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Yoga Retreats Feedback

Read some feedback from previous participants of yoga retreats with Fiona Agombar.

Yoga for Peace and Vitality retreats run in a variety of locations both in the UK, abroad and online. For further information about upcoming retreats please visit the Retreats page or contact Fiona.

Feedback from the first online retreat held in July 2020 with Fiona Agombar and Leah Barnett:

“Thank you so much for this retreat – it was wonderful. I loved every minute of it!!! So please, please do another one before too long.” Sarah B

“Thank you so, so much for the wonderful half-day retreat today. It was brilliant. I’d love it if you hosted another one in a couple of months!” Hannah B

“I thought it was fab! I loved the mixture and variety of things you used. An interesting thing for me personally was when you were asking us to hold opposites in mind – I’ve done this on a few occasions and found it quite difficult but yesterday it just seemed to click so thank you for that. I don’t really know what else to say, I loved all of it and I really hope you hold these on a regular basis. Thanks again.” Bernie G

“Thank you to you both for the online retreat on Saturday.  I have been having a relapse of my ME the past month and doing the weekly yoga classes with yourself Fiona has really been helping me.  I really enjoyed the retreat – I’m getting better at creating a space to relax in at home.  I liked doing the self massage and somatic holds.  It was lovely to meet Leah – and I loved the way she put us all at ease.  The wee exercises and stretches Leah taught were different and good.  Normally during a relapse I do a lot of meditation to help myself – but this time I’ve tried the yoga Nidra – sometimes Nidra can be a bit boring I find – but Leah yours was lovely the way you did it and I felt so relaxed and blissful – I really hope I can do some more yoga and Nidra with you in the future.” Emma T

Relaxing Yoga retreat in India – this is an example of a yoga holiday with Fiona.

“Thank you for the wonderful week and all your kindness towards me – whether in bringing me sustenance (material or spiritual), moral support… or just making me laugh my head off. My recovery journey has certainly had a boost! If a retreat is measured by what you take away with you then this one was a gem.” Anna Battersby

“The experience will remain as something special; the people, the place and the teaching.” Sue Petrie.

“The yoga was perfect for M.E. as Fiona guided classes and allowed us to work at our own pace in a caring, nurturing environment. The Atami is a place akin to paradise and perfect to replenish in.”  Maura Toner

“The food was delicious and varied and the service exceptional considering that they catered for all our individual dietary needs.  Also the flying time at three and a half hours was much quicker than I expected and the transfer was seamless.”  Judy

“There was no pressure to do anything other than what was right for you at any time.  What a nurturing and nourishing week.  I’ve never had time for just myself in my adult life.  Now I will insist on more of it.  What an awakening!” Suzy

“Sincerely wish I had come across this years ago.  I think Fiona is absolutely right; M.E. is not a condition of inertia; it is a condition of over-activity that needs to be slowed down, nurtured and nourished and Fiona’s techniques and methods do this beautifully.  Thank you very much.”  Veronica.

“The perfect getaway to revitalise body, mind and soul.  A truly memorable and life-enhancing experience.  The accommodation was fantastic – comfortable clean rooms with breathtaking views. These two weeks have been life-changing in many ways.  With thanks to Fiona, Charlotte and Emma I have found the stillness within and a pure joy I thought was lost forever.  I leave Turkey with a quieter mind, a stronger body, a lifted spirit and a happier heart! Thank you to you all, you have helped me to find the courage to be true to my inner self.”  Beki Sibiga.

“I was a complete novice to yoga and slightly apprehensive as I am not a bendy person.  Fiona is a very gifted teacher with a good sense of humour.  I felt very safe in her hands.  I will go back home a different person and I cannot recommend the retreat more highly.” Jane Buckle

“I return to Atami once more with Fiona as it was the first place I felt confident to travel alone since having M.E/chronic fatigue and I was met with beautiful scenery, relaxing yoga and true friendships.” Aine

Poems by Aine

I had to learn to have a holiday
last year when I was here
I had to meet myself and play
with unknown tones of being alone
and being part of a bigger picture
I floated in the currents of the sea
and throughout the year that memory
carried me in bus queues, cigarette fumes and crowded spaces
But here the Gift of sunshine, Gift of Peace, Gift of Time and Space released
I prayed aloud when I arrived to any being who would listen – ‘Thank You’
and Thank You for this opportunity to be truly free
The veil of over stimulation stripped away to the Real Me
and this core I may ignore in the supermarket or the bus queue
When there’s so many things I could be thinking or could do
So being still in the radiance of this special place, with special people
is like a seashell held to my ear, with happy times inside so clear

Last Day Poem

for those of you that leave tomorrow
we send our love for your journey to follow
goodbye to new friends with bright minds
and those of us you leave behind
recall compassion and energy shared
and chanting music like a mist
which opened space inside and out
and through the sea to the horizon
we paddled our way into a postcard
and floated in our private bay
that held us safe during our stay
the tender shoots of healing and a strangers smile
now recognised as friend at the table
and tender shoots take root when we return
and we arrive once more at home
and home will cradle any memory it finds
as we return, renewed with bright minds