“Adopt the pace of nature where nothing is rushed“

Or as we say here in Croatia: “Polako”

When you come on a holiday with me, unless there is very good reason, like hiking up Mount Srd before it gets too hot and the crowds appear, I won’t be making you get up at the crack of dawn to endure a gruelling hardcore class.

Instead, I encourage everyone to take their time.

Take it steady, no stress…. And yet at the same time, be mindful of your morning routines.

This is the time that you set the whole tone for the rest of the day, and why not give yourself the best shot at a having a good one.

I call it “setting the day to magic”.

I have morning rituals for my own everyday life at home, and I encourage my guests on retreat to take them on too.

I start the day by opening the curtains, getting the morning light on my eyes, and taking in the magnificent view.

Then I take on plenty of fluids, first hot water with fresh lemon, and pop on a pot of coffee.

I put on a piece of music which makes me feel happy, and for these weeks in Cavtat, it had to be “Galeb I Ja” by Oliver Dragojevic.

He was able to look at the world and see the magic – of a simple blue sky and a seagull.

His music opens my heart and I always share it with the guests to give them a little bit of Croatian culture. People sing from the hearts here, it’s just one of the many things I love about living in this country.

I’m also quite partial to a bit of bird-watching myself, and this is my favourite morning meditation. I love that the guests can also enjoy the birdsong in the morning from their balconies and the yoga deck by the pool.

I often feel like people complicate things like yoga and meditation. You don’t need a special studio, cushion or someone else’s process or technique.

As Van Morrison wrote:

“No guru, no method, no teacher – just you and I in nature”.

This song “In The Garden”, is one of my other favourite morning wake-up tunes.

It’s the basis of all my work. The closer we are to nature, the healthier we are. Really, nature has the answers, we just need to remind ourselves of that.

What’s more, we can choose what we focus on and when we look to nature, there is so much to wonder at, it’s truly magnificent.

Starting the day by watching the news makes no sense if you want to put yourself in a good mood for the day ahead.

Look at the sky, the sea, the trees, the flowers and the changing of the seasons. This is how you learn to love mornings.

Of course, it helps that we have the most amazing views for our morning sessions to start the day, and this is why I chose here for my holidays.

We really are affected by what we choose to look at, and as I teach my guests, we can choose to:

“Look for the magic in nature”.