Yoga Teachers, do you get the opportunity to create enough time and space for your own yoga and mindfulness practice? Very often, after teaching for hours a day, finding the time to learn and grow in your own practice can be a challenge. We chatted with Gerry, owner of MindWise to explore his Enrich your Teaching - Teaching Yoga Mindfully Retreat coming up in September 2023.

Gerry is mindfulness teacher currently based in the beautiful town of Vilanculos, in Mozambique, overlooking the Bazaruto Archipelago. His journey to Mozambique has been reflected in his mindfulness journey. “I gave up an interesting and fulfilling corporate job in the family entertainment sector fourteen years ago. I loved my job as Vice President for Disney On Ice in Europe but, after thirteen years in that role, myself and my Dutch wife Christina knew that there was more to life than our life in Amsterdam, where we were based. And so began our journey…..new lives, new places to live, new discoveries.“

Losing both of his parents within two weeks of each other in 2014 sent Gerry on a journey to discover himself. A trip to India to help celebrate the 50th birthday of a very good friend led to his very first yoga class – and that was how he first realised the deep connection between body and mind. Four years later, he was accepted onto a Masters programme in Mindfulness Teaching in the University of Bangor in Wales.

They moved to Vilanculos towards the end of 2021, following a holiday. This was where he saw opportunities to develop retreats.

“My mindfulness practice is based on awareness. This is what mindfulness is – being aware of what you are doing without the additional baggage that our thoughts, judgments and expectations bring. Sounds simple, right? Yet taking my practice away from my meditation bench and into the reality of my daily life, is one of the hardest things to do. That’s why it’s called a “practice”.”

Mindfulness is for everyone and can be applied to anyone’s life, no matter what stage of a “path” they may be on. Just a simple, slowing down in our daily lives, doing something that we usually do automatically , can make a big change. Just by simply being aware.

Recognising how our mind works, has been conditioned to “think” in a certain way, and how our thoughts can contribute to our own suffering, can be very freeing. Simply seeing thoughts as just thoughts can free us of so many things and help us to relate to our them in a completely different way.

Gerry is passionate in bringing these teachings to as many people he can and loves collaborating with others to bring these teachings to others in many different ways.

How does all of this relate to teaching yoga?

Mindfulness is about all of the above, and also about embodiment – being aware of our body moment by moment as well as the accompanying thoughts. Yoga teachers can deepen their knowledge of mindfulness, which is why Gerry designed a weekend retreat to teach yoga teachers what mindfulness is, and how you can incorporate it into your classes.

During this weekend retreat, you will learn to teach embodied mindfulness which will help you and your students see the connection between the mind and body more deeply. By applying a deeper knowledge of mindfulness to your teaching, you can cultivate a deeper awareness of the unity of body and mind for both you and your students, which can lead to insights or self-discoveries that may not be there otherwise.

The retreat will give the teacher an integrated approach to yoga and mindfulness with background information and experiential knowledge. You will explore the connection between mind states and bodily experiences, and how foundational attitudes of mindfulness can help both teacher and students in their practice.

This weekend retreat will be held at the beautiful Kamala House Retreat Centre in Barrydale.

Gerry discovered Kamala House on a recent trip to the Western Cape and immediately had a click with Terry de Vries, the owner and developer of the centre. The Karoo has a lovely energy and Kamala House reflects this.

Retreat participants will have a fabulous practice space in the luxurious and tranquil grounds which include a saltwater pool, fire pit, sauna, yoga studio, labyrinth, and esoteric library. Participants can avail of one of the luxurious en-suite rooms on a shared or an individual basis.

It's a perfect weekend break. Time for yourself, for your teaching and your personal development.