Men's day retreat

Our 1st Yoga for Men day retreat in 5 years took place in picturesque Stanton Drew last weekend. Only a stone’s throw from Bristol and Bath and even nearer to the 3rd largest complex of standing stones in England, Stanton Drew provided the perfect setting. The guys were able to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of daily life, and help find a new lease of life along the way.

It was a well-balanced day with everything from drinks, food, yoga sessions and more. As my first time at a Yoga day, it far exceeded my expectations.

Being in such close proximity to the stone circles underpinned so many of the highlights of the day. From the opening circle where we sat, and learnt a bit about each other, while also sharing scores out of 10 to reflect how we felt as we started. It helped to strengthen that sense of connection, especially when followed with a grounding breathing practice to lay the foundations for the day.

I found the breath work relaxing.

What I often love the most about planning my Yoga for Men classes in Keynsham is conjuring up the monthly themes and bringing them to life through movement. This event was no exception. Once I set my sights on a circular theme, the yoga class that followed explored different ways of moving in circular shapes and this included facing in different directions on the mat. The guys totally immersed themselves in the movements, and once we had gone full circle to where we had started on the mat, they were surprised to learn that their movement practice had been a full 90-minutes.

The 90 minute yoga session was the show stopper for me – that would be hard to beat.

Having spent a couple of hours in Stanton Drew Village Hall, it was nice to then get outdoors for a silent walk around the stone circles. Having been standing for 4,500 years it felt like we were stepping back in time. With the ‘always on’ culture of daily life, the silent walk allowed us to switch on our senses, to the stunning scenery, subtle sounds and scattered stones that surrounded us.

After a delicious buffet lunch, the yoga props session that followed allowed the guys to learn more about how to use yoga blocks, straps and even the village hall walls to support their practice. Props can be seen as more of a hinderance than a help, especially when starting out with yoga. For a male group asking for help can feel unfamiliar in itself. What the guys learnt was that it was ok to ask for help, and when using yoga props to their advantage meant that everyone had a place within a pose.

By the time we arrived in our closing circle, we reflected upon the day we shared together. As a trained captain with men’s mental health charity, Talk Club, checking in and out with scores out of 10 has become a powerful way to measure the impact of the yoga in that moment. With everyone’s scores increasing and a calm and contented look on their faces, one of the guys remarked how lucky they feel to have opportunities to join retreat days such as this on their doorstep. It almost goes without saying that I also feel lucky to be able to share days such as this with such a great group of guys.