Fazenda with Mona Godfrey

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FAZENDA

noun

[ feminine ] /fa'zenda/

farm

To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.” - Mahatma Gandhi

Fazenda means farm in Portuguese. I spent my childhood living and helping my grandparents on their farm in Suntaži, Latvia; digging potatoes from the moist earth, picking fruit and berries in the afternoon sun, collecting eggs from under the warm bellies of clucking chickens, and endless mornings weeding. I didn’t think much of it as a child, but as I reflect back on my orbit around and towards healing, it is clear to me that it was one of the greatest gifts of my childhood: an un-moveable connection to Mother Earth. For, growing up in a culture that is so proud of its mind over matter philosophy, that cuts us off from our bodily experiences and the earth itself, this was one of the few anchors I had to my True Self. It would be long into my adulthood before I could name it, appreciate it, and learn to call on Her. 

With that said, I am excited my next retreat will be held in Casevel, Portugal, where we’ll be staying in a beautiful farm house (with chickens and therapy horses). Join me as we slow down, connect to our bodies, ourselves, and the earth. We will have two hour morning practices, where you can expect to move more dynamically, and two hour evening practices which will be designed to facilitate integration. These will consist of yin, pranayama, meditation, and journaling. 

This will be an opportunity to reconnect with yourself, build community, and discover new depths of stillness. If you’re keen to join me, the next step is to fill out this short form so my team and I can help curate the best possible experience for you. 

In the meantime, please do let us know if you have any questions. My retreat team is on hand and ready to answer any questions that you may have. You can get in touch with them here {mailto link}.  

As the retreat approaches, we’ll be in touch again with all the information you’ll need to prepare for your incredible time away, so please keep an eye on your inboxes!

And I will leave you with one of my favourite BKS Iyengar quotes about ‘organic farming.’

The whole educational thrust of yoga is to make things go great in our lives. But we all know that an apple can appear perfect on the outside but have been eaten away by an invisible worm on the inside. Yoga is not about appearances, it is about finding and eradicating the worm so that the whole apple, from skin inward, can be perfect and a healthy one. That is why yoga and indeed all spiritual philosophies seem to harp on the negative — grasping desires, weaknesses, faults, and imbalances. They are trying to catch the worm before it eats and corrupts the whole apple inside. This is not a struggle between good and evil. It is natural for a worm to eat apples. In yoga we simply do not want to be the apple that is rotten from the inside. So yoga insist s on examining scientifically and without value judgement, what can go wrong, and why, and how to stop it. It is organic farming of the self — for the Self. - B.K.S Iyengar

All the best,

Mona