Courses | La Roane - Yoga & Activity Holidays in France

Courses for 2018

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YOGA & ACTIVITY HOLIDAYS

BOOK EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT AND FOR CHEAPER PLANE FARES – COURSES MAY FILL UP MONTHS IN ADVANCE.
A maximum of 18 participants on each course ensures a nurturing environment. Around 20 hours of structured group activities leaves plenty of time to laze around by the pool or explore on your own.
A number of excursions are on offer each week. There are various options depending upon the time of the year and the needs of the group:
• a morning at our exotic local market in St Antonin.
• a day trip visiting one of the nearby mediaeval villages: walk, picnic, swim in the River Aveyron.
• an optional 3 hour canoeing trip through the river’s spectacular limestone gorges. Those not canoeing will be offered an alternative excursion, greeting the canoeists with a riverside picnic.
• an evening trip to listen to or dance to a local band.

Courses take place either in a lovingly restored former barn with a high ceiling and exposed beams or in our outdoor yoga studio.
Do you have a friend or partner who would like to come to La Roane but not do the course? There is a £70 reduction for non-participating guests. Always plenty to do and see so they won’t get bored.

“Its incredible…a wonderland.” Betty (group participant).

Look at the calendar to find up to date availability of the courses

24-31 May: FUN WEEK OF YOGA AND COOKERY- Trish Dent and Enzo Dipietro……£640

(Thursday to Thursday)

A week combining vegetarian cookery at its very best together with a wonderfully restorative brand of yoga.

Our cook, the ever-popular Enzo, will share his vast experience of cuisine with passion and artistry, using seasonal fruits and vegetables where possible, Enzo has grown his own food virtually since childhood and received the Italian ” Young Chef of the Year ” award in 1982. His highly entertaining style of teaching is peppered with vignettes of wisdom about cookery, growing food and life in general. He is an artist whose medium is food, and he shares his knowledge with great passion. He teaches in French with the aid of a translator, a golden opportunity to brush up on your French.

Whilst Enzo is in the kitchen with one group, Trish will be working with the other group so that each group has one session of yoga and one of cooking on a daily basis.

Trish teaches a style of yoga that blends influences from Japan and China. These influences help to create a form of yoga that is accessible to people of all levels and abilities. There is always humour and lightness in Trish’s classes thus providing a platform for participants to go more deeply into their personal practice and find new ways of being in and with their body.

The style — Okido Yoga — incorporates traditional asanas, taught with reference to Iyengar. Further cleansing exercises, breathing techniques, partnered stretches and group activities take students beyond what they perceive their limits to be, and with a sense of ease. At the same time, Trish teaches balance between the “doing” in each class by simply “being”; bringing these two into contrast helps students leave with tools to take their practice into the everyday of the world beyond. Simple breathing techniques, relaxation and meditation are part of each class.

Trish began practicing yoga after she suffered back problems in her early 20s. After an acute illness at 39, Trish trained to be a Shiatsu practitioner and has worked in complementary health, as both a practitioner and an exercise teacher, for the past 20 years. Trish undertook her four-year international Okido Yoga training in 2011, studying with teachers from Japan and The Netherlands, as well as the UK.

www.trishdent.co.uk

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8 – 15 June: CIRCLE DANCE - Anne Armstrong……£610

(Friday to Friday)

Anne Armstrong-Circle Dance 2-9 June

Circle dances are drawn from many different cultures and traditions. They can be meditative, lively, playful, healing and fun. No partners needed. All are welcome.
Anne Armstrong returns to La Roane bringing a great wealth of experience, ability and enthusiasm. She has been involved with circle dancing for over 15 years and leads a number of groups in the UK. She creates a very convivial atmosphere in which everybody feels relaxed and inspired. www.circledancenetwork.org.uk

N.B. The single supplement of this course is only £30 (as opposed to £50 on other courses) and the transfer charge (2 ways) is £45 instead of £60.

Check availability on the calendar

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19 - 26 June: YOGA WITH KAREN - Karen Long……£640

(Tuesday to Tuesday)

Karen Long-Yoga 20-27-June

“Yoga is a light which, once lit, will never dim”. BKS Iyengar.

Join us for a truly invigorating week! No need to be an experienced Yogi or at the peak of physical health. Even the less experienced or less flexible will find ways of practicing the postures (asanas) that give maximum benefit. There will be a short pranayama (yoga breathing) practice before breakfast and 2 main sessions per day covering the classic postures of yoga. The morning yoga session will be awakening and invigorating, whilst the afternoon session will have a quieter, more restorative focus.
This course is not recommended for complete beginners.

Karen has been practicing yoga for about 20 years and is a certified Iyengar teacher. She teaches classes and runs workshops in London with sensitivity, clarity and infectious enthusiasm.

You can see Karen in action on our video on the Home page.

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2 – 9 July: YOGA, MEDITATION AND CREATIVITY - Kate McKenzie……£640

(Monday to Monday)

Kate McKenzie-Yoga 3-10 June

Apart from the first day, morning yoga class take place before breakfast. It will begin with a gentle opening of the body and atunement of the mind to the breath. It will slowly move and build into a flowing and dynamic hatha sequence, always incorporating the cultivation of awareness, physical alignment, breath and chakras (energy centres).

Afternoon sessions vary and may include: moving meditations on the chakras, free movement, group singing and harmony, kundalini kriyas, alongside guided relaxations and restorative postures. These sessions are designed to explore and free our innate creative spirit and are offered in a totally supportive environment free from judgement and expectation.

After dinner, we will gather together for group singing with Kate and Nigel Shamash (your host), an evening stroll, a game of table tennis or simply to hang out and chat and listen to the call of the night creatures… A truly inspirational and life changing week!

Further details see www.katemckenzie.co.uk

“Kate adds a magical dimension to all her teaching” Jennifer, course participant

“She was aware of all our needs and brought in a dimension of love and kindness” Sally, course participant

“A great source of inspiration” Hugh, course participant

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17 - 24 July: SINGING, MUSIC AND PERFORMANCE - Stuart Marshall with Nigel Shamash……£640

(Tuesday to Tuesday) Sorry, course full. Waiting lost only.

Stuart Marshall-Singing 1-8 August

An inspiring week of fun and laughter, based around music, blended with other activities such as chi kung, nature walks and yoga.

Build your self confidence with group singing and express yourself through the joy of making music! No previous experience or prior musical training needed to take part.

Express yourself through music and song with a week of musical activities including lots of guided group singing. We will also play with rhythm, melody and harmony, music and movement, fun voice-work exercises and some collaborative song-writing. Plus the opportunity to perform!

• Feel free to be musically creative with others of different abilities in a supportive environment free from judgement and expectation. (No-one will be expected to sing or play on their own).

• Take part in organised group sessions during the day plus singing and jamming in the evenings after dinner with Stuart, Nigel and others. Previous years included visits to a local venue to listen to live music and even entertaining the crowd ourselves, or singing a “flashmob” in the market place!

Your host Nigel Shamash will lead warm up sessions before breakfast every morning using techniques of laughter yoga and chi kung – a great way to start the day. He will also lead a couple of yoga sessions before dinner, with emphasis on breathing, relaxation and meditation. No great exertion and no experience of yoga is necessary.

The week’s activities lead up to a grand finale where we will all star in our very own La Roane Cabaret! Please join us for what promises to be an amazing, life changing week!

Stuart Marshall is a singer, (natural voice practitioner) guitarist and songwriter with over 30 years experience playing, performing, teaching and enthusiastically leading others to create music. His courses at la Roane over the last 6 years have been hugely successful. Stuart particularly enjoys working with groups of all abilities and aims to bring out the best in everyone. Over the last ten years he has taught hundreds of students on his own guitar retreats and singing courses.
www.guitar-retreats.co.uk.

” I loved every bit of it, the music, the food ,the fun and laughter and most importantly the company. Thanks to one and all. I really hope to meet up with you again next year for more great music, lots of silliness and a thoroughly fabulous holiday! “ Cags – UK

” It was a week full of vitality, joy and inspiration…it´s the whole composition: the people, the music, the scenery, the food, that make this workshop unique. “ Yvonne – Germany

” What a wonderful week I had. I was a bit daunted at first, as a ‘newbie’, but you all made me very welcome and encouraged me to step a bit outside my comfort zone. I’ve done quite a lot of flute-playing (and singing of course) since I returned home, and it feels good! “ Ruth

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1 August - 8 August: YOGA WITH FIONA - Fiona Dewar……£640

(Wednesday to Wednesday)

“The body lives in the past, the mind lives in the future, Yoga brings them together in the present” BKS Iyengar

This week of Iyengar yoga is about opening up and learning this life changing practice. There will be a morning session before breakfast and a late afternoon session. Both take a holistic approach to yoga, using a combination of precise physical postures (asanas) and breathing (pranayama) to balance body and mind. It’s a challenging, but not competitive, practice which emphasises the alignment of the body, while still taking into account each practitioner’s individual needs. It is suitable for people with a basic practice in Iyengar yoga.

Fiona has practiced yoga as taught by BKS Iyengar since 1992, having been fortunate enough to learn directly since 1995 in Rishikesh. She returns annually to learn at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Institute in Pune where she also has a home.

Fiona enjoys teaching and sharing her enthusiasm, encouraging people to learn this foundation for physical and mental wellbeing.

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14 - 21 August: YOGA WITH DAVY AND JANAKI - Davy and Janaki……£640

(Tuesday to Tuesday)

Enjoy allowing your body and mind to experience many strands of yoga under the tuition of Janaki and Davy. Each day there will be two sessions where you can experience Janaki’s unique style of hatha flow yoga and Davy’s dynamic ashtanga yoga style. In addition, there will be chance to explore pranayama, meditation and visualisation with plenty of time for advice and help with your yoga practice. Beginners and more experienced yogis alike are welcome and over the week, we can explore together backbends, twists, balances and inversions, and much much more, going as far as your mind and body will allow. You will have a lot of fun and laughter and surprises!

Janaki has been teaching and practising yoga for many years and graduated from Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Ashram, Kerala in 1998.
Davy has been teaching and practising for almost 10 years. He is a member of the Green Party and stood for election in the Brighton constituency of Kempton last year and managed to increase his party’s share of the vote.
Davy and Janaki share a sense of fun and a passion for yoga and they believe it should be inclusive and available to all.
www.inspirationyoga.net
janaki@inspirationyoga.net or call 07905 494009

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27 August - 3 September: YOGA, MEDITATION AND CREATIVITY - Kate McKenzie……£640

(Monday to Monday)

Kate McKenzie-Yoga 3-10 June

Further details see www.katemckenzie.co.uk

“Kate adds a magical dimension to all her teaching” Jennifer, course participant

“She was aware of all our needs and brought in a dimension of love and kindness” Sally, course participant

“A great source of inspiration” Hugh, course participant

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8-15 September: FUN, LAUGHTER AND PASSION- Nigel Shamash……£640

(Saturday to Saturday)

Live life to the full, cherishing each moment and renewing your passion for life.

This week is all about enjoying yourself whilst discovering the gorgeous surroundings. We will explore the local area visiting mediaeval villages and the fabled city of Albi with its impressive cathedral and the Toulouse Lautrec museum. There will be a series of organised walks exploring the stunning countryside, gathering figs and seasonal fruits plus a chance to canoe down the River Aveyron.

There will be a vegetarian cookery class with our cook Enzo. We will also spend time doing laughter exercises, chi kung and other meditative practices as well as singing your heart out and dancing your socks off! All activities are optional and all are welcome.
Nigel Shamash, 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.

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18 – 25 September: CIRCLE DANCE - Anne Armstrong……£610

(Tuesday to Tuesday)

Anne Armstrong-Circle Dance 2-9 June

N.B. The single supplement of this course is only £30 (as opposed to £50 on other courses) and the transfer charge (2 ways) is £45 instead of £60.

Check availability on the calendar

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