Bea and Liz met over 15 years ago at a dance class. Their passion for movement and mind body spirit devlelopment ignited their long standing friendship. Over the year they have gone on to share skills from rock climbling, contact dance, circus skills and of course their passion for yoga and Pilates. In one instance many of their skills were combined in an aerial dance perfomance on a climbing wall in Sheffield! (see our biographies)
Their love of teaching, warm sunny places and of each other inspired the idea to run retreats together.
We encourage people form all levels of expertise, so no need to feel intimidated if you are a beginner. On our past retreats we have catered both to the novice as well as to advanced practitioners and we have had both Pilates and yoga teachers as our guests. We aim to facilitate appropriate challenges and create an environment for deepening individuals personal practice and experience.
We also welcome non participating partners who want to come along for the holiday and company on all our retreats.
We have been running retreats for three years now in the Algarve, Portugal. This year we felt a need to explore a new location and have found an inspiring and gorgeous place in Turkey.
"Thank you both for a wonderful experience. I still talk (to anyone that will listen!) about the yoga retreat with you. I feel very grateful to have had the opportunity to spend that week learning from both of you and from the other participants. Everything was wonderful: the food, the quinta, the setting, the weather, the company but above all, your dedicated and inspiring teaching." Edith
As we are what we eat, all our retreats have an emphasis on a healthy and balanced diet that supports the bodywork during the week. Equally it should be a delight for the senses, so we make sure our catering is excellent vegetarian cooking (Turkey includes seafood options). Special diets can be catered for.
"The food was made with love and attention" Ginny
"Nutritious and delicious. I'd love to eat like this back home" Helen
As we both have children we realise that it is often not an easy option to get away from it all if you are a parent so we aim to make our retreats as family friendly as possible. This year's retreat in Turkey can only cater to children 13 years and up. However as with past retreats we are still committed to providing family friendly retreats. If you are a family with younger children then please check out our retreat in Portugal in August. Accommodation is always flexible and child care can be arranged in our Portugal venue during workout sessions. There is plenty of free time during the day so you will get to spend lots of time exploring the area if you wish, or simply relaxing. Please check on the individual retreats for minimum age of children.
Bea and Liz
This is us in Quinta Mimosa in 2009.
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About Bea Bea originates from near Frankfurt and has been practising Yoga since 1994. She was led to it literally by following her nose; later defined as a Nag Champa incense. It was lit by Nigel Gilderson who became her first (Ashtanga) teacher. A trapeze artist at the time a yearning for inner peace and higher meaning was nurtured. 'Getting on the mat' offered a perfect balance and grounding for someone who spent a lot of time in the air! Bea feels fortunate having practised with some great teachers from different Yoga traditions like Lino Miele, Nancy Gilgoff, Alex Medin and Denise Christian. She discovered the gentle yet powerful delights of Scaravelli Yoga through her teachers Giovanni Felicioni and John Stirk. Bea credits Lisa Sanfillipo, London based Anusara teacher, to introducing her to this elegant and effectiv Hatha yoga system. She took the teacher training in Anusara Yoga and enjoys the combination of a creativ heart focus and precise discipine in alignment, which in essence has much in common with Bea's previous career as a trapeze and circus artist. Bea has been teaching since 2002 and her London schedule included a wide spectrum from group classes at Moving Arts Base, Islington to teaching privates and Pregnancy Yoga for a London law firm. In 2011 Bea and her family moved back to her country of birth and she is currently building up a schedule in Berlin. Working with Liz is always a highlight in Bea's diary! Certifications and intensives: BWY Teaching Diploma 2006 Pregnancy Teaching Diploma British Wheel 2008 Teaching Meditation with Swami Saradananda 2006-10 Anusara Immersion 100hrs with Ross Raeburn, Zhenja la Rosa, Jayendra Henley and Bridget Kramer-Woods. 2010 Anusara teacher training with Bridget Kramer-Woods and Jayendra Henley.2010,2011.
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About Liz Originally from California Liz Chandler came to Pilates from a professional contemporary dance background. With a BA in Dance from the University of California (UCLA) she went on to perform professionally with companies in both the US and the UK. She taught and lectured in dance for 16 years including for Bath City College and the University of Bath, England. Liz was head of fitness at Circomedia, Centre for Circus and Performing Arts for 11 years. |