The Bailiwick of Guernsey, situated 90 miles south of the UK and 30 miles west of France, is an island with a lot going for it, beautiful beaches, warmer temperatures then the UK, and now, open air Yoga classes in locations that would be hard to beat for view and beauty.
Our first venture into this idyllic way of spending a few hours was situated on the headland over-looking the stunning Port Soif bay on Guernsey's west coast, with the promise of a magnificent sunset to top it off, I was really looking forward to discovering Yoga in the island.
When we decided to participate in this class, we were asked to bring a Yoga Mat, but as I did not have one, I had to borrow one from our Yoga leader who had plenty to spare just incase the class was going to contain any Yoga newbies such as me.
Before the Yoga class was to start, we were asked if we had any ailments or sporting injuries, this was so our Yoga leader could customise the flow of the class to suit everybody's needs.
There are not many words that can describe the view at Port Soif where the first of our Yoga classes was to take place. Looking out onto the beautiful beach with its white sand, red glowing granite sides and the perfect blue ocean right in front of us, you have to see it to believe it!
We started as our leader guided us through a slow flow series of asanas (postures), and then we lay back (in Savasana) for a guided relaxation with the sun on our faces, and the rich grass of Port Soif Common beneath us.
The Yoga class was fantastic and very well organised, and after we had finished stretching and moving into positions I could never of imagined, we were feeling a little hungry. Luckily, to make our beach Yoga evening even more special, a local kiosk on the beach stayed open late especially for our class, and offered a great selection of food and drink to watch the sun go down with.
We were so struck by this evening on the headland that we decided to see if we could attend any other outside events, we were delighted to find out that their were two more Yoga classes to be held in the great Guernsey open air over the next couple of weeks. Of course, we booked, and the second event was even more beautiful.
Castle Cornet, a large medieval castle built on Guernsey's famous sea front was the next location for one of these magical evenings.
We arrived at the castle on a beautiful clear evening and made our way to the top lawn for a very special Yoga pop up class. The stunning panoramic views surrounding the castle are not to be missed if you ever visit here. It was great to hear that our Yoga leader had a backup plan should the Guernsey weather fail us, but as it happened, the night was as calm and peaceful as I felt after the class had finished. After, we sat back and sipped on a nice cup of herbal tea that we had purchased from another one of Guernsey's famous kiosks, and watched the Bailiwick of Guernsey slowly fall to sleep.
One week later we attended another Yoga Class at a location called the Vale Castle. Practicing Yoga over-looking the spectacular scenery towards Herm and Sark (the smallest islands of the Bailiwick) was the end to a perfect couple of weeks on the Island of Guernsey.
Since returning home, we have already booked a return to the island next month for a weekend long Yoga Camp on Guernsey's beautiful east coast.
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