And who were we sharing this paradise with? A few savvy and affluent Turks, some German ramblers, and the occasional rather chic 21st-century hippie. I kept pinching myself over the areas raw beauty, and that was even before we went on a days boat trip and found ourselves swimming in the shadow of a ruined Byzantine city accessible only by boat, where jets of icy spring water occasionally spurted up from the sea bed, catching us spine-tinglingly unawares. It felt like the Europe of the Sixties.

Our morning yoga practice, from 8am to 11am, was yang or dynamic in nature. Afternoon sessions 5pm to 7.30pm were yin or restorative. Our teacher for the week was Simon Low, whom I had encountered on two earlier yoga retreats and was eager to practice with again.

Part of Lows brilliance and that of yin yoga in general is that each day you feel more rested, as well as stronger and fitter, and entirely avoid the fourth or fifth-day slump that can punctuate a typical week-long yoga holiday. (And this was not as a result of taking it easy: the morning sessions were challenging, and my fitness level was increasing to such a degree that my post-afternoon-swim meander back up the hill was transforming itself into something of a sprint.)

Another point of difference with Low is how his intricate anatomical knowledge informs the way he teaches, which transforms the way you practice . Low taught us, for example, the mirroring relationship between the jaw and the hip joints, and how tightness in the former equates with stiffness in the latter; by teaching us how to loosen our jaws, we unlocked our hips. With every position, he instructed us how best to tailor it for the idiosyncrasies of our respective bodies.

For similar reasons, a number of the classic yoga poses are taught somewhat unconventionally by Low. Downward dog, for example the inverted triangle position, your hands and feet on the floor should not be about pushing your heels towards the floor, as most teachers insist, but raising your heels. This allows your thigh bones to move up and back, thus deepening the stretch in the back and shoulders, and opening your upper body to a new degree. The upper body is a focus for much of Lows work, a response, he says, to the impact of computer work on his clients bodies. I can certainly vouch for the fact that, at my second massage of the week with Tatiana (a fabulous German masseuse), my upper body had been transformed.

Lows attendees usually take their yoga pretty seriously. This is not to say that he isnt great at dealing with beginners, and that there isnt a place for fun and laughter. What it does mean is that, if you are a regular practitioner, you will have the opportunity to move forward dramatically in your practice.

Dining alfresco at restaurants in Fethiye old town

As every yogi knows, yoga is as much about breath as postures. There was a game-changer session for many of us that week, when Low introduced us to the idea of figure of eight breathing. Throwing in a bit of evolutionary theory, Low reminded us that we humans started off as fish, breathing not air but water, and that we still begin our lives in the watery environs of the womb . Low had us visualising each breath winding its way within our torso, passing through our belly button on its way in and again on its way out. Peculiar as that sounds and, yes, I am fully aware that it does! a large number of the group, myself included, felt their practice was profoundly and permanently changed.

Lows popularity with students isnt just down to his yoga. He is also someone who teaches only at the loveliest places, and who enjoys eating well. Meals at Suleymans are wonderful. When the chef isnt in the kitchen he is out picking produce in the garden (90 per cent of what you eat comes from their own land). Often in mid-afternoon there would be a little pile of something ripening on a table in the sun, which would then be mouthwateringly transformed for dinner. The breakfasts are a particular highlight, including the superlative local honey and tahini, the memory of which has long made regulars at Huzur Vadisi swoon.

Suleymans Garden is a simple place, its rooms small and basic, its mod cons neither very mod nor very con, its swimming pool minute but who needs a pool when you have the Mediterranean? It is a special place, somewhere to which I suspect you will want to return again and again. I know I do.

Read more:
Yoga in Turkey: The yin and the yang of Lycian life

........................................................................................................................................................................................

Michael Franti & Spearhead are bringing their first music and yoga tour to Santa Fe this summer. Called Soulshine, the day and night festival will stop by the Downs of Santa Fe as part of its tour of 30 or more U.S. cities.

The show starts at 3 p.m. July 5 with yoga and acoustic music jamming. Franti, who has practiced yoga for 12 years, will bring guest yoga teachers, including Ryan Leier of Canada. A full concert will follow at 6 p.m. Guest musicians include SOJA, Brett Dennen and Trevor Hall.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. April 11 at ticketssantafe.org and holdmyticket.com . The venue offers lawn seating only you can bring blankets and chairs. VIP front section is $61, with general admission lawn section $44. If you want to do yoga in the afternoon, those tickets cost $20 alone, $10 if you also buy a concert ticket.

The show is offered by Heath Concerts in conjunction with AMC Concerts.

Go here to see the original:
Michael Franti, yoga and Soulshine headed to Santa Fe