22/06/2025
Feeling very grateful for the chance to lead a retreat at The Yoga Garden on the summer solstice yesterday.
The summer solstice—longest day, shortest night, the sun at its peak—is a time of energy, fullness, and potential. Nature is in full bloom, and we’re reminded of the sheer radiance and abundance that this season brings.
Change is the only constant, and nowhere is that more apparent than at Knepp. When I first started coming here, it was a bare field, surrounded by more bare fields. Fast forward to 2025 and it’s now a thriving rewilding project. If you haven’t read Wilding by Isabella Tree or seen the film, it’s well worth exploring. Nature is SO amazing.
Speaking of change—we’ve had all kinds of weather for our day retreats at The Yoga Garden: wind, rain, chilly days… but never scorching heat. I checked the forecast a week before, and each day it crept higher. I shelved my file of energising sun-honouring practices and went back to the drawing board—creating a gentle, cooling sequence, mostly floor-based, requiring minimal exertion.
We began our day outside the yurt, forming a circle and passing around a palm-sized pebble. Everyone was invited to hold the pebble and offer the pebble their worries, thoughts, or burdens. It was left by the door. I could see postures soften and bodies feel lighter from this simple act. In yoga, we often focus on effort, on doing—but learning to let go can be even more transformative. As I always say, yoga is a practice. It’s never finished. Always evolving.
This time of year is about expansion. We see it everywhere in nature. In our practice, we honoured that by gently working through the body rooting and creating space for expansion.
My dear friend Veronica Moulder came to the rescue when I needed some inspiration. I remembered her teaching a sunflower-themed practice years ago on a retreat in France and messaged her at a last minute ridiculous hour. True to form, she sent it straight over—despite juggling a million things in her own life. Yoga teachers will understand: we can never just teach someone else’s class plan. It always has to come through our own hearts. What we practiced on the day was quite different to what Veronica had in her plan, but it was the spark I needed to pull something together in the heat of the moment.
The practice drew from this beautiful quote by Helen Mirren in Calendar Girls:
"I don't think there's anything on this planet that more trumpets life than the sunflower. Not because it looks like the sun but because it follows the sun. During the course of the day, the head tracks the journey of the sun across the sky like a satellite dish for sunshine. Wherever the light is, no matter how weak, these flowers will find it. And that’s such an admirable thing. Such a lesson in life."
The group was experienced—half yoga teachers, the rest long-time practitioners. I didn’t offer many modifications, but I loved witnessing how everyone tuned into their own needs—resting when needed, adapting poses or practicing from a chair when that felt right. Everyone was truly listening to their own bodies—that’s what yoga is all about.
After lunch, we gathered for a rich discussion about the sun—its role in ancient civilisations, how electricity and tech have reshaped our lives into a 24/7 culture, the impact of light on circadian rhythms and shift work. We also spoke about the sun’s deep symbolism in yoga. Oh and who doesn’t like a mindful cocktail at sunset, we couldn't do that without the sun!
There was a long nourishing relaxation, weaving in the themes of rooting, expansion, and holding space for the unique seeds in our hearts. Then, an uplifting final practice to prepare for departure—with the option to reclaim whatever we had handed to the pebble at the start of they day.
I always plan to take loads of photos on these days… but when you’re immersed in the moment, the camera is the last thing on your mind. So here’s the one picture I managed, taken just before everyone arrived.
✨ I’ll be back at The Yoga Garden on Sunday 3rd August, and I have two spaces left. Fancy joining?
Have a great summer......
