Into the Heart is a residential yoga retreat for gay, bi & queer men

Hosted by Andy Butterfield and Tom Cowan.

Friday 4th -Sunday 6th October 2019 at Gayles Retreat, Sussex.

This is the third retreat we have run from this venue, Gayles Retreat as we all love it so much and keep coming back!

It's nestled deep in the Sussex countryside, a haven of peace, calm and a much needed breathing space.

Conveniently close to London/Brighton with excellent rail/bus links and plenty of parking should you wish to drive the 90 minutes from London to the Sea.

The weekend will be hosted by two experienced teachers, Andy Butterfield and Tom Cowan, who have been leading workshops and retreats offering Vajrasati & Hatha Flow Yoga, Shiatsu, Tantra, Meditation and Nature Connection Practices.  They regularly support events for Yoganu, Loving Men, Tantra for Gay Men and the Radical Faeries.

We come together to explore embodied presence, movement, connection with ourselves and each other, Nature & community.

We recognise and appreciate yoga as a practice that cultivates integration through movement, breathwork, meditation and with the relaxation that comes from experiencing yoga Nidra.

These are an invaluable resource for creating balance, calmness and steadiness in the mind and body.  

There will be relaxing, meditative, restorative and enlivening practices of yoga during this weekend.

Supporting us through periods of anxiety, depression, addiction and helping to mediate compulsive behaviours, a regular yoga practice (abyahasa) opens up a crack of light in the endless stream of thoughts and stories (vikalpa) that can be our preoccupation giving us breathing space so we can gain a fresh perspective (vairagyam).

It's in the pauses between thinking, as we move, breathe, stretch and connect that we awaken from the trance of being lost to ourselves and begin to once again experience the sensations both in and outside of the body that constitute reality in this moment.

In this way we learn to take our practice off the mat and walk it into life, step by step, day by day.

We're building resilience in the face of stress and tension by noticing when we get caught up, so we can find our centre and enjoy the beauty of being present to ourselves and the world around us.

There will be lots of space to simply 'be'.   Time to unwind, relax and connect with yourself. Switch off the phone.  Leave the emails behind for a weekend. Listen to the sounds of nature, feel the air on your skin and enjoy good food, good company and a real retreat!

Please come and join us for this immersive weekend of relaxing and restorative Shiatsu massage, playful deep and accessible yoga, fun games and nature based practices, meditation walks through the beautiful gardens and delicious home cooked vegetarian food, all against the backdrop of the stunning Seven Sisters coastline and the gentle ambience of Gayles Retreat atop the cliffs.

Prices include all costs, including your room, three delicious vegetarian meals a day and all refreshments, fruit, hot drinks etc.

Prices and accommodation

Large Dorm (11 beds, most bunks, 2 showers, two toilets) - £265

Small Dorm (6 beds, no bunks, one toilet and one shower) - £285

Attic Double Bedroom Hideaway with En-Suite (only one available - for two people who will share a double bed) - £599

 Quiet SIngle Room (only one available) - £349

Our venue for the event is Gayles, a beautiful retreat centre situated in the outstanding countryside of the South Downs in East Sussex.  Gayles is 15 miles from Brighton, a 90 minute drive from London and easily accessible by public transport. See http://www.retreattogayles.co.uk/ for more information.   

Food at the event is vegetarian and with sufficient notice it's possible to provide vegan, dairy-free and wheat-free diets.

Arrivals from 1630 on Friday 4th for dinner at 1830.

Departures after lunch at 1500 on Sunday 6th.