A few plugs

Just wanted to share the sites of 4 of our lovely yoga guests this month. First is Tashi Dawa, the beautiful dancing, singing, travelling, Aussie yoga teacher who won our hearts, taught us loads and encouraged us immensely during her stay here at Vale de Moses. Tashi, you have one more place on this amazing planet that you can consider home.

Second plug is for Chris and Anette (they're not the ones in the photo) who return on Monday to stay with us til Christmas in our newly restored Adega (new photos up next week) down by the river that runs through this valley, to deepen their practice of Suikido, a wonderful blend of dance, martial arts and yoga. We'll be building a new straw bale yoga shala / dojo this summer on the sugar maple tree terrace at the top of land, which we will be delighted to share with them while they are here.

Third 'shout out' is for the new yoga meditation pillows, Place, designed by Xana Lopes, a Portuguese shiatsu and reflexology therapist who is with us this week, and her sister. The pillows are big and generous and allow even for me to sit for more than 20 minutes without my body moaning. And that's saying something. We'l try to get some shots next week of the pillow in action to prove the point.

The last and most delicious plug of all today, is for a very special Dutchman, Jan-Bas, who is here to deeply recuperate after 2 years of hard hard work launching a precious gift to the world. The raw chocolate fair trade finest ingredients phenomenon Lovechock. They want to connect people with the pure essence of cocoa and put happiness inside of us all. Bless. If you are in Holland or Germany go ask your local health food shop to get it in. We can't wait til they start distributing this manna from heaven in Portugal. Força Lovechock!!

Até já

Memphis

Life on Yoga Retreat

Olá bom dia!

Just finished our Rainbows on your Eyelashes week and what a privilege it was to have our guests with us this week. Such lovely people. I feel I am in a lucky place cooking through the day in the farmhouse kitchens, watching people at various lengthy intervals, coming in and out of the house, up and down the stairs to the loft studio, to and from their yoga classes and treatments.

I get to see what they look like pre and post yoga. Before and after their massages.   Afore needles and beyond. If I had to succinctly describe the differences in the appearance and countenance of our guests between these 'fore and afters' it would be this: They walk in. Then float out.

It's so rewarding to see people who are already fairly relaxed after a few days living with good food, pure water and forest air, descend the stairs and come to the kitchen for a cup of tea, sparkly eyed with seemingly all tension gone from their faces. You should see it. You really should. It's quite a sight.

Although Eloise has just baked another mouth watering batch of healthy cupcakes (seriously my mouth is watering as I type) which I am about to devour in the courtyard, I have to say that life here living on a yoga retreat is not all full of blissed out chilled loveliness. In our weeks "off" we work hard in the forest and gardens and adding finishing touches to the restoration work of the cottages.

I'll leave you a couple of vids below we've just posted up to our "We Love Moses" Youtube channel where you can compare and contrast our weeks 'off' and our weeks with retreats; between work necessary round the farm with a moment for example on Wednesday when the physical, rather than metaphysical, rainbows were discovered on all proverbial eyelashes present.

As we say farewell to our guests this week heading back to distant lands and distant shores, just wanted to say to them specifically, in public as it were, in the immortal words of Louis Walsh that the newly formed Mosettes (Hannah, Sarah, Anja, Tashi and Louise) are undoubtedly "going to be the next big Girl Band". Great songwriting and seriously star performance in front of the courtyard  fire last night. We thank you for the music! Thank you.

In peace. In respect.

Memphis