Dance-phobic Natalie Hammond visits the first MindBodyRetreat
in Cornwall for a celebration of all things yoga, wellness and...dance.
Here, she tells OM she loved every bit of it
“B
ut that’s so self-
indulgent,” was my reply
when asked if I’d like
to book onto a yoga
retreat. For someone who
doesn’t have any children or anything overly
stressful to worry about, I wasn’t sure if I was
at the stage in my life where a ‘retreat’ was
necessary. Or so I thought. I work hard at a
busy creative agency and like most people,
rush around from one day to the next,
working my way through various to do lists
and deadlines. I’m definitely a busy person
but I’d hardly say I was in need of an escape.om travel
Sure, a weekend of yoga, dance, meditation
and incredible food sounded appealing, but
could I really justify a whole weekend away- on me?
Lisa Stephens is a dance and yoga
instructor who trained in classical ballet and
has danced, choreographed and instructed
her way around the world for over 15 years.
She’s so qualified it’s impossible to find a
discipline she hasn’t mastered yet (and if
you do, it’s likely to be on her list!). Having
set up Mindbodydance in 2016, she runs
classes all over Cornwall for all ages and has
grown a big following of dance and fitness
enthusiasts. Mindbodydance was born
from her love of yoga and dance and the
wonderful mix of these two disciplines: the
grounding and meditative effects of yoga
with the uplifting and expressive benefits
of dance. “It’s the perfect physical and
emotional journey,” she tells me. And, for
me, here lies issue number two: dancing!
Yoga, TRX, kettlebells, spinning, pilates,
boxercise...I’ve taken part in every weird
and wonderful class but when you say the
‘D word’, I start sweating and think of an
uncoordinated pigeon (aka: me!). Not only
was I debating a whole weekend away on
myself, but one which included self-torture...
sorry...dancing! But I booked anyway...Taking the plunge
Arriving at Caradoc of Tregardock on the
Friday evening, I was greeted with the
most incredible seascape view, stunning
barn-house and wonderful people.
Lisa left perfectly wrapped parcels with
Cornish goodies on each of our beds with
handwritten messages welcoming us to
her retreat: B Skincare Lip balm, Trevarno
soap and a bar from The Raw Chocolate Pie
Company. Already winning!
Meeting the other ladies, it was
immediately clear that we were in for a
memorable weekend. From all over the
country, of different ages and backgrounds,
we were removed from our busy lives
and brought together in this beautiful
part of north Cornwall. Never before
have I experienced such a ‘sisterhood’ ofFootloose
&
Fancyfree