What does it mean to prioritise yourself?
Taking the time to nurture yourself and prioritise you is paramount to good health. Byron Yoga Centre’s Elise Ottaway shares more about the life-changing experiences the centre offers guests.
What does “looking after yourself” mean to you?
To me, looking after yourself means making time to prioritise you. We often give so much to everyone around us and don’t have much (or any) time, energy and love left for ourselves. Looking after myself means making the space to be quiet and present so I can hear my intuition. It means listening to my body, being kind and giving it the love and nourishment it deserves.
How will a yoga retreat experience at Byron Yoga Centre nurture our readers?
We give you the tranquil haven, the program, the food and the tools to nourish your whole being. You give yourself the time and space to disconnect from the outside world and tune in to yourself. It’s the opportunity to really look after yourself and connect to your intuition. A retreat at Byron Yoga Retreat Centre can kick-start a wellness journey that can change your life!
What are some of the things that make the Byron Yoga Centre retreats so special?
It’s amazing how our guests somehow find the exact special things they need to be nurtured in that moment. For some, it’s a well-deserved break with time to relax by the pool, walk on the beach and take it easy. While many come to begin or deepen their yoga and meditation practice, for others it’s a total reset and refocus to nourish the body, mind and spirit. You are guaranteed to meet like-minded people — and your best self!
You also offer yoga teacher training; tell our readers more about that.
We do a whole range for every step of your yoga path. Our 200-hour Level 1 is open to those who are ready to start teaching and also those who just want to deepen their knowledge of yoga beyond the physical poses. We delve into philosophy and anatomy as well as sequencing and teaching methodology. We also run a 300-hour Level 2 and a range of special trainings including Yin, Restorative Yoga, Meditation and Trauma-Aware Yoga. With all these residential courses, you get to stay at Byron Yoga Retreat Centre and enjoy all the facilities … and the food!
Your centre focuses on Purna Yoga — can you please explain to our readers what this means and how it may differ from other yoga experiences they have had?
Purna Yoga is a classical alignment-focused hatha yoga developed by John Ogilvie, founder of Byron Yoga Centre, over his 35-plus years of experience. Purna translates as complete or integrated, and represents that this style of yoga includes asana, meditation, pranayama and philosophy. A typical Purna Yoga class focuses on asana, offering variations for the less experienced and for those with more yoga years, and it also includes all these other elements.
What’s on the horizon at Byron Yoga Centre?
Our seven-day, five-day and three-day retreats run every week, so we definitely have a retreat coming up. We also have a Level 1, a Yin and a Restorative Yoga training.
For more information, visit byronyoga.com.
