Yoga in turtle neighbourhood

Our student Elena Rodchenko, went to Turkey for a yoga retreat with her Russian teachers and she has kindly shared her experience with us below.

Location: Çirali, the village is a half hour trip from Antalya. Renowned for it’s hiking trails from Olympos, ancient Lycian city, to Chimaera, the mountain with eternal burning gas vents. The beach serves as a primary nesting ground for turtles and remains a wildlife
sanctuary. 

This village remains refreshingly untouched by massive hotels and all-inclusive resorts. Many of the service staff may not speak English, German, or Russian — you’ll need a Turkish dictionary here. The place exudes a captivating charm, preserving it's authentic character.

Yoga: It brings a smile to my face when English-speaking people refer to this type of vacation as a "retreat". Throughout the entire week we had 2 classes every day: 3 hours of practice and pranayama early morning, and 2 hours of community practice in the evening before dinner. Typically, on the second day of the seminar I find myself fatigued, questioning why I left the comfort of home and my cozy blanket.  However those thoughts soon dissipate, ishwara pranidhana, I embrace the circumstances and the transformation begins. The week flies by and we almost cry why the seminar had to be so short. 

Overall impressions: I’m grateful to the higher powers for the profound experience — the intensive practice set against this picturesque backdrop has elevated my modest skills. 28 degrees in the end of October among pines and friendly cats — I can’t help but think that everyone from Scotland has sighed dreamily right now.

My Russian mentors have been going here for the past 5 years, and I am undoubtedly eager to join them next year.