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THE GLASS DOORSof Keflavik Airport slid

openand the purity of the Iceland air took

my breath, and any doubts I had about

travelling 36 hours to the other side of the

world for a yoga retreat,away.

The sleet stung my eyes but I could see

the way the snow held its form and colour

as it sat upon the black volcanic landscape

of the youngest land mass on earth.

Iceland is Mother Nature’s belligerent

teenager and on the day I arrived, she

was moody and about to be sent to her

room.

The Raise Your Vibrations chakra

themed seven-day yoga retreat, held in

Reykjavik and organised by The Travel

Yogi by Gaiam was hosted by New York

City yoga teacher, Shannon Algeo. Each day

was aligned with a chakra and here’s the

kicker (and the reason so many people

asked me if I was crazy), it was held in

winter. In Iceland!

“When I designed the retreat, I was

practising a lot of Kundalini yoga and

listening to Carolyn Myss’Advanced Energy

Anatomywhich is about chakras,” Shannon

explained.

“Iceland is a place that has a high

vibration and Kundalini is about reaching a

higher energy point with Vata and Dosha

focused practice.

“It made sense to combine all of this and

create a chakra-themed yoga program.”

For seven days, we combined two hours

of yoga each morning and an early evening

restorative yoga and meditation session

with sightseeing and exploring. Basing

ourselves in the colourful community of

Reykjavik, dwarfed by glacial mountains

and surrounded by rainbow houses and

jaw-dropping street art, we connected to

self, each other and the magic of Iceland.

DAY ONE:THE ROOT CHAKRA

Focusing on reconnection to the earth

and getting our bearings in a strange

city, Shannon guided us through

ground standing postures and holding

poses allowing Iceland to spiritually

and energetically rise up through our

bodies.

“Flying tends to unearth you so I set

the intention for our first session to get

grounded and absorb the energy of the

earth,” he said.

We stretched our legs with the

Reykjavik Food Walk, taking in a mobile

degustation menu of 13 courses

while walking around the capital and

introducing ourselves to the food of

Iceland and geography of Reykjavik.

DAY TWO:THE SACRAL CHAKRA

The second day focused on fluidity

and flow and our connection to nature,

reinforced by exploring the Golden

Circle of Iceland. First stop was Gullfoss

(Golden Falls) where a powerful and

icy blanket of 100 feet of water surged

into the Hvita River below.

We visited the hot springs of Stokkur,

dotted around the Haukadalur Valley.

The tall columns of water and steam

that hissed and spat their way from

underground to 20 metres into the air

were greeted withoohsandaahsand selfie

sticks.

But it was Pingvellir National Park

that personified the restlessness of the

earth. A wall of black volcanic rock

reaching to the sky, the result of the

North American and Eurasian tectonic

plates movingaway fromeach other over

thousands of years. A sobering reminder

of Mother Nature’s wrath.

DAY THREE :THE SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA

Starting the day focusing on our sense of

self, core work brought heat to the solar

plexus chakra. A ‘day off’ allowed us to set

off individually, free to explore Reykjavik or

beyond alone.

I wandered through streets, passing

brightly painted houses and doors, and

discovered stunning street art, a creative

hangover from the Iceland Airwaves

Festival. The best views of this quirky

city are at the top of Hallgrimskirkja,

a Lutheran Church that took 41 years

to build. The wait was worth it as the

360-degree views 73 metres above Reykjavik

are an Instagrammer’s dream.

DAY FOUR:THE HEART CHAKRA

How appropriate the heart chakra is

represented by the colour green for it was

in the early hours of the morning that we

experienced the beauty that is the Northern

Lights. Starting as a hazy band of white

stretching across the sky, the lights

transformed into soft purples before

transitioning into green shafts of light that

danced across the sky. A ballet of lights on

top of the world, it was the perfect way to

open our hearts up to seeing and receiving

miracles.

DAY FIVE:THE THROAT CHAKRA

The alignment with the colours of the chakra

and our exploration of Iceland continued

with a visit to the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal

spa in a lava field in Grindavik, one hour’s

drive from Reykjavik.

Guided to the lagoon by a pathway

cut through black volcanic rock, the

custom-built visitor’s centre gives it a

theme park feel. But any misgivings

about wristbands and hiring waterproof

PHOTOS: PETER RIGBY

Clockwise from left: Hallgrimskirkja Church (Ida Clay); Golden Falls (Ida Clay); Northern Lights (The Travel Yogi); Iceland’s capital Reykjavik (Emily Malchicoff);

Blue Lagoon (Ida Clay); footprints in the snow (Penny Webb); Lobster & Stuff eatery (Penny Webb); and Icelandic street art (Emily Malchicoff)

88

july 2016

yogajournal.com.au

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