LA ROANE, A FUN PLACE TO BE

It’s welcoming and light-hearted with a wonderful sense of community. We do everything we possibly can to support you on your inner journey. We know that we have to be centred and loving if we are to be of service to others. To this end we make sure that we always have a free week between each course so that we feel refreshed and ready to welcome the next group – not a sound policy financially but it works for us!

NIGEL SHAMASH

Nigel, the owner of La Roane, has lived here these past 24 years and has been running yoga and activity holidays here since 1999.
He founded Cortijo Romero (see www.cortijo-romero.co.uk ) in 1986 and was its resident director for 5 years before moving to France.

He has had a varied career as a banker in South America, Senior Lecturer in Business Studies at Portsmouth University and a yoga teacher and masseur in Australia. He has spent a lot of time visiting yoga ashrams in India and alternative communities in California.

He has a profound interest in all aspects of the spiritual path with a particular interest in yoga and music. He sings and plays with a local band. He is fun-loving with a special blend of humour and sensitivity – an ideal host and group leader.
He is delighted to continue to work along side his daughter Anna (see photo of them on the right) and good friend Judy Sweeney (see photo below) with the running of La Roane in 2018.

ANNA SHAMASH

Arriving from the UK when she was just a babe, Anna grew up at La Roane and is delighted to have returned after several years of travelling, studying and working abroad. She has a bilingual French and Spanish degree in History from Toulouse University with her final year being in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Anna has chosen to settle back home to rural southern France with her fiance Luigi, in order to work at La Roane and start a family of her own (they already have a cute little puppy, Canaria). Their first baby is due at the beginning of April, hopefully ensuring that La Roane will continue into the 22nd century!

A vegetarian since birth, a yoga enthusiast in the more recent years, she happily embraces the philosophy of La Roane with her open gregarious spirit. She is a huge asset, bringing a feminine touch and a young approach to the place.

JUDY SWEENEY

Judy is returning for a second year at La Roane. She is a confirmed Francophile having lived in Paris for 4 years during her twenties and then again in her forties when she studied for a bi-lingual Computer Science degree.
She discovered Yoga late in life after practising Tai Chi for a number of years. She found an inspiring teacher in Brighton where she lives and has been converted!
After raising 2 children and seeing them fly from the nest she took a gap year to get back in touch with herself, travelling around South America. She has been travelling ever since!
She has recently returned from Malawi where she did a 2 year placement with VSO. She worked on a big IT project which was quite an experience and is now involved with a smaller, grassroots charity in Malawi.

She is based in Brighton and met Nigel in 2011 when she came for a guitar and singing week. She returned the following year and worked with Nigel for part of the season.