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Synchronicity is when there is a stream of events that occur inexplicably and simultaneously to form a harmonious result. That is what happend when Mona Bektesi, a former Suncokret guest and certified Vinyasa Yoga Teacher, who fascinated me last summer with her mission to share the benefits of yoga via a stream of books she has written on the topic, contacted me to ask if I needed an extra teacher on board for this summer (we had already agreed to a collaboration in 2024). Had she asked that question a week sooner, I would have said no. However, with the miraculous turn of events that transformed what seemed would be a rather quiet month into a very busy one, it was apparent that this was a case of divine timing, and so my answer was a resounding YES! Mona will be coming on board to help co-host the 22-28 July Balance & Bliss event taking place at Suncokret in just two week's time. And, therefore, we are very pleased to introduce her to our readers. Tell us a little about yourself; how did you get into yoga?
It was just by Chance. I had heard a lot about it and then saw an announcement for a class and dropped in. Ever since that moment, I was fascinated.
What was your life like before yoga?
I definitely did not feel strong and calm at the same moment!
What would you say is the one best thing about yoga? It connects you with yourself, with your body, mind and soul, and to nature, to every human being, to animals, to the planet, we are just one.
What was your best class teaching / group event experience?
My best experience was teaching in Italy at the beach with a mixed group of adults and teenagers - it was such good energy!
Besides yoga, what is your favorite thing?
I love writing, hiking and travelling. What was your favorite thing about coming to Suncokret as retreat guest? I love Hvar and I love the energy of Suncokret, which is incomparable to others.
What do you hope guests will gain by attending your event at Suncokret?
I Hope they will find joy and love for their body, mind, and soul.
At the end of the event week, what is the one thing you hope retreat participants will walk away feeling?
Hopefully they Walk away with a feeling of ease and connection at the same time.
What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
For the planet, I hope that we will save Mother Earth and learn to live more peacefully. My personal dream is to write a novel. We wish for this too, Mona! Thank you for sharing a bit of your story. We are looking forward to collaborating with you soon! You can learn more about Mona and her mission to share the benefits of yoga with others on her website here: www.yoga-in-der-schule.de And while this year's Balance and Bliss event is sold out already, you can pre-register for a Balance and Bliss event with Mona in July 2024 here: info@suncokretdream.net

Last month, out of the blue, came an interesting email from a yoga teacher named Marija who was inquiring about a possible collaboration. Marija informed us that she had just returned to her homeland in Macedonia after spending many months in Mysore, India, where she underwent a Hatha and Ashtanga Advanced Level 2 training at IndeaYoga, under the guidance of Yogacharya Bharat Shetty, for whom she was given an internship to serve as an assistant. With her impressive background in mind, I was keen to have a conversation with Marija to investigate further the possibility of a collaboration for 2024, but, by the end of the chat, I was convinced that Marija would be an excellent addition to our visiting team of teachers this year. Here is the interviewed I conducted with Marija for our blog, in order to introduce this interesting and multi talented yogini to our readers. Please tell us a bit about yourself: My name is Marija Velichkova and I am from Skopje, Macedonia. My family, from my father’s side are from Serbia, where I have lived three months annually since I was born. In 2008, I began my adventure of living abroad; my first move was to Greece. After some time, I relocated to London, where I worked in Hospitality as well as Modelling. In my free time, I travelled to Southeast Asia for a few months each year. I moved again, opening and managing a restaurant, which happened to be part of a Yoga school. One year later, I found myself living in sunny Portugal where I trained and became a Yoga Teacher. The months in between, I would spend at home, in Macedonia, engaging in Photography, and working at a hostel. My travels then brought me to Mykonos Island, where I learnt the interesting skill of Skippering, whilst working as a First Mate to the Captain of a luxury yachting company. Having always been a dreamer, I enjoy engaging myself fully in any activities or roles that excite me. How did you get into Yoga? It was the summer of 2016, Arugam Bay in Sri Lanka, the famous surf spot. I’m not keen on surfing, so whilst there, I signed up for a yoga class. It was to be held on the rooftop of the hotel next door. It all began with that feeling of bliss I experienced after that class. It was addictive!
What was your life like before Yoga? My life before yoga had no structure. I have now found my grounding and my purpose, all because of a steady yoga practice.
What would you say is the one best thing about Yoga? The best thing about Yoga, for me personally, is the grounding you can find in a busy world. My feet are now firmly on the ground when I walk. I am present. What was your best class teaching / group event experience? Teaching Mysore style classes, back to back, with my teacher, Bharat Shetty, in Mysore India, was my absolute dream come true. Besides yoga, what is your favorite thing? Besides Yoga, I am a very keen swimmer. My passion for cooking and photography are also still present. How do you hope to enhance the retreat experience at Suncokret with your particular offerings? What I offer to Students is a safe approach to any goal. In Yoga, we should always play and never fight. Many Students rush into ‘Instagram worthy’ asanas, where their chances of getting an injury are very high. During the retreat classes, we will focus on Body-Breath-Mind coordination and mindfulness in our practice, direct from the teachings from one of the the oldest accredited schools of Ashtanga Yoga in India.
Is there any ideal way retreat participants can better prepare themselves for their retreat time with you? My suggestion is that all participants attend practice with an open mind and open heart. Each body is individual and we teachers are present to support and guide each one through their journey. Yoga is a journey to the Self. Marija will be collaborating with us during the following events in August 2023: 5 - 11 August - Yogi Explorer
12 - 18 August - Balance & Bliss
20 - 26 August - Yogi Explorer Sign up for an event with Marija here. If you are interested in learning more about Marija, you can check out her biography on our Team page here and follow her on instagram here .

I have been practicing yoga since 2016, or, speaking the truth, I thought I was practicing yoga in yoga classes taught at the gym before I did my first yoga teacher training in 2020. Since then my life and view of yoga have changed completely and forever. Liberating, empowering, inspiring, uplifting, encouraging - these are the words that come to mind although they are not enough to describe the fullness of what yoga has done for me. Here are the 6 main things I have learned through my yoga practice and studies: What you want wants you : your deep heart desires are there from above. They are there because you are destined to make them true. Life is so conditioned and there are so many voices around calling us in different directions that it is very easy to get lost if you do not stay closely connected to your heart. What is right is always deep in your heart . You might try to take the hard decisions with your rational mind, however, since there is so much unexplainable magic in this world… If you follow and trust your heart, no decision or question will be hard for you to resolve. The happiest and luckiest unexpected outcomes in my life happened when I took the craziest, most unreasonable decisions. Because my heart was calling for it. And it always paid off. Always.
You are worthy of what you want just the way you are . It has never been about fixing something or doing something right to get it, it has never been about becoming worthy. You are already worthy of what you want.
Surrender is safe, letting go does not mean giving up . Trusting that the right things are happening to you right now. And while you are lying there in your savasana in total peace and silence, the Universe is working, gathering all the components for your dreams to come true. There is a power inside of you that water can't wet, fire can't burn, wind can't blow down, and earth can't crush . All of us have received this power from birth. Yoga teaches us that we have received divine power. You can eat! Without gaining weight. And you should eat what your body asks for at this very moment. It's all in your mind. We are putting so many restrictions on ourselves and creating so many “rules” for ourselves we then start to believe and which is then bound to become true in our life. This is what I created as a belief to myself: “if I eat this, I will gain weight. I am not allowed to eat this because this makes me fat”. During one of the yoga teacher training sessions I did, it came to me that I can liberate myself from the restrictions I put on myself. And to my biggest surprise, without doing anything, I lost 6 kg in the following month :) This is what my yoga is about. Yes, I teach ashtanga, Vinyasa, Hatha, Yin, Yoga Nidra, Breathwork, and Meditation… But most of all I teach empowering, liberating, encouraging, uplifting yoga. Yoga which is not about flexibility and handstands but which teaches you love towards yourself. Tanja will be back to co-host two signature events at Suncokret in 2023: 10 - 16 June 2023 - Yogi Explorer
​​ 18 - 24 June 2023 - Slice of Paradise If you are keen to experience the magic of a retreat with Tanja in June 2023, you can sign up for one of her 2023 events here . Want to learn more? Check out our interview with Tanja here . And, you can visit her website and follow her on Instagram .

In May 2022 we had the pleasure of hosting a Balance and Bliss personal retreat experience for a lovely young lady named Bethany Demelza who had come away on retreat in order to process personal loss and take time out to refocus her attention on the next steps of her life's journey. As a social worker, single mom, and part-time yoga teacher who had suffered the loss of a beloved family member, Bethany was in need of a little "me time" where she could contemplate her life and her next steps forward. During the week-long experience, we shared our life stories and discovered many mutual interests, including our passion for yoga and yoga teaching, being moms to similar-aged kids, and our shared affinity for spending time in nature and for soft adventure. At the end of the retreat, we promised to keep in touch and made a vague plan to meet again in 2023. But it wasn't until the end of our retreat season, which is when we take time out to envision what we want the next season to look and feel like, that it became clear to me that Bethany would be an ideal addition to our team. First and foremost because of her positive disposition, which is warm, enthusiastic, and light-hearted, but, more importantly, because underneath that bubbly surface, there is a strong, independent, and compassionate soul whose life work involves empowering those who find themselves vulnerable and in crisis situations, not only through counseling but also by employing holistic technologies. As icing on the cake, she is also passionate about being outdoors and fell in love with the landscape of Hvar during her visit. In my 20 years of leading retreats at Suncokret, the one thing I am sure we are here to do is to provide a safe and inviting space in which people can unwind and access uplifting holistic technology that can support their journey to the center of their soul and, from that platform, help them to discover a positive pathway forward to the next stage of their life's journey. The job of a retreat leader is to facilitate that experience and I have every confidence that Bethany will do an excellent job of it. Therefore, it is my great pleasure to introduce you to Bethany, a certified Yoga and Flow Dance Meditation Instructor who will be co-hosting two events at Suncokret in July 2023, including a Balance and Bliss program, from 16-22 July, where she will be assisting me with the morning yoga Sadhana practice and also introducing Flow Dance Meditation during the afternoon deep-dive sessions, and then a Yogi Explorer program, from 24-30 July, where she will lead us through an Embodied Vinyasa practice in the mornings, followed by SUP and Sea-Kayaking activities later in the day, and evening workshops in Flow Dance Meditation and deeply healing Neurogenic Yoga. So, dear Bethany, please tell us a little about yourself; what else do you do besides teach yoga? How did you get into yoga? I am based in the UK where I live with my beautiful 7-year-old daughter and our little dog Buddy. As a single parent, my life can get busy with school runs and extracurricular activities for my daughter, making sure she is happy and has all that she needs and of course spending that quality time together whenever we can. I began practicing yoga 7 years ago when my daughter was a baby. At this time it was somewhere I could go to come away from the pressures and exhaustion of being a new parent and where I could feel restored after sleepless nights. A year into my practice of yoga, I began to experience a very difficult time in my life through loss and trauma, and for a period of time after this, I felt I was surrounded by darkness with no way out. However, I continued with my yoga practice and it felt as if yoga was the one constant in my life, the one thing that made me feel safe, and slowly it allowed me to see the light once more and helped me down the path of my healing journey. It was at this time that the benefits of yoga really shone through and it became a channel to connect to myself, my body, and the universe. I knew then that I needed to share the healing powers of this beautiful practice with others and this is when I enrolled in a yoga teacher training course in the UK at the end of 2019. In conjunction with my yoga teaching, I have had a 12-year social services background in providing support for vulnerable parents and children, advocating on their behalf, and creating a heart-centred space for them to have a voice and work through unresolved trauma, often while in crisis situations. Through this work, I went onto achieving a foundation diploma in Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), where I can work with individuals to enable their minds to work in a more positive thinking pattern. Alongside yoga, I have started teaching Flow Dance Meditation which is a conscious dance that invites you to get present and move the body in a natural and free-flowing way. I also provide one-to-one sessions that often focus on a trauma-led practice, where we can work with yoga to release trauma through the body in a therapeutic and safe way. Besides yoga, what else do you love doing? I have so many things in life that I love. I am deeply inspired by music, dance, and movement and I am currently learning to play the djembe drum, which I absolutely love. I also have a passion for being outdoors and in nature, where my favourite things to do are paddle boarding, surfing, hiking, exploring mountains, and finding that perfect view for a picnic. These loves will blend well with co-hosting our Balance & Bliss and Yogi Explorer programs, indeed! Tell me, as a former guest of Suncokret, what did you enjoy most about your experience here? As soon as I arrived at suncokret, I immediately felt at ease and safe, as if it was home. I could feel the tension and stress of everyday life drain from my body as soon as I arrived and slipped into a deep feeling of rest and relaxation. It was one of the most healing and inspiring weeks of my life, from the empowering yoga and meditation sessions to relishing in the delicious and homemade meals, the little daytime adventures to the best spots around the island where swimming and journaling were just the right things for the mind, body, and soul. The wisdom and guidance of you, Evening Marie, as a retreat leader was truly inspiring and I came away feeling more connected to myself than ever before. What do you hope guests will gain by attending your event at Suncokret? How do you hope to enhance the retreat experience with your particular offerings? During the retreat experience, I will be offering a couple of different experiences that will hopefully leave guests feeling rejuvenated, refreshed, more alive in their body, and feeling a deeper connection to themselves so they can get back to their day-to-day life a little lighter and feeling inspired. First, I will be sharing a unique practice called "Flow Dance Meditation" where we will explore meditation in a dynamic, fun new way where I will invite you to let the music and my words guide you on a journey that can CONNECT you more deeply with yourself, MOVE and shift your energy, so you can RELEASE what no longer serves you and find your own unique flow. The class is an un-choreographed, free-moving meditation practice, which encourages self-expression and discovery, and allows you to explore and express how you feel through movement. You don’t have to learn any steps and there is no pressure to perform, making it easier to relax, and allowing the body and mind to get into a state of flow. Flow Dance meditation invites you to get present so you can feel and heal in an accessible, fun, and dynamic way. I will also lead "Embodied Flow Yoga" sessions where I will bring an embodied flow into my vinyasa flow classes and encourage you to find the freedom to move the body in a way that feels right, to release any expectations, and to explore new movement patterns and fluidity.

I have developed a trauma-informed yoga teaching style, making sure each individual feels seen, heard, and feels safe to release, let go, and find that magic. This is where I also bring in neurogenic/trauma release yoga, which allows the body to come into a natural and gentle tremor through certain yoga postures, allowing the body to release and let go of any stored trauma in a safe and supported space. I will also be present with the students throughout the retreat and not just during the practice. This will give us time to connect, share stories, explore the island together, learn and grow from one another, and create that safe space where everyone feels seen to get the best out of their retreat experience. What is the one thing you hope retreat participants will walk away feeling at the end of the events? My hope is that the students will gain a greater connection to their mind, body, and soul and be able to walk away feeling released and free of what no longer serves them. What advice would you give to aspiring yoga teachers who would like to lead retreats? To be your true authentic self always and the rest will follow. Perfect advice, indeed. Thank you, Bethany, for sharing a bit of your story with us, we're looking forward to co-hosting two wonderful events together with you. If you are interested in attending a retreat with Bethany, you can book your spot here. Want to learn more about Bethany? You can follow her on Instagram here.

After some years of constant travel I have come to understand that when you’re planning your next holiday, flights fares often play a major role in deciding where to travel. If you don’t know how to book cheap flights, reaching some off-the-beaten-track places like Croatia can be very expensive and you might decide not to go to your desired destination or, at the very least, you might "postpone the trip for another time" perhaps never getting there just because your budget doesn't ever seem to stretch that far. But with a little effort using these quick tips, we hope to help you pack your bags and reach us at your dream destination here on Hvar Island at affordable prices.
1. Search Engines Before going to the major airline websites try searching flights on www.momondo.com, www.esky.eu , www.cheapoair.com , or Skyscanner.net ; you can also download their apps on your smartphone and search from there. These are both great search engines that can help you to get an idea of the initial cost to reach your destination. You can then also check monthly prices, and also try different airlines for the specific route you wish to take. By doing this basic info comparison, you can then decide to book directly with your airline of choice. You can also use such websites to get Flight Deal Alerts. Check out these tips on how to set up your own flight alerts . 2. Flexibility in dates The difference of one day can mean hundreds of euros in savings, so be flexible with your days and, if possible, plan to arrive a little bit earlier or depart a couple of days later; sometimes you can find huge price differences if you don’t set a specific date during your search. 3. Early birds If you are really keen on saving money, you can find early-morning or late-night flights; they are cheaper because fewer people want to travel then. 4. Not your last destination Be flexible also with destinations, for example, If you are coming to Croatia, your main airport option will be Split, but don’t forget to check out Dubrovnik, Zadar, and Zagreb airports too as they just might have better connections with your nearest airport home and better prices. 5. Try budget airlines If you are within Europe, you might want to check one of these options: TUI, Ryanair, EasyJet, Finnair, Turkish Airlines, Norwegian, Vueling, and Eurowings. Or if you are coming from elsewhere, you could plan a brief stay in one of the major European towns prior to catching an intra-Europe flight that connects to any of the above-mentioned destinations in Croatia. 6. Search ticket prices as one person Always airlines will show you the highest ticket price when doing a search for a group of tickets because they will find seats together and show the fare based on the highest ticket price. Instead, after finding the best price, you can pick your seats during the checkout process so you and your travel companion are sitting together. 6. Best time to book The best booking window is 6 to 8 weeks before your flight, or around three months before if you are going to your destination during peak season. In Croatia, peak season is generally considered mid-June to mid-September. I hope these tips help you find better flight deals, especially If you are flying to Croatia. This European paradise has a renewed its offer to become one of the hotspots for travelers all over the world, with thousands of kilometers of stunning coastline, impressive architecture, and of course one of the best places on earth to heal, rest and renew - Suncokret Body & Soul Retreat on Hvar Island.

In spring 2021, an instantaneous synergy occurred when two mature yoginis with lots of life experience under their belts - including being single moms, having successful careers in other professions before finding their calling to teach yoga, and having a deep appreciation and passion for the Dalmatian way of life - came together to form a beautiful and meaningful collaboration at Suncokret. Early into my first conversation with Tanja, it became quite clear that she had the life experience, disposition, and passion for all things yoga to be an excellent guide for those on a retreat journey, and I was keen to welcome her to the team. Tanja led her first ever retreat ever with Suncokret a few months later. As with all our collaborating teachers, she followed the structure of our Balance and Bliss program, which is essentially an 8-pillared holistic yoga chakra life mapping journey, and added in her own unique toolkit to make it her own, and dubbed the program Balance & Bliss - "Reborn". I witnessed with joy the retreat participants' mental, emotional and energetic shift during the 7-day event. Each participant left the event in a state of elation and enthusiasm for the future that lay ahead post-retreat, thanks to Tanja's wise, gentle, and compassionate leadership skills. I was keen to continue the collaboration with Tanja beyond that first event and am pleased to announce that we have scheduled in three events with Tanja in the 2022 season: 12-18 June, Balance & Bliss - Born Again with Tanja 19-25 June, Radiant You with Tanja and Evening Marie 2 - 8 October, Balance & Bliss - Born Again with Tanja And now, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce this wonderful lady and retreat leader to our readers: 1. Dearest Tanja, please tell us a about your background... What else do you do besides teach yoga? I would say that everything I do contributes to my passion as a yoga teacher and yoga retreat leader. Besides yoga, I am a fitness trainer, a runner and an IT Manager. I have a full-time job at IT company, an executive role – I am managing a team of Microsoft professionals in an international company. This is an amazing job as it taught me to plan time and manage people, planning budgets and being a leader and a coach. However, all my jobs are about guiding, teaching, leading, motivating, encouraging and inspiring people. Also, all my jobs require constant development and studies, lots of reading, listening to podcasts, trainings. And everything I learn and all the experience I gain are applicable in all my different jobs and passions. 2. What was your life before yoga? Stressed out and lost, disappointed. You see, I have always known there is more than what I see and what people around me see and live. Before starting teaching yoga I spent 18 years in IT and was enjoying my side hustle as a fitness instructor. I managed to succeed in everything I did, I kind of achieved all “must-do’s” - a family, a career, a nice apartment, a car and enough money to travel and afford nice vacations. But this was only the visible, “glossy”, instagram worthy side of my life. I went through a divorse, I was single mom of two, eating a low-carb, low-calorie diet for almost 8 years and struggling with regular binge eating attacks. I never felt I was enough. I never felt I was happy. Shortly before the pandemic both the fitness and IT industries were on the top. Some days I had to work up to 16 hrs and both industries just craved for more. I was in a squirrel wheel and close to a burn-out. I started practicing yoga as a way to recover from my fitness classes and how surprised I was when I discovered that yoga is so much more than just a slow stretching class! Yoga was the space where I could be myself again the way I am and I was enough. The stillness and clarity of the mind achieved by the end of each practice was such a happy place where all the dreams I was deeply believing in were real and possible. And then the pandemic hit. Honestly, when the lockdown happened, I was deeply grateful for this quiet time. I thought: “Finally I have time for yoga, mindfulness, meditation practice. This all brought me back to who I really was and it encouraged my trust in my inner being. I started to follow that little voice inside of me and this is when my life started to change and I finally saw the light, I finally starting to feel that I am moving in the right direction. Following the impulses of my heart, I took the decisions I wouldI definitely felt I was living the life of my dreams and was so much happier than before. No amount of external success can bridge the gap between what we want and who we really are in the long term to truly experience happiness. We need to go beyond the thinking mind into the intuitive heart to discover happiness. Mindfulness, Meditation and Yoga are timeless powerful practices, tools that bring us back to the energy of our hearts, and then we allow our heart to navigate, we start to attract the people, things and moments into our life we need. Yoga as a mindfulness practice is so liberating! We are carrying too much of what we do not need and what makes us unhappy without even knowing that. Most of all that I learned that you can always change the current situation and you can create the life you dream of. Our uncontrollable unconsciousness is our only limitation. Thoughts become things and our present life is the result of our thoughts and beliefs. 3. What would you say is the one best thing about yoga? Yoga is about love. When I say I am a yoga teacher I always say I teach love. Bhavagad Gita, a “Bible” of yoga, teaches us that all of us has the divine expression inside, a “highest self”. Yoga means “union” and yoga practice brings us into this “union” – union of me and my highest self, union of me and the divine in me. God is love and when I practice yoga, I connect with this divine love. Thus, when I do yoga, I do love. 4. What did you most enjoy most about your experience as a guest teacher at Suncokret? Do you know the feeling that when you are looking for something, for example, new apartment or new office space, and you find the one you know for sure is 100% right? This was the feeling when I came to Suncokret first to see the venue and meet Evening and Stipe. It leaves no doubts it is the perfect place for a retreat. Peace. Equanimity. Beauty of nature. Harmony. Bliss. I love everything about Suncokret! Every moment is such a bliss. ❤️ The Nature. The beauty of Hvar and Croatia. Indescribable beauty... I love the studio. The Light and white... I love the rooms. Each one named after a chakra. And the cottages named after the elements. Me, personally, I felt like a princess in my room 3 (the "Manipura" meaning "City of Jewels" Room). I love the spirit of the retreat itself. So authentic. I love the location and the possibility to visit and see a new place every day of the retreat – Hvar, Stari Grad, Jelsa, Vrboska, Soline, while, at the same time, there is always a beach we can go to, so there is plenty of time to enjoy the sun and sea while also experiencing new towns and villages. And the delicious food, of course, thanks to Stipe! And the feeling of connection, of togetherness with all the retreat participants, that can really be established in the cosy and intimate space that Suncokret provides. 5. Why would attending your events be beneficial to the participants who join? This year, I've re-named the "Reborn" event to “Born Again”. “Born Again” is a holistic yoga lifestyle course where the yoga science of 7 energy centers meets neuroscience and neuroplasticity. During the course retreat guests discover their "SELF" through conscious yoga practice, meditation, journalling and mindfulness practices to discover a new, desired "SELF" version. This is why this program is called “Born Again”. In this program I am using the practices and wisdom of ancient yoga science and also the teachings of modern psychologists and neuroscientists, and this is what is special about this course. Thoughts become things. Our present life is the result of our thoughts and beliefs. Neuroscience research proves that 95% of who you are by the age of 35 years old is a memorized set of behaviors, emotional reactions, unconscious habits, beliefs and perceptions that function as a computer program. Neuroplasticity proves that you can always change, you can always reprogram yourself - which means you can re-program your life to a better, desired present and future. Ancient practices of yoga are teaching us of the same and during week of “Born Again” we will learn how we can apply these ancient and modern teachings to live a more fulfilled and happier life. I'm also excited to be co-teaching the "Radiant You" event, which is an upgraded version of previous year's "Radiance" events. Radiance was a dedicated holistic yoga and face yoga retreat, whereas "Radiant You" offers a more rounded holistic wellness experience that provides workshops in Hormone Balancing practices, Ayurvedic Marma Points Self-Massage, "TYT" (Transformational Yoga Technique), Reflexology, Mudra practice, as well as basic Face Yoga, with the intention to help to revitalize and renew your entire being from many different angles. “Radiant You” is all about making space for a new and beautiful mental and physical self. During “Radiant You” our students will be invited to purify and detoxify with the help of yoga, breathing and meditation practices. It is so important to cleanse ourselves from the toxins we are carrying, which do not serve us on both the mental and physical planes. Speaking in terms of the physical body, we will focus on practicing yoga and breathing methods that cleanse away toxins from our body, and, speaking in terms of the mental body, we will focus on practices that will help us let go and say goodbye to the things we do not need anymore so that we can welcome in better thoughts and feelings. This is what “Radiant You” is all about – the opportunity to cleanse, detoxify and shine. 6. What are your plans for the future? I have a lot of ideas! I really want to help people to understand that they are born to enjoy life and be happy. And yoga is one of the ways that can help. I will definitely continue to do the retreats. I am currently working on two other programs for future retreats, one is called “EAT. PRAY. LOVE – one’s search for everything” and “Alchemist” so I will definitely do new programs and new retreats. My biggest dream is to have my own retreat venue, but I would love not only use it for retreats but also I dream of one day teaching other teachers. Thank you so much for all your feedback, Tanja. We're really looking forward to continuing the collaboration with you this season! Update: Tanja will be back to co-host two signature events at Suncokret in 2023:
10 - 16 June 2023 - Yogi Explorer ​​ 18 - 24 June 2023 - Slice of Paradise

If you are keen to experience the magic of a retreat with Tanja in June 2023, you can sign up for one of her 2023 events here . Want to learn more? Check out Tanja's latest article 6 Things Yoga has Taught Me . You can visit her website and follow her on Instagram .

It certainly has been a very challenging year for so many of us, and that is exactly why it's more important now than ever to count our blessings, no matter how big or small. When we look back at our lives, it's exactly those things, especially the precious moments when we are able to connect to ourselves, to others, and to mother nature, that we experience the great blessing of true abundance. In honor of World Happiness Day, may this photo memoir fill your heart with feelings of joy, wonder, and inspiration, as it does ours.

Kristina is the latest member of the Suncokret Team who is collaborating on our newly-expanded "Life Empowerment" retreat program called " From a Mess to Your Best in 28 Days ." The program is quite unique to others we run, as it is made up of four individual week-long events that each build on the other to deliver participants through a complete holistic lifestyle makeover that then propels them full throttle into their newly envisioned and refined professional pathway, which then acts as the foundation for the remainder of their hopes and dreams to manifest, within divine timing. Who is Kristina and how did she come to collaborate with Suncokret? Let's find out more about her in her own words: Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you do aside from writing and creating advertisements?
A: Aside from practicing yoga for over fifteen years, I gravitate towards the bountiful outdoors--complete with its lush greenery, serene landscapes (all seasons), quiet, calm and undivided inspiration. Rock climbing has served as an extension of that love, and has been the basis for most of my travels in the last seven years. The mindful, vertical meditation, coupled by the extensive warm community of climbers aids in my addiction. While jobs, relationships, towns, etc have changed, climbing has served as a beautiful constant.

When not exploring the rugged outdoors-- touching rock, traversing peaks and learning from mama nature, I can be found reading, studying and immersing myself in mind/body wellness. Everything that ranges from what I ingest to what goes on my body. It’s all consuming and truly an anchor for living in your most positive light. Steeping some indigenous herbs while curling up with Psychology Today or Scientific American is my idea of a relaxing night in.

Q: How did you get into creative expression? Yoga, writing, etc.
A: Ah, where to begin? The fertile mind is a delicate and crazy container, isn’t it? To identify where it began would be an unreachable feat akin to finding a needle in a haystack. What I can say is that I was always a curious little human. There is a story about a day in preschool where I was confronted by my teacher who asked why I broke all my crayons. “Because now I have more,” I replied. And well, that perfectly describes how my brain operates.

I like to see things from multiple angles and I like to study why that is. Yoga, writing, dancing, painting, climbing, etc all serve as unique vessels of exploration into the mind, into the delicate psyche that creates our unique thumbprint-- none of us are alike, and that’s the coolest thing ever. Q: What was your life like before your career path in copywriting?
A: Before diving into the world of copywriting (the poetry of capitalism), I was still a loud, rambunctious, rebellious soul. I attended music shows, consumed classic literature, non fiction and poetry like it’s h20, and endlessly journaled multifaceted topics that to this day need to live in a novel. I still do the above, but life as an adult becomes a little harsher, a little more straight forward and critical.

Creative expression fights with the need for survival and writing to satiate desire gets reduced to multiple copies of the same thing for a quizzical client. All of this is in good fun, and of course a lesson from every angle. These days I have been getting back to moving my pen for my own pleasure and not for the corporate umbrella. And that, my friends, is a powerfully liberating feeling.

Q: What would you say is one the best things about writing?
A: Have you ever picked up a paint brush, a pair of ballet flats, gotten behind a camera lens, etc? Have you felt that freedom? The freedom that exists between you and your medium-- between the body and the act you are executing? That’s the feeling, the feeling of moving a fine-tipped liquid pen across a grainy page. That’s the feeling of diligently typing across a blank square, of printing words of your choosing to build on or disrupt the reader's perception of reality. How powerful, no?

Q: What style of writing appeals to you the most and one that you feel everyone should master?
A: This is a toughie. I can’t simply distill the importance of writing into one style, but can add that all styles must be utilized to give birth to your unique vision. Everything from narrative, analytical, expository, argumentative and persuasive are all vital in channeling your expression. Q: What was your most embarrassing class teaching/ group event experience? A: A few years ago, while working at a buzzing advertising agency in NYC’s Union Square, I was met with a group presentation where I was leading a workshop for the Jr. copywriters. The problem? I was still a junior writer myself! You know that ol’ adage, “fake it until you make it?” Well, I did just that. I had to.

My creative director had faith in me, and I was for sure not going to let him down. To this day, I have so much respect for him. He gave me the opportunity to lead a group of enthusiastic and bright eyed writers that were yearning to learn the in’s and outs of sales copy-- how to get people to buy things they do/don’t really need. I jokingly say that if it weren’t for copywriters’ cleverly positioning products, we wouldn't be roused into fantasising about what that said [product] could be or do. How instrumental is our craft, right? ; )

Q: Besides writing, what is your favorite thing?
A: Waking up with choices--freedom. Seems like a no-brainer, but darn, there are so many unfortunate circumstances wherein people don’t get that blessing. I am grateful that I can choose how to write my story. We are the architects of our own life, after all.

Q: What was your favorite thing about coming to Suncokret Retreat as a guest?
A: Believe it or not, I attended Suncokret as a volunteer and it was single-handedly one of the most transformative times of my life. It may have not appeared that way at the time, but it was one of those experiences that when reflected on, prompt an “a-ha” moment that invites tears and makes you smile from ear to ear. Yeah, that was Suncokret.

I met Evening over the phone during March 2020, a very strange time amidst the COVID outbreak. I was living in Zagreb for a year to secure dual citizenship (on the basis of reunification with family. Mama was born there). After experiencing a terrifying earthquake that logged in as 5.9 on the Richter, and two failed attempts at getting a job permit, I needed to redirect.
I called Evening to discuss a possible collaboration to help her with her marketing angle. Having spent a few months on sunny Hvar, biking en route from the tiny village of Dol to the aquamarine seas every day, I felt reborn. I felt rekindled. I will forever be grateful to Evening, Stipe, Gina, and family for their thoughtfulness and loving nature. They are still an extension of my forever family.

Q: What do you hope your guests will attain by attending your event at Suncokret? A: The biggest takeaway I’d like for the participants to gain is the desire to manifest their thoughts onto paper-- however that takes shape. We will have the opportunity to learn the different styles of writing and how to apply them in a practical sense, and furthermore, how to execute on building your concrete vision. Whether you’re looking to pivot in a new career direction, start a blog, quit your day job and become an influencer, we will cover all necessary topics needed to turn your vision into something tangible. Q: How did you come up with the retreat event theme you are leading at Suncokret? A: I have been working in the advertising industry, alongside creative geniuses since 2012. After experiencing a burnout at 24 years old (young, I know), I left NYC in search of answers (don’t we all?). I found myself in Denver, Colorado where the mountains fed my soul and offered something New York City could never-- easy access to nature. But something was still missing. This indistinguishable thirst for adventure, for the lively exchange between strangers, trying new cuisines, learning about new cultures, anthropological accounts from strangers in faraway lands. Life’s truths hidden, a plane ride away. So I did what any burnt out “kid” with a disposable income (while living with the folks) would do-- I packed my bag and set sail. Literally.

One year abroad turned into a repeat visit to Rome, Italy, where I worked as a translator for Translated, a machine learning/AI company for Airbnb. Following the end of that contract, I decided to move to Croatia and subsequently relocated to North Macedonia, where I currently created a basecamp in a free environment I so very much enjoy.

This past Christmas, I was stirred into taking a new direction in my career and collaborated with Evening to develop this writers' workshop, inspired by a newfound thirst to redirect my career and leave advertising behind. Anything is possible, friends. Anything. Q: Why would attending your particular event be beneficial to the participants?
A: If you feel stuck in your current job or feel like there is creative expression that needs to be unearthed and applied, this workshop will have everlasting benefits. We will learn to identify and to enact on those points, and furthermore, how to sell yourself and your work. The key benefit in this course which distinguishes it from others is the knowledge of applicative writing-- writing that sticks and circles back to convey a point. This is exactly the type of writing that is used to leverage businesses, brands, instagram handles etc.

We won’t just learn about writing, we’ll learn about the psychology behind what we are writing and why we are doing so.

Q: Is there any ideal way that retreat participants can better prepare themselves for the Launch Your Dream workshop?
A: Come with an open mind and your favorite writing utensil or technology to type on. That’s it.

Q. At the end of the event week, what is the one thing you hope that event participants will walk away feeling?
A: Inspired. Yes, it sounds cliche, but it is exactly what I wish for my participants. I want them to feel inspired and charged to start paving a new path for themselves.

Q: What are you most looking forward to experiencing as a co-hosting teacher at Suncokret? A: The participants! I live for cross cultural exchange and am inspired by my students as much as I gain joy from sharing my experiences. The things you learn from people are invaluable. Q. What advice would you give to writers who would like to lead retreats? A: Reading comes before writing. You must learn the art before you can craft it. Q: What are your plans for the future? A: Oof. How much time do you have? ; ) To learn more about Kristina went from a volunteer to event co-host, stay check out our post: " One Thing Leads to Another ." To learn more about the upcoming event, check out our dedicated event page : From a Mess to Your Best in 28 Days. Thanks for reading!

In the nearly 50-years I have lived on this planet, in this incarnation, I have been through my share of trying times and fearful situations.
It started with the instability of my family situation during my early childhood years, i.e. things like loosing contact with half my family at age 5 due to a difficult divorce, being moved around from place to place and school to school, and having to look after myself while my mom worked and studied were all part of my norm.
On top of the norm, there were a handful of precarious instances that really made me feel extra vulnerable, like the time I took the wrong bus home from school and had to walk through the slums of 70’s Harlem to get home, or the time I helped a stranger with a “bad back” to carry groceries up to his apartment only to find he had locked me in and it was up to me to get myself out safely using my wits, which I luckily managed (I was 8 at the time), among others...
By the time I reached 10, I began to have a growing awareness and concern for the unstable and downright scary situations that were happening in the world around me, like the unfathomable shooting of a great soul in broad daylight for no obvious or good reason (John Lennon), to the AIDS crisis during my teenage years, and as my 20-s approached, the war in Afghanistan (the first war I was ever conscious of), not to mention the simple task of living on my own in NYC as a university student and having to make ends meet with no obvious security net to catch me if I failed.
At the age of 21, I had such deeply-routed feelings of insecurity and fear that living through 10 days of war in a foreign country (Slovenia) where my then-boyfriend was living and where I happened to be visiting when it started seemed not much more precarious than my life back home in the USA. It was happening and therefore it was just another string of uncontrollable scary events in a series of others to contend with.
My friends and family back home thought I was insane to stay. But I decided then and there that I would rather die happy and with the one I loved than return back to the US out of fear, and back into a whole other string of fearful situations.
What I found by consciously making the choice to stay was that not only does life go on but that it can even go on with a sense of joy if there is an awareness of what I was living for and in the pursuit of my passions and purpose.
I remember observing the quiet fear of the masses, who were flocking to the supermarkets to stock up on quickly dwindling supplies, in sharp contrast to the ironic and certainly defiant attitude of a rather large group of people, made up of artists, intellectuals, reporters and misfits, who would convene together, in spite of the fear, in order to live it up together at impromptu gatherings held at various locations around Ljubljana.
One day, from my boyfriend’s bedroom window, I watched in shock and terror as a helicopter got shot down from the sky, and minutes later, despite my fear, I found myself bravely (or foolishly) following my boyfriend and a stream of neighbours running down the street to investigate the situation first hand. A few days later, a tank had been bombed right off its destructive tracks, somewhere deep in the Slovenian countryside, and we went with a group of friends (mostly reporters) to go check it out first hand.
I certainly would not have gone to investigate these events on my own as I was consumed by fear. But the action of my Slovenian peers showed me there is another way to deal with fear; and that is to face it, on purpose, to see for one self, to make up ones own mind, to bear witness in a state of knowingness. To choose bravery over fear; to choose to live in deep knowing, despite the chances of perhaps dying.
Every big incident that happened during those 10 incredible days of war was proceeded by a collective us, heading out to see for ourselves, in an almost zest- for-life kind of way, what had happened. Those were probably the most thrilling and ALIVE days of my life.
Living in the Balkans with this ironic, “live-it-up-in-the-face-of-danger” attitude has taught me to think differently than I would have and to live outside the box. (And a colourful life outside the box is certainly what I've had ever since, but I'll save that story for another post.)
Don’t get me wrong, I believe in being informed, and I believe in taking precautions, especially because I have children to live for. And nowadays I probably would not run toward or expose myself to dangerous situations on purpose in defiance of fear. However, making a conscious choice to live joyfully and with trust in life, despite whatever scary thing is out there, is the choice I make. I choose to live in a state of gratitude and joy for being able to peruse the things I’m passionate about, and also for the little things like a bright, sunny day, the fresh air I breathe, and the blossoming spring that currently surrounds me. And for the bigger things, like the love I share between family, friends and even Suncokret guests. These are all precious jewels that I honor and which support me from the deepest root in my soul.
I trust that all things happen for a reason and that, even if I can’t control whatever crisis currently happening, it’s important to carry on and go with the flow . Knowing what really matters and continually choosing to live each day I’ve got for that purpose, I remain the champion of my fate, no matter the physical outcome.
I hope you will also consciously choose how you experience and respond to the fears and threats surrounding you, and I hope it will be from an aware and fulfilling place, guided by your heart and soul.
If you are looking for gentle, nurturing support and guidance in learning how to navigate through fear, doubt and uncertainty during these precarious times, consider taking part in Reach Your Highest Potential event , scheduled from 12 - 18 July, 2020 and 27 December - 2 January, 2021 or 6 - 12 June, 2021. If you can't make the events, you can sign up for a Life Path Awakening Workshop , which can be conducted live at the retreat during any of the scheduled retreat weeks, and it can also be conducted online. Contact Evening for a free consultation .

#reachyourhighestpotential #keystomanifestation #createyourdestiny #suncokretevents #suncokretworkshops #suncokretexperience #holisticlifestyle #spiritualawakening #spiritualjourney #lovelife #joy #empowerment #lifepathawakening #bodyandsoulretreat #yoga #yogaretreat #chakralifemapping #chakrayoga #Croatiafulloflife #HvarIsland #natureretreat #bodymindsoul

We caught up with Spela to find out more about Face Yoga, how she discovered it, her pathway to sharing it and its rich array of benefits for men and women alike. Please tell us a little about yourself; what else do you do besides teach Face Yoga? I love to dance, travel, spend time in nature (hiking, cross country skiing, skiing, scuba diving) and spend time with friends and family. On top of that, I love to keep learning about healthy ways of living and longevity. How did you get into face yoga? At the start of my 30's, when my first wrinkles appeared, I was explicitly looking for a natural way of rejuvenation and that’s when I came across face yoga. I enrolled in a beginner's course and was very positively surprised by the results (both my own and those of course participants) and I decided to step on the path to share face yoga with others.
In 2015, I obtained a license as a Face Yoga Instructor, and, over the course of the past few years, I have been upgrading my knowledge with education and exploration in the field of traditional Chinese medicine, taoism and longevity. What would you say is the one best thing about face yoga? That it is beneficial for everyone, regardless their gender or age. It is great for those who would like to delay and/or improve the signs of aging. Moreover, it is highly recommended for everyone who has just completed a diet or is dieting with the aim of losing weight, as often after weight-loss, the face can look tired, wilted and even ten years older – unless we give it the exercise it needs. Face yoga is also very beneficial as part of post-natal care, as well as for all who have noticed signs of aging on their face and for all who would like to prevent such signs from showing up in the first place. The exercises also help relieve problems with the jaw and have even been used successfully (under clinical conditions) for rehabilitation following strokes or accidents. Face yoga is also recommended for those who have undergone cosmetic surgery as well as those who occasionally or regularly have botox treatments. What is did you most enjoy about last year's Radiance experience at Suncokret? I loved being immersed in the calm environment of the retreat, eating Stipe’s delicious food, doing daily Sadhana with Evening Marie, swimming in the clear waters of Hvar’s beautiful bays, and most of all, being able to give hands-on experience with face yoga practice to every person who joins us! Why would attending your particular event be beneficial to the participants who join? Face yoga is a completely natural face lifting method. We tone our face muscles, diminish wrinkles and lines, get rid of the double chin, lift droopy eyelids and cheeks, bring more volume to the face. By stimulating face muscles we accelerate blood circulation to the face, neck and scalp, enriching every cell with more oxygen and nutrients, increase the production of collagen and elastin, get rid of stagnant lymph and tone our complexion. Performing face yoga exercises has also a direct and beneficial influence on the functioning of our glands, which play a key role in the rejuvenation process, help us to maintain our vitality and energy levels and ensure that our bodies are in optimum working condition. My approach to teaching is based on the fact that each face is unique, so it is extremely important to me that I teach each participant (even in a group course) to know how to perform the exercises correctly, and therefore set a high-quality basis for when they perform face yoga on their own. They can expect to see the first results after 4-5 weeks of regular face yoga exercising done daily for about 15 minutes per day. Is there any ideal way retreat participants can better prepare themselves for their retreat time with you? There are no requirements or special preparations needed to do face yoga. As long as one has an interest to try it and then to see for her/himself what effects it has on one while doing it. Anyone who has already tried face yoga will tell you that we can have a good laugh during the classes, as the exercises can be a bit funny, but nevertheless, it takes quite a bit of effort for each of the face yoga exercises to be performed correctly. Proper execution of the exercises is crucial to activate the muscles in the targeted area of ​​the face and to accurately cover the facial expressions. At the end of the event week, what is the one thing you hope retreat participants will walk away feeling? The biggest reward for me is when I see the enthusiasm and satisfaction of the participants over the achieved change. I am also looking forward to seeing them relaxed and energized after soaking up the sun, sea, great food and daily exercises of face yoga and yoga. And I am sure there will also be a special glow on their faces. What is your favorite place to visit on Hvar? Hvar is a very attractive island with many beautiful places and bays to visit. I really like to combine the visit of enchanting Stari Grad, charming Jelsa, and the lively vibe of Hvar Town and the nearby Pakleni Islands. Is there anything else you would like to add? I would like to emphasize that with regular practice of facial yoga we will not look like eternal 20-year-olds, but we will definitely maintain a more youthful appearance and gracefully defy the force of gravity on the face, while gaining other already mentioned positive effects. Thanks so much for taking the time to share more about your background and about the benefits of Face Yoga with our readers, Spela! We are so excited to continue the collaboration with you! The Radiance Event will take place from 19 - 25 July and 26 July - 1 August, 2020. If you'd like to learn more, you can also check out our recorded Live Chat with Spela which was conducted this past June . #r adiance event #s pelakoderman # faceyoga # holistic#detox#chakrayoga #spiritualawakening #m indfulness #yoga #meditation #b eauty#naturalfacelift#organic#spa #natureretreat #holisticliving #holisticlifestyle #mindbodyspirit #yogaretreat #healing #healingjourney #travel #consciousness #journey #croatia #croatiatravel #croatiafulloflife #hvar #hvarisland #spiritualawakening #holistichealth #wellness #instatraveling #organic #vegetarian #holistichealing

These photographs are a record of a video collaboration with a Bosnian artist Irfan Brkovic, taken while swimming in one of the most beautiful beaches on Hvar a couple of years ago. For me they symbolize the primal and powerful connection with the local nature and the amazing sea of Hvar, which is the basis of the inspiration for the events Art of Mindfulness and Moving with Shakti . One of the things you notice when you first arrive on Hvar is how time slows down. Free from the trappings of consumerist culture, you notice how the nature takes its own tempo. Art of Mindfulness and Moving with Shakti are both designed to enable the participants to really pay attention to this unique experience of the island, to relax and deepen the connection with nature and themselves through yoga, art and movement. I have had pleasure to collaborate with Evening and ‘Suncokret’ for three years now on these events, which has been made possible through my own connection to the island. These collaborations have complemented and have grown out of the creative workshops that I have been leading on the island for around ten years, from our summer house, which is not so far from the retreat. A moment of mindfulness during the Art of Mindfulness event, 2019 Moving with Shakti during the Viva Shakti event, 2019 The atmosphere at ‘Suncokret’ is wonderful. It is precious to meet so many different folks taking the opportunity to relax and renew themselves through yoga, art and movement. It is wonderful that each time this process is as different and unique, as people who participate bring very unique influences. This year, during Art of Mindfulness and Moving with Shakti , I hope the guests will take the opportunity to take refuge from the pressures of their everyday life, and benefit from the creative, visual and movement-based explorations, designed to foster our own sense of harmony and inner peace.
I was born in neighboring Bosnia, and then found refuge from the war in the UK where I trained in art and theatre. I was also lucky to be deeply shaped and healed by the experience of Vipassana meditation, which has, together with art, helped me to reintegrate my early experiences of the war. My daily practice of meditation helps me to nurture the qualities of intuition and peace, which are also reflected in my creative work.
Recently, after living for two years on Hvar, I moved back to the UK where I had spent most of my adult life, so that my son could start school. For those two years, living with my young son and husband on the island, I got to know its rhythms and subtle changes and explore its natural environments through drawing, swimming, walking and cycling. The experience has left a deep imprint on all three of us, and after returning I have started to write and illustrate a book inspired by the island. I hope to share this intuitive and intimate relationship to the island with other participants, who, I am sure, will be also spellbound by its beauty. At the end of event week, one thing I hope the retreat participants will feel is nourished by our unique shared experience. During the creative workshops that I have led in Croatia, Bosnia and UK, there are moments that stretch, with incredible beauty, and envelop participants into a shared space of play. These moments evoke for me, an idea of a safe space to dream, rest, create, ‘to feel secure and loved’, or to be ‘at home’. This is my hope for both Art and Mindfulness and Moving with Shakti . Art of Mindfulness will take place from 9 - 15 August, 2020 and Moving with Shakti is scheduled from 16-22 August. Both events are family-friendly. If you'd like to learn more about both events, check out our recorded Instagram Life video chat with Edina. #artofmindfulness #movingwithshakti #vivashakti #edinahusanovic #mindfulness #suncokretevents2020 #yogaretreateurope #spiritualawakening #danceworkshop #yoga #meditation #artworkshops #natureretreat #holisticliving #holisticlifestyle #mindbodyspirit #yogaretreat #healing #healingjourney #travel #consciousness #journey #croatia #croatiatravel #croatiafulloflife #hvar #hvarisland #spiritualawakening #holistichealth #wellness #instatraveling #organic #vegetarian #holistichealing

17 years ago this June, Stipe and I got the stamp of approval from the Croatian court to open our holistic retreat business. At the time, we could not have imagined the incredible consistent effort that would be required to get us where we are today, but what drove us was a vision to live a certain lifestyle together and to have the opportunity to share that lifestyle with others. Our dedication to the vision was the driving force behind our emergence as market leaders. Over these past 17 years, we have miraculously managed to keep riding through the barrel of life's gigantic wave, not hitting peak nor trough by keeping a clear, heart-centered focus while surrendering ourselves in body and spirit to the flow of life and Divine guidance. In retrospect, it seems that our consistent, heart-driven trust and persistence has enabled us not only to survive but also thrive despite our humble, shoe-string budget beginnings, in spite of the devastating stock market crash of 2008, regardless the dreadful Islandic volcanic eruption that disrupted much of European travel during the summer of 2010, and irrespective of the European austerity crisis that hit Croatia hard till the end of 2014... On my 44th birthday in September 2014, we were in for a BIG surprise and discovered that a little soul was on the way to rock our world forevermore! During the months leading up to the big event, we had to restructure our entire business and trust in our ability to navigate successfully through the unknown. We must have been doing something right because we not only survived but continued yet again to thrive, despite the immense pressures and challenges of those very busy days, by entering into multiple collaborations with heart-centered visiting teachers from around the world who helped carry the vision forward together with us. We can not express how grateful we are to each and every member of our amazing team who has helped us carry the torch over these past 5 years! And here we are in 2020, in the middle of a global pandemic, riding the wave still. We took March and April to contemplate our steps forward and, in response to the situation, adjusted our calendar, packages, and pricing to better meet the times. We also prepared our space to be in adherence with the recommended safety standards in order to conduct retreat safely for those who are in need, and we furthermore set up new ways in which to share our toolkit with the world remotely... yet another massive leap of faith forward into the mass expanse of internet ether. Throughout March, April and May, I conducted a series of Facebook Live moments, streaming impromptu Satsangs, nature immersion tours, and Sadhana sessions that included yoga asana flows, pranayama and mudra practices and hand-picked meditations that I felt could help empower others through those very scary days, weeks and months. Then in June, we conducted a series of pre-announced, 30-minute Soothing Saturday Meditation Sessions via Zoom and Facebook Live. And we are currently working behind the scenes on a daily basis to create a range of online courses and virtual weekend retreats that can be experienced from the safety and comfort of home. Boy, it's been a busy 17 years!!! Suncokret is a love story that has always been about fulfilling our highest potential as a couple and as retreat hosts, and now, as a family unit. But beyond our little universe, its mission has always been to provide both the physical space as well as the spiritual space for sharing a holistic lifestyle toolkit to support mind-body-spirit awakening for individuals on the path to personal transformation, self-realization, and harmony with oneself and the Oneness of life. In this "Corona Age", (or Crown Chakra Age), it is more vital than ever to raise your vibration and merge your awareness with Universal wisdom, understanding, compassion, and guidance in order to navigate the waves of the times. We are certain that our rich and diverse offerings, both at the retreat and online, will help you to awaken and strengthen the Sage Warrior within. We are firm in our commitment to continue to empower you to embody your own strength, courage, and wisdom so that you, too, can follow your highest inner vision and so that together, as a global community of lightworkers and spiritually-awakened path walkers, we can ride the waves of the Aquarian Age smoothly, as one advanced tribe, together keeping focus on Aquarian-Age values of community, caring, sharing, loving and supporting one another through the pathway of service and in the name of the higher good of all. Thanks again to each and every one of you for being a part of the Suncokret dream; we hope to see you whenever you feel the soul call to join us for a transformational body, mind, soul experience here on Hvar, or perhaps from the comfort of your own little home oasis! Love, peace, and light, Evening Marie #suncokretexperience #spiritualawakening #bodymindsoulretreat #aquarianage #reachyourhighestpotential #keystomanifestation #createyourdestiny #suncokretevents #suncokretworkshops #suncokretexperience #holisticlifestyle #spiritualawakening #spiritualjourney #lovelife #joy #reiki#empowerment #lifepathawakening #bodyandsoulretreat #yoga #yogaretreat #chakralifemapping #chakrayoga #Croatiafulloflife #HvarIsland #natureretreat #bodymindsoul

Happy 2019, dear readers! It's been a while. Not that there hasn't been anything to say, it's more that there is always so much to say and so little office time to jot it down. That's life with a pre-schooler. It forces you to do things in a new way. The anti-perfectionist way. It's not easy to adapt, but there seems to be little choice. So here it goes, my improvised message to you: Last year on Dec 31st I wrote a very special piece about the 10 Proven Tips for a Balanced Year Ahead which involve rituals I go through each December & January in order to take inventory of my life in the current year before honing in on desired dreams and wishes I want to manifest in the new one. It's a great process and I stand by everything I mentioned in the article 100%, but this year I broke tradition and didn’t write things down, well not in extended form, due to lack of personal reflection time. So, when I found myself on New Year's Eve and then New Year's Day without having completed many of the steps from my list in writing, I realised it was time to improvise and get cracking with action anyway. We spent New Year's Eve at home, just hanging out and enjoying one another's company and pondering aloud all the blessings we recall having touched our lives that year. I managed to make a bullet-point list of all the blessings I could recall from the past year, and the thing that surprised me most was that the joy and blessing I felt from spending time with people far outweighed the joy I felt about accomplishing great feats , including a major renovation project in my home or the business success we had had. So, thank you friends, new and old, for making the year so special for me! Following my own protocols as best as I could, on New Year's Day, we made a point to do something new together, and so we went on an adventure to find a labyrinth that a friend of ours had made, high up in the peak district of the island. We had tried to find it a while back without luck, but this time we got lucky. It's a rather small and unpresumptuous circular formation made of stones that is hard to spot in a land of endless stones. But the energy around the formation is quite energizing and appealing. Impromptu, we formed a line and followed the maze, turning this way and that, my husband, 3-year-old daughter and I taking turns stating our wishes aloud for the year ahead. Everything off the cuff. Everything from the heart. Stipe happened to have a bell in his pocket and began ringing it after each statement. The three of us reached the center of the formation, and then made our way back out in similar fashion, but this time I started chanting my favorite mantra for manifestation, "Har, Har" (which is quite catchy, it seems) and my companions followed suit, much to my delight! Once we exited the maze, we felt magical and blessed. Blessed to be alive, magical for being able to call out our dreams under heavenly skies, with the wind, and Divine nature as our witness. Though I kicked off the New Year without having made my lists in detail, I must say that this improvised version felt very powerful and true. The lesson here is that when you don't have time to be your best or do your best, just do the best you can. The Universe knows when you are sincere. The Universe listens and responds to you. ​ ​ And because my inbox was flooded with Christmas and New Year's messages , probably just like yours, which I sadly had to delete due to lack of time to ponder them, probably just like you, the ones that did manage to stand out before deleting were those that gave simple instructions and seemed to come from the heart. So here are my 4 best New Year's inspirational tips for you, from my heart: 1. Create a Gratitude Treasure Chest: Get a container of some kind (a box, a glass jar, etc.) and place a statement of gratitude in it each day, or each week, or whenever you feel inspired. Read the contents at the end of the year to close it on a high note, and for pure inspiration as you move into the new one. 2. Get out there and do something new, big or small, planned or improvised. The rush of energy from experiencing new things will help build wind in your sails for a time to come. Enjoy! 3. Forgive yourself for any perceived failures and start anew today! Whatever it is that you are empowered to do now, whether it be one small step or one giant leap, the trust you place in life and your heart's whisperings will certainly bring great rewards. This I know to be true. 4. Chant "Har, Har" for 3 minutes while cupping your hands up and down, as you focus on your goals coming to life! You'll absolutely love this mediation! This magical manifestation tool comes from the teachings of Kundalini Yoga an instructs us to sit in Sukasana with eyes gazing into the 3rd eye, while forming a cup with our hands below the navel, outer edges of the hands on the pinky side touching. Chant “Har" while circling the hands up around the heart chakra, connecting the inner edges of the hands together along the index and thumb side, keep your thumbs pointed away from the rest of the fingers and form a cross with them - in doing so, we keep the ego at bay and let the mantra of “God’s Gift” and the cup of manifestation do the work - and then bring your hands back in the starting position and repeat the mantra "Har" again. The mudra and mantra chanting are repetitively and rhythmically done for the next 3-11 minutes, all the while, the heart & mind are focused on that which we would like to manifest, as if it were being born strait out of the Manipura Chakra, with the loving energy of the heart connecting and guiding us to receiving the positive outcome(s) such manifestation(s) will bring. For added power, pull in the naval point as you chant each "Har". It is said that the navel is the place of re-birth and when we focus the sound frequency there it makes it even more powerful. I have always found this exercise to be extremely profound. My New Year's prayer for us all: May work together with great energy and achieve powerful, uplifting results for ourselves and those we come into contact with. May we respect and learn from one another, and grow brighter and more joyful as a result. May we tap into the wisdom and experience needed to perform our work and live our lives with excellence, abundance and light. May we love and appreciate one another as reflections. May we be blessed, now and always. Har, har! Namaste, Evening, Stipe & the little one

Happy 2019 everyone! Today I'd like to share an interview I conducted with one of our former retreaters as part of our Yoga Unites Us series. She is an incredibly inspirational woman named Luanne Rullestad, who came on retreat together with her daughter, Emile, and who is so bravely sharing her story of personal transformation and growth as inspiration for us all. Going on retreat is often the catalyst for a major life change, or an ideal way to celebrate life together with a loved one and with a like-minded community in a positively empowering, life-affirming way. In Luanne's case it was both. Tell us more about you? Who are you, what do you do for a living, where are you from? My name is Luanne, I am the mother of two extraordinary daughters and co-author of the book titled "Mom as of July." A true story of a mother's journey through addiction, homelessness, faith and love. How would you describe your life and lifestyle? My life today is filled with blessings. I am healthier than I have ever been in my life. I live within 30 minutes of both of my daughters, in the beautiful city of Dallas, Texas. I spend time working to promote our story in recovery centers, helping families bridge the gap of hope in restoring families burdened by addiction. I also enjoy playing, swimming and laughing with my 7 year old grandson. If you could change anything about your present lifestyle, what would that be and why? One thing I would change about my present lifestyle is getting up earlier so in order to enjoy a fuller day. Can you share with us more about your yoga journey / background… What got you started, with who, and how has that experience been progressing for you? I started with yoga 3 months after spending 40 days in Mercy Hospital, dying from liver failure. Both of my daughters arranged a private yoga class for us. After one class I joined the studio and went to 1 1/2 hours of hot yoga 3 times a week. I know with out any doubt, this is what healed my internal organs and of course renewed my mind. I love yoga to this day. Medically, mentally and spiritually this practice saved my life. If you met someone who had never tried yoga before, how would you describe it to them? In other words, what is yoga to you? Yoga to me restores life, joy, peace, balance, health. A true and powerful connection to my inner self. I highly recommend yoga to everyone. What was the reason you wanted to go on a retreat? Coming to the retreat was a dream come true and a very gracious gift from my daughter Emily. I was sick for many years and she kept a dream and a vision alive in her heart that she and I would go to a yoga retreat together one day. An impossible dream it seemed due to the condition of my daily deteriorating health. So, the retreat to Croatia was a miracle for us and an extraordinary experience. Have you been on a retreat before; if so where and what was it like for you? This was the first yoga retreat I had ever been on. My experience was more than invigorating and amazingly blissful at the same time. I plan to go on more yoga retreats in the future. This experience will be a hard one to top. How did you choose to retreat at Suncokret and what inspired you most while here?
Emily did all the research and through website information and asking people questions about Croatia she found this most magical and enlightening place on earth. What was your favorite spot on the island and why? My favorite spot on the island was the home style retreat. I loved the comfort of the stone home, the beauty of the nature and scenery surrounding it, I loved the birds and the animals freely roaming, the history and the incredible all natural homemade meals from the surrounding gardens and farms and the precious, intimate time I spent there with my daughter, Emily. If you had one message that you could share with the rest of our readers, what would that be? Today we are sharing our story with the world. Bringing radical hope that every lost loved one can find their way home.

Welcome to our new blog series featuring the personal stories of the amazing guests from all walks of life who retreat with us! This past month, we opened doors to the start of our 14th retreat season! Fourteen! And it was quite an inspiring start, indeed. Firstly, we were blessed to have hosted a stay with the incredibly talented visionary artist, Burgandy Viscosi, who had contacted us over a year ago to inquire whether we would be interested in doing a yoga retreat – mural painting exchange. Though we were open to the idea already last year, that shared vision didn’t actually manifest till late April of this year. But the wait was certainly worth it! The stars aligned and the universe conspired to bring together two soul-sisters in fortnight-long exchange of yoga, art, creativity, open-hearted sharing, and all around pure magic. ​​However, it was not just Burgandy whose presence blessed us during opening week. There were also 4 other ladies; two from France and two from Germany, each with her own fascinating background and stories to share. I am always amazed and honoured to share yoga, delicious meals and meaningful chats with our retreaters, and, under the blessed skies of Hvar Island, slowly get to know the most poignant, meaningful life experiences these beautiful people share with one another in our space. Whether it be their hopes and dreams, their present or past struggles, the great learning blocks they have overcome and gained mastery over only to be the light for others in need, each person has a unique passion and purpose that can help us all come to know our own selves even better. As Burgandy spent her days drawing out and then painting images from my mind’s eye, hand equipped with paintbrush, flowing rather quickly but carefully along the wall in graceful, fluid strokes, rendering powerful images such as magical trees with peacock feathers for branches, chakra and other mandalas as adorning flowers, butterflies and birds and lavender as finishing touches… it felt as if the whole group was also flowing in and around our own creative waters, coming into greater alignment with our passion, purpose and potential. Toward the end of the week, just prior to the departure of the German ladies, whose stories I was only just beginning to get to know through bits and pieces of conversation, and who were becoming increasingly fascinating and inspiring to me, I had this “ah ha” moment… "Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could preserve some of these stories for others to learn, grow from, and be inspired by? Instead of Suncokret being merely a place where people can retreat together, why not also act as an extended channel for spreading word about the struggles and growth, passion and purpose of all these amazing souls who come together to share in a holistic yogic retreat experience together. In this way we empower our community to grow beyond the confines of the retreat space itself and demonstrate through story-telling just how universal our experiences are, despite our unique spin on things! And what better way to do this than to provide a platform for people to share their own stories, in their own words, on our very own blog? Alas, the title, “Yoga Unites Us” came to me as a beautiful heading for this expansion of our mission. Because the holistic yoga and spiritual pathway is indeed the very wonderful thing that brings us all together, from various corners of the globe, from diverse walks of life, to a little village on an island, in the middle of the Adriatic Sea… to a place called Suncokret... a place with purpose that is devoted to revolving around the Divine light (of the sun) and providing a platform for the blossoming of one's fullest potential. So, without further adieu, I leave you with the first interview of the series featuring a chat we had with Burgandy , in the hope that you may find inspiration in the slices of life shared by her and, in future editions, other retreaters alike. Enjoy and thanks for reading! Namaste

Dear Burgandy, tell us more about you? Who are you, what do you do for a living, where are you from? My name is Burgandy Viscosi, I currently live in Seattle WA and am a full time artist (primarily painting).
How would you describe your life and lifestyle? My life and lifestyle is a creation itself. I’m always changing and exploring to meet, understand and learn from the various experiences and cultures I pursue in the hopes of getting a bigger picture of this great, beautiful world. If you could change anything about your present lifestyle, what would that be and why? Actually, after just having left your retreat, that is so efficient with its own grown natural products, and while there meeting a fellow woman retreater who does everything in her power to live a lifestyle that is close to zero waste... I feel inspired to truly be more conscious of my day to day use of disposable items. I feel the strong desire to minimize my consumption. Can you share with us more about your yoga journey / background… What got you started, with who, and how has that experience been progressing for you? I would say my yoga journey started with meditation. In my late twenties I would have intense panic attacks and meditation had been suggested to me. It literally changed my life almost overnight and almost completely illuminated my anxiety. Shortly after I paired up with an amazing Yogi to help illustrate her children’s stories. She inspired me to find my own physical stretching flow within myself and that truly deepened my meditation practice. At this point in my life I feel that taking time to be still and be present is truly the most important part of my day. If you met someone who had never tried yoga before, how would you describe it to them? In other words, what is yoga to you? If I were to talk to someone about yoga I would say that the journey will be absolutely unique to everyone. Teachers and gurus can only point in the direction but the specific path is yours and yours alone. Although being around other people who are walking their own path to the body, mind, spirit connection does seem to help nurture the process. What was the reason you wanted to go on a retreat? Retreats are great training grounds for learning to stay in a conscious mindset... conscious of our body, of our words, of our interactions and intentions. I feel that someday humanity can, on a global level, start living and interacting in this way. This I believe will truly birth the compassion and peace that humanity has the potential to be felt at a global level. Have you been on a retreat before; if so where and what was it like for you? I've been on a few retreats, mostly in Mexico while exploring and learning about the Mayan and Aztec cultures. I have found that most native cultures from around the globe incorporate the idea of ritualistic 'retreat' time and space into their daily way of life. Self reflection on the energies that work through and around us are the most intimate part of our being, and being in this world. How did you choose to retreat at Suncokret and what inspired you most while here? I recently learned that I had Balkan in my ancestry and became curious about the Croatian region. After hearing about how amazing Hvar was, one morning on a radio show about the best islands in the world, I did a bit of research and found Suncokret. I quickly felt a strong connection with Suncrokret's creator, Evening, and we started co-creating ideas to incorporate yoga inspired painted images into the yoga spaces. And the rest is pure Magic. I had the honor of enjoying an absolutely amazing spiritual experience at my stay at the retreat and now Suncokret has creative touches of paint with loving intention. What was your favourite spot on the island and why? My favorite spot on the island is a hard pick between sitting along the crystal clear turquoise water and walking in all the town stone narrow pathways. Both of which have inspired me to create a painting about them. If you had one message that you could share with the rest of our readers, what would that be? I would say if I had one message to share with everyone, it would be that beautiful cliché...

* Its not about the destination, its about the journey* Somehow I have found that the greatest paradox in life is that as we become more still and conscious of the universal life force within our being, we then easily accomplish all of that which we feel we deeply desire. Our deepest desires being that of the universe, moving through us to experience itself. The illusion being that we are seeking something outside ourselves, but instead when we reach the state of bliss internally the outside world is only a reflection of it. Thank you for sharing a little of your story with all of us! We look forward to your return visit and to keeping up with you via your Facebook and Instagram pages as well as your website !

Even though my Leo star sign connects me to the element of fire, I have always felt very connected and drawn to the element of water. Observing the endless, ever changing flow of running river waters in different landscapes or the unbroken song of ocean waves has always fascinated me. The passionate flow of water blends the music of movement with an accompanying depth of stillness, a magical natural balance whose wisdom has much to teach us. The martial artist, philosopher and filmmaker Bruce Lee had an amazing understanding of Taoist principles and was one who embodied the wisdom of water in a fascinating way. One of my favorite Bruce Lee quotes is: "Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend." A river represents the miracle of presence, with an ever changing yet stable nature. Ever changing yet always one, connected to source and striving forward into the endless flow of emerging possibilities. Passing over, under and around every obstacle, which may appear along the path, realigning, adjusting, finding it´s path along the way. “Running water never grows stale. So you’ve just got to ‘keep on flowing" – Bruce Lee Coming into a "flowing state" does't only connect you to a harmonious flow of life were you can live more intensely in the present moment as well as gather experiences that will help you to grow into a wiser human being, but also is fundamentally necessary for developing abundant, vital and energetic health on all levels. I invite you this summer to a beautiful retreat week in August at Suncokret, to take the opportunity to learn fundamental Zhineng qigong and Taijiball spine exercises which can lead you to experience this flowing state and improve your qi (energy) flow, posture and balance, and loosen tension in your muscles, joints, ligaments and internal organs. It will be a week full of mobilizing Yin and Yang energy, and resting in the stillness in movement, were Yin and Yang blend into the universal rhythm of one. Together we will explore aware breathing and inner space deepening during the relaxing Yin yoga postures. Experience the benefits of slowing down and working on your hips and spine in a more passive Yin Yoga way and turning your attention inward. Do you want to improve your core strength and relieve back pain, improve your posture, increase your range of motion and release tension, improve balance and concentration and your energy level? By learning and practicing Zhineng Qigong, Taijiball and Yin Yoga you'll take the most important first step toward genuine and lifelong health and vibrancy. Did you know that the spine is the central axis of our body through which the entire nervous system flows? And that 80% of chronic diseases are due to a disturbed energy flow in the spine? The whole nervous system is like a trunk that branches out with roots connecting deep into Mingmen, your main energy gate in the lower Dantian. Strong root energy connects with the trunk, the branches and the leaves. So like a tree whose roots are strong, the energy flows freely and the tree flourishes and becomes very strong and very healthy. Building a strong and healthy body on all levels starts with focus on cultivating this root energy. I’d like to empower you during this week to strengthen your spine and core and to learn Qigong relaxation and expantion from your inner space. Explore performing the movements slowly and gently, merging into the universe, pushing, stretching, and opening inner space. Zhineng Qigong and Taijiball incorporate (mainly standing) slow, easy to learn, flowing movements and "silent" postures, all of which are performed repetitively and in a meditative state of deep relaxation. They help to loosen up your waist, lumbar area, sacroiliac joints, shoulders and spine. Experience water like fluidity and movements that create energy, not consume energy like common sports movements. As you practice body awareness through Yoga you become mindful that there isn't just physical tightness in the hips but also emotional; it's where we store our emotional vulnerabilities and trauma leading to blocked energy. Explore releasing tension in your hips and spine with Yin Yoga postures. Listen and let go of the need to control, surrender, and remain in the moment. Appreciate everything. Every experience has meaning and matters. "Empty your cup, so that it may be filled: become devoid to gain totality" – Bruce Lee We will open the inner body space and structure, using consciousness and movement in an harmonious way to keep our energy flowing like pure water. The practices will also maximize the circulation of all bodily fluids, including blood and lymph, and the smooth flow of qi throughout your body also strengthens your immune system. Lets explore together the deep wisdom of free flowing water! Click here for full event details

Without a doubt, the absolute most enthralling aspect of the work we do under the umbrella of a running a holistic retreat is its complex and intricate connection to it being a platform for "dream manifestation". When I came up with the slogan "Manifest your Dreams and Goals" to describe our mission back in 2004, what I was originally referring to was the blessing of our own love story; the fact that the coming together of Stipe and myself enabled us both to blossom in incredible ways that gave us a solid foundation for re-constructing our life together in a way that was mutually inspiring and self-fulfilling, according to our inner vision and "dreams." Conversely, because a major part of our life vision involved sharing our lifestyle and lifestyle tools with others in this idyllic setting, this also meant that, as we lived out our own dream life, we would also be providing a platform for others to experience a slice of that, too, and perhaps take home some fresh inspiration and ideas to apply to their own life back at home. A beautiful win-win dharmic cycle was perpetuated as a result. I'm not sure it occurred to me, however, all those years back, that one major extension of the dream-manifesting avenues we could explore would be to provide a space for others to host their own unique lifestyle dream events in, what we have come to term " Exclusive Events ". But this has indeed turned out to be a regular and growing sister operation at our retreat and, because of this, I would like to shed more light on the nature of such events: Specifically, what are Exclusive Events, whom are they designed by and for, and why friends of Suncokret should be interested in them, too. The term "Exclusive Events" refers to the ability for any path-walker to co-design the retreat of their dreams for their own group of friends and connections by exploiting our expertise, services and space to enable their own holistic retreat vision to unfold. We've hosted many such unique events for a variety of clients over the years and one of our most memorable was an event for a woman from Belgium who asked us to co-design a holistic bachelorette week for herself and her closest clan of girlfriends who had all dispersed to live in various countries and who would reunite for a week of goddess yoga, tarot readings, organic spa treatments and good old holiday fun in paradise. I led the yoga, tarot and organic spa sessions, Stipe handled the outings and meals and the ladies arranged their own unique bachelorette activities in our space. We were blessed that the same ladies came back two years later to celebrate the birth of the woman's first child! Needless to say, we find it extremely special that we were able to provide a safe, sacred and supportive shelter for these two beautiful events to unfold! But what may be even more special is when a former guest of ours returns in the role of teacher to host an event with us in our space. This is the case with our dear friends, Nathan and Eduardo, who have conceived of a unique Life Coaching event taking place this September called " Balancing Life with Joy ". Nathan visited us for the first time back in 2008, and returned again 8 years later on retreat with Eduardo in 2016. The reunion was one of the sweetest I have had with a returning guest, and it laid the foundation for the unfolding of one of Nathan's inner visions, i.e. to host a retreat of his own in the comfort of a spiritual space he has come to feel as an extension of home away from home. You can learn more about Nathan and Eduardo in our interview with them here . And finally, we also have the honor of welcoming international teachers who wish to hire our space to host their own events in, a situation we term "retreat hire". During such events, we are blessed to be able to house a range of diverse teaching and holistic modalities that we may not otherwise have on offer during our own series of co-hosted summer events, and this also gives us the chance to meet fellow path-walkers and inspirational light workers and their friends that we might not have otherwise met. ​​ This is the case with Linda and Larry Cammarata's upcoming back-to-back event weeks happening this May from 20 - 26 May 2018 and 27 May - 2 June 2018. They will be leading "The Mindful Body: Moving into Emotional Freedom and Joy" event , together with Lavinia Plonka, GCFP. Learn more about their backgrounds in our interview with them here. No matter whether we are hosting our own Yoga B & B event weeks, Co-Hosted Summer Events, or one-time Exclusive Events, all of the events at Suncokret act as intricate links in the perpetual dream-manifesting process that is at the heart of the Suncokret mission. Thanks to you all for being a part of this journey! Namaste.

Dear Nathan and Eduardo, it is such a deep pleasure and honor to be able to welcome you back to Suncokret this September - and this time as retreat hosts rather than guests! How cool is that?! Can you please tell our readers a little about yourselves?What do you do? Nathan: I live a multi-faceted life as an urban dweller, global traveler, corporate leader, spiritual seeker, and personal coach. I love the arts and have been a singer and actor as well. While I haven’t performed in a few years, I love to attend symphony concerts, musical theater shows, and cabaret performances. I enjoy hosting people and events and am getting acquainted with my new city of Los Angeles while still traveling a fair amount. I enjoy helping out and participating in various volunteer activities and non-profit boards, too. Eduardo: I think of myself as one who is a perpetual opportunist to enjoy life! My passion is connecting with people and traveling the world. As a flight attendant, I have the privilege of visiting many places. I’m also completing a year-long training and certification program in life-coaching. I’ve read many spirituality-based books and practice meditation on a daily basis. I also love movies, dancing, and connecting with people. Nathan, you've been to Suncokret on retreat twice and, Eduardo, you've been with us once. Can you share with our readers what your favorite thing about coming to Suncokret as retreat guest was? Eduardo: I loved the experience of being part of a yoga and spiritual retreat in an old-world setting like Hvar. The stone architecture, picturesque villages, and the beauty of the Adriatic Sea in combination with meeting spiritually-minded people from all parts of the world made this a very unique experience. Nathan: Each time I have visited Suncokret, I have been able to pause in a way that is meaningful for me. The sunshine, the smell of lavender, the al fresco dining, the clear water of the sea, and the wholesome, delicious food are sensory delights. Having a customized yoga practice and spiritual guidance as part of a vacation helped open up new ideas and possibilities for me. I leave feeling refreshed and clear on something I need to do next in my life. Now that you are returning as a retreat host, what do you hope your event participants will gain by attending the Balancing Life with Joy retreat at Suncokret? Eduardo: Inner peace, clarity, and inspiration. I believe the beauty of nature that we experience in the island mixed with yoga, meditation and loving company helps us to connect with our true joy, recharging us completely. This retreat is a perfect set to disconnect from our busy world, connect with who we are, and create new dreams. Nathan: Tools and ideas for balancing busy lives. I am planning some focused group conversations on balancing contrasts so that we can be successful in our day-to-day lives while achieving new goals. On a basic level, I also hope people enjoy the conversations, connections, food, physical activity and joy in sharing this experience with new friends. Balance and Joy – How do they work together?
Nathan: Balance is found in movement; it is not fixed in time or space. The art of balancing involves continuous experimentation, adjustment, and alignment. In our human experience, we often find ourselves out of balance and through various practices we align ourselves back into various balancing acts and states. As we lose our rigidity and open ourselves to contrasting elements, we experience balance as a tool for greater self-expression and mastery.
Eduardo: Joy is one of the highest energetic vibrations which allows for optimal states of experience and service. We will explore the enablement of joy as an inner state and as an outward expression.
Balancing Life with Joy is that ability to smile through life’s challenges and love ourselves and others through various forms of expression. As part of this retreat, you will design your own strategy and for infusing balance and joy into your immediate goals and dreams! We're so much looking forward to providing the space, yoga classes and other support needed for this event to unfold beautifully this September! Thanks so much to you both for taking the time to share a little more about who you are with our readers. We're really looking forward to this magical and meaningful event with you! Namaste! Read more about the Balancing Life with Joy event on our Exclusive Events page here and connect with Nathan and Eduardo via their Facebook event page for more details.

Hi Linda and Larry! We're so excited to host your first ever Croatia and Suncokret retreat weeks this May! Tell us a little more about who you are and what you do... what else do you do besides teach yoga, mindfulness, tai chi, and qigong? Linda Cammarata, RN, RYT: In addition to teaching yoga, qigong, and mindfulness skills, I have a long-standing professional background as a registered nurse, with extensive experience in healthcare management and in preventive medicine education, with a specialty in natural sleep recovery. Several years ago, with my husband Larry, I co-founded Mindfulness Travels, an educational organization that hosts mindfulness-oriented retreats in beautiful, inspiring places around the world. I’m the director of the company, which keeps me focused on choosing retreat locations that offer our participants a wonderful space for learning and practicing mindful movement skills, cultural immersion, adventures in nature, time for personal restoration, and of course…great food! I’m also a professional singer-songwriter. Larry Cammarata, Ph.D.: In addition to teaching qigong, tai chi, and mindfulness, I’ve been a practicing licensed psychologist for over 30 years, specializing in mindfulness-based psychotherapy and mind-body medicine. In addition to my psychology practice, I write about topics related to mindful movement, sleep health, communication, and mindfulness; my writings on mindful movement have been published in magazines, a fitness journal, and a book. I’m passionate about mindful movement, and have made presentations to national and international conferences on this topic. I also have a background as a professional musician and performance artist, and always enjoy musically collaborating with Linda. We both enjoy exploring nature, art, music, film, and new cultures. When we’re not travelling, we can often be found hiking around the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounding our home in Asheville, North Carolina. We enjoy bringing supportive communities of open-hearted people together. Wow, I love the diversity of your backgrounds and how they blend so beautifully together through your combined retreat work! What do you most hope retreat attendants will gain by attending your event at Suncokret this May? We hope that our guests will gain knowledge and skills that will support them in feeling an uplifting sense of what it means to be alive and free from self-imposed limitations. We often refer to this sense as “vitality” and “joy”, although words are not enough to convey the meaning of these qualities. That’s why we focus on mindfulness of the body as a vehicle for creating peace, ease, and joy in relation to self and others. Why would attending your particular event be beneficial to the participants who join? ​​Participants at our retreats come away with greater self-acceptance and compassion, an appreciation for the beauty of nature, an enthusiasm for the practices of mindfulness, qigong, and yoga, an expansion of their understanding about what it means to be truly—and realistically—mindful, and ways to integrate mindfulness into their lives to advance their professional and personal development as it applies to health, wellness, and rewarding relationships. Is there any ideal way retreat participants can better prepare themselves for their retreat time with you? Yes…we recommend that participants contemplate upon an intention for their time with us. It can be as simple as learning ways to relax or more existentially complex as in, “what do I want to do with my life?” or “what’s holding me back from…?” Ideally, participants will “let go” of preconceived ideas about the retreat and show up with a “beginner’s mind”; that sort of mindset most always contributes to the many blessings that are received when the mind and heart are open. ​​At the end of the event week, what is the one thing you hope retreat participants will walk away feeling? The word that comes to mind is “connected”. Our retreats facilitate an experience of appreciation for your life, a sense of joy about being alive in the present moment, and a willingness to compassionately care for your self, others, and the planet Testimonial “I have had the opportunity to join Larry and Linda for more than one of their Mindfulness Retreats with and without a third facilitator. Each retreat has been remarkable. Facilitators are at the top of their fields. There are opportunities to expand one’s inner work and/or clinical practices, relish a spirit of adventure, and enjoy cultural immersion and appreciation. Lovely accommodations are chosen thoughtfully to support the overall intentions of the retreat. Culturally inspired gourmet meals are served. Because retreatants typically share some common values, a supportive sense of community emerges. You will be graciously welcomed whether you are traveling alone or in the company of companion(s). I travel alone and have roomed with kind and thoughtful people.” - Solo Female Traveler We're very excited to be welcoming you to Suncokret this May! Thanks again for taking the time to shed light on your backgrounds and retreat intentions with our readers. Namaste! Read more about the Mindful Body: Moving into Emotional Freedom and Joy event on our Exclusive Events page here and connect with Linda and Larry via their website for further details.

Sat Dharma: Why am I here? On my last Reincarnation Therapy week there was one session I remember really vividly to this day. I was standing as a young woman on a lawn on a huge piece of land with hills, trees and a cloudy sky during sunset time. I was standing there in a thin white dress, arms open and asking the Divine: "Why am I here?" Not far away, there were some houses with lights on and I could see the people in the houses living their everyday lives; living polarity, living in a state of forgetting their true divine nature. They had forgotten where they came from and they stopped asking this question. As there was no answer to my own question, I suddenly found myself some years earlier as a little child in one of those houses, lying on the bed crying and asking my mother the same question: "Where do I come from and why am I here?" And she had no answer either. She was dressed completely in black, hiding her divinity and beautiful energy under a black cloak, already totally present in the duality of life and in forgetting her origin. On the other side of the bed was my guardian angel in a radiant green light smiling at me. He took my hand and we went on a journey. ​​​​Where do I come from and why am I here? The next moment I was just energy and experienced my life before incarnating on mother earth. I saw all the other souls in their radiant colors, I saw our spiritual guides helping us through the process of getting ready to incarnate again and learn our next lessons. I saw how I had chosen this life and, what was really interesting, I saw a big colorful circle, a radix, like in a horoscope... In this circle there were some parts highlighted in color while other parts were not surrounded by white energy. And I started to understand that this was my life and the areas in color were the issues I wanted to concentrate on and learn in my next incarnation. And one part especially, in the right lower corner, there was something obvious; it was red and really easy to see. It was my “lunar node”, my potential to discover and to develop myself in my next life. In Astrology, the lunar node is the part of the horoscope where you can see what your soul wants and where your path leads to. So there I had the answer: that was why I am here. That is why I am on mother earth. I chose this specific lesson to be solved in this lifetime. Dharma or Sat Dharma In Vedic tradition, we also call this potential our Dharma or Sat Dharma. Though dharma cannot be directly translated in western language and is a concept that varies, depending on religious affiliation, we mostly use it in close reference to the Buddhist and Hindu definitions. In Sanskrit, dharma refers to your true purpose, or to living a life that is in harmony with cosmic order or universal truth. So when we speak about you living your dharma, we are referring to you living your truth, living your highest potential, and living in a way that is supported by the Divine in a manner that is in accordance to your soul’s desire. Sat means “eternal” or “true” so we can translate our Sat Dharma as our soul’s own eternal universal truth. So the answer is obvious but also hard to find, because, as children, we fall into forgetting our true nature; we are aware of it but are made to function in this dualistic world. We are told that what we know is not true but false and because we want to belong, we start to shut down our connection to the divine. And this is also meant to be so we can rediscover, reconnect, and, through this process, become reborn by rediscovering that we are divine beings in a human shell. The process of getting reconnected or "reborn" can be diversified, as we are all individual souls with our different imprints and Karmas. So there can be hundreds and thousands of ways to get reconnected to your true self. As in my case, the path was through Rebirthing and Reincarnation (Regression) Therapy, which are closely connected with each other. What is Rebirthing? Rebirthing is an ancient breathing technique, which was mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita, as so called “Pranapaganati” and was passed from Master to follower through initiation with the primary goal of the Spiritual Rebirth of man. In modern times it was rediscovered and called Rebirthing by Leonard Orr in the 1960s. Some Therapist use the breathwork to guide people back to their own birth and beyond. The practice I teach derives from Thorwald Detlefsen, who established Reincarnation Therapy in the 1970s in Munich, and used the Rebirthing breath as a trance induction to guide people into former lives. One of my teachers, Mathias Wendel, worked with Detlefsen for 10 years in Munich and still teaches this wonderful technique today. This connected breath, as my teachers also call it, is easily explained as involves breathing in and out continuously through the mouth. Some traditions also do it through the nose in a comfortable and lying position. The continuous breathing takes place for half an hour or more, enriching the physical body with oxygen and on the subtle level with lots of Prana. Towards the end, the intense breathing is stopped and followed by the breathless state, the so called “sailing phase” which lasts for about 10-15 Minutes, where you can just relax, lie still and see what comes up. Music is played throughout the Rebirthing session, sometimes strong pieces, sometimes divine sounds reconnecting you to your true nature, depending on the topic and the teacher. What actually happens during Rebirthing? While breathing intensely, the subtle body detaches from the physical body and the result may be a beautiful lightness, like an out-of-body experience, or a connection and “talk with” your spiritual guidance. Some people may experience former lives, see colors, or get in touch with people they once loved. The experiences are as manifold as the souls on this earth. It can also happen that nothing happens, or that there is pain in the joints due to energetic blockages in the body. Anything is possible, and nobody should have any expectations... Everything happens as it is meant to happen. In that way, it can be an amazing experience; like being reborn, waking up from polarity, realizing that everything is possible. My first encounter with Rebirthing The first Breathing Session I had was during a Yoga festival in Sweden and I had no idea what I was getting into then. They played music from my teenage years, like Guns and Roses and Metallica, and at first I thought, “What is this?” Suddenly, people started crying and yelling and I started laughing. But the group energy and dynamics were so strong, that I found myself lying on a lawn with my inner child in my arms, holding her and crying, being so grateful for that moment. As a result, I was able to heal many childhood fears and issues. Afterwards I felt that that it was a powerful technique and that, I wanted to repeat it. ​ ​Being reborn Upon discovering Rebirthing and Reincarnation Therapy, my life changed rapidly as I found a tool to connect to my true divine nature. It was truly a new beginning, a new birth in my life, which enabled me to finally know why I was here. I found out that I had been a healer in Atlantis and a priest in Lemuria during the days when it was falling apart and people were leaving. I also found myself as victim and as offender in former lives, and came to understand that all the people we meet are just our own reflection, teaching us the lessons we need to learn. I found the connection to my spiritual guides, learned how to communicate and interact with them in order to find my Sat Dharma, the reason why I came on earth this time. I saw the detours I took on my path and found the way to walk more stable and straight with their help, in order to become what I really wanted to be. Today I am grateful for all the tools, which have been shown to me and which made me become a Yoga teacher for adults and children and also working on the subtle level with Yoga Therapy and Pranic Healing. If you are intrigued by this story and keen on experiencing the Rebirthing process, Pranic healing or Yoga events led by Daniela, join us for these upcoming events: Sat Dharma Yoga - Find the courage to reveal yourself through yoga from 8-14 July 2018, Divine Yoga - connect to the god-dess within from 5 - 21 July 2018, or Yoga & Creativity - unleash your creative potential from 22 - 28 July 2018.

And there it is again, the figurine of an ancient Goddess, circulating on our social networks, attracting hundreds of thousands of ‘likes’ and ‘shares’. The author of the meme claims that the roots of the word Easter come from the goddess Ishtar, and that the roots of Easter come from the ancient rites in honour of this once powerful deity. But is this ‘the truth of Easter’? The symbolism of Ishtar is powerful. It is easy to see the attraction of the image of the beautiful figurine, and understand the appeal of this feminine, corporeal, new-yet-old representation of Easter. However, the information passed on by this meme has been widely questioned. For example, anthropologist Krystal D’Costa in Beyond Ishtar: The Tradition of Eggs at Easter warns us not to take the meme at its face value and gives useful insight into the symbolism of eggs, Easter and Ishtar rites. Rather than dwelling on the debate on ‘the truth of Easter’, I would like to explore the symbolism of this ancient Mesopotamian Goddess, digitally re-born from its 5000 year-old slumber by our communal ‘sharing’ and ‘liking’. Is it a coincidence that this digital rebirth of Ishtar taps into the wider rebirth of the feminist movement that has been happening largely via social media, such as #MeToo and EverydaySexism campaigns? The ‘Goddess culture’ and feminist movement have intersected before. Emerging from the grass-roots women’s movement in the 70s, the Goddess culture is associated with spiritual feminism. In 1978, Carol Christ published the essay Why Women Need the Goddess , and presented it as the keynote address at the ‘Great Goddess Re-emerging’ conference at the University of Santa Cruz in the Spring of 1978. In it she said that: ’The simplest and most basic meaning of the symbol of Goddess is the acknowledgment of the legitimacy of female power as a beneficent and independent power’ (Christ 2006: 45). In a fascinating, thriving subculture of belly dancing, consisting largely of women from all corners of the world exchanging tips and videos on this globalised dance practice via digital networks, the power of the Goddess symbolism has long been recognised and used. For example, Ishtar, a ‘belly dance artist, writer and musician’ based in Liverpool, UK, says that by connecting with a ‘divine feminine archetype’ women can connect with universal, spiritual power through dance. On her website she addresses those who wish to connect to the powerful feminine Ishtar archetype like this: ‘Call on her to make your dance command the attention of the audience and when you want to be treated like a queen’. Christ argues for the need for women to establish a system of symbols and theory congruent with their experience, in clear opposition to patriarchy and patriarchal religions. She emphasises that ‘the Goddess is a symbol of the affirmation of the legitimacy and beauty of female power’ (2006:46), and writes: 'The affirmation of female power contained in the Goddess symbol has both psychological and political consequences. Psychologically, it means the defeat of the view engendered by patriarchy that women's power is inferior and dangerous. This new "mood" of affirmation of female power also leads to new "motivations" it supports and undergirds women's trust in their own power and the power of other women in family and society.' (Christ 2006: 46) However, symbolism of female power represented in the image of a Goddess can too often be taken at a surface value. Some belly dancers have commented in my research that, within the subculture of belly dance, the over-emphasis on what is superficially feminine, such as body parts like hips and breasts, can lead to a trivialisation of Goddess culture. It can lead away from the original empowering intention of adopting the Goddess symbolism, which, in Christ’s words, is ‘to support women’s trust in their own power and the power of other women in family and society’. There are many different ways to celebrate the re-birth of this valuable idea, and I invite us all to take those that are most congruent to our own experiences, or desires. Whether it is by taking yoga or a belly dancing class, joining a campaign, recalling an ancient Goddess in a ritual, or going for an Easter service, if these personal paths support our growth as powerful women, they are all precious. - Edina Join co-hosts Edina and Evening-Marie for Viva Shakti, a yoga & belly dancing event for women happening this June at Suncokret!

Last month I wrote about the 10 proven tips for a Balanced Year Ahead , which is a summary of the annual New Year’s rituals that enable me to start the year off on the right foot. Point 10 on the list describes a process that enables me to check in with myself in a profound way, realign myself to the vision I have of the life I want to live and the person I want to be, and helps me to tune into the current steps I can envision taking that allow me to walk along that path in the best possible way I know how, given my present “tool kit” including skills, talents, assets, connections and apparent opportunities available to me in the present. It is obvious that in order to live the life of our dreams, we have to first envision what that might be. After all, wanting to have a “happy, fulfilling life,” i.e. the basics of what we all really want, means quite different things to different people, so it’s not enough to say “I want to be happy” but rather define what that would actually entail a very precise and detailed way. Please refer to the Life Path Awakening - New Year's Review and Refresh for further guidance on how to do this in a systemized way by exploring the specific categories outlined. Once you get the hang of it, you can even add some categories of your own, too! Once we do awaken to our inner vision, it is logical that we then have to next assess how close we are to manifesting those dreams, by taking into consideration our present state of being and circumstances, and what we are currently empowered to do in order to actively align with that vision. We also need to consider how to best become a magnet for the things we want and what we can do to reflect the essence of the person we know ourselves to be on the inside, even if we're not currently showing up in that way in certain relationships. But what can be done if, after having clarified the vision and laying out the appropriate steps needed to move toward our desired outcome, and then following through with the outlined plans to get there (i.e. following the treasure map), we come up against major roadblocks that prevent us from reaching our desired goal(s) and dream life or dream state in a timely manner? Just to be clear, by “timely manner”, I mean, “within the time frame we deem is appropriate for the wishes to manifest and the desired outcome to unfold according to how we envision.” I’m talking about delays! I mean, on-going, increasingly annoying, totally frustrating and unbelievably repetitive delays?! Delays that seem to obstruct every good effort you put into traveling the ultra-efficient highway toward the vision you would like to see manifest, despite your excellent, ultra-efficient plan and effort? I tell you what I do… after first getting “a little annoyed” and perhaps feeling “somewhat panicked” (=code for I freak out)… I take a deep breath and then I take a break! I go for a walk or even venture on a fun weekend escape, if I dare! Oh, yes, I do! I know if I can clear my head of the issue and give it a buffer of time some new spark of hope will appear, a new inspiration I had not seen before with my tunnel vision glasses on. By taking that beautiful step back, I am able to see the broader picture. And from this platform, I am able to consider with an open heart: “Is what I am attempting to do in alignment with who I really am and what I really want and need at this time for my purpose to unfold in it’s most perfect way?” If the answer is yes, I start to consider possible detours around the roadblock or ways to decrease the wait time of the delay (a plan B and even a plan C, of sorts), and then focus my attention to moving along that route instead. If the answer is no, then I try to envision a pathway that is in better alignment with who I am and what I really want and need for my purpose to unfold, now that everything has become clearer to me. In essence, this is also creating an alternate plan B and C, but just from a different perspective! The point is, when things are just not going your way, it’s time to pause and remember that old saying, “All roads lead to Rome,” which actually means there are many means to get to the same endpoint. And the ultimate endpoint is our Destiny! Even if we do not (yet) know who we truly are and what we are destined for, a spiritual pilgrim will have faith that he or she will figure it all out and arrive there regardless. He or she will make every best effort to get there intentionally, even if blind, maimed or otherwise limited in some capacity, because a pilgrim believes in the Ultimate order of things and in their dream. They will not give up on their dream, even if the dream is not yet too clear or well defined in fancy, descriptive words and elaborate, vivid visions, they feel in their heart and gut that that dream is alive. There quest is to discover it through life's many roadways and blockades! And guess what? They will be successful in the end, because “energy flows where attention goes!" If you make it a point to focus on working toward your finding your happiness, purpose and self-fulfillment, even if you're not completely sure what that actually means but willing to explore and find out through the process of trial and error and use the delays and roadblocks as challenges for re-alignment, you will eventually discover the secret ingredients of your very own unique recipe for that happiness and fulfillment. There's another interesting thought I once came across about the nature of delays; they are sometimes the Universe’s way of saving us from unforeseen trouble ahead. Like the time you left your car keys in the house and had to go back to the house, unlock the door, find where you misplaced them, and walk back to the car again before starting off on your journey, only to soon after pass by a terrible accident along your path that could have involved YOU had you been “on time”; life’s delays in your plans are sometimes a way of actually clearing your path of potential danger and keeping you on track. So, the next time you do find that there are roadblocks in your desired pathway, consider this handy, 10-point action plan: 1. Sit tight (and try not to get too frustrated but, if you do, forgive yourself for being human!), 2. Trust there is a reason behind the delay 3. Take a break and clear your mind 4. Check-in and re-align yourself with your highest possible Vision 5. Look for a possible lesson presented in the delay (trust your gut) correct and learn from it 6. Wait for a new spark of inspiration, or look for signs 7. Define the alternate route(s) you can take to get to where you want to be 7. Move forward with your fullest integrity, best intent and positive outlook 8. Trust in your ability to get it right now but be open to Divine timing 9. Follow the signs as you move ahead (repeat process if necessary until smooth sailing) 10. Never give up! (not on yourself, not on your dreams, not on your goals, not on the Universe’s love and support for you) In the end, the Universe will either deliver smooth sailing or present obstacles in your path to help you learn, grow and re-align toward the outcome or Destiny that is meant for you. So next time there’s a major delay in moving forward with your life's plans, take it as a good sign that you are being redirected in a way that is purposeful for you. A trendy way of saying this is: “Keep Calm, Follow the Signs, and Carry On”. With love, Evening Marie P.S. In case you are in need of some assistance getting in touch with yourself and your life's vision, here are some upcoming event weeks that can help you understand yourself and your purpose better: 29 April - 11 May & 3-8 June ​ Yoga B & B / Personal Retreat with Evening Marie; with the option to sign up for Chakra Life Mapping or Life Path Awakening 8 - 14 July Sat Dharma Yoga - find the courage to reveal yourself with yoga with 60-minute Sat Dharma readings with Evening or Daniela 19 - 25 August Source-Healing - walk the path of wholeness & heart connection with Zhineng Qigong & Yin Yoga 16 - 22 September Touching the Sacred Space Within - Atma Kriya Yoga & Sri Yantra painting meditation event with option to sign up for 30-minute “Soul Purpose” Vedic Astrology reading, 30-minute “Chakras” Vedic Astrology reading, or 1.5-hour full Vedic Astrology reading (pre-ordered, limited spots)*

I love the New Year season but not for the usual reasons. I don’t engage in partying (not in the traditional sense, anyway) and I don’t indulge in excess, neither regarding food, drink, shopping or other traditional holiday customs that I find bring me down rather than lift me up. Instead, I view the closing of the year and the opening of the new one as a sacred, spiritual but also goal-oriented process that sets the backdrop and foundation of success and happiness for the year ahead. And each year I am pleased with the results as I watch myself moving actively forward toward my dreams, goals and wishes, manifesting the life I want to live one beautiful step at a time. For me this process starts in mid-autumn, after the retreat season has ended and I’ve attended to setting up the plan for the year ahead business-wise. I then take some time to clean, reorganize and de-clutter my home and office, I spend private time with my family and catch up with island friends and take extra time out for my physical wellbeing. When celebratory December rolls around, including the important celebration of my son’s and husband’s birthdays followed by Christmas, I embark on my yearly pilgrimage to my former home town, Ljubljana, where together with my island family I catch up with my son, old and dear friends and take advantage of city life, immersing myself and my islanders in the cultural offerings that have always played a big role in my life. It’s very rewarding to keep this aspect of my love for city and culture alive, if only in intensive short doses several times each year. Finally as January approaches, we return back to the island in preparation for the New Year and this is when I actively engage in inspiring rituals that help me ring in the New Year on a positive, sober, guided, and empowered foot. I share with you these ten tips for empowering your life in positive ways as you embark on the New Year and wish you the most successful, prosperous and rewarding year ahead! One – Reflect back and celebrate the coming year with purpose Give yourself 1 hour to make a list of all the reasons you have to be thankful, for people and events that have influenced you for the better over the past year, and then make a list of all the things you are looking forward to seeing, doing and experiencing in the new year. Relish in the positive feelings this exercise brings you. If you can’t remember what happened to you, review your photos and / or Facebook timeline, chat with your best friend about your past year or review your diary. Focus on feelings of success and happiness and keep a positive outlook as you ring in the New Year in a wholesome way and be sure to keep the best of company while you do this, even if that means spending the night with your cat! Two – Drink if you will but don’t get drunk I’m not saying don’t drink… if you can have just one celebratory glass (or perhaps two) and if you enjoy the taste then why not indulge a bit of bubbly along with that healthy dose of festive cheer together with your select friends and loved ones. But if two glasses leads to three, four or more, you are headed for experiencing a New Year’s blur rather than sparkle, most likely followed by nasty hangover that will mark this precious time with a cloak of darkness that will taint your steps into the year ahead… And why on earth would you want to do that to yourself (again)?! Start off fresh and be your best on New Year’s day! Three – Take a daytrip to somewhere new (or loved) on New Year’s day In par with the above sentiment, changing the air and scenery is always rewarding and inspiring for the spirit. Even if this means walking a district in your city, town or village that you’ve never been to (or spent much time in) before, discovering new pathways and seeing new sights with clear and receptive eyes brings new perspective to your life and getting fresh air never hurt anyone, either. If you can’t get out for whatever reason, pick up a good book and journey on that way! You never know what or who you just might bump into in the most unexpected of places... Go ahead and see what’s just around that new and exciting corner on New Year’s day! Four – Start something new and stick with it Start 2018 on an adventurous foot. Everyone knows adventure is the spice of life; just name your pleasure! Schedule it in this January and keep up with it for a while. Try that sport you’ve always wanted to try, take up a challenging hobby you’ve always wanted to master, dare to do that thing you’ve been dreaming of doing but never quite get around to. Whatever you decide on to shake things up a bit, you won’t regret the feeling of starting off this year with the fresh energy and excitement of engaging in something new that helps picks up the wind in your sails… come on, I dare you! Five – Do something nice for someone else (and make a habit of it) If you are feeling the winter blues, one of the best ways to usher in a spirit of cheer into your life is to brighten up the life of someone else in need. This can be a friend or relative who has been having a stroke of misfortune, or it can be a complete stranger for whom you feel inspired to show a bit of kindness to. Did you know that a simple act of kindness has an incredibly powerful rippling effect felt by the receiver, the giver and anyone else who witnesses or experiences the benefit of that act? Being kind will improve your mental, emotional and physical health so get out there and be kind to others and witness the beautiful karmic effect it has on yourself and the world around you! Six – Clean and then de-clutter your home Okay, this is a big one and it may take more than just a few hours or days, weeks or months. Start with baby steps by simply cleaning the home to make it fresh for the New Year. We’ve all heard the saying that “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” and you will feel divine in your clean and tidy home. After you’ve completed the main tasks, make a plan to de-clutter your home, section by section, room by room, one category after the other. Do a little something each day (or weekly) and have weekly, monthly and a yearly goal. Mark them down in your calendar to keep yourself accountable to your wishes. No matter how long it takes to de-clutter, dedicate this year to clearing out the old in order to make way for the new. One precious rule of thumb is “if you don’t love it, lose it and if you don’t use it, lose it!” This process will have a powerful cleansing effect on other aspects of your life, too. If you don’t quite know how to de-clutter effectively, consult the online or printed works of Marie Kondo or other reputed de-cluttering experts to discover the approach that works best for you. In the end, there’s no one right way to de-clutter. Just start with something small and move forward to the next task and then onto the next, and do it systematically and continue to make a habit of doing this regularly throughout the year. When you clear out the things which are no longer necessary or serving you (and which are taking up precious space in your life, both physically as well as mentally-emotionally) you show the Universe that you are open to experiencing new things that are in alignment with the person you have grown into and/or wish to become in the near future. Go for it, you’ll feel lighter for sure! Seven – Donate don’t ditch After you’ve done your de-cluttering, why not give away your ex-precious items to someone in need; this can be a friend, an acquaintance or even a total stranger or charity. Don’t have a birthday present for your dear friend? Why not begift them with something you once loved and think they will, too? You not only experience the beautiful qualities of compassion, sharing and giving but you also help make this planet a better place by not ditching useful things in the trash and adding to the incredible amounts of waste that litter our beautiful planet. Eight – Get up and move your body regularly The holiday season for many of us means a time of indulgence in hearty festive meals, sweets, treats, alcohol, lazy days spent indoors in front of the computer screed or TV, and a general feeling of lethargy due to the shorter days and longer nights. All of this can lead to a feeling of depression and imbalance. Tackle the holiday blues by taking some simple exercise. Do something that gets your muscles moving, your blood pumping, heart thumping and mood soaring to new heights. Try vigorous walking, jogging, or biking, and be sure to keep up with your yoga practice, Qi gong, dancing or anything else that feels attractive to you, too. Remember to do this often. It is said that a little bit of daily exercise is better than a lot of it only every now and then. I know it may be hard to commit to taking care of yourself in this way but remember that if you don’t do it for yourself, no one is going to do it for you. You will even find yourself with a slimmer, stronger physique and eliminate the need to go on a silly diet that you will inevitably bounce back from… that in itself is worth the 30 minutes daily or whatever you decide to commit to! Nine – Make a habit of engaging in regular self-care and occasional pampering Many of us take on the role of caregiver to those we love but sadly overlook our own needs and wants. Why not start off this year by making a commitment to taking care of you? Whatever that means for you on a daily, weekly, monthly, bi-annual or even yearly basis, make a list and start planning it into your calendar today. Consider doing daily self-care rituals like foot massage, dry brushing, oil pulling, etc. when you wake up or at bedtime or both, or sign up for a package of yoga classes with your favorite yoga studio / teacher / or gym. Plan a weekly or monthly get together with your best buddies for a good laugh (the benefits of laughter are so great that there’s even a world belly laughing day!), purchase a package of weekly or monthly massages… Also consider the more indulgent but necessary things you can do for yourself like taking that much needed vacation away from family or work (how about a holistic retreat?!). Committing to a more balanced diet on an ongoing basis, doing a dedicated detox, signing up with a holistic therapist for a series of treatments to address chronic issues you may be facing is also worth scheduling in. You might also want to engage yourself in some form of therapy or coaching, whether it be with a trusted expert trained in helping you deal with any mental-emotional issues you are facing, or perhaps just a commitment to daily meditation and or journaling before bedtime or upon waking to clear your mind and connect with your inner silence. Ten –Take Life Inventory The New Year is a great time to evaluate and keep track of the health and wellbeing your relationships, health, career, finances, and other important matters in your life. Each year for the past 17 years I have gone through the process of what I call “Life Path Awakening – New Year’s Review and Refresh”.


Ideally, I start my review (along with the other rituals described above) after the retreat season ends and before the New Year starts. But sometimes I use all of January and sometimes February and March to fine-tune the process.


However long it takes, the process helps me to keep in touch with my inner self, my dreams, goals and wishes. It helps me keep perspective on the most important aspects of my life and it is absolutely one of the most rewarding things to be able to check off things from the previous year’s list that have been accomplished and experienced, and helps me redirect my energy toward the goals or wishes I have yet to manifest. So, as a New Year’s gift to all of our subscribers I have placed a simplified version of some of the major themes covered in the Life Path Awakening process in a downloadable copy in the member’s zone of our website. Get your copy in the member's zone today! Wishing you the most wonder-ful year ahead and let me know if you have any questions! Namaste, Evening [endif]

Summertime is a great time in the year to model a healthy lifestyle. So many of us are actively seeking new ways to engage life in a more whole and meaningful way. Though we are all part of one energy field, we often feel disconnected with ourselves, with others and with source or God. Check out these 3 easy ways to start living a path of wholeness and heart-connection using Yin Yoga and Zhineng Qigong tools in your daily life and practice. The Zhineng Qigong Inner Smile Meditation

​​The Zhineng Qigong Inner Smile Meditation is an opportunity to smile at yourself and embrace your whole being and happiness. It is a simple yet profound meditation. Place yourself in a comfortable posture for meditation and start with a body scan; relax consciously any tension you may be holding. Take your time while you do this. Let your spine rise from the root of the pelvis upwards toward the top of your head. Draw your chin slightly inward and lengthen the back of your neck. Use all your senses and explore your inner body space, allow a natural feeling of lightness and happiness to arise and to encompass your whole body. Imagine your body as being transparent, touching the sky in all directions. Feel and imagine your eyes becoming light like "smiling eyes". Once you generate the feeling of this smile, let it radiate down trough your body like a waterfall. Visualize this meditative stream flowing through your body parts and inner organs, pause at each organ and let it soak up this bright, loving, compassionate, smiling energy like a sponge soaks up water. Complete the process by directing your inner smile to your lower “Dantian” (also know as your “navel center”), and complete your meditation with a moment of gratitude and reflection to seal the energy of your meditation into your life. Feel your mind clear and relaxed, a light natural happy feeling spreading from deep within the heart. Remember that you can cultivate the inner smile anytime throughout the day to fill the heart with compassion. 2. ​Explore Yin Yoga "Heart Openers" To explore Yin Yoga "heart openers", remember that upper back and shoulder stretches are an invitation to slow down and surrender to the joy of the present moment. Using blocks or bolsters in poses like supported fish, reclined butterfly or the melting heart pose allows you to relax and surrender your body for the next several minutes. The soothing and contemplative practice of Yin Yoga balances the sometimes overactive and outward-focused fire element, especially needed during hot summers, and connects you to the infinite source of light within yourself. You can also use these poses as beautiful and relatively quick time-out refreshers throughout your day. Combined with a few deep, heart opening breaths and an Inner Smile, it works like a quick Recharge & Shine tool. ​3. invite Consciousness into Your Daily Actions and Allow Your Awareness to Expand Another easy but profound tool that connects you to the awareness of wholeness and heart-connection is to invite consciousness into your daily actions and allow your awareness to expand. Next time you take a walk outside, don´t just walk along while your mind is busy chattering in self-talk; rather become aware of your body, your movements, your posture, your breathing, your feeling, your inner space, the space around you. Try to feel the space between you and the trees, between you and the other people around you. You will be surprised how much more you perceive, how much more connected you feel. Imagine and use all of your senses, feel the top of your head as transparent, the soles of your feet as transparent, notice your head touching the sky, your feet touching the sky down on the other side of the earth. Enjoy this feeling of expansion; it´s like you start sensing the whole picture not just a part of it. If you find that these tips have helped you to find better connection to yourself and you feel a calling to go on a deep-dive exploration of their fullest potential and the potential within you, then why not consider joining us at the Recharge and Shine or Source Healing Events at Suncokret Body & Soul Retreat in beautiful Hvar Island for a dedicated retreat experience aimed at bringing you to that heart-centered place, inviting you to call into your life more of the things that make you happy, healthy and whole! Hope to see you there! Anita

Happy Summer Solstice everyone! It's the longest day of the year and things are heating up here on Hvar Island. In honor of this special day, which coincides with our 14th anniversary, we've invited Bahareh Hosseini - Suncokret's go-to Ayurveda specialist and co-host of numerous Ayurveda Yoga and Wellbeing events taking place this July and September - to share her best tips on how to keep cool, fresh and vibrant during the hot and busy summer months. Here's what Bahareh had to say: "According to Ayurvedic seasonal view and in accordance with natural cycles of Mother Nature, Summer is the time that corresponds with the elements of Fire and Water; This is referred to as the “Pitta” dosha and making summer the Pitta season; Refined Pitta helps us “radiate” from inside out and disturbed Pitta associated with excess heat can cause imbalances such as Headaches or an aggravated mind ~ Summer tips to a balanced Pitta : Diet The sun being strong in the summer causes excess heat internally and causing some digestive impairment as the body is busy in cooling us down ~ Keep diet light and incorporate salads and bitters such as greens ( Arugula and Salads, etc) in your diet; Cooling vegetables and teas such as cucumbers and mint tea, as well as adding rosewater to your salads/fruits are also beneficial; Coriander and fennel are appropriate spices; Avoid heating foods such as coffee, tomatoes, eggplants, and so on, as the acidity in them increases Pitta and in the summer we want to keep that to a minimum~ Exercise Exercise should be light as to not aggravate the hot and fiery nature of Pitta ~ Hot yoga or running are not advised ~ Swimming, gentle yoga and Qi Gong are best for this season; Chandra Namaskar (Lunar series of Asanas) are appropriate ~ Refrain from heating Pranayamas during the summer. Other Daily routines and Lifestyle: Time outside should be limited to before 10 am and after 4-5 PM, as the hours in between are the hottest and can aggravate Pitta Gentle movement upon waking and before it gets hot outside Wear light clothing in light colours made from natural fibres such as cotton and bamboo Essential oils such as Lavender ~ Abundant locally in Croatia to help keep the heat down" Looking for even more ways to keep your cool this summer? Why not join us for an Ayurveda Yoga immersion, Feminine Empowerment or Gentle Holistic Detox event led by Bahareh this July & September?! Can't make it this July? Then consider joining us for 3 more calming, Pitta-taming events this August led by Anita - our Yin Yoga and Zhening Qigong expert or Charlotte - our Hatha Yoga Flow Goddess, Single Mom & Inspirational Life Coach. Our Festival of Holistic Yoga Events integrate plenty of time for swimming, sea, sun, self-care, delicious cooling organic foods, love, laughter and inspirational learning and sharing. Hope to see you soon!

Suncokret's 2017 Visiting Teacher Blog Series, Part 4 ​​It is fair to say that I struggled to find my place in the world! I was 25. Everything was wrong. Personal relationships, where I lived, worked, my health. Everything. I was stuck in a tangled knot of miserable traps I had somehow unwittingly set for myself. I worked in a highly stressed office. And was sick. I found myself with serious digestive problems, piling on weight, horrid skin allergies. Smoking and drinking too much, I had two root canals from all the grinding. A nerve in my neck liked to go into spasm too. I hated my workplace and apparently it hated me! A lady I worked with talked me into joining her on a Tarot Reading course. I went along for a laugh, and found a group of wonderfully warm and welcoming women who wouldn’t have dreamt of laughing at me. Every class began with a seated meditation, which sent a nerve in my neck into spasm!With my pride, ego, and neck in pain it was clear something big had shifted and I was ready to explore. The tarot course taught me to seek to understand what I see with my intuition an open mind. To be ready to receive guidance from within. It was a short hop-skip-and-jump to Kundalini Yoga, and then on to coaching; and the missing piece of the jigsaw clicked.. I went to every yoga class and workshop, website and magazine I could. I read a heap of self help, personal development books and began working with coaches. So what really changed? I fell gleefully down the rabbit hole of self discovery, self love, compassion and acceptance. I discovered how meditation can change how I feel and understand everything going on in my life. I realised that as a free-spirited, and sometimes lone wolf, I could make these practices my own. There was no one telling me what I had to do to be right (I didn’t go back to those teachers!) I learnt that my happiness is key to everything that happens in my life. It isn't selfish to put my needs first and doing this actually helps me help and serve others better than if I am putting everyone else first and my life is a mess. That is just inefficient! By putting my happiness first I could begin to untangle the knots in my life. Bit by bit. Making small changes, allowed me to create bigger and more fulfilling shifts in my life. I can focus my energy and achieve what I want! I couldn’t see that in the beginning. I needed the help of the yoga and coaching to really understand and take control of my mess. Now I love that mess for all it has given me. Having a coach myself helped me to make some monumental life changes. In a few years I had a completely different lifestyle, was healthy and happy. I had created The Happy Hunt yoga and coaching offering and had finally I had found direction and purpose in my life! As my confidence in this work grew, so my life evolved. My body, life, and mental wellness began to heal. I qualified as a Personal Development (or 'Life') Coach, with the Coaching Academy, in March 2013. I felt drawn to the empowering nature of the process. Which in a nutshell offers people a confidential, respectful, and supportive communication to explore: The heart of a problem/problems A chance to voice what they really want, free from judgement The support to find a way to make that happen. It is an empowering and uplifting process. With plenty of room for fun along the way. Just like yoga, coaching teaches us we already have everything we need. We are encouraged to be the best version of ourselves. For our happiness and wellbeing, and of those around us. Conscious and heart-centered living is good for not only us as individual practitioners, but our culture and society, and world even! I trained with Sally Parkes Yoga, and graduated from her Laxmi 200 hours Hatha & Vinyasa Teacher Training in July 2013. I embrace all styles of yoga, and love to fusion ancient meditation, breathing, mantra and mudra techniques, with gentle and explorative asana practice. I create guided meditations that blend coaching techniques with yoga principles. My classes always encourage a focus on comfort, safety, and self-reflection. Often I will bring along my gong or singing bowls too. Yoga helps us identify and release both physical and mental tensions holding us back. It creates 'space' in our lives for us to move forward into. But we don’t always know what to do with that space. It can be easy to slip into old habits and replay old stories. Coaching gives the practical support needed to make the most of that space. It's like a fast track system to help you get what you really want, and deserve. This combination was so powerful for me. If you are ready to commit to what you want, I know it can work for you too. 10 years on I live in a beautiful part of the world with nature all around. I love my work as a yoga instructor and life coach. My son is a healthy and high spirited toddler that gets to play in muddy fields with the sheep. Apart from my true friends and family, in every way my life is almost unrecognisable to how it was. I am happy. Now I feel so blessed to work with lots of people who are ready to create exciting forward motion in their lives. From the heart, with the professional expertise that training and life experience has given (and still gives!) me. There are still things on my wish list I am working on. I still rely on my yoga, mediation, coaching, and the odd tarot card to help keep me focused and sane. These are joyful practices now. They are building on solid foundations. They are flexible, allowing me to change track when new opportunities present themselves or something isn't what I thought it would be. They are loving, inclusive, compassionate, always supportive, and they have a sense of adventure and fun. No matter what my life presents me with I feel genuinely energised and extremely grateful to be able to share my work with others. I'm excited share my tool kit with you! So, I would like to ask you... What might happen if you stopped for 10 minutes. Closed your eyes, and just breathed? What might happen if you committed to change one bad habit this week? Make a list of a few 'bad habits' or negative patterns of behaviour. Smoking, drinking too much? Laughing at other people? Getting sucked into work politics? Feeling obliged to fix things for other people when you are depleted and tired yourself? And now pick one to challenge yourself with this week. You don’t have to conquer the world or your whole list in a week. Just try combatting one thing you do that bothers you and see what happens. Explore the challenge. Don’t beat yourself up if you fail. Try again if you want to, or pick another one from your list. In what ways could you be more loving, compassionate and forgiving to yourself? If you are stuck ask yourself "what small things make me happy?" Again make a list and commit to at least one thing this week. Then repeat! Sign up for Charlotte's upcoming "Relax & Resparkle" - a Yoga & Life Coaching Retreat event from 27 August - 2 September, 2017! For more information about Charlotte check out our 2016 interview with her. And don't forget to visit her wonderful website: http://www.thehappyhunt.com/

Suncokret's 2017 Visiting Teacher Blog Series, Part 3 ​I’d like to reflect on healing today and share some realizations and experiences about the role of connecting with the heart and developing self-love, which have empowered my own personal life journey a lot. Life itself and some teachers who have crossed my path have inspired me to expand my viewpoint on healing and what it actually means. Today I understand that healing has a lot to do with realization. Many people are in state of searching for healing, sometimes for many years, as if in a loop, and they never arrive at the end goal. Searching can keep one in a stuck state of exhausting paddling, trying different methods to “get” healed. My personal experience has shown me that the more I am able to let go of the idea that I need to be healed and instead just start to love myself as I am, I experience more well-being on all levels and a return to a deep sense of being whole, in spite of any symptoms I may have on the physical, mental or emotional level. ​​There was a time in my life where I thought I needed to fix something, I needed to heal, or needed to change. I was practicing hard to do this, sometimes a few hours a day, but underneath I had this deep feeling that an important element was missing or I just hadn’t understood something key yet. I felt a lot of energy, felt vital and healthy on the body level, while at the same time I experienced physical symptoms of imbalance and my emotional level didn´t change. Then slowly a realization started to unfold; as I started to connect with myself on a deeper level, started listening inward and accepting myself more, started following joy and inspiration and not what I thought I should do, things started to shift naturally. I understood that the healing I was searching for was about shifting my perception to a state of understanding that I am whole already, as I am, in any given moment, with all my scars, all the present circumstances or symptoms, with everything. Nothing had to change around me first in order to allow a connection to the stream of well-being and health that exists. I am connected already to the infinite source and I am in the right place, everything is right as it is, I am right as I am. That was a big “wow”. When I experienced that shift, I started to be more happy without reason, to do what I love, to worry less, to connect more with others more, give more, share more, and to consciously turn feelings of fear into excitement - that’s a great exercise I can highly recommend - and to just follow my instinctive impulses, which arise from deep within. One of these clear impulses last year brought me to the place I now live; I just trusted and followed those messages and now enjoy a happy flow feeling. ​​It´s not always easy to shift into this kind of state but I have come to realize it is exactly this that brings the changes I am looking for. Oftentimes, we make things too complicated; we worry too much, think too much, care too much about how other may see us. Walking the path with Zhineng Qigong, Meditation and Yin Yoga practices motivates and helps me to shift consciously my perception and attitude, my attention and intention from separation and “lack beliefs” to unity, love, gratitude, and wholeness, into the light, into a state of being happy without reason, of embracing everything that is, of experiencing that I am source. Ever since choosing to follow this pathway, I have gained greater love for life itself, and I feel loved by life and the Universe like never before. To experience this love is wholeness for me. The mind only sees a part of something, while the heart and soul see the whole picture. ​​​​Walking this way does not always feel easy; I also find that some patterns, especially some old family patterns, come from old deep wounds, which start to bleed and hurt again and again. But they are all part of my reference system, which help me to experience that all happiness arises from this progress – the walking of all these different pathways, through valleys and mountains, through growing and dying, again and again, through letting go and releasing the known and diving into the unknown field of possibilities. Life is a big open and closed, contracting and expanding force. ​​ ​​I love walking this path and practice staying in this open, trusting state and letting go of fears. Fear is the root of most obstacles. This year I offer two August events at Suncokret. The first one I call " Recharge & Shine ,” which will enrich your practice through opening new doors of self-and-body-awareness. A lot of Zhineng Qigong movements that we will practice activate the spine, they feel round and wavy, we move our body as if moving through water. Yin Yoga allows you to become still and just listen inward. Both practices open the mind and the body structure from the inside, and both help increase the overall energy flow and exchange from you and nature, so, in essence, the event will help recharge and enhance your natural inner shine. ​​Those who would like to dive deeper into self healing are welcome to join my second week, which is entitled " Sourcehealing .” I used the word “source” because in fact it is about remembering and allowing ourselves to be source and experience this connection. Sourcehealing is the process of allowing one self to become aware of the inner silence, the inner spaciousness, and the connection with the infinite sea of energy, information and potential that exists around and within. Healing is in fact the act of “coming home” to oneself. The morning practices and exercises in this week are partially like those in the first, thought now we allow ourselves to dive more into them. The evenings will be used to explore healing meditations and experience energy work. Taking time for allowing a relaxed, open state to unfold, and observing this space with a happy mind state. Practicing in an open, curious way, like children and practicing in or surrounded by nature can enhance this feeling of connection to nature, to one another, to oneself, and to the whole Universe and the one infinite source beyond creation and consciousness. Life is so exciting, like a huge playground! Check out Anita's upcoming August events: 13-19 August, 2017 Recharge & Shine - Yin Yoga and Zhineng Qigong Retreat 20 - 26 August, 2017 Sourcehealing - a Deep dive Yin Yoga and Zhineng Qigong Immersion Retreat Learn more about Anita's journey in our 2016 blog interview and also on her website: www.qi-connected.com

​ Suncokret's 2017 Visiting Teacher Blog Series, Part 2 ​“Ghee is the elixir of life. It increases ojas in the body and makes the mind sattvic – tranquil and peaceful. A sacred food from Mother Cow, ghee maintains the health of our maternal memory. Perform the Ghee-making sadhana as a meditation. Feed, feast, and nurture body, mind, spirit with the aroma and sounds of this golden nourishment.” — Maya Tiwari founder of Wise Earth School of Ayurveda There is nothing more meditative and relaxing to me than to touch nature with my own hands and so I’ve always been interested in anything to do with cooking and food preparation from childhood. It’s no wonder then, when I was introduced to cooking from a sadhana perspective in Ayurveda, specially at times of distress years ago, that I started consuming Ghee (purchasing from my then Ayurveda Teacher, Matthew Remski, who made top quality wholesome Ghee). Making Ghee, especially on a full moon, is a ritual that I have followed for years that has helped me in my mind/body health tremendously. Ghee is not merely food or oil but an alchemy; a conveyor of esoteric nutrients, if you will. If you approach Ghee-making as regular cooking, the result will be less than desirable! Far from a recent food “trend,” Ghee is ancient food and medicine; It pushes nutrients in our food further into our tissues and helps assimilate them. So think about it as a sacred digestion optimizer! It adds “Ojas” (or immunity) to our body. It can be used as a skin nourishing oil, too. Apply to the little finger and oil inside your nostrils for a refreshed and hydrated breath. The latest trends toward buying Ghee from a health food store at a high cost is disturbing in so many ways: The benefits of taking Ghee start from the moment you start making your own ghee and not just when you ingest it; The healing starts from the moment you set your intention on gathering your ingredients (whether growing your own or purchasing them); For this reason, I highly recommend that everyone participates in the whole spectrum of this nutritious and sacred food by making their own and it is easy to make! For me personally, making Ghee has symbolized transformation. When I make Ghee, each time I observe and I remember my own personal transformation. As the butter melts, boils, bubbles and makes sounds, I too am reminded of the most challenging parts of my journey in the past five years. After all, I left a successful corporate style career in engineering to dedicate my life to helping others heal. The path was full of unexpected turns and twists and what kept my feet on the ground was performing simple rituals of cooking, and especially preparing Ghee. The one trick I find while making Ghee that will determine if we make good ghee or not (as it always varies dependent on the quality of butter and other factors) is to ONLY make Ghee and not multitask; every single time I cooked Ghee alongside another dish, it turned out to be a waste and the end result was not good Ghee! Focus, concentration and a meditative atmosphere is required: another reason I don’t purchase but make my own Ghee as I simply do not know what state of mind the maker had during their preparations. I hope this post serves as inspiration for you to make your own Ghee with me. We will be making Ghee on our select retreats this summer at Suncokret which will be wholesome experience within this beautiful retreat setting. View upcoming events with Bahareh Hosseini: 9 - 15 July Ayurvedic Yoga, On the Mat - a Holistic Wellness Retreat, with Bahareh Hosseini 16 - 22 July Embodied Wellness, On and Off the Mat - A Physical and Psychospiritual Yoga & Ayurveda Immersion Retreat with Bahareh Hosseini 23 - 29 July Moon Magic, Practices that Reconnect Us to Our Feminine Power - A Women's Wellness Retreat with Bahareh Hosseini 10 - 16 September Shakti Healing & Hormone Harmony - Holistic Yoga & Ayurvedic Retreat for Women with Bahareh Hosseini and Evening-Marie 17 - 23 September Autumn Equinox Holistic Detox Retreat with Evening Marie & Bahareh Hosseini Instructions on Making Gee at Home: Start with a clean and organized kitchen; Ensure your countertop and stove are are clear of all except the following items: Ingredients: 2 sticks of organic, preferably butter from grass-fed cows (250 grams is a good amount) 1 medium size heavy stainless steel saucepan 1 stainless steel spoon A Cheesecloth or Sieve A glass storage jar (mason jar) Wash the saucepan, spoon, and storage very well and ensure no detergent is left on them; Better yet, use boiling water to sterilize all equipment. Melt the butter in the saucepan over a low flame. This is important because otherwise it will burn before it becomes ghee! Continue to heat until it boils gently and a foam rises to the surface. It will begin smelling like popcorn. No stirring of the melted butter or the foam; Let the ghee cook gently until the foam thickens and settles to the bottom of the pan as sediment. Over time the sounds of popping will slow down and get fewer and far between. When the ghee turns a golden color and begins to boil silently, with only a trace of air bubbles on the surface, it is done. Once it is cool, pour the liquid into a clean glass jar through a cheesecloth or a sieve, making sure that the sediment remains on the bottom of the pan. The sediment may be eaten as a snack mixed with Indian guar; Sucanat or brown sugar! The jar of Ghee you have just made is shelf stable so no need to refrigerate; It will solidify and keep for days months or years; In fact old Ghee is therapeutic in that it gains potency as it ages.
Here’s a video for you as well: http://bit.ly/2m9NRsh Ghee Recipe Inspiration from Wise Earth School of Ayurveda and Living Ahimsa Diet Book by Maya Tiwari~ More info: http://wiseearth.com/ This post is labeled Part 2 in Suncokret's 2017 Visiting Teacher Blog Series. See the series introduction page here . Learn more about Bahareh - See our 2016 interview with her here !

Suncokret's 2017 Visiting Teacher Blog Series, Part 1 I am sitting on my bed overlooking the huge trees surrounding the Hindu temple in the wonderful Chinmaya Ashram in India (Kerala) just some days before my Advanced Yoga Teacher Training starts. Sometimes I wonder why I always come back here, every year I feel the need, the urge to come back “home”. ​​Home to India, where the air is full of Prana, the people still believe in something, where the spirituality is tangible and the atmosphere is charged with an intense amount of energy. You can feel it, the energy, and it has an instant effect on my whole being. I start breathing slower, walking slower, perceiving everything around me; I feel all the elements surrounding me, I feel myself again. I am home. The same happens when I arrive in Croatia to teach my wonderful Yoga Retreat weeks at Suncokret Body & Soul Retreat. Then I feel so blessed to teach Yoga at amazing, stunning and special places, to introduce new ideas and topics to the retreat participants. At Suncokret, I find there is plenty of time to get connected to nature and to all the wonderful people I meet on retreat. Where was I for the last few months? Was I just working and functioning on autopilot? And why do I feel the need to travel and combine my Yoga training and teaching with it? So many questions cross through my mind... Every year I need to work hard to make time for some time-out - these one or two months away from home. I need to find a substitute for all my adult and children’s Yoga classes; a lot of organizational effort is involved. Many of my Graphic Design clients panic about my being away for such a long time, although I tell them all in advance that I go to India every year in February or March… And every year I rent out my apartment during my time abroad, which also involves a lot of time and effort. Funny enough, for the last two years, I’ve always rented it out to Indian couples. It its like somehow I am helping them to get settled and find a home in Germany, and they are helping me to get back to my core and come back home and to myself in India in order to refresh my knowledge and get new impulses for teaching. Renting house is like moving house every year: you empty your cupboards, you look at everything twice. Do I still need that? Is that still necessary for me? And then you find yourself with loads and loads of boxes marked “fleemarket,” “donations,” “friends,” and so on. Like this, I empty my life, bit by bit, from the things I do not need any longer. A wise person once said, “a hiker only needs what he can carry.” And that is what I feel like. Emptying my apartment and myself from loads and loads of old deposits. Is that the reason why I travel so much? Why am I taking my Yoga courses mainly in India? And how is travelling influencing my Yoga practice and teaching? Am I getting prepared for something? Maybe, subconsciously, it is just that. Every year coming back to India - and that stands for all the travels I do throughout the year - is like pressing the reset button of my computer. Travelling brings me back to zero, back to my starting point, back to my every day Sadhana, back to myself. I admire people who get on their yoga mat every day doing their Asanas and meditation, their daily practice. They seem to have an inherant Tapas, or discipline, that helps them keep up effortlessly. When I return back from India, I have that Tapas, too; I am reset, doing Meditation every morning, taking my time to get reconnected to my source. I feel connected. And then, as they year passes and as life kicks in each day, I find myself getting lazy with my Sadhana, doing my daily Chakra cleanings while on the train on my way to work or just before a Yoga class, in a less focused and disciplined way. It is as if, by the end of each year, I am just functioning, like on some kind of auto-pilot, not living my life consciously. But I know that this will change again with my next journey to India (or next travels to a warm, sunny and spiritual place like Suncokret). And so Yoga and travelling help me to get reconnected. ​​By being in beautiful nature, when I can feel and see the sunrise through the window of my bedroom, I feel the instant wish to get up early, lay out my Yoga mat and get started. In such places it just makes so much sense to sing the Surya Namaskar Mantra, thanking father sun for his light and energy, and to do a wonderful Pranayama out in the fresh air. And doing meditation at the beach is just amazing! And that is what I take back into every day life, images of singing the sun mantra with my closed eyes, visualizing the rising sun, feeling the warmth on my skin and listening to the sound of waves rolling yet again and again.... All this I bring back with me into my classes and to my Yoga students, too. ​​My students benefit from my experiences, from the new and inspiring lessons I have learned, they profit from the wonderful teachers I have met on my travels and the new influences flowing into my own Yoga practice and classes. So my life is a curve, a spiritual curve, from the more connected days to the less, but in the end it always swings back to the right measure, thanks to my time abroad. And the curves get less steep, more balanced and less like too high or too low, as this is what life brings with, that is how life goes. It is polarity, it is ups and downs but with Yoga the waves get less troublesome. We can encounter the depths better, look at them consciously, standing back like a witness and observe what is coming up. Yoga helps us to enjoy the highs in a better way, to be aware and grateful for the beautiful days in our lives. Check out Daniela's upcoming events: 1 - 17 June, 2017 Divine Yoga - Journey to the God-dess Within 18-24 June, 2017 Inner Beauty Blossoming with Yoga & Nature - a yoga summer solstice event 25 June - 01 July, 2017 Yoga & Creativity - Unleash Your Creative Potential Learn more about Daniela in our 2016 and 2015 blog interviews! Return to the 2017 Visiting Teacher Blog Series Introduction page and menu .

Before endeavouring upon a retreat journey, most people will find it useful to learn all about the retreat; its location, facilities, services on offer, programs, itinerary and, perhaps most importantly, about the teacher(s) leading the event they are considering taking part in. Most specifically, they may want to know what makes the teacher qualified to lead others down a particular pathway; what makes them the go-to expert in the topic they are presenting and sharing with others? It is no secret that an authentic, life-enhancing retreat experience can best be led by those who "walk the talk". It is through life experience itself - and not just the amount of classroom hours spent, not the textbooks or theory studied, not the certificate on the wall, or the name and reputation of the teacher(s) / studios studied with - that brings us our most rewarding and life-altering lessons that shape us into teachers or retreat leaders. Life has the potential to either stifle and defeat us or graciously mold us into the expert of our own greatest challenges. If stifled, we remain a student of a particular life lesson(s). However, if our challenges are reflected upon with clarity and compassion, then met by us with courage and and positive action, they can be transformed into priceless treasures that bring us empowerment and greater wisdom. Once such wisdom is gained, it is then that we may find ourselves playing the part of a teacher or guide. After all, a teacher is really a student of life; one who can lead as a result of already having forged a way through darkness to higher ground. A teacher is one who can shine the light of understanding, compassion and wisdom, and who inspires and empowers those who face similar issues to move forward in their own journey of personal transformation by sharing tried and true tools along with graceful guidance. Being a teacher is not a job; it's a right of passage that should be entrusted to those who have walked down the path of adversity with the courage to discover a new doorway. Those are the kind of individuals we bring to you as retreat leaders at Suncokret. And so, it is with this in mind, that I have invited our visiting events teachers to reflect upon and share with our readers an inspirational story based on their own life journey that shines a light on how their own life experiences have shaped their understanding and mastery of the event topic(s) they are leading during our annual summer festival of co-hosted holistic yoga events. The series is divided into four consecutive parts, which will be shared weekly throughout the month of March as follows: 5 March, Part 1: "Spiraling Full Circle: How travel inspires my creativity, connection to nature and divine living yoga experience." - by Daniela Dippong 12 March, Part 2: - " Full Moon Ritual: How a simple but profound Ayurvedic sadhana of making Ghee helped transform my approach to life and healing ."- by Bahareh Hosseini 19 March, Part 3: - "Sourcehealing - a reflection on healing and how my practices help me to walk the path of wholeness and heart-connection " - by Anita Ilicic 26 March, Part 4: " Relax & Resparkle: The true story of a young woman’s journey into yogic living & personal development." - by Charlotte Hunt Happy reading friends! May you find truth, wisdom, inspiration and empowerment in these stories, too!

This week I got to chatting with Baharej about her upcoming event from 4-10 September entitled Shakti Healing - A Women's Yoga and Ayurveda Wellness Retreat. Bahareh, can you tell us more about your background? I’m an Acupuncturist/ Shiatsu Therapist and wellness educator. I help women feel whole again via Yoga, Ayurveda/Chinese Medicine and in general more wholesome practices. A big part of my practice has been dedicated to helping women reconnect with their femininity and to find healing within their own power. I work extensively with women in corporate settings through my Employee Wellness company which provides services onsite at workplaces. Wow, that sounds amazing! How did you get into it? I began my career as an engineer working in electricity production ( Nuclear power!) at the age of 25. I started taking yoga classes at my local studio and after a year my teacher encouraged me to take Yoga Teacher’s training. She told me that I would never know where that would take me. That intrigued me and I joined right away and studied with Ruth Vandervoort (http://www.synergymovement.ca/) in her home studio in a small intimate setting learning how to teach; It was just what I needed and the training was authentic and as far away from corporate life as possible. I started teaching part time right away and also studying Ayurveda while working full time; But still something was missing and 2-3 corporate jobs later I decided that it was time to change my path in life completely. I always saw life and career as very connected and I wanted to integrate the two more and that was not possible with a corporate career path. So I embarked on full time studies in Shiatsu Therapy and Acupuncture which took another 4-5 years. What an incredible transformational journey you've been on. Can you describe what your life was like before going down this holistic pathway? I was detached from my body and spending much more time in my head. I was more restricted and didn’t feel as free to be who I am. What would you say is the one greatest thing you've learned? Awareness of my own life/self and compassion towards all others. What else would you do if you had the opportunity? Learn to sing! What was your most embarrassing class teaching / group event experience? When I taught hundreds of participants in the middle of a major mall in Toronto; for Lululemon! I didn’t do anything wrong per se but felt out of place at that time; I was only used to studios and it was a nerve wracking experience for me! What was your best class teaching / group event experience? When I taught to seniors at a retirement residence; Very simple moves but profound effects on their mind and bodies. They were the sweetest students and very appreciative of my presence and classes. Besides these beautiful practices that you get up to, what is your favorite thing? Being outdoors, hiking, walking, biking and Swimming! Being immersed in the sea makes me feel so free. That’s one reason why I love Croatia so much! What do you hope participants will gain by attending your event at Suncokret? I hope that the participants can take away the following: Be able to use yoga and their self-healing process through the retreat as means to then feel more connected to their own lives and destinies Be able to take away concrete and practical simple every day practices that enhance their mind and body wellness Reconnect with their own sacred feminine Shakti energy and be able to tap into that when in need of extra support. Feel empowered and full of potential as a woman. Beautiful memories, friendships and connections that will last for years to come! How did you come up with the Shakti Healing event theme you are leading at Suncokret? Having worked with women in wellness as well as studied Ayurveda ( Wise Earth Ayurveda, specifically, which is a feminine-based model) I realized that these approaches to trust our Shakti as women is missing in the current male-dominated approach to teaching and practicing yoga ( not “men” but “male” as an energy). I am inspired to help women realize their true power and be able to use that for their self-healing as well as life decisions beyond the yoga mat. Why would attending your particular event be beneficial to the participants who join? Learn from someone who has embodied the practices for years and has been able to transform her own life Be able to learn in an integrated way various traditional medicine practices in self-healing from someone with extensive and diverse cultural and educational background Be able to learn very simple practices easily integrated into daily life that have a profound effect on overall our wellness Learn specific yoga Asanas (based on Ayurvedic Medicine) for your home practices that are seasonal and condition-specific to support you Is there any ideal way retreat participants can better prepare themselves for their retreat time with you? Come with an open mind and willingness to learn from each other. Be prepared to use hands-on touch and practice on yourself and each other. The retreat participates will be the ones who make it a retreat; By participating and working with one another. that is why same retreat experience can never be replicated and each will form in a unique way. At the end of the event week, what is the one thing you hope retreat participants will walk away feeling? That they are the ones with all the power to heal themselves and help heal others in their communities. What are your plans for the future? My hubby is Croatian and I am Iranian-Canadian. We love traveling and we have decided to settle in Croatia as our base. I love this part of the world and the ability to be closer to nature here…. also it is closer to my home country of Iran and I want to reconnect with my fellow Iranian women. The reason being that, in that part of the world, feminine energy has been suppressed for generations and I feel I can contribute and help them reconnect with it with the teachings that I have been gifted with. I hope to be able to host retreats and travel events with them and also other women in the future specially here in Croatia. So exciting! We are really honored to have you participate in our visiting teacher lineup for 2016 and look very much forward to learning from and sharing with you! Interested in learning more? Check out our Shakti Healing Events Page for Bahareh's upcoming event and hope to see you then!

We welcome back former guest and guest-teacher, Chloé Bovay, to Suncokret late this summer. For the second year in a row, Chloe will be leading an exclusive event in French entitled "Precision and Flow". Dearest Chloe, can you tell our readers more about what you have been up to since your retreat with us last summer? After the retreat at Suncokret, I took a break last summer and did a trip to New York. Travelling is important for me, both inside and outside... I love to discover, to observe, to immerge myself in a different places and cultures. My soul has always told me the next place to go... When I come back home, I always feel nurtured by my trip, and more centered. Then I went back to Geneva where I have been teaching the whole year. It has been a very special year for me. Very introspective, meditative, with daily walks in forest... I’ve spent a lot of time alone, walking in nature, reading, feeling connected with something within, which ended up with more serenity. ​ ​What are your fondest memories of the retreat week you lead at Suncokret last year? Maybe the last class/practice outside, in this wonderful place, an old abandoned village... It was quite magical. What was the biggest challenge? The biggest challenge was to teach a whole week with the same group, to take them from one point to the other (I usually teach weekly classes). We all arrived pretty exhausted - the students and me. At the end of the week I could see that the faces had changed, and it was the most beautiful gift. ​​What are you bringing to the table this year that is different from last year? More confidence. From this autumn, I’ve felt guided in my teaching by some higher power, I feel more humble and more confident at the same time. I don’t doubt in my way as a yoga teacher anymore. Of course, I am always learning, going to classes myself. But, besides that, and due to deep personal work (which includes meditation, walks, readings and of course seeking help when needed), I feel much more connected with myself, more peaceful. What are you currently reading, learning, and growing from? I am currently reading all the books of Marianne Williamson. I feel that I’ve found my spiritual teacher! And even if she is not a yogi, the concepts she is speaking about will influence the message of my teaching, as it is influencing me. I feel much more serene since I started reading her books, especially « A year of miracles », which contains one page to read every morning throughout the course of one year. For the page of my website concerning the summer retreat I lead last year, I had already chosen a quote which I found later in this book, too (I guess it is not a coincidence): “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein So, you might have guessed, the key word of my retreat this year will be « Miracle ». I hope this week will help all of us to open our eyes a bit more widely to the miracles around us, and mainly the miracle within. You know, this small voice within who always knows what to do and what not to do, what to say... Our inner guidance, inner wisdom. For me this invisible world within is not in contradiction with the physical practice of yoga, which I do need and love a lot. Working on the body, with the body, allows us to see and feel beyond the bodies (physical, energetic, emotional...) that is the mystery and the beauty of yoga. To share my love of this mystery is the beauty and the gift of my life. ​ ​Tell us more about your pathway as a yoga student turned teacher, perhaps something about your favorite teacher… My first yoga teacher, Solar Pope, teaches in Geneva. I felt in love with her pragmatism and spirituality at the same time, and that’s always for me the key point: « spirituality » is not something high above us, but lies in every of our cells, here and now, within... I didn’t know at that time that I would be able to share this truth later, and it took me time to have more confidence in myself... As I said I consider it a gift to be able to do it. In my own way, with my own words, as the truth never reveals itself exactly the same through different individuals, that’s the proof of the diversity and abundance of the universe. Even if we are all speaking about the same truth. Same truth, different and unique perspectives on it. Is there any spiritual / yogic literature that you most appreciate and why? I’ve loved the Bhagavad Gita long before to practice yoga, and wrote an article about it (in French): http://www.yoganova.fr/et-pour-toi-cest-quoi-le-yoga/ How will this year's event be different from last year's and who is the event appropriate for? ​​The frame of the asanas practice will be more or less the same, even if I never teach the same class twice, and it will include variations taken from the classes I’ve been following during this year and my own practice. On the philosophical level, it will be quite different: as I said, it will be influenced and infused by what I’ve learned all year long (and what I am still learning, as it is a continuous process). I’d like to help the participants to connect more with their inner voice, this miraculous voice of wisdom that lies within everyone (when we are listening ;-)) and always tells us who to be, what to do, and especially how to find our special place and purpose in the big picture of life. What can we expect to learn by attending the "Recognizing Miracles, Precision and Flow" event? To go a bit further in the practice of asanas, with precision on the physical level and more strength when needed, but also to learn to listen to what is more appropriate for oneself: on and off the mat. ​​Is there anything else you’d like to share with us? I am more and more grateful of my path as a teacher in general, but also to be able to come to teach in Suncokret Body and Soul Retreat. I will now tell you a secret: when I first came to Dol two years ago to follow your retreat, at the end of the week my wish to the Universe was to be able to teach one day in a similar place (of course I was not thinking of YOUR place), so when you asked me a few months later if I wanted to come to teach in Suncokret, I had to admit that the Universe had heard my wish and had been even more generous to me than what I had dared to hope! I am very happy to come back for a second time as a teacher this summer. What a great blessing to be able to support your journey as a teacher and to assist you in your pathway to share the teachings and inspire others in our beautiful place. We are looking forward to having you back again, dear Chloe! See you soon! Namaste! For more information about this event, please see: http://www.yoga-sur-les-voies.ch/stage-dete-en-croatie/

So Ben, it's been almost a year since we last met. What have you been up to since then, anything exciting? Yes, I did a lot of Yoga Workshops in Germany, organized my first Zazenkai (a kind of meditation gathering that takes place during a Zen Buddhist retreat). And I went to the Sauna a lot! Also, since my new book came out (Letters from my Garden), I gave readings in bookstores. You can find information about that on my facebook page here: “ RAKI Writer, Poet, Traveler ”. Have you done anything exciting lately that has influenced the way you look at life or teach and share yoga? I did massages and Contact Improvisation this winter, which helped me gain a new understanding of the body. I was involved in the daily Yoga classes of a new Yoga studio, thought some classes for 22 people, and some Meditation classes for 6 or 7 people. It helped me grow in many ways as a teacher. Reflect on last year’s event: What are your fondest memories of the retreat week(s) you lead at Suncokret last year? The beautiful and happy group and sitting in the evenings with some students, sharing life stories. What are you currently reading, learning, growing from? I bought a book of Saadi, the rosegarden; a classic from the Persian time. But daily life is still the best field of learning. Tell us more about your favorite teacher(s) and how they have influenced you most / what you remember most about them / what you appreciated most about their teaching style or their personality, etc..? I've met a lot of teachers over the years. But still, my first teacher, quite unknown, is in my memory and had the most influence on me. He practiced a clear and creative form of Yoga, every class was different; the base of all was Zazen, Zen Mediation. Is there any spiritual / yogic literature that you most appreciate and why? I avoid spiritual literature and prefer the practice. But recently I read an interesting book about Hara, from Dürkheim. What are you currently reading, learning, doing to improve your practice or understanding of yoga (or holistic well being)? I sit in meditation daily, in the mornings and evenings, in stillness. I don´t know a better practice. Reflect on your upcoming retreat event weeks at Suncokret: What inspired you to create the themes this year? Mainly, my teaching contribution during both event weeks, including " Time for Silence " and the " Yoga Grape Harvest and Autumn Equinox Celebration " is focused on Yoga and Zen Meditation. I believe that Meditation is the heart of all Yoga practice, so I´m happy to offer such teachings at Suncokret. Is there anything you would like to say (any advice you’d like to give) to returning students from last year or to students who are considering signing up for your event this year? Yes, to the students from last year: you must come back - It was too much fun! – To new students: don´t think too much, and come as you are. Is there anything else you’d like to share with us? We are going to do some Contact Improvisation during my first event week. Join us for this beautiful dance experience. Even Augustinus from Hippo, a christian philosopher, sais: ´O human, learn to dance, or the angels don´t know what to do with you.` We're looking forward, Ben. Thanks for sharing!

This season we are excited to welcome yet another new addition to our gifted and diverse teaching team at Suncokret, Anita Ilicic, a yogini-turned-Zhening-Qigong-teacher. Tell us a little about yourself; what else do you do besides teach Qigong / Yoga ? ​​Besides the weekly classes I teach, I work in a small Cafe where I take care of the breakfast service part. I love fresh, organic food and love to experiment with green smoothies and jammy fruit mueslis. For me, a colorful, healthy breakfast spreads a sunny mood into each cell of my body and mind - perfect to start the day - so I enjoy this work where I can use my creativity for preparing decorative, tasty, and healthy food for others. Hum... I'm getting excited about your influence on our breakfast menu already, Anita! Another important element for me is nature; even right now I live in a smaller city in Germany and I take advantage of every green or nature spot, to dive-in with bare feet and feel mother earth melting with my soles. Going for hikes or walks in the woods, driving around on a bicycle, just sitting beside a tree listening to the vivid sounds of nature, or enjoying all the color and form facets of the sky, always helps me feel deeply connected and alive. I love playing the never boring game of just lying on my back gazing into the deep vast blue sky... Also, for many years now, every winter for 6 weeks I work at a Christmas market. This job is fast, very active, vivid, stressful, challenging, but also fun and just an interesting contrast for me. I use these few weeks every year to practice staying centered and aware while working and while everyone and everything around me is rushing and focused outwards. During my Qigong study time in China we went often to public places for practice. I experienced that practicing in a loud, public place trains your mind to focus and be stable; it can relay enhance and deepen the practice tremendously. I enjoy living, experiencing and embracing all different facets of myself. Wow, what contrasting things you get up to, indeed! Tell us, Anita, was your life very different before you took up Yoga and Qigong? Actually my life itself was not much different before. I always felt drawn to exploring, was interested in trying out different jobs, traveling a lot, spending a lot of time outside in nature... My life always felt as if it was continuously changing up and down like waves of an ocean, sometimes smoothly rolling, sometimes turbulently moving... What really changed over the past few years is my viewpoint or core feeling about life and how I react to it. Life is dynamic and forever changing, it´s just a universal law, it´s meant to be like this, nothing is static, constant. I was aware of this concept before but in real life often my mood would change easily, was very dependent on outside circumstances. Now I think it´s all about learning to surf the waves. I am grateful for life itself, in every shape it presents itself to me, I experience that my inside is reflecting and influencing my outside. All this has brought more inner harmony into my life. ​ ​What would you say is the one best thing about Zhineng Qigong ? As I said I really love the practice because it teaches you how to surf the waves of live. It helped me to feel more at home in my body, to relax on a deep cellular level. Also there is a difference between feeling inside the body -what I learned through yoga - and to experience the body really from the inside, to experience it as an energy body and feel this energy move, flow or stagnate. You really become more present, more aware about what´s going on inside the body, the mind, your emotions. You start to experience how everything is connected and influences everything else like your thoughts, your feelings, your posture, so naturally you start to release attachments, start changing your viewpoints about life. It brings out gratefulness and leads to wellbeing and more lightness. I've learned to accept myself as I am in the present moment, learned that there is an inner source of joy, health, abundance, my heart space. I feel more connected with myself and, through this, also more connected with others. Zhineng Qigong is about experiencing entirety, about connecting and expanding, outwards and inwards. It´s enhancing and enriching other practices like Yoga, Taiji, and others. That´s what I love about it. Also Zhineng Qigong practice really enhances the immune system and just restores one's life energy. During my Yoga-focused years, I would still catch a cold mostly in wintertime or had lower back pain and other symptoms, but since I started practicing Qigong on a daily basis, I haven´t experienced these things anymore. Wow, that's quite amazing. I bet a lot of people would be keen on having a similar result from taking up the Qigong practice! Speaking of which, what do you hope the participants will gain by attending your event at Suncokret? What one gains by attending a retreat depends on their personal mindset. If you come with an open mind you can gain something for yourself from any experience. The change from disease to ease, stiffness to lightness, unhappiness to happiness, all are a natural flow which one experiences throughout life and also during practice. During healing awareness meditations, the mind can calm down, become empty, quiet. Students can experience grounding during these meditations and create new space inside. Every class I offer will start by going inward, relaxing, just observing. During the event, I will invite participants to practice slow flowing movements which work on opening the whole body structure from deep within. When the inside structure opens more, becomes softer and more flexible, the energy flow increases and you naturally feel more energized and strong. We'll enjoy performing movements with an awake, observant mind. Some exercises like the crane's walk will help increase inner and outer stability and balance. We'll also feel how different movements influence the mind and emotions. I hope during this week participants will gain some tools to feel more relaxed, connected inward and outward, focused, aware and energized, all of which are precious, transformational keys for life. I welcome everyone to practice meditation, Zhineng Qigong movements and Yin style yoga asanas. It will be a week full of Ying and Yang. Another aim is to share and create a space for feeling well, expanding, co-creating and exploring, of opening our hearts, of experiencing the lifting effect of a group energy practice, feeling our inner smile expanding, our inner light re-sparkling, spending a nice time together and recharging ourselves during this time at this beautiful place. A new experience can open new doors, so I hope everyone will be open to giving it a try! Is there any ideal way retreat participants can better prepare themselves for the Let Your Sun Shine with Yin Yoga and Zhineng Qigong Event Week with you? Just come as you are is the best way to start this week; try to relax and to meet yourself with an inner smile. At the end of the event week, what is the one thing you hope retreat participants will walk away feeling? I hope they leave feeling more energized by an enhanced body awareness, a calm mind and relaxed body that are connected with the inner source which connects us all and flows through everything, so they can be more at ease with themselves. Thank you, Anita, for taking the time to help us understand you, your passions and mission better. We're really looking forward to experiencing the benefits of Zhineng Qigong and Yin Yoga under your guidance this August!

I've been following your blog for years now, and have always been enertained, inspired and motivated by the viewpoints, tips and open-hearted honesty shared through your writing. It's very exciting for me to have you become a part of the Suncokret dream and team! And now I'd like to ask you to tell our readers a little more about yourself; what else do you do besides teach yoga? I am a single-working-selfemployedyogateacher-stayathomemum. I like to walk, and jog when possible, to get out in the fresh air and breath! And to create all sorts of random home sewn & crocheted things. From eye-pillows, to bunting, to tea cosies, often wonky and always made with love! Good food, friends and family, in person and on Skype. One day, when Henry is a little older, I am sure I will ski again. Learning to ski as an adult really helped me get to the root of my fears, because I struggled so much it is something I find quite empowering now. It reinforces so many of the positive changes that I made in my late 20's, as well as being fun. And I love to garden, I just don’t have one at the moment! How did you get into yoga? I had dabbled a little in my early 20's. A few years later I went on a course where they did a simple warm up meditation practice. The next day a muscle in my neck went into spasm and I realised my body was reacting to the meditation! I looked online and found Kundalini Yoga. And have never looked back. ​​What was your life like before you started down this pathway? Stressful. I smoked, and drank too much. I was not always very good at protecting my personal boundaries and at times this got me into trouble. I was always busy racing around. I had lots of fun too. I was definitely lacking in focus, without a true sense of purpose. My prana was pinging all over the place. What would you say is the one best thing about your yogic lifestyle? For me having Yoga is like having an unshakable faith. In humanity, myself, the universe. You. I never feel lonely, or lost, or lacking. Now when life throws me a lemon, I pop it in some hot water and use it as a cleanse! It might take me a little time to contemplate my lemon. Sometimes I need to have a moan. And then I come back to my yoga. It helps me adjust relationships, work, rest, wherever that lemon has come from. And realign with confidence. Always. What else would you do if you had the opportunity? I honestly have no idea! What do you hope participants will gain by attending your event at Suncokret? In a nut shell.... relaxation and a plan to co-create more of the good stuff they want in their life. I hope participants will come have fun and simply relax! It is, after all, a holiday. The retreat will be filled with discussion, yoga, guided meditation and the invitation to journal. All aimed at helping everyone understand where negativity and stress might be holding them back, and how we can turn this around, create new positive boundaries and patterns of behavior, and manifest a more authentic and positive life. And have fun. How did you come up with the Relax and Resparkle event theme? My own practice is rooted in relaxation, and it is something I work with people a great deal with in my coaching and yoga offerings. Because of this experience I created a workshop for a wellbeing area at a music festival 3 years ago. More and more people asked for it, so it became an e-book, a class, a workshop. And now a retreat! It is such a huge exciting honor to have to opportunity to offer the concept in a full and immersive form. This week will contain so much more of the work that the more condensed forms of the theme have been able too. This feels like the opportunity to really deliver the whole shibang! Is there any ideal way retreat participants can better prepare themselves for their retreat time with you? It might be useful if they simply had a good think about where they want to create more space to move into in their lives. What is no longer working and what you want in its place. We will spend a little time looking at breaking old patterns and releasing stress, so anything they can do to build awareness of these things will help. At the end of the event week, what is the one thing you hope retreat participants will walk away feeling? ​​ I hope participants will walk away feeling more aligned with their authentic self. Their truest self that wants them to be relaxed, happy and to shine. What are your plans for the future? I am hoping to train as a Kundalini Yoga Teacher over the next few years. And to have a ski holiday with Henry! They both sound like wonderful ideas that will certainly bring about lasting memories! Thanks for sharing a bit more about you, Charlotte. We're so much looking forward to having you lead us through a truly purposful event week at Suncokret this coming August! Namaste! Want to learn more about the upcoming event with Charlotte? Check out her Relax & Resparkle program details here

"If you can breathe you can do yoga" - Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (the father of modern yoga) Please tell us a bit more about how your personal story has been developing since we last met... My Personal story is one of ongoing learning, so many things I fear I could bore you! I'll try to pick one. The variety and number of classes (12 - 16 each week) and students (around 200 every week) I have enjoyed over the last 12 months and the illuminating experience of ongoing self practice have allowed me to live one of the key messages of my teacher Ricardo Martin "practice what you teach and teach what you practice". Always learning, from my practice to share with students, and from beloved students who greatly influence my practice of yoga. I have had tendinitis in my shoulder which restricted my practice for quite some time (10 months) but I welcomed and blessed the injury as a humbling and as a profound teaching method. My practice and teaching have deepened in relation to my knowledge and awareness of modifications. I believe I was meant to have the injury, as I have encountered so many students with shoulder issues during my time of modified practice and been able to better understand and assist them as a result. Again I am reminded that if you can breathe you can do yoga, that their is no hierarchy of poses and that the "perfect" pose is the one that your body can do with what you have on the day...what is appropriate and possible in the moment. Would you care to tell us more about the programs you are offering at Suncokret in 2016? ​​ The programs of the " Yoga Banquet " and " Yearning for Yin " are again being offered as they were so very well received in 2015. The themes will be the same but the classes will be different and flavoured with whatever the participants bring with them. What about the " Life Dharma and Perfect Imperfection" Event ? What influenced or inspired the creation of this particular retreat theme and why? The Bhagavad Gita, wow, what a text! The ancient wisdom in the text remains completely relevant, it informs, challenges and reassures. I've read it before but it just gets better! It is indeed the inspiration for my third event offering in 2016 - Life, Dharma and Perfect Imperfection. "...only when we rise above human schemes and calculations and awake to the presence of the indwelling Spirit can we hope to find an answer to our need" (Sri Swami Satchidananda) It's a book about remembering, remembering who we are, who we were born to be and then living authentically to honour that in all ways...easier said than done hey? Sloka 3:35 "it is better to do your own dharma (calling) even imperfectly, than someone else's dharma perfectly..." Sloka 18:48 "if you perform the duties of your nature imperfectly that is no reason to abandon those duties and begin something else..." It's often hard to know whether we are following nature's path or if it is the egoistic mind telling us what to do, the Gita exposes these challenges and invites us into "yatra", a spiritual pilgrimage taken through story telling, analogy, history and reason. We can begin a Yatra anywhere anytime, in any state or condition, with many resources or none at all, from a place of joy or despair. Let's share the Yatra together at Suncokret. Is there any advice you’d like to give to returning students from last year or to new students who are considering signing up for your event(s) this year in order to help them prepare better for their time with you? The retreats echo with meaning when the individual experiences and curiosities are embroidered into the overall program. So bring what you bring. Can you share some thoughts about your teaching and overall experience from your time with us last year? The experience at Suncokret in 2015 is treasured for many reasons, the joy I found in my first international teaching experience and reconnecting with you both, Evening and Stipe, felt so warm, it was just like coming home. And meeting your little baby Evangelina and enjoying her new life force and energy at the retreat reminded me of how we all arrive so perfectly loving and loveable into this human experience. Travelling the path with experienced yoga lovers and those with a newer practice is bliss, and then celebrating my birthday with you all and feeling so loved! Evening, you are an ongoing blessing in my life. I feel your wisdom and faith in me as a human being and as a teacher from afar! (I am humbled to hear this, Russelle, and the blessing is mutual.) Last year our full moon releasing ritual was also incredibly moving. We gathered at sunset by the beach to ritualistically release thoughts, beliefs and behaviours that no longer represented us. Such a privilege to share those very personal moments with yoga lovers from around the globe. I do hope to share my love of yoga with some of you throughout the retreat season at Suncokret. To learn more about Russelle, please see our 2015 interview with her here and to see more information on her upcoming events, please visit our 2016 events calendar here

What have you been up to since we last met? I have been intensely working on my path by engaging more and more with Yoga, Yoga Therapy and Pranic Healing. I’ve taught many wonderful Yoga Workshops focused on Meditation, which calm the mind and clean the Chakras, so the participants can benefit more from that than from a typical Yoga class. I am now planning to move to the countryside and find a therapy room, where I can work with my students really intensely and closely, and integrate Pranic Healing more into my every day life so that I can help others go deep within themselves and hopefully inspire them to awaken to a spiritual pathway. Have you been to any exciting places or done any exciting things lately that have influenced the way you look at life or teach and share yoga? Currently I am in India deepening my Yoga Therapy practice with my wonderful teacher Saji. Saji offers so much wisdom about how our mind works, and how many diseases derive from stress and anxiety in our every day life. So, when we quiet our mind with meditation, start breathing properly again while doing Pranayama, we are actually able to heal and to find the inner Guidance within ourselves. It all sounds so simple. We just need somebody to show us that path, and that is what I aim to do with my students as well. My teaching approach will certainly be altered, after coming back with so many new ideas, meditations and healing methods. And India is always an inspiration in itself, as it shows us humbleness and how to be in the flow of life within a spiritual context. What are your fondest memories of the retreat week you lead at Suncokret last year? My retreat week was called “Yoga for Heart and Soul”, so it was a healing process we all went through that week and whose aim was to help the participants go deeper and deeper into those aspects of self every day. The most touching moment was towards the end of the week, when we opened our senses which became more permeable with the wonderful Yoga and Meditation lessons. Then we did a Rebirthing session and the participants were able to experience for the first time in their life the connection to their inner guidance, to everything which lies beyond the physical world. There was a lot of healing energy in those last days and a lot of tension-relief and heart-opening, which still makes me incredibly happy when now looking back after almost one year. There is so much Love… What was the biggest challenge / greatest learning moment? ​ ​The biggest challenge was to become a group entity, as we started with seven really different people with individual personalities and needs. In the end, though, we all came on retreat for a reason, and the daily Yoga practice helped us become closer as a group and exist in the same energy towards end of the week. That is why I am happy to teach three weeks in a row this time, because I will be able to experience those group dynamics more intensely and grow with that. What are you offering this year that is different from last year? I offer three very different retreat themes this year. In the first, “ Dancing into Summer Summer Solstice Event” with integrated movement and dance, we will be able to experience the lightness and joy at the start of summer, but still experience deep practices and meditations, which will help us discover the five Elements within us. The following week is a continuation of the, “Yoga for Heart and Soul ,” event I held last year, where I hope, based on my own recent growth with all the wonderful meditations I have now deepened during my recent yogic exploration in India, to take students even deeper than we went during last year’s event under the same name. And, finally, I will conclude my three-week retreat teaching adventure by leading Suncokret’s annual “Summer Breeze” program, where the focus is just on having a good time together in a light and joyful way. So this is more about finding the bliss state in everything we do, discovering our happy moments in every day life and how we can stay connected to that energy within the daily Sadhana. What are you currently reading, learning, and growing from? I am currently reading a Kriya Yoga book: “Insights Along the Path” by Marshall Govinda, which inspires me a lot. I did my Kriya Yoga Initiation in Chennai in February and just found it an amazing experience to do the initiation in India within a group of Indian people. I feel that the heartbeat and the pulse of Yoga is in India, as there is so much wonderful energy around. The various meditations I’m practicing are teaching and accompany me now every day, and it helps me to observe my thoughts and be aware of my actions every single moment in my everyday life. Is there any spiritual / yogic literature that you most appreciate and why? Last year I finally read “Autobiography of a Yogi” by Yogananda. So many people had recommended it to me but I only was ready to read and experience it now. The insight this book gives is incredible and it is undoubtedly an intense opener for the spiritual path - it guided me to the Kriya Yoga Initiation and deep Meditation. What inspired you to create the themes for the upcoming retreat weeks? I feel really blessed to be able to teach at your wonderful Suncokret Body & Soul Retreat again! It always feels like coming home, when I take my first step into your retreat. That is why I chose the first topic, aligned with the Summer Solstice, called “ Dancing into Summer ”. It fits so well to the place and time of year, as there is both the lightness but also the energy to move deep within ourselves. So I start my first retreat week exploring the Five Elements through this particular theme and practice - and at Suncokret we are actually able to experience all those five Elements every day by walking barefoot on Mother Earth, to have a swim in the sea, feel the warmth of the sun touching our face, and sense the air on our skin. Everything which lies beyond, the element Ether, we will find through the Meditations, Pranayamas and Rebirthing session. The integrated dance moves and the Yoga Asanas help us to feel the elements and to get connected to them again.
The second week “ Yoga for Heart & Soul ” will be quite similar to last year’s event, as we all need to find the path to our heart and thus heal our whole being. The Heart Chakra is the connector between the lower and the higher Chakras and therefore the gate to our soul, where lie all the hidden secrets, patterns and programs, we are often not so aware of. This retreat week will help us to open our heart to everything which lies beyond and needs healing. What will be fresh with this year’s Yoga for Heart & Soul journey is that I plan to introduce a new technique to the program, which works with Prana. And I will also focus more on the Pranic Healing part, as this is the life force, which keeps us happy and healthy. ​ ​And the third week’s theme was suggested by you, Evening, to lead the Summer Breeze program that you traditionally have taught for years and of which I was once a retreat participant and fell in love with your retreat, so I loved that idea. It is a really light-hearted Yoga program, we do yoga by the sea every morning, and where we are encouraged to just enjoy ourselves, the sun, the air, the light in those wonderful locations. The morning program is followed up by a light meditation by the sea or back at the retreat, and this helps to deepen the practice and to focus on living the joy and happiness of life. Is there anything else you’d like to share with us? I am looking forward to the upcoming retreat weeks and already feel really blessed to be able to teach at Suncokret again. My heart is wide open for all the Yogis and Yoginis who sign up for my programs - as we all meet for a reason - where they can learn from me and I can learn from them. The students are my best teachers ;-)… Thanks, Daniela! We're looking forward to having you back, too! OM Shanti Check out Daniela's upcoming events on our 2016 calendar and take a look at our 2015 interview with Daniela here!

Holy Cow (or goat, in this case); It’s nearly mid-March and spring on Hvar! While I spent most of February trying to stay on top of things (and feeling like a semi and sometimes complete failure at that, well, for the most part) the month managed to slip by without me posting a monthly blog post. Ooops… shame on me! Here’s to celebrating my commitments to myself and my proud accomplishments, right?! The thing is, I was a bit stuck with the topic for the month of February, which was related to the theme of love, a topic where a vast array of “experts” give all kinds of advice to the point that we often feel inundated with those tips and perhaps even depressed that we are not quite getting it right in one or more areas of the vast categories connected to love and loving relationships. I didn’t want to add to the overkill, and certainly not make anyone depressed with my impressive insight on the topic (giggle, giggle), although I did want to share some thoughts on love, as that is the path I have chosen to lead me where I am today and it has brought many wonderful rewards and plenty of incredibly moving life lessons, so perhaps I do have something of value to share on the topic, afterall?! All that in mind, I set about approaching the topic from a less-exploited angle, and I was getting somewhere (though not sure where, in fact, the whole piece was headed)... Admittedly, I never found the time to finish the post (perhaps I’ll get around to it in the future?). It had to do with the incredible love that is Universal Life Force energy and how it has ultimately influenced my path... Blame it on the baby, blame it on the running list of things to do in preparation for the upcoming retreat season, blame it on the personal crisis I am going through on a daily basis of experiencing poor time-management issues (that surely many new mothers experience, too, right?!)… Blame it on whatever, but the fact remains, I let myself down and missed the self-imposed deadline, again. And, guess what? That’s okay, too. If we don’t fail, it means we aren’t trying. And that means we are not growing. But when we keep on trying, eventually we will get it right! So onwards I go! March is one of my very favorite and also one of my least favorite months and I am committed to getting a post out there. So here it is. (Allow me to ramble on...) Why is this important to me, you may ask? There are no blog-police out there ready to arrest a person for failing to share their voice. And perhaps there are very few people actually following my posts, anyway! The thing is, I do care, because I have made a commitment to freeing my throat chakra so that it flows more openly and meaningfully and broadly, as I am a communicator at heart, though I have not exposed myself intimately in a public way for a very long time (and for specific reasons, which perhaps I will address another time). There are so many things I have wanted to share with you, dear friends, about life, about being an ex-“normal person” who rediscovered herself as a modern-day yogini, about being a spiritual being walking the path and sometimes getting lost or hitting a wall and having to take an unplanned detour, about what it’s like being a mom again after 21 years and running a business simultaneously at that, about what it’s really like to live in paradise - off season! - about what it takes to run and lead a retreat center… and about the essence of being a woman, or simply just being... But, for now, I shall revert back to this post's theme, so beautifully inspired by the month of March. And here you have it, the theme for this month is - Keep UP! First, allow me to share why March is both one of my favorite and one of my least favorite months and then what I mean by keeping up. First, March is welcome because it’s that time of year when the signs of spring are all around us, popping up quite suddenly, budding and then miraculously blossoming, and continuing to do so to a further degree each and every day until we suddenly find ourselves completely surrounded by and immersed in the gloriousness of Spring! The days are getting longer, the temperature is rising, the sun, when it shines through those infamous stormy spring clouds, does so with such radiance and awesome power that you can almost feel summer just around the corner, too. The inspiration of March is undeniable. But with that inspiration comes PRESSURE - the pressure to keep up, though you might be feeling "spring fever-ish", literally or figuratively or sometimes both. It can be very draining! And here comes that darn flu, just when you were building momentum, or some other annoying setback! You’ve spent the past 3 or 4 months waiting-out the darkness (hopefully keeping one eye of awareness on the seeds of your intention for your life that you planted way back in November, December and January), knowing that you’ve got quite a wait still ahead of you before you will see any actual real physical progress on those intentions coming into full manifestation (that's summer's calling, by the way). Well, March, along with April, offers both hope and despair in that respect. The hope brought on by the warming, longer, sunnier and more productive days, and the despair that accompanies the longing for those darn things to manifest while they seem to have a mind of their own, just like the weather itself... When will they poke through the surface and produce a sweet flower of hope and joy and inspiration and beauty? So, although I am not (directly) bearing my heart on a personal level here in this particular post, my intention is to tell you the one thing I tell myself at this time of year. And that is, “Keep UP!” And keep up with a committed passion. Step up the pace of your conscious path-walking incrementally over the next three months till peak moment at Summer Solstice. As each day passes, so too do the days get longer, allowing you to make much more progress in shining the light on your hopes for your life in the upcoming future, and also in the NOW. That leads me to my second bit of advice for March - BE PRESENT! Do this by becoming aware of your breath. Let your breath clear your mind while you keep up with your commitments to yourself with a passion. You can practice this during your personal sadhana. Practice on the mat leads to mastery off the mat. You can do it! In my January post, I spoke about my usual end-of-the-year, start-of-the-New-Year rituals. In addition to taking life inventory - making a list and checking it twice - I also mentioned how my sadhana helps me to keep it all together, body, mind and soul. Well, this month, one of the things I am stepping up is the pace and intensity of my personal practice because I need the strength, stamina and a high level of productivity to carry me through toward that peak moment when I come face to face with the beautiful blossoms I have planted for myself way back when. I am committed to intensifying what I do and how often I do it, from every other day - which was just right for winter - to every day (or nearly) - with the exception of Sundays - a family day for us and a day when I might just like to be a little lazy instead - which feels just right for Spring, come rain or shine! In addition to my sadhana, it is also the time of year when my required office hours start to increase as the enquiries and reservations come through at an ever increasing pace, until the very fine day when we open our doors for the new retreat season, which marks a time for a new groove altogether… So all I need to do now is keep UP and BE Present! ​​Hey, blossoming time is really just around the corner and I am GETTING READY for that beautiful moment (my third bit of advice for March)! How about you? What are you prepping for or what do you need to get yourself psyched up to do this springtime so that you can wreep the rewards later this year? My sincerest overall suggestion to harness the energy of this month is to ask yourself what aspect of your own life you can step up to a new level of awareness and commitment to, and get to it - pronto, and with a feverent passion, a lust for life! And, along with that, don’t forget to consider the path you’ve been on as of late, and whether you might need to tweak that a bit to get where you want to be right on time and in your fullest, most excellent state of Self. I’ve made several other commitments to myself, by the way, which are of a more personal nature and which I am very excited about, too, though for now I will keep those to myself... my throat chakra needs some test driving, me thinks, before it reveals all! I would like to share, however my biggest professional commitment and goal for this month is to get information out there about our upcoming events via an all new, 2016 Interview Series with Visiting Teachers, where you will have the chance to “meet” this year’s lineup of teachers in a more personal way (or continue getting to know them better, as some of them are returning guest teachers who we have already done preliminary interviews with). Hopefully in getting to know the thoughts and intentions of our teachers, and in learning more about their own spiritual pathway, you will find yourself inspired by and resonating with the pearls of insight they share as they talk about aspects of their own life worth mentioning. So be on the lookout for that and more. Wishing you a successful, active, progressive Spring, full of inspiration, passion, attention to detail, courage, steadfastness, love and light! Evening

January Inspiration – Annual Reflection & Getting On Track for 2016 Every year, since 2000 I have been taking inventory of my life to see if I’m on track toward living my Inner Vision (i.e. the life I wish to have and the person I wish to be). By inventory, I mean I re-read my initial “ Life Path Journal” - a journal I wrote in 2000 that contains ideas and inspirations as well as the answers to a series of questions I asked myself in a meditative state regarding who I am and the kind of life I wanted to have including relationships, work, the place I lived, etc., inspired by several books I was reading at the time. Or often I will re-read sequels to the original Life Path Journal that I have written since my first draft started in 1999, usually the most recent one, and then I review the previous year’s events (and also the events of my life that seem to still be affecting me for better or worse to the present date) and consider how these things have and continue to shape me and I analyze how I feel about all that. I also look at recurring thoughts, moods and feelings that are signposts to my inner dialogue, which certainly affect my reality and check-in with myself on this level, too. I also consider my perceived accomplishments and failures, the state of my health and overall sense of well being, and, of course, my finances as it’s impossible to get ahead without a handle on this aspect of life... That’s just a brief list of the things I do, but you get the point. And the point is that I do all this to see if I am on track toward living the life I have envisioned for myself and where adjustment might be in order, and then I create a list of goals, wishes and inspirations worth reaching for in the year ahead (or within a certain timeline that makes sense to me) and perhaps sketch out a mind map or a plan of action that will help me to initiate the things I want into manifestation. (With things that are very important to me, I might perform rituals from various traditions to help instill a beam of Lifeforce energy or pure love and intention to move things along rapidly. One ritual, as I’m sure you are curious, is a simple manifestation meditation from Kundalini Yoga that uses mudra and mantra to create an pull of attraction between you and that which you desire.) After doing this for myself, I do a similar, though a little less intensive, task with my husband, taking couple’s inventory of our life together so that we can discuss important themes, from finances, to our sex life, to our individual and combined goals, etc., all things that affect us. This enables us to celebrate our joys and victories together as a couple, and it also helps us reconsider or edit aspects of our life together that we want to manage better or steer in a new direction. Along with this process, and usually in honor of the New Year (though sometimes I do it for Thanksgiving) I also take my time to think about all the individuals I am grateful to (including our retreat visitors, of course) and all the blessings I am grateful for, including, last but certainly not least, the difficult people who have crossed my path and the challenges that are there to teach me the greatest of life lessons… I always conclude that it’s all good and I’m so lucky to be alive and admittedly this is a spectacular feeling. I beam this energy out to everyone on my list. But I must also backtrack to the time when I did none of these things, and how lost, angry and alone I felt and how troubled and dark many aspects of my life were, including my personal relationships, finances, my lifestyle habits which influenced my health for the worse of course, and especially - and most importantly - the relationship I had to myself, which was very poor. Hitting rock bottom really does feel like a near death experience, but that’s exactly where the opportunity for rebirth exists, if only we dare reach out for the branch of life that is inevitably there to catch us before disappearing into the abyss for good. That’s what happened to me on Year’s Day, 1999, and the events that began to unfold from that point forward all lead me to where I am today; a directed, better balanced, more steady, more clear in mind, body and spirit, wife, mother, sacred and powerful woman, creative soul and owner, director and manager of an established holistic retreat on a beautiful paradise island that I run together with the help and support of my steady and very down-to-earth life partner and best friend. But I digress. (If you are curious about my story, check out our Life Path Awakening page or future Life Path related blog posts I publish this year, as I plan to be revealing that story bit by bit over time.) What I would like to convey today is the importance of taking inventory as a tool that can help you start off the New Year in a clear and focused way. That, and the importance of not only taking care of your mental being but also of your physical and spiritual being, for when you are fit in the sacred trinity of Self, this is when you are able to function at your highest capacity and achieve by way of the laws of attraction pretty much anything your heart truly desires. There’s a lot of self-help advice out there on what questions to ask yourself and how to go about creating a step-by-step plan to get from point A to Z within a given timespan to turn your life around. I can happily share my list with you. But again, that’s not the purpose of this post. The main advice I’d like to offer is to “just do it”. And by it, I mean, follow your own inner guidance on the questions you want and need to ask yourself. And then ask yourself what steps you need to take to continue on a certain way or change course, and then get started! This January, or whenever it is you read this and decide you are ready. How? Ask yourself the following: What aspects of your life do you want to take inventory of? What aspects of your life do you feel are out of your control? What aspects of your life are you thrilled by and hope to continue nurturing to continued or even greater fruition? How’s your health? What’s your personal life like? What about your work; do you like it and do you feel that you are serving a higher purpose with it? If not, how do you go about completing that task of serving a higher purpose in life? How’s your relationship to yourself these days, this year, this decade? Do you love yourself? Can you look yourself in the mirror and say, “I love you just the way you are, beloved one?” If not, what do you feel you need to do in order to be able to feel this way toward yourself, to actually give you the good self-loving you deserve? There are tons of other questions I can put out there for you, but I think you get the point. It’s time to ask those questions that are jumping out at you from the depths of your heart and mind and really sit down not only to think about the answers but to WRITE THEM DOWN! Why? Because when you put thought into written form, they become manifest. When they become manifest, they cannot be (easily) denied. Yes, you can ignore them by not re-reading your journal, of course. But I doubt you will be able to stay away from your own written word… the journal will beckon you to pick it up and read its contents sooner or later, and you will have to heed the call of the things you have written and the solutions that you know in your heart need your rightful and timely action. It’s either that or burn it, but why would you do such a silly thing? In addition to writing down your thoughts, please dear friends, please… if you haven’t established this yet in your life, it’s time to make time for a Personal Practice. Why? Because a personal practice helps you to come home to yourself; it sets the foundation for you to be more focused, centered, balanced, healthy and ready for whatever may be around the corner. What does a personal practice involve? Anything at all, in any combination that works for you, even if that combo is not rhythmic or consistent in the traditional sense, as long as it follows your natural rhythm and is repeated as often as you want and need it, that’s just fine. Is it yoga, jogging, meditation, singing, hiking, drawing or creating something, playing a sport or chatting with a dear friend that helps you feel like YOU again… Is it something you do in a group or alone? Or is it all of these things? It really doesn’t matter, as long as the practice brings you back into your body, clears your mind and opens your heart to the Divine Inspiration of life and love that is always surrounding us. And it also helps you to check-in with your Self and the goals and dreams you have for your life. I personally find “mind-body-spirit cross-training” works well for me. By that I mean, for example, that while jogging by the sea, in one of my most favorite and most inspirational places on this Earth that is pristine and often uninhabited off season, I chant personal mantras (inspirational thoughts or even a “sankalpa”) to myself to the rhythm of my breath, while tuning into the sensations of the elements that encompass me. Sometimes I add mudra for good measure to empty my mind by keeping focus on something as basic as the touching of my finger pads against one another. I often pause for a more-or-less traditional “yoga sadhana” break, mid-way through the jogging session. By yoga sadhana, I mean a combination of elements from a traditional yogic daily practice, including mantra chanting, pranayama, warming & loosening exercises, sun salutations, asana and / or vinyasa flow, mediation and savasana. At the conclusion of these sessions, or sometimes before I begin, I take a moment to journal (usually the most inspirational thoughts flow clearly from the depths of my soul at this time, alone in beautiful nature, at one with my breath and the world around me), I reaffirm my sankalpa (simple statement that affirms thoughts about my wellbeing), and also take a moment to say my thanks… my list is always long, for there is so very much to be grateful for, but ultimately I always thank the Universe for this crazy and wondrous life and all the beings in it that help make it what it is. I then continue with the last leg of my “mind-body-spirit cross training session” and head home where my daughter and husband await me, and we get on with our day-to-day business. Days like this, after taking out time for myself, just seem to flow better. Not only do I feel better in my body, but my mind is usually much clearer, my mood is elevated, and my entire being just feels lighter and aligned to something greater. I will not lie to you. I do not do this every day. I cannot do this every day; I’m not as disciplined or consistent as that and I am actually no longer the “Master of My Time” since giving birth, and I am only now slowly becoming, once again, the “Master of My Body”, 8 months after birth. Some days I wake up late. Some nights I haven’t slept much because of the baby. Some days I wake up tired for no reason, or feeling lazy, or sometimes I’m simply overwhelmed with a bunch of other tasks that demand my immediate attention that I just don’t know how to carve out that luxurious 2 hours for the mentioned training that feels just right. Yes, I give it a good 2 hours, as in essence it’s part of my job as a yoga teacher and retreat leader to do this practice in a thorough and dedicated way. But I do come back to it, time and again, as this set of practices I describe touch me deeply and the reward for doing them is truly great and extremely uplifting and inspirational, not to mention they are helping me come back to my pre-pregnancy self, slowly but surely. Note, I do not beat myself up for lack of consistency, for I cannot be what I am not. But luckily my personal sadhana is not limited to the mentioned cross-training, there are many more ways I keep up with my spiritual, physical and mental wellbeing. There are days when the only observed spiritual moment I experience is the bonding with my daughter and the pure, joyful love I feel bursting out of me every time I see her smile. Most days I chant mantras (mindfully) to her to help her fall asleep peacefully. By mindfully, I mean that in addition to loosing myself to the musical notes pouring forth from my own vocal cords, I actually think about the meaning of the Sanskrit words I am chanting and bless her and myself while doing so. Most days I also read yogic or spiritually-related literature that inspire, educate and uplift me - often it is through short and simple posts by friends and like-minded pathwalkers I am connected to on Facebook, and sometimes the only moment I find for this is while “taking a bathroom break” where I store a stack of yoga journal magazines for moments like this where I can actually take time for myself, LOL! Some mornings, I walk through the woods that surround our home together with my daughter, two dogs, and even sometimes the cat, and address the Source of the Universe while standing on what I deem to be a sacred spot at the top of the hill, in front of the church, on the ancient cobble stone mandala pattern that remains untouched by the surrounding new pavement, and I bless myself and my daughter and our family and pets and friends and guests and everyone and everything on earth and in the entire universe. Honestly, I do this rather often and certainly as often as I can. I also try to eat right, too, while at the same time that means allowing myself to indulge in treats that are not necessarily good for you, but somehow hit the right spot regardless. So, you discover, we yoga teachers are human, too! I try to be a good person, to be respectful of others, to be a good listener, to be caring, compassionate, kind, helpful, honest, and fair. I love and connect with my family and friends, neighbors and community in as many ways and as often as I can. I try to live a life of integrity and I try to admit when I am wrong and make amends for any trespasses. And, most importantly I would say, I do my best to stay aligned to my Vision. I do my best to live my life as an example of one who is dedicated to a particular type of pathway, a spiritual one, a healthy one, a holistic one, though I also play hooky from that role sometimes to indulge in “normal” behavior with old friends who may not follow the same life path as me. And I do my best to remind myself, especially when I am feeling tired, that I do what I do in order to serve a higher purpose, which is (by way of my own example) to help others to find themselves if they are feeling lost, to gather the pieces and analyze them - what to keep what to let go of, what to focus on next and how to take rightful action in a timely manner to get results. I hold a space for others to engage in a mind-body-spirit renewal and, since the birth of our daughter this past year, I invite trusted teachers to share their example and inspirational teachings in. I tend to that space, the aesthetic of it, the functionality of it, and the spirit of it. I could go on and on but, again, the point I am trying to make is to just do it. Take yearly inventory of your life, of your SELF, and stay attuned to yourself through whatever rituals you feel drawn to and make them a part of your life. Whatever it is you need to do to stay clear, directed, centered in yourself, that’s what you should be incorporating into your life. Whatever it takes to come back to a state of love and gratitude, to bring you (back) into a state of wonder and joy, to “awaken” and witness to your own life from a higher perspective and be your own best guide and friend… You don’t have to follow anyone else’s rules. I never could and I certainly never do, though sometimes I may try and this leads me to a feeling of failure, so I let it go and just allow myself to be and unfold naturally into my path, as clumsily or as gracefully as that might feel according to the moment I reflect. You have to learn to trust yourself. And to do that, you have to spend time getting to know yourself. Though this post comes a little later than I had hoped, it’s still January, friends, and we’ve just come out of the Mercury Retrograde and happen to be supported by a planetary alignment that is aiding us in moving toward a higher vision, if only we take the time to do this. It’s still the perfect time for reflecting on the previous year and setting plans in motion for the New Year, so what are you waiting for? Begin today. Begin this month. Begin right now… Wishing you best of luck, and if you need help, I’m here and happy to help you move through the Life Path Awakening process. With love, gratitude and thoughts of peace, Evening

Dear Friends, The below is copied from a post I was tagged in on Facebook. I don't know if the below story is true or if Einstein had a daughter or wrote this letter to her. But certainly the contents of this letter resonate with me and I decided to share it with you. So, here it is! Einstein's secret letter to his daughter about Energy !!!

Universal force is nothing but LOVE !!!


In the late 1980s, Lieserl, the daughter of the famous genius, donated 1,400 letters, written by Einstein, to the Hebrew University, with orders not to publish their contents until two decades after his death. This is one of them, for Lieserl Einstein.


Please read:

"When I proposed the theory of relativity, very few understood me, and what I will reveal now to transmit to mankind will also collide with the misunderstanding and prejudice in the world.


I ask you to guard the letters as long as necessary, years, decades, until society is advanced enough to accept what I will explain below.


There is an extremely powerful force that, so far, science has not found a formal explanation to. It is a force that includes and governs all others, and is even behind any phenomenon operating in the universe and has not yet been identified by us.


This universal force is LOVE.


When scientists looked for a unified theory of the universe they forgot the most powerful unseen force.


Love is Light, that enlightens those who give and receive it. Love is gravity, because it makes some people feel attracted to others.


Love is power, because it multiplies the best we have, and allows humanity not to be extinguished in their blind selfishness. Love unfolds and reveals.


For love we live and die.

Love is God and God is Love.


This force explains everything and gives meaning to life. This is the variable that we have ignored for too long, maybe because we are afraid of love because it is the only energy in the universe that man has not learned to drive at will.


To give visibility to love, I made a simple substitution in my most famous equation.


If instead of E = mc2, we accept that the energy to heal the world can be obtained through love multiplied by the speed of light squared, we arrive at the conclusion that love is the most powerful force there is, because it has no limits.


After the failure of humanity in the use and control of the other forces of the universe that have turned against us, it is urgent that we nourish ourselves with another kind of energy.


If we want our species to survive, if we are to find meaning in life, if we want to save the world and every sentient being that inhabits it, love is the one and only answer.


Perhaps we are not yet ready to make a bomb of love, a device powerful enough to entirely destroy the hate, selfishness and greed that devastate the planet.


However, each individual carries within them a small but powerful generator of love whose energy is waiting to be released.


When we learn to give and receive this universal energy, dear Lieserl, we will have affirmed that love conquers all, is able to transcend everything and anything, because love is the quintessence of life.


I deeply regret not having been able to express what is in my heart, which has quietly beaten for you all my life. Maybe it's too late to apologize, but as time is relative, I need to tell you that I love you and thanks to you I have reached the ultimate answer!"

We're very excited to bring you this interview with Stephanie McQuillian, who will be returning to Suncokret as a co-hosting teacher from August 23-29th. During her stay as a retreat guest back in 2012, I got to know Stephanie on a personal level and noted to myself what a gracious and dedicated yogini she is. So when I realized I would be on maternity leave this season, Stephanie was one of the first teachers / former guests of ours who popped into my mind as a wonderful replacement teacher in my stead. So, Stephanie, please tell our readers a little about yourself; what else do you do besides teach yoga? When I’m not on my mat, I’m either working at a local chiropractor’s office, studying Ayurveda or painting something. It’s a really great mix that gives me the ability to tap into all aspects of my personality. I love the interactions I have with everyone who comes into the office to get adjusted. I really enjoy the time I get to delve into the science of Ayurveda to find different ways that I can help myself and others find balance in their lives. I’m also in the midst of starting my own little small business of furniture ‘re-hab.’ I’ve been painting furniture for years now, saving one piece at a time from their inevitable demise of a landfill. I love reestablishing the beauty of piece that, at no fault of it’s own, has since been deemed the ‘ugly duckling.’ Our home is filled with them, so I thought I’d offer my services to others, saving one piece at a time. When I’m not doing any of the above, I really love getting out on our boat heading to a number of the beautiful beaches that we’re fortunate enough to have so close by. All of the above, excluding my time in the office, is done with our dog Sam, who is the best sidekick ever! How did you get into yoga? By chance. I had recently moved home after college and my friend and I went to our first class. It was in an old mill that had been converted into commercial / multi-use spaces. The incense filled, bohemian styled space was gorgeous, I was lucky enough to have a great teacher and the time worked with my schedule. I was hooked. I had heard somewhere that on average, you ‘fall off your mat’ three times in life, before it ‘sticks’. This struck a cord with me, because that’s what happened. Yes, after my first experience, I was hooked. However, life changed, we moved out of state and I stopped practicing when other things started to take precedence (like moving, working, renovating a home etc. etc... life.) I found that I had had enough of all that and needed to recharge, so I found another yoga class & studio that worked with my schedule, and again I was hooked. More life changes took place, it seemed I no longer had the time to dedicate to my yoga practice. However, the third time I made it back to my practice, I noticed and really truly recognized the benefits I was experiencing; clearer thoughts, calmer states of being and an overall sense of lightness of mind & body. Over the years I’ve come to realize I don’t need a studio or a schedule to dictate my yoga practice. My yoga practice is within ME. I can practice on or off my matt, in my car, the line at the market (particularly when I’ve picked the ‘wrong’ line, AGAIN!) I know that all I need to do is ground into my feet, breathe & remind myself that I’m exactly where I need to be in this given moment. What was your life like before yoga? Interestingly enough, my life itself wasn’t too different. What’s changed is my reaction to life. Without doubt, life has ups and downs. Without the downs you wouldn’t have the ups. Life isn’t meant to be static. It’s dynamic. It’s forever changing & at times can be a whirlwind. It’s my time on my mat and in my practice that I’ve learned how to navigate the chaos of life with a little more patience and grace. It’s helped me to recognize that hardships in life are temporary and the sweetness of life is just around the corner. We just have to ground down and breathe OR conversely, lighten up and let go. What do you love most about yoga? There’s a LOT, but my #1 would be learning how to breath, which sounds ridiculous, however it’s so true. Most of us take breathing for granted. It’s so incredible what actually takes place within the body, in order for it to happen AND we just take it for granted. When we’re unaware of what’s happening with our breath, we’re breathing mostly in our chest, which can unknowingly create a stress for the body. When we start to breath more mindfully, the effects on our mind and body are truly amazing. I’m so thankful I have connected with this aspect of yoga. What style of yoga would you do or teach if you weren’t doing or teaching your current style? It’s only a matter time that I delve more into Kundalini more. It’s such a fascinating practice to me and I look forward to the opportunity! What was your best class teaching / group event experience? Overall, I love everyone’s reactions as they awaken out of savasana. It’s like a mini re-birth for that day. It’s like a human re-set button. No matter what’s happened during the day or the week, sometimes all you need is time on your mat to just find yourself again. When people offer feedback at the end of class and they say, “that’s exactly what I needed...” I just get so excited for them, because I know exactly what they mean. The BEST, was when one student, who had been battling cancer, shared with me that it’s his time on his mat that made him feel the best he’s felt in a long time. That was extremely touching and rewarding. I am almost certain my heart exploded with utter joy for him. Besides yoga, what is your favorite thing? Hands down, being on a beach on a warm sunny day with my husband, Derek, and our big yellow dog Sam (add an ice cream cone in there and it might as well be heaven). What was your favorite thing about coming to Suncokret as retreat guest? Pretty much everything! I loved the cozy B&B style setting. I loved the view out my window of the rolling hills & St Ana’s Church. I loved starting and ending my day with yoga... in ALL the spaces we practiced, whether it was on the yoga deck or on the bluffs of the Adriatic Sea. The food...the meals that Stipe prepared were delicious. You could sense the love and compassion that they were prepared with. I was lucky enough to share my experience with Evening and a really great group of women. Dol is also a magical place! What do you hope guests will gain by attending your event at Suncokret? (How do you hope to enhance the retreat experience with your particular offerings?) I hope the retreat participants gain a new perspective on why they feel how they feel, rather than thinking how they feel is normal or just the way it is. We’re all built very differently from one another. We’ve all had very different experiences that have gotten us where we are in life until this point. Yet we’ve accepted the notion that one diet or one type of exercise is a ‘one-size fits all.’ It’s not. We need to start listening to our own bodies. Really truly listen. From there we can start making small changes in our daily routine to help our body & mind find balance. When we arrive on our mat, it gives us the opportunity to really take a moment to check in with ourselves; what body showed up today and we work from there. In short, I hope the students can find a deeper connection of self and an easier route to letting go. Often times it from there, where we find our authentic self. Why would attending your particular event be beneficial to the participants who join? It’s a great opportunity to take time out for oneself. We’re constantly doing, doing, doing & going, going, going… Schedules can be a bit hectic. It’s important to take time out for yourself and connect with your body, mind & spirit. The introduction to Ayurveda will also help get a handle on what seems to have been eluding them, in terms of how to help them feel better using such tools. Is there any ideal way retreat participants can better prepare themselves for their retreat time with you? Just come with an open mind, let go of expectation and just enjoy all the beautiful things that will surround them while on the island! At the end of the event week, what is the one thing you hope retreat participants will walk away feeling? I hope they feel lighter in spirit & recharged. In addition to that, I hope they feel more empowered by learning a bit more about their constitution, whether they’re Vata, Pitta, Kapha or more likely, any combination of the three. What is your favorite place to visit on Hvar? It’s tough to pick. I really loved ALL the villages I experienced while on Hvar. They all had delicious ice cream, beautiful beaches & cute shops! What advice would you give to aspiring yoga teachers? Be true to what resonates with YOU and share that.

In today's interview, we meet up with the creative and passionate Tarandeep Kaur to discuss her yoga pathway, love of dance, life work and more... How did you get started on your yoga pathway and what led you to Kundalini Yoga specifically? I have been practicing yoga for more than 10 years. First I was drawn to hatha yoga and different types of meditation. I practiced yoga in the Paramahansa Yogananda School of Yoga in Slovenia and also the Sivananda branch in Austria. I traveled a lot in Nepal and India and did intense Vipassana meditation courses in silence (Buddhist type of meditation). In 2010 I first learned about Shakti dance at a retreat center with many different types of workshops. I hadn't heard about Shakti dance (The Yoga of Dance) or Kundalini yoga before. The founder of Shakti Dance – Sara Avtar – presented the workshop. It was called Shakti dance and she said it connects the practice of yoga with dance. I thought to myself: "My God, my two favourite things in the whole world!" What I saw moments later was breathtaking. It was like a Goddess appeared in front of us. Beautiful, graceful, humble, with so much devotion towards the invisible world that surrounded her. It was like she called on those divine energies with her movements, with her gestures. I was deeply touched by what I saw. After a week of dancing with Sara Avtar I decided that this was the thing that I was looking for. I had to stay in touch with this practice. I decided to do a Shakti Dance Teacher Training, a full immersion in the practice to really learn all about it, how it works and why it has such an amazing effect on the people who practice it. Later I learned that Shakti dance actually derives from a practice called Kundalini yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan. So my first contact with Kundalini yoga was actually through Shakti dance. In the Teacher Training we did morning sadhana which was a typical Kundalini yoga class. Do you also practice other forms of yoga (or have you in the past)? What is the difference between those styles in your opinion? In the past I mainly practiced hatha yoga and it had its benefits, of course. However my experience is, that I missed the devotional aspect of yoga in classical hatha yoga. I missed opening my heart with my voice and getting in touch with my body through my own authentic movements. In Kundalini yoga and Shakti Dance I could experience that. The fact that Kundalini yoga uses so many sacred chants, mantras was something that enriched my practice profoundly. Singing, chanting, using our own authentic voice is something that can clear so many of our blocks. Together with physical practice it's a great combination to really get it touch with our own inner light. What about Shakti dance... how long have you been practicing / teaching and how has it changed your life? I have been practicing Shakti dance for 5 years. It is an amazing practice. It lets you express yourself. It lets you cry if you feel you need to. It lets you be still in the midst of music playing. It doesn't tell you how to dance, but it lets you find your own expression, even if that means that you are just standing up, with closed eyes. That can also be dancing. Dancing with the peace inside you. Shakti dance can be joyful and playful, it reminds us of the child within who wants to play and laugh and act funny. It nurtures the inner woman, the wise one, who listens to the messages of her body and is touch with her life cycles. For me Shakti dance is something that brings me joy, it teaches me how to love myself more, it enables me to express who I really am. It is a practice that reveals, layer after layer, the Goddess within. What do you think is the greatest benefit of practicing Shakti dance... can students do it on their own or is it always done in a group? The greatest benefit of practicing Shakti dance in my opinion is relaxation on all levels. The mind relaxes through the gentle flow of asanas, connected with the flow of the breath. The body relaxes and gets charged with new rejuvenating energy, our emotional body relaxes and gets an influx of positive feelings about ourselves. Deep relaxation on all levels of our being is something that is difficult to reach nowadays. Shakti Dance offers us a way to that in a 90 minute class. You can practice Shakti dance alone or in a group. Where do you teach KY and SD - in Slovenia and also other places / festivals? I teach regular classes of Shakti dance and Kundalini yoga in the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana. I love sharing these practices with my students and it makes me so happy to see the benefits they get out of them. I also teach Shakti dance workshops at the Slovenian Kundalini Yoga Festival, which is held every year in September. What was your best teaching experience from those places / settings? In the summer of 2013 I was one of the presenters at the Kaypacha Healing festival in the United States. It was a travelling festival; we stopped in north California, Oregon and Washington and held four 3-day festivals there. I offered Kundalini yoga and Shakti dance classes at the festival and the experience was just amazing. Is Shakti dance appropriate for men as well as women? Shakti dance is not reserved only for women; men are more than welcome to attend. It has been said that it's more of a feminine practice in the sense that it is very gentle and soft. The movements are very fluid and that is how Shakti dance teaches us how to flow with life. For men Shakti dance is a great way to get in touch with the feminine, intuitive energy inside them and learn how to cultivate it. It also helps men to find their creative expression and get in touch with their body. How do you combine living in the "real world" as a journalist with your yogic pathway & lifestyle? Are the two ever in conflict with one another? I consider myself very lucky to be able to combine journalism with yoga as two of my callings in life. I work as a journalist at the national radio station; my field of work is culture, mainly dance and theatre. My job involves interviewing amazing artists, dancers, choreographers, directors and actors who speak about their creative process, they tell me how an idea for a dance show comes to life and we talk about the message that they want to convey to their audiences. Every time I speak to these artists I am amazed because I see that the force that is driving them, the energy behind their creative work is that same divine spark that I try to get in touch with during my morning practice of yoga. All of us know that there is something inside of us, a kind of basic goodness, a bright shinning inner light, which when we are in touch with it, fills our lives with a sense of meaning and purpose. We all know at a certain level, that we have a job to do on this Earth. We are not here by chance. Each of us has his or her own specific gift to share with the world. I believe that sharing the practice of Kundalini yoga and Shakti dance is one of my deepest callings. What can be more beautiful than helping people realize their own inner Light? It's the highest calling. How do you find the right balance between being an independent Western woman as well as a sacred channel in which the yoga teachings flow and transmit to your students? For me yoga is not something that I do but it is who I am. It is not a set of exercises that I do in the morning and then forget about during the day. Yoga – union of the finite and infinite self – is something that I try to live every moment. I act with kindness toward my coworkers, I try to see, really see the people who cross my path, the old ladies, the beggars, and the homeless. I try to help in every way that I can, sometimes with a kind word or a smile, sometimes with a little bit of money. I practice non-attachment to things or situations or the past. I practice gratefulness for the beautiful country that I live in, for the people who love me and for my job, which enables me to sustain myself. I try to show love every day, to everyone, in all its different disguises. I try to walk my talk. Live what I preach. And while I do that I remind myself to always stay humble. If you could do/live/be just one thing in life - what/where would it be and why? I really, really, really love at least three things – I love teaching yoga, I love writing and I love chanting mantras. Those are the three things that make me happy the most. And I consider myself very lucky to be able to do them often and share them with others. My vision for the future is that I would have my own little place, a nice cozy yoga centre, with lots of nature around, where I would be able to do all of that. I would also like to publish my book and organize kirtan events where people would chant mantras and spend time together in a positive and uplifting way. For more information about Tarandeep Kaur's upcoming event, please click here .

On April 5th, I finally started the Suncokret blog, mentioning that we have several announcements to make. The first was the launch of our new website which is nearly 1 month old now and which has been warmly received, much to my relief. I feel lucky that my first yoga teacher, Jana Colonna, allowed me to watch over her shoulder as she built our first website for us way back in the day. From that time forward, I have been designing and managing our website on my own (a useful skill for any entrepreneur to have), though my skills did not grow much without my dear mentor beside me and thus over the past few years our website was feeling very flat and rather messy. Moving on to another website format - a modernized version complete with phone-friendly viewing (among other fancy things) and a blog space was a huge and rather scary but absolutely needed step forward. I spent many a long hour sitting in a chair this winter, fully immersed in the process, unable to do much else for fear of loosing the momentum I was building daily, weekly, monthly... I won't even go into what a frustrating mystery the last details proved to be prior to launching it, like managing SEO ratings and other such technical matters. I am certain I grew double the amount of grey hairs in these past few months and my mild case of sciatica did get rather less mild after all that sitting... but I survived, and all the hard work is paying off in various ways. Alleluia! However, all the while I was growing and developing this new website, I was growing and developing something much more profoundly important and life-changing for Stipe and myself and our retreat... a little human being! Yes, you understood me right. Your teacher and friend, Evening Marie, is pregnant, at age 44... writing this blog post just one day away from the predicted due date of our precious little one! This will be my second child in 21 years and Stipe's first! And yes, (for those of you who know me) I am doing it all over again, which is either very brave or very silly. But this time circumstances are vastly different than they were for me at age 23 (more about that in another post when I talk more about the Life Path Awakening process). In any case, you can imagine how this life-altering state of affairs might have been influencing our decision-making process regarding how to continue onwards with the retreat. After all, for the past 12 years, Suncokret has been like a child to us, demanding nearly all our attention and investment - physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. We conceived it from the seeds of our love and imagination, gifts and natural talents, and nurtured it patiently through an incubation process that lasted, ironically, about 9 months from start to finish. And then, one fine spring day in June, our company was born. And ever since, we have watched it grow and develop, go through its ups and downs, and thankfully flourish and mature into its own strong sense of being. And we are proud of our accomplishement and humbled by it all the same. Suncokret has been and will always be our first baby, but like with every child, parents must figure out the right time to let go a little, to give their offspring the space and room needed to mature into their own fullest expression, with the help of friends and other mentors. The 2015 season in front of us is the exactly that moment. And now our loyal friends will understand why so many special events led by other teacheres are taking place at Suncokret this year... (and this new groove will continue for the forseeable future.) Since my birthday last year, when we saw our new baby's first ultrasound image and realized the great impact this beautiful soul being would have our our life and work together, we have been working tirelessly toward setting the final foundational elements in place that would allow our Suncokret to continue its journey to fruition in the hands of trusted friends and collegues who shall be taking on the important task of leading a range of inspirational holistic yoga and healing programs in my stead. Their influence on Suncokret will bring far-reaching effects. Of that I am sure... and very excited about, too! Now, obviously as parents of Suncokret, we will still be here to guide and assist in this newest stage of life for our beautiful and precious retreat, while simultaneously focusing on welcoming our latest child into the world and sharing the blessings of her light with all our friends and family abound. What an exciting journey, indeed! So, at the end of this post, I warmly invite you to take your time to look through the enticing lineup of 2015 events with visiting teachers at Suncokret this year, in addition to the interview series on this very blog page, where we introduce you each week to these amazing visiting teachers in a more personal way so that you may come to know them for the unique light they bring to our space, prior to signing up. 2015 is proving to be a year of profound birth, growth and opportunity and we sincerely look forward to sharing this experience with you! Namaste.

In today's interview series, we are pleased to introduce you to a highly experienced classical yoga teacher, Suddha Weixler, originally from Austria and now based in Chicago, USA. Suddha has studied with great masters and brings over 30 years of practice and experience to Suncokret! Tell us a little about yourself; what else do you do besides teach yoga? I have been a photographer for a long time. When I left for my first trip to India in 1978 (which became a world trip, lasting 3 years), part of my daily practice was “learning to see”. We now call it “mindfulness”. I carried my Leica with me wherever I went. And later I sold images for commercial use. What brought you to the world of yoga? Growing up in Austria, I left to study in England in 1968. Flower-power, the Hippie culture influenced many of us, with it came the esoteric interest in Eastern culture. What do you value most about yoga? Yoga keeps me humble and in contact with the present moment, and that is what I value the older I get. What was your most embarrassing class teaching / group event experience? Being nervous in front of a large crowd, my Guru exposed me to it early on, knowing my shyness and introversion. It was hard to speak in front of 150-some people. And your best class teaching experience? Overcoming fear and restriction is liberating. And knowing that it is the mind which sets up the condition. Besides yoga, what is your favorite thing? Music, mostly classical. But I must confess I am also into high performance cars. Always loved speed, as a Ski-racer, or in a Porsche, does not matter. And I adore Shanti, she is a small dog with a lot of love. How do you hope to enhance the retreat experience with your particular offerings and what do you hope the students will gain by attending the event? Sharing what I have learned and accumulated in the past 30 years as a yoga teacher. We gain what we are ready for. How did you come up with the retreat event theme you are leading at Suncokret? I have been doing retreats all over the world for many years, and I liked the simplicity of Suncokret when I visited last year. Why would attending your particular event be beneficial to the participants who join? Experience and having filtered the theory and practice of yoga for most of my life may help. Is there any ideal way retreat participants can better prepare themselves for their retreat time with you? This is yoga mediation retreat, but it is also a yoga vacation, so we take it easy and combine fun and practice. At the end of the event week, what is the one thing you hope retreat participants will walk away feeling? Feeling better than when they arrived. Having made the connection with their body, mind and Self and nature. What is your favorite place to visit on Hvar? I like the small towns and the down to earth, friendly people. What are you most looking forward to experiencing as an exclusive events teacher at Suncokret? The simple life in midst of nature, hearing a rooster, smelling the earth, seeing the many green’s in vegetation. Living an in big city like Chicago I miss that. What advice would you give to aspiring yoga teachers who would like to lead retreats? Do your practice, and all is coming my teacher Pattabhi Jois used to say. I find that true. What are your plans for the future? Well, after the retreat I will visit my family in Austria. Will be back in Chicago in August and start my teaching job as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of the Art Institute. Run the Yoga Center, and in November be back in Bali for a yoga retreat. Visit India in January and return for a retreat to Maya Tulum, Mexico February of 2016. And so on… Here's more information about the event with Suddha: Yoga and Meditation With Suddha Weixler, July 5 -11, 2015 The cultivation of physical postures, breath work, and the refinement of the mind in its capacity to be directed toward a single object, transforms yoga into a spiritual practice. Concentration of the mind at will is the goal of Meditation and Yoga. The mind is seen as an instrument of Consciousness. The Yoga – Meditation retreat will be led by Suddha Weixler, including talks on the history of yoga and its philosophy. Suddha began studying yoga in 1978 on his first visit to India. He spent eight years in a monastic environment learning the classical system. He was certified in 1984 and has been directing the Chicago Yoga Center for over 30 years. Initiated into Raja Yoga and Meditation in 1982 by Swami Narayanananda, his training includes classical Hatha, the Iyengar method and Ashtanga Yoga with K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, South India annually from 1995-1998. He is also a student of Srivatsa Ramaswami of Chennai, and has been introduced into the Vinyasa Krama method of Sri Krishnamacharya. Suddha has been an Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago since 1989 and enjoys the art of photography. He holds national, international workshops, and annual Teacher Training Courses. The retreat is appropriate for anyone strongly interested in meditative awareness. And this being a yoga vacation we will explore the local natural, historical and cultural spots! Suddha's teaching style is precise, attentive and integrating. Students are encouraged to work at their capacity. The workshop will include morning meditation practice; the morning class will be deep and therapeutic, blending the essential aspects of the Iyengar tradition and Yin Yoga. The afternoon practice will be based on dynamic, invigorating Vinyasa sequences. The emphasis is on the integration of all physical, mental, energetic and spiritual faculties. Interested in joining Suddha on retreat at Suncokret? Suddha is offering a 10% discount to all our European clients! Contact Suddha directly for details via his website: http://www.yogamind.com/workshop-croacia.shtml See you then! :-)

From 26 July - 1st August 2015, we bring you a special 3-part co-hosted event where Russelle Beardon (last week's featured event host), Maja Bednas (this week's featured event host) and myself, Evening Marie, team up to take you on a spiritual journey entitled "Transcending Time & Space with Yoga, Photography & Meditation". Tell us a little about yourself; what else do you do besides photographing? Photography became my passion few year ago. I'm still learning and exploring possibilities photography brings and it gives me a lot of pleasure. My professional background is much more »down-to-earth«, I would say, as I completed the university and master's degree in macroeconomics and have been working in this field for over 20 years. Besides photography, I also devote a lot of time to yoga, not only asanas, but also to reading books and applying all eight limbs of yoga into my daily life. I also love to travel and meet new people, which broadens my horizon and gives me new opportunities for photography with capturing precious and beautiful moments and scenes. How did you get into yoga? I joined my first yoga class almost eight years ago. At first, I took it as an excercise and a way to relief stress after work. But soon, I realized it was giving me much more, a consciousness about my body, peace of mind, more balance in my life. Through yoga classes I've learned to explore possibilities of my body and to clear my mind with pranajama. What would you say is the one best thing about yoga? The best thing yoga offers me is the possibility to come closer to my inner self, to let go of every day stress and focus on the things that are truly important for me. And how about photography? Photography sharpens our senses to the surroundings, it actually opens up a new world, changes our peception, and makes us more sensitive to colours, light and shadows, interconnections between things, and the emotions that all kinds of patterns, beautiful landscapes, and people's face provoke in us. What has been your best photography experience to date? Travel photography is the most rewarding when you open your eyes and senses to everything around you. My best experience was photographing the every day life in the Dharavi slum in Mumbai. Although it was crowded and noisy, the people, the colours, the light – everything was amazing. It offered countless opportunities to capture the moments in life of those proud people, who work hard and go through their everday life with kindness and dignity. I really loved the gentle energy of people in India. What was your favorite thing about coming to Suncokret as retreat guest? I loved the whole package. The beautiful island of Hvar, which I had known since childhood. The warm, homely retreat. The early morning yoga classes in beautiful, quiet spots by the sea. Your classes, Evening, surpasssed my expectations, they were just about everything I love in yoga. In our group there were people literally from all over the world, and I loved the time we spent together. I'm so glad I will see Russelle again, this time as a teacher. The food was also delicious, thanks to Stipe, who surprised us daily with wonderful dishes. A wonderful week! What do you hope guests will gain by attending your event at Suncokret? I hope that, in sharing my experience and love for photography, I will bring this marvelous world closer to them, open their eyes and senses to the beauty that surrounds us and hopefully help them to learn some tricks how to see and better capture everything they want to memorize, or »freeze« in time. Is there any ideal way retreat participants can better prepare themselves for their retreat time with you? Just an interest in photography and any kind camera. At the end of the event week, what is the one thing you hope retreat participants will walk away feeling? The pleasure of learning something new or in sharing their personal experience with their photography work. But most of all, I hope we will all feel enriched by the retreat experience as a whole. What are you most looking forward to experiencing as a co-hosting teacher at Suncokret? I am looking forward to meeting new people, to sharing my experience and ideas with the group in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. I'm grateful to you, Evening, for giving me this opportunity to add something extra to the yoga program that will, hopefully, enrich everybody's experience of seizing and retaining very special moments forever. We're looking forward to the same! Thanks, Maja! For more information about this event, please visit: http://suncokrethvar.wix.com/bodyandsoulretreat#!transcendence/ca4f

In today's interview series, we are honored to introduce you to an incredibly inspirational yoga teacher, Russelle Beardon, who is co-hosting 3 back to back events at Suncokret: "Yoga Banquet Event" from 12-18th July, "Yearning for Yin Yoga" from 19-25 July and "Transcendence" from 26 July - 1st August. Tell us a little about yourself; what are some things you love or love to do? I adore my children and grandchildren. To observe my children equipped with their own deep well spring of love, patience, empathy, laughter and optimism brings me great joy. Being invited into their lives, feeling welcome, feeling I have something to share is hard to describe…messing about with my children and grandchildren, at the beach - heaven. I love to cook and I love to eat! Shopping for fresh produce, herbs spices and good wine especially when time and coin are plentiful. I can be completely absorbed in my appreciation of a deep purple aubergine… shiny, smooth and heavy in my hand full of promise for the plate! How did you get into yoga? 18 years ago a friend took me to a hatha class in a dusty church hall in the middle of winter, it was cold and the venue, well it was uninspired really, I was dubious about what to expect. Ros and Ross, the two teachers transformed the space with their passion and experience and deep, deep knowledge, consequently I was transformed from that moment – I can still easily recall the words I heard, the challenges I experienced and the feelings that rose up and the euphoric sense of being raised up that stayed with me after the class. It delights me that as fate works, Ros and Ross have the most beautiful shala and yoga school in my home town, so I continue to learn from them. What was your life like before yoga? I was not long out of my marriage, a little battle scarred and I was on a mission, “striving” is the word that comes to mind. I felt like I had to “strive to arrive”. I was quite tough (you know, proving myself to the world, trying to be invincible) and my thinking was very black and white and my opinions very clear, very strong, and very openly expressed…”this is right…. and this is wrong…” What would you say is the one best thing about yoga? Yoga raised my consciousness. I quickly started to feel differently, think differently and act differently. I felt more aware, more conscious of the way I carried myself, my posture, more conscious of what I ate, what I conveyed to the world, more conscious of the chatter in my mind (mostly critical) more conscious of my conduct. I started to tune in to the impact of my thoughts and words, on others, and on myself. Even though I started with asana…the other elements of yoga had no choice but to join in the change. What style of yoga would you do / teach if you weren’t doing / teaching your current style? I wouldn’t change, I teach what I practice and practice what I teach, and it comes from the heart. I am grateful for the diversity in my teaching responsibilities. What was your most embarrassing class teaching / group event experience? Everyone knows that yoga can bring on sudden and unexpected bodily sounds right? So to all the women reading this, you know the sensations that can occur when you have been in something like happy baby….hips opening, everything opening…and then you come back up……the anxiety about that “thwwwwooook” suctioning sound as you close the vault?? Well let’s just say as a teacher….if this happens when you are leading the class, (and yes it was a mixed gender class) there are two choices…you can die of embarrassment or use it as an opportunity to have a laugh and normalize it for everyone….taking the saying of “”lead by example” to another level. So if you find yourself giving “full expression” in the pose, know that it is normal… you can just blame the mat and move on with a laugh. What was your best class teaching / group event experience? The very first yoga class I taught, that galvanising realization of the privilege and the honor to step out of the class participation - to the front of the class to lead. In savasana, in every class I am humbled by the trust and surrender openly shared by the students, with each other and with me as their teacher. Besides yoga what is your favorite thing? The ocean, definitely the ocean. I live at the beach and the sound the smell and the power of the ocean fuels me. In summer, in winter, all year around, at night, in the day, wind, calm, full moon - ohm yes, full moon rising over the ocean….the tides, the changing color and the power, the vast capacity of the ocean to swallow us up, wash away worries, support and nourish….definitely the ocean. What was your favorite thing about coming to Suncokret as retreat guest? Experiencing Hvar and all its beauty, connecting with Evening and Stipe, the incredible food prepared with love and sharing this with all the sadhakas. For me the most memorable element was forming a bond with Evening (xx) Circumstances as they were, I was very unwell and unable to practice for a few days. Despite feeling miserable physically, it provided an opportunity that may otherwise never have eventuated, Evening checked in with me several times each day, to talk. I felt moved, empowered, loved and healed by Evening. She was able to really see me as I was at that time, and she encouraged me to recognize and stand in my own power, not to fear it, to be brave, listen in and make choices for my greater good. What do you hope guests will gain by attending your event at Suncokret? (How do you hope to enhance the retreat experience with your particular offerings?) It is my great hope that anyone who attends a retreat at Suncokret during my time as a guest yoga teacher might experience something similarly meaningful by sharing the experience with others, finding a moment of awakening, realization and connection to the self, moving off the mat into the world and taking that spark to light a life with greater clarity and ease. How did you come up with the retreat event theme you are co-hosting at Suncokret? My teachers said teach from your heart and find your own voice. These words inspire my teaching always. My experience of yoga has been like a banquet, and a banquet is enhanced when shared with friends! The beautiful journey of yin and a life full of transitions… these things I wanted to explore and share with others. Why would attending your particular event be beneficial to the participants who join? Participating in any of the seasons retreats at Suncokret will lift participants up…I don’t see that my events are any more or less in value and benefit than any other…we attract the right students to what we each have to offer… I would just say book! Come to Suncokret this season you will love it. Is there any ideal way retreat participants can better prepare themselves for their retreat time with you? Travel light, live light, share the light be the light! At the end of the event week, what is the one thing you hope retreat participants will walk away feeling? Ease. What advice would you give to aspiring yoga teachers who would like to lead retreats? Look to those who have experience in leading retreats, reflect on your own experiences participating in retreats, and if fate intervenes and provides you with an opportunity, take it, move beyond doubts and put your whole self in, explore it, learn from it and express your gratitude as you feel it, when you feel it, wherever you feel it. What are your plans for the future? I plan to continue to marvel at the lives of my children and grandchildren, to travel, to teach, to remain curious, to keep learning and share a meaningful loving existence with those who enter my life. For more information about upcoming events with Russelle, please visit the following links: Event 1 Event 2 Event 3

This week, we're featuring an interview with the lovely and talented yoga teacher, Chloe Bovay, a former guest of Suncokret's who we've invited to teach in our space this summer. Tell us a little about yourself; what else do you do besides teach yoga? I love to walk in nature or in town, especially in a city I don’t know or barely, and to take photographs... And I’m fond of music, I am listening to a lot of music (jazz, classical, world, pop rock...). How did you get into yoga? I went in my first class of yoga in 2007 and it was love at the first sight : I knew that I had just found something that was about to help me and change my life, that it was exactly what I needed : to be grounded in my body and to quiet my mind. What was your life like before yoga? I was working with children and in a restaurant as a waitress, and studying music and singing: I was actually dreaming of being a singer! What would you say is the one best thing about yoga? As said, the first thing that was obvious for me with yoga is that it grounds me in my body and quiets my mind. But also, that through this connection with something deep and quiet in myself, it connects me with something bigger than myself too, and finally with other people. I would also note the fact that it helps me to accept myself as I am, exactly as I am in the present moment. (And things as they are too, of course.) It is all about being able to see the beauty and perfection of the present moment. What was your best class teaching / group event experience? My class every Friday morning at the moment... I teach most of my classes in the afternoon or in the evening, and I enjoy the energy of the morning, and the presence of the people is quite different too. They are very happy and receptive too. What was your favorite thing about coming to Suncokret as retreat guest? It's hard to say! The yoga, the wonderful and quiet place, the people and the fact that it allowed me to connect deeply with myself and my yoga practice. What do you hope guests will gain by attending your event at Suncokret? I’d like to offer them the same I just described above, mixed with my own sensitivity to yoga, while helping them to find their own sensitivity to yoga. How did you come up with the "precision and flow" event theme you are leading at Suncokret? I was trained in vinyasa yoga, and I love the energy of vinyasa yoga. But I find also very usefull and grounding to work on the asanas in a more « static » way, in order to have the time to work on the alignment (Iyengar-style) and feel things in a more subtle way. That’s why I like to alternate these two approaches. Is there any ideal way retreat participants can better prepare themselves for their retreat time with you? A regular practice once per week during a few months before would be a good preparation. At the end of the event week, what is the one thing you hope retreat participants will walk away feeling? To feel connected with themselves and the Universe, to feel relaxed in their body, alive and confident in their heart, and to feel confident about who they are and their place in the world. What are you most looking forward to experiencing as an exclusive events teacher at Suncokret? To have time to work a bit deeper with the students than in a weekly class, and I’m sure I’ll be in the best place in the world to do that. What advice would you give to aspiring yoga teachers who would like to lead retreats? A teacher of mine (Rachel Zinman) once told us during the teacher training to teach what WE need in order to be more balanced... And it will attract the right people. I think it’s the best advice. And also, of course, to be authentic and trust yourself. Even when you’re not sure about what you’re going to tell in the class. It happened to me many times, and then I just sit in front of my students, take a few breaths and the right words always come. It’s magic!

Welcome to our new interview series featuring esteemed colleagues from around the world who are coming to Suncokret in 2015 and beyond to co-host unique events in our space. This week, we introduce you to Daniela Dippong, a former retreat guest, now turned yoga teacher and healer, to discuss her yoga path and spirtual journey which she will now openly share with you during the 21-27 June Summer Solstice & Lavender Event week on Hvar! Tell us a little about yourself; what else do you do besides teach yoga? Besides Yoga, I am also working as a Graphic Designer and Illustrator. I love to do Illustrations and little artworks in my free time, collect ideas, sketch in my sketchbook or just walk through this world with all of my senses wide open in order to absorb the beauty of everything surrounding us. I also love to take photos, travel the world and learn everything I can in a short time, as I am really hungry for the unknown. That is why I am also taking a course in Reincarnation Therapy, where we do Rebirthing Sessions in order to get closer to the spiritual world and to experience our being beyond this physical body. Part of this course is also astrology, which I am really fascinated about as well, as it applies so incredibly well to my current life and experiences and can give a wonderful guide for current challenges in life. How did you get into yoga? At first, my back problems brought me to Yoga, because it gave me a huge relief from pain and it also made me relaxed after a long working day. But through the practice, I found that there is more to life than just working and managing stress and that we are spiritual beings having various experiences in order to develop our wonderful talents. I am grateful every day to have found such a powerful way to come closer and closer to my core and open my heart to all beings. What would you say is the one best thing about yoga? For me, it is the connection between between our human and our spiritual being. It is the reconnection to ourselves and the path to finding out what we really want in life (our life-task) and why we have come here. Yoga is the key to overcoming old patterns and a pathway to becoming mindful with ourselves and others. What has been your best teaching experience to date? My best teaching experience was when I surprised my students during a classical yoga class with some dancing at the start of the class. In the end, we were jumping around freestyle on our mats and in the room. The students were really happy, with huge smiling faces, and that made me really happy too! What was your favorite thing about coming to Suncokret as retreat guest? There is not one thing I can mention as my favorite thing but it was the whole program of that week, which made my stay there really special. I came to Suncokret in 2012 and in that week I was able to heal from a really bad experience in my life. The yoga, the food, the meditations, the people, the sun, the ocean made me heal and open up my heart again. The island is just magical and I felt much stronger and closer to my core again after that experience. And during that week, you (Evening) told me about your teacher Saji in India, where I went only some months later in order to do my first Yoga Teacher Training Course. So my stay in Croatia opened up a whole new prospective in life for me. What do you hope guests will gain by attending your event at Suncokret? I hope that I can open their souls to some new experiences during the week. We will not only touch the body with the asanas but will go much deeper into our spiritual being with meditations, chakra cleaning and a rebirthing session, where we can cross borders to an unknown world. As for the heart, I hope, that our week will be a heart-opening event for the students, as I would also love to integrate some Yoga Dance into my classes to bring back joy and happiness into our life. I saw so many people change and transform during yoga retreats and I hope that during this retreat the students will experience that kind of transformation with me. Is there any ideal way retreat participants can better prepare themselves for their retreat time with you? There is no real preparation needed for my event. The only thing is to come with an openness of the mind and surrender to the experience itself. At the end of the event week, what is the one thing you hope retreat participants will walk away feeling? It would make me really happy if I can just look into the participants eyes and see some joy and relaxation. I would love to see some sun blessed, strong and healthy people, able to take back the joy and the warmth of this magical island into their every day life. What are you most looking forward to experiencing as a co-hosting teacher at Suncokret? I am looking forward to getting to know the participants and to become a member of that wonderful group during the week, to beautiful talks and laughter around the breakfast and dinner table, just to an amazing time with all of you… And, to be honest, I am also already looking forward to the amazing food Stipe provides during the week with all the fresh fruit and wonderful vegetarian dishes! For more information about this event, click here .

Happy Easter friends and welcome to the new Suncokret Blog! For quite some time I have been wanting to blog about our retreat work and all the interesting stories that unfold as a result of this amazing journey we are on. Somehow, I just didn't know where to start. But 2015 is proving to be a year of major growth for us and the time has come to spread our wings, fly to the next level and share, share, share... so it here goes! After building up a solid foundation for our life and work over the past 12 years, we have several blessed announcemnts to make. For today, I'll just start with the first... On March 31st, we were proud to launch our brand new website - the one you are currently visiting - which we feel is a beautiful reflection of who we are today as the result of this incredible journey begun together as retreat co-founders in 2003. In conjunction with that, we hope that this blog page, as part of the new website, will provide a forum to communicate on a deeper level with all of you, helping us to keep you up to date on upcoming events, our latest news, inspriational stories related to yoga, spirituality, holistic health and well being, life on Hvar and other topics of interest. Our next post will be the start of a regular and ongoing series of interviews with visiting teachers who are coming to Suncokret to co-host unique events in our space. We hope that, through these interviews, you'll become as excited about taking part in these events as we are about co-hosting them! So please stay tuned to the Suncokret Blog for all this and more, and thanks for reading! Namaste.