Students Appreciations
Karen Joyce - USA
My experience at the Yossum retreat opened up a channel
into myself; allowing for a more real and fearless approach
to face who I am and what I need at this time in my life.
To do this, sometimes , we need to be guided and comforted.
We need to learn to love and accept ourselves before we
can deal with what is beyond ourselves (everyday life,
relationships, etc). So often we work from the outside
in and we waste precious time and energy, working from
the inside out can help you experience the world in a different
way and to take responsibility for your life. I highly
recommend this experience to anyone who is ready to begin
seeing and living truth.
Kathryn Murphy - Australia
One can’t help but relax on your retreats Kali. Thank
you for that space to once again take some time to recharge
my batteries and enjoy my own company.
I thank you again
for giving me the chance to spend time with myself. It
is amazing how often we go through life without really
knowing who we are or what we want. Your retreats give
me the chance to discover this person a little deeper each
time.
Lori is gorgeous and a very good instructor and thank
her very much for the care with which she taught her classes.
She took a good amount of time to explain what was happening
in the postures and throughout the class. She is very loving
and this came through in her yoga asana classes. Thank
you for the home practice sheet, it has been very handy
since returning home.
The sitting – meditation - time was
fabulous. I was suffering a bit this time with a stiff
hip and found that I was less comfortable sitting and needed
to fidget a bit from time to time, but I am working on
that with someone at home and as it settles down I am sure
the sitting will become easier. I love your approach to
sitting. So often in the western world is it seen as this
bazaar and mysterious practice that requires you to “shut
off” your mind, something that we all find nearly impossible,
therefore we don’t attempt. You make it a practice which,
the average westerner, can attempt without fear or apprehension
as it is explained and demonstrated in a way that is very
safe, real and genuine.
As always I return home highly
inspired, the trick is to maintain the energy and inspiration
amidst the normality of daily life, three kids, husband
etc. I am endeavouring to do everything I can to keep the
practice up, maybe not daily, but at least a few times
a week to start with, with the aim of increasing it as
it becomes part of my normal routine.
I thank you also
for you, Kali – you are an inspiration. I loved being able
to spend some more of my life with you again. Maybe one
year you may find Byron Bay the ideal destination for one
of your retreats.
Thank you and if you ever get to Australia,
there is always a bed for you in our home!
Pratibha Parmar – UK
This retreat surpassed my expectations. The excellent
instructions, explanations and in depth understanding of
Hatha Yoga gave me a rounded yet physically challenging
week. Kali's wisdom on meditation and compassionate understanding
was a wonderful experience.
Shawn Kent – USA
During the retreat I attained a state of relaxation never
felt before! The Silence really pushed my understanding
to new levels. I enjoyed the yoga classes a lot! Relaxed
and lots of new asanas. I have a suggestion though- tape
record a 30 minute session so that when we are home we
can listen to the voice and repeat the session.
The Meditation
guidance expanded my understanding of the practice of sitting
very much. A good mix of sitting and explanation.
I arrived
on this retreat to go deep and discover a new way of being.
The combination of meditation, yoga, visits to devout peoples
and sites, awesome natural surroundings, practical and
accessible teaching and private sessions with Kali has
opened a bright new door for my personal development and
happiness. Its not easy to continue, but it is so logical
and simple and the new feeling of oneness is so great that
I will continue!
Elisa Kallaus – Germany
All the examples you gave in meditation helped me to see
that my problems with sitting are quite common. So it made
it easier for me to face them and just sit. Because I saw
it is not an excuse for not sitting. And I started to enjoy
it.
I liked the way Lori organized the lessons – the order
of the asanas, the length of relaxation, the explanations.
I loved the session where we made yoga with a partner and
massaged each other. Because of the silence days and the
time I had for myself I could see structures in my way
of thinking. This awareness helped me during my travel
in India and back home. I was able to stop making things
I don’t like and are not good for me.
It was so wonderful
to see that everything was prepared with so much love.
Everybody helped to make it as comfortable as possible.
There was so much support in every point. I felt like I
can trust and be free. It was a unique experience and I
came in contact with parts in me in never knew. I’m grateful
that I had the opportunity to be in this retreat. Thank
you so much for your support.
Leah Hannes – Canada
I was already on the journey of spiritual awakening and
“re-discovering” myself. What the Yossum retreat did was
act as a core “way station” on the journey, reinforcing
what I had been learning/processing along the way, and
also giving me the “time out” from my regular life to really
figure out how I want to live, what I want my life to be,
and how I want to achieve this going forward. It also helped
me to make difficult decisions that I had been wrestling
with or putting off. Overall, helped increase my spiritual
practice - via yoga and meditation, confidence in myself
and my intuition, and reinforced that I am (now) so on
the right path in life.
Alisha Arora - UK
Thank you very much for this retreat. The silence is one
of the best things that I have done in my life. I have
never felt so close to myself before. It's wonderful to
have no pressure to talk to anyone, no pressure to have
an 'opinion' over anything. Thank you for bringing this
'moment' in my life. Lots of love.
Lenore Munro - Australia
I was looking to open parts of my personality that have
been laying dormant for a while and parts I didn’t know
existed. Through the gentle teachings and practices I feel
to have had a glimpse at some of those hidden aspects of
myself. Subtle shifts have taken place within my heart
and I feel a growing confidence and faith that seems to
have been just out of reach in the past.
I really enjoyed
the silence…the sense of joy that followed was beautiful
and unexpected!
I found the yoga to be enjoyable and thorough
although as the time went on and the altitude adjusted,
I could have done with a little more challenging practice.
In saying that, I found Lori to be a fun, understanding
and lovely teacher, she is well trained and shared her
knowledge freely and with warmth.
I found the meditation
guidance to be amazingly clarifying. I have a far more
realistic view of meditation than I did before. The simple
teachings were both easy to grasp and inspiring. I am finding
I can meditate longer with every week. It made me want
to sit everyday, without it I get that old panic habit
that comes with stress and fear and all of those old tape
loops…I find the meditation instills the calm…it does take
a while to quieten sometimes but I enjoy the journey…
I
feel blessed to have been involved in such a wonderfully
nurturing experience. The sense of understanding about
myself and how I can continually improve my way of living,
is invaluable. The practical and loving way in which Kali,
Lori and Mutribo shared their wisdom made the retreat an
amazing place to learn and grow. It will remain lovingly
in my heart…I look forward to seeing them again!
Marjan Looije – Netherlands
I have truly recharged my battery and I would not have
been able to do this if I was in the vicinity of my “normal”
life. The fact that we did not have mobile phone coverage
was great and the total different culture India is, has
only aided towards this relaxation. This feeling of being
cut-off as if I were in a temporarily vacuum has made the
experience much profounder for me because there were no
distractions to prevent me going “inside myself”.
The professionalism,
dedication and eye for detail have impressed me a great
deal. Lori has prepared the class for us step by step.
Nobody got hurt and everybody felt they had improved immensely
over the retreat period. This is the first time that a
yoga teacher has motivated me in such a positive way without
trying to push me in positions that my body could not handle
at the time. Lori is very wise and because of her understanding
of the body, she approaches the Yoga sessions in a safe
way, while explaining every step detailed. This whole process
was done relaxed with a good sense of humor.
Kali, my own
Meditation practice is very much motivated by your guidance.
The meditation in a group is very special. In addition
we also get to know other’s queries, which obviously gives
everybody more understanding and has deepened my own understanding.
The
time for myself in this Retreat has made me stronger. I
have created somehow within me a place, where I can withdraw
from the madness. For now it is a safe haven and by doing
my daily meditation practice I hope to maintain it.
Sue Luckhust – UK
This retreat has given me the strength and hope to continue
in life again when I felt there was nowhere to go. I thank
you for your support and love in giving me the space. Hard
for me to find words to express such beautiful and professional
people. Thank you.
Penny DeGraffenried - USA
It is as though we have let the genie out of the bottle,
and I am aware of this inner work almost all the time now.
During the retreat I did, in fact, relax a great deal.
It was a lovely venue and I appreciated very much the care
that you took to make the space welcoming and safe.
The
silence period was also very powerful. It was very helpful
to have a private session with you prior to the silence
period. Having the focus on my early years was very interesting.
I am still processing this experience. In fact, this week
I plan to be in touch with you to schedule a phone session
so that I can talk about it. I would appreciate your insight.
For
me, the Hatha yoga was quite perfect. I learned a lot and
felt that I improved my practice during the time I was
there. I have not yet started working at home, but I am
building up to this commitment slowly!
In all honesty, I expected the meditation practice to
be longer each day. I think this was something I heard
in one of the other retreats I have been with you – that
the retreat in India was an advanced practice. It was overall
very relaxing, and exactly what I needed. Something more
strenuous might have been difficult for me to handle.
I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to participate
in this experience. For me, your approach has unlocked
some doors that have been long closed. It is very nourishing
and supportive, something that is hard to come by in this
world. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Amanda Sykes - Australia
Lying in a hammock, staring up at those poplar trees as
they bent & swayed in worship of those beautiful snowcapped
Himalayas, was profoundly simple. I find myself just “being”
more since the retreat. Staring at trees, flowers, my cat
with hardly a thought running through my mind at all. I’m
calmer.
Zuzia Blach - UK (Yossum Private
Retreat Student)
This was the last resort for me so I came with an
open mind. It went beyond all my expectations. I have found
out more about myself in 6 day here than after 2 years
of therapy. I recommend the Yossum private retreat to anyone
who is in search of something more from life or simply
wants to learn to 'be'.
Kathryn Murphy - Australia
This retreat has given me the chance to meet myself
and discover what lies under the surface. I have found
a sense of calm & contentment which has allowed me
to open some doors which have been closed for some time
now. I took this retreat to have some 'me' time, what i
got was actually 'Me' back. Thank you.
