HERALD SUN - HEALTH AND FITNESS
Monday, January 19, 2004

Breath of fresh air

A yoga retreat near Daylesford is just the place for overworked city dwellers to inhale, exhale and recover their sanity, writes Harbant Gill

Have fun and breathe are about the most salient instructions at Robert Byrne's yoga retreat.  There is no punishing schedule, no pious pontificating, no pushing, no postulating.

There is, however, plenty of laughter, delicious food, invigorating mineral spas, spicy chai, chanting, meditation and two two-hour yoga sessions daily.  Rob teaches us how to breathe because, as he says, most of us inhale less than we exhale, thus emphasising the outer world at the expense of the inner.

It is this focus on the inner world that enables 30 or so city dwellers to hit it off instantly when we gather on a Friday night at a country retreat, out of mobile phone range, 15 minutes from Daylesford.

The Art dealer draws a long breath and forgets about competition, the dancer turns her back on comparing herself with others, the property developer ponders the full moon and it's effect upon us, the manager learns to manage himself.

What emerges is a supportive, nurturing space with positive effects far beyond physical health and fitness.

We rise early, breathing in the stillness and crisp air.  Gathering quietly, we sit cross-legged on the mats laid out in the main hall.  With the help of live music, we chant to open our hearts and still our minds as we watch the sun rise over the rolling hills.

And as it glitters on the lake just outside the window, we are guided through various postures to open our shoulders and hips, which Rob describes as the two tightest spots in the 2004 body.

Keep the eyes soft, he tells us, the awareness turned inward and the postures soft and comfortable.

We work within our own limits, observing what blocks us, inhaling to release tightness, physically and emotionally.

Breakfast is doubly delectable.  We hang out, before heading for a latte on the way to the mineral baths.

The hot spa and swim are the perfect tonic before the team sprawls in the sun, just lying back or chatting about everything from voice dialogue to Pauline Hanson's softer features after her prison term.

Lunch is followed by walks around the lake and paddocks, cartwheels on the grass and spontaneous rhythms on drums.

A breathing class deepens the relaxation before dinner, which is followed by a video on a psychologist who laughs about the years he spent in chemically induced states before discovering meditation.

Chanting wraps up the moonlit night.

The next day goes even deeper.  Soft but strong is the aim, as we go through a similar program.

Rob, who has been studying yoga and mysticism since 1968, is a regular guy with an easy manner who is anything but precious in sharing what he has learnt.

What strikes me most is that when the focus is turned to our relationship with ourselves, other people and the world become much more enjoyable for us.

We are naturally reluctant to leave.  On the way home, several of us stop with Rob in Daylesford for a last latte together.

"This has reminded me of the value of talking time out, " the musician sighs.  "I feel rejuvenated in spirit.  There were no distractions - the focus was on health and the spiritual, but without the dogma."

The student filmmaker comes away with "a crispness - an awareness of ways in which I block myself in life".

The installation artist has thrived through being in the company of like-minded people.  The manager questions the way we live in cities.

Soon we are talking of regular retreats, stopping, stepping back, reflecting, and returning home a little softer, a little stronger.