Summer Solstice Yoga Retreat

When and where?

When: Friday 23 – Sunday 25 June 2023

Where: Mulvarra House in St Mullins. You can get directions from our website contact page  

Cost: from €370

To book: Call us on (O)87 1777145
or email info@mulvarra.com

Your teacher:
Tim Dawson

Tim has been a qualified yoga teacher for 10 years.  He has spent long periods studying and practising yoga in India. He combines a solid grounding in the principles of traditional Hatha yoga with a strong interest in breathwork and meditation.
Tim favours a gentle approach to yoga with poses being held and emphasis on breath focus. Students blessed with greater flexibilty are invited to go deeper into poses, but overall everyone in the class should feel comfortable with where their body is at. Tim trained as a teacher in Classical Hatha Yoga at Yoga Vidya Gurukul in Trimbakeshwar district in India, where he also trained as a Yoga Therapist. He occasionally integrates Pilates elements within classes in order to give more of an energetic workout to core muscles. Tim’s overall approach to Yoga flows from Patanjali’s second Yoga Sutra: ‘Yoga chitta vritti nirodhah’: Yoga is the Stilling of the Mind Waves.

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celebrating the summer solstice

Weekend retreat 23-25 June 2023

We celebrate the Summer Solstice, the longest day and shortest night of our year, with this special retreat weekend where we shine our inner lights. Let’s join in and take an immersive journey spread over three days- exploring yoga, wellness and a special stand-up paddle board journey on the River Barrow. Surrounded by the superbly unspoiled natural beauty of St Mullins and the Barrow river valley, we open Mulvarra House and the Breathing Space to you in a safe and warm environment.

This year, the Summer Solstice will be celebrated on Wednesday June 21st. For several days after, usually until the 25th, the hours and minutes of daylight will remain almost exactly the same. In many cultures throughout history, societies’ spiritual beliefs and practices were very closely connected with the passing of the seasons. Christian Ireland didn’t celebrate the solstice directly, however it marked the time in the Feast Of St John. Also, on the 23rd of June in certain parts of rural Ireland, we celebrated the Feast Of St Johns Eve which features some customs such as bonfires which were clearly held over from our pagan ancestors.

We will enjoy the long days by practicing yoga outside on Mulvarra’s yoga deck. If the sun let’s us, we will our meals outside as well. Meditation will be another focus of the weekend and we will experience a range of different Meditation approaches.

Mulvarra’s hosts, Tim and Linda, are looking forward to welcoming you.

What to expect from the retreat

Balance

We will learn mindfulness meditation techniques in combination with breathwork to engender a greater sense of balance and harmony in our body and mind.

Connect

The retreat allows us to strengthen our sense of connectedness – both to our inner selves and to those around us. There will be time on the retreats to pause and reflect, or just do nothing and enjoy the start of summer. With our increasingly busy lives It is so important that we occasionally stop and pause, and put our phones to one side, and just be.

Nature

The River Barrow is absolutely beautiful. There will be time to walk along the river path but we will also be literally on top of the river: stand-up paddle boarding gives you the chance to see the river and its gorgeous surroundings from a different perspective.

  • 5 yoga classes
  • Three-hour stand-up paddle trip on the River Barrow
  • Breathwork and mindfuless meditations
  • Suitable for beginners and all fitness levels
  • All meals included
  • 2 nights accommodation (shared and unshared accommodation options available)

The setting for this event is one of the most glorious and magical river valleys in all of Ireland. Into this inspiring landscape we will learn to revive our sense of a deep connectedness to our inner and outer worlds.

We will spend as much time as possible out in nature, practising yoga on our yoga deck surrounded  by the beauty of St Mullins and the river Barrow, eating our meals outside if possible.

The yoga aspect of this retreat is about clearing stagnant energies and freeing up our bodies to help us fully live in the moment. We will also have time to explore some of the deeper concepts underpinning yoga, ideas which would be difficult to explore in the context of a weekly yoga class. will explore the yogic concept of the 5 koshas or layers of our existence. These range from from our outermost layer which is our physical body through our energy and thought layers on through our emotional realities. We will explore how breath is the one of the key ways to work with these layers with a range of practical and safe breathwork techniques.

As we travel inward from the outermost layer (Manomaya Kosha or the physical body) In increasing levels of sublety we learn how to work more skillfully within our unique individual constraints by using our breath to harness subtle energies.

Summer Solstice Yoga and paddle boarding Weekend
Friday 23rd – Sunday 25th June

Friday

4:00 PM
Arrival, settle in with tea and a delicious treat.
6.00 PM
First yoga session gentle yin yoga and opening circle
7:30 PM
Dinner
8:30 PM
Yoga nidra session
9.30 PM
Close. Retire to your room, relax in our cosy living room, read a book, journal, get a good night’s sleep
Saturday
8:15 AM
Breathwork and Morning yoga stretch
09:30 AM
Breakfast
11:00 AM
Free time, go for a walk, read a book, enjoy the sun
1.30 PM
Leave for our SUP trip on the River Barrow
2:00 PM
Leave for our SUP trip on the River Barrow
5:00 PM
Head back to Mulvarra House
6:00 PM
Relaxing yin yoga
7:30 PM
Dinner
8:45 PM
Meditation or yoga nidra
10:30 PM
Bedtime
Sunday
7:30 AM
Silent river walking meditation
8:30 AM
Yoga session
10:30 AM
Brunch
12:00 PM
Closing ceremony
1:00 PM
Time to head home.
Room type Price (sharing, per person)
Room 1 – Triple room with two single beds and a double bed, ensuite.€380
Room 2 – Twin room with two single beds, ensuite€ 400.00
Room 3 – Twin room with two single beds, ensuite€ 400.00
Room 4 – Twin room with a single bed and a double bed, ensuite€ 400.00
Room 5 – Twin room with a single bed and a double bed, ensuite€ 400.00
Room 6 (downstairs without a river view)- Twin room with two single beds, ensuite€370
Single Occupancy (only available for room 2 and 6)€ 60 supplement

In order to book one of the places on the retreat, you simply contact us by email (info@mulvarra.com) or you can give us a call, text or whatsapp (087 1777145). Please note that a non-refundable deposit of €100 must be paid in order to secure a place on the retreat. You can either pay by bank transfer or by using Revolut. We will contact you two weeks before the retreat to settle the balance.

The closest public transport is the bus or train from Dublin or Waterford to Thomastown . From Thomastown there are taxis available (cost is 25-30 Euros)

The Breathing Space studio

This large, light-filled space has commanding views over the Barrow River and surrounding forests, as well as the 7th century monastic settlement of St Mullins itself.  Although it was designed specifically to function as a yoga studio and meditation space,  it supports multiple uses. It features  a special infra red heating system and a full complement of yoga equipment.

the food experience

Linda’s enthusiasm for anything to do with food will hopefully inspire you to go home and try out some of her favourite recipes. She will be more than happy to share some of her cooking tips with you if you are interested in finding out how any of the dishes are made

Many of our ‘retreatants’ are really interested in trying out more vegetarian recipes but sometimes don’t know where to begin. We hope that Linda’s demonstrations and her willingness to share will help you along. The recipes are not complicated and really fun to make. So join us for this very special retreat in April.

St Mullins: The backdrop to the retreat

  • A unique chance to experience the magic of St Mullins, known as the jewel of the Barrow
  • 7th century monastic site
  • 12th century Norman motte
  • Vibrant cafe and river community
  • Proximity to hikes in Blackstairs mountains and numerous river and forest nature walks