refer to me as “a worrier”, eventually it just became part of how I described myself.  In my teenage years I experienced  periods of both depression and anxiety and at the time I am sure that I developed a variety of negative coping strategies.  In adulthood, I continued as “a worrier”, playing out scenarios and conversations about situations that may never even happen, all of the “what if’s” weighed me down.

In 2008 I started courses in both Meditation and Aromatherapy and my love for Natural and Holistic healthcare began to grow.  After my first full-time Complementary Therapy course in 2011, I began to alter the way that I lived my life and started to view my health in a different way.  Spring forward to 2017 and while studying for my HND in Complementary Therapies we undertook a Stress Management course.

This course was a real turning point for me. I had already begun to drink less alcohol, eat a healthier diet and exercise regularly but the worrying stayed with me. I found the topic so interesting that I undertook a separate course with the Mindfulness Association, spending 3 days at Samye Ling, near Langholm.  I can honestly say that I didn’t know that it was possible to be that chilled out, sitting in silence with a room full of strangers. I have found this to be the most effective and life changing stress management technique that I have researched. Allowing myself time to practice each day has resulted in a much healthier state of mental health and calmed my busy mind. I may still have the capacity to worry but it no longer defines who I am, it no longer weighs me down.