David Williams loves the yoga holidays he leads at Yoga Rocks, teaching smaller groups than he teaches elsewhere, with a more intimate atmosphere allowing him to hang out, eat with and get to know the participants – a rare joy for David.
This retreat is not one to go further in your Ashtanga practice in a physical way, rather it should help you adopt a more relaxed attitude and help you deepen your enjoyment. Over time David believes this will advance your practice further, preventing yoga burnout and injuries that can arise through a vigorous practice undertaken too forcefully.
David leads the traditional Ashtanga pranayama class that begins at 10.00 in the indoor shala and then heads into a swift led Ashtanga primary series which is a slightly modified version with a few poses, including inversions, omitted.
Then there’s lunch and the rest of the day is free from yoga – he believes a retreat is not a place to overdo the yoga and get turned off by too much, but an oportunity to begin a realistic practice you can continue for life. This creates a very light, holiday, atmosphere on the retreat and often guests group together to head to the beach bar on the other side of the three rocks in the afternoons.
Chess, backgammon and chilling are followed by an early evening dinner back at the retreat. David then moves to the taverna below for his genuinely captivating storytelling of a bygone era of yoga discovery and hippie antics during the time he was instrumental in bringing Ashtanga to the wider Western audience. Colourful characters and his no holds barred account keep the story lively, while guests often throw in a few surprise stories of their own.
You’ll never have such a relaxed yoga holiday experience – Aloha!