About
As a Vinyasa yoga teacher, holistic health coach, artist and through her herbal medicine studies; Alexandra Moncreiffe has created a spaces of reconnection through her deeply transformative retreats, private ceremonies and yoga classes.
The rhythm of each retreat is created with nature in mind. Each day is themed around a different element according to the alchemic map of creation. This helps to activate and balance the creative forces within us. Everyday is also structured to support a healthy hormonal cascade and nervous system.
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We do our best to support the environment that so generously nourishes us. All of our meals are organic and locally sourced- if not grown on site. We aim to reduce waste wherever possible.
Our yoga mats, props and tools are made of natural jute fibre and come from Scottish producers.
Shieling
Shieling life is an ancient system which Highland culture was centred around. The Shieling itself is a simple dwelling place in the hills where animals can graze and their carers can rest. Shieling culture, however, has been a way of life, a nomadic tradition of moving through the land with the seasons. In the summer months it was usually the women who would take livestock up into the hills and spend that time watching over the animals, weaving, foraging and connecting with the land. Old Highland accounts of Shieling living relay a sense of renewal, rejuvenation and freedom that is not found within the normal constraints of everyday life. The ancient Celtic festivals of Samhain and Belgian were the changeover signals when animals and families would travel up and down the hills.
So, let the animal of your body be nourished and your being be rested. Explore your inner landscape as you move through different seasons in your life. Much of modern discontentment lies in resisting change, and seeking convenience. Our inner and outer worlds are ever changing, when we can dance with these tides our lives can open up to a sense of wonder, adaptability and intuition. In this state we harvest the blessings of experience.
Humans have always evolved alongside ritual and culture, much of which can be lost in modern life. Reconnecting with ancestral traditions restore our sense of belonging and bring richer meaning to everyday day.
Growing up in the Highland hills of Scotland, Alexandra was surrounded by the remains of Shielings. Many of them being her playgrounds, still filled with a sense of refuge and peace. Her retreats are inspired by these roots. Honouring nature and the seasons, valuing rest and creativity, making time for movement and play are all central to the experiences offered at Shieling retreats.
