Heather Lilleston 🌺

celebrating 21 years teaching yoga, and still going 🌺 some things never get old

retreat drip 🇵🇹🏆🌀🌺 portugal 2024 @yogaforbadpeople

in and amongst its slippery cobblestones, gentle awe radiating from its tiles, doorknobs, peeling memories … the warm and quiet the intimacy of this seaside city, I sleep 10-12 hours a night I am surrendering Letting the dreams and the deadness of waking up late, while my world at home does not need me yet, manage my anxiety about lost time giving the reigns to sleep as it mediates the inner dialogue between everything I haven’t done thats banging on my door and knowing that rest gets things done too … explaining to my over achiever: “the waking hours here are the sleeping hours there, no need to rush sweet one” - this is unusual for me - and what blossoms in a matter of hours ? instant new friends people who immediately embraced me, not just with their suggestions and guidance - helpful for a visitor - but with their vulnerability their desire to get right to the point - lets talk about the heart - what is she saying, thinking, feeling, yearning for, scared to find out … ahhhh the food, THIS is food for me the truth, the real grit of being human of navigating now together bonding with everything on our plates not alone … i want to eat the ripe tomato that bursts with expression when the fork enters it - unafraid to let it all hang out - and believe me, the tomatoes here BURST but in that southern summer way where you see its past its present and its future gentle, tender the sunbeams that raised it the raindrops that drowned it in love the seeds spread around the plate over heartfelt conversation - eating slowly is inevitable - too much beauty and intriguing dialogue too many dots connecting we are the tomatoes spilling our hearts to each other bursting leaning in basking, sunbeams pouring out in the intimacy letting each other in see all the things we don’t want to hold alone these are the kinds of connections that are blooming for me here that are making each slippery step on these cobblestone streets in this window between new chapters of leaving my life of the last 24 years, to return HOME well fed, rested, alive, bursting free. thank you to @jadeamazonia @lanna_esque @laisqroz @enork_fej @ahooyara @tommyroch @victoriareflexology

we love playing around in @splits59

🌀Little Isles Everywhere 🌀 MENORCA MI AMOR 🌀 Personal little recap of a week in Heaven with @yogaforbadpeople @isabella_channing @esbecdaguila @theshackwellness I barely slept but the beauty, the people, the food, the sky, the birds, the water, the elegance, the yoga, the friendships, and the sheer HEAVEN of it all held me through. Probably just kept me up so I could drink it all in without missing a drop. And somehow, it feels infinitely abundant there, as if all I soaked in was just a teeny tiny amount of what is actually there, a feeling like there was always more it could give … in the most gentle and tender way, and that whatever it gave was not an extraction, or some touristy taking, but a pure giving, a total and complete offering, to all of us. And in these beautiful spaces of RETREAT, we can conjure old, painful, hidden residues of the past, bring them to the surface (through sweat, and laughter, and dance and the nourishment of the cleanest meals) so they can be alchemically transformed in the beauty and sweetness of these esquisite lands. Thats how it works. We face the darkness, with the presence of the light, and the darkness transforms. Over and over and over, till infinity. MENORCA, and all the incredible new family we have found @esbecdaguila … we will be back!

Ayla finding her spot outside the office of our new home 🌀

The last time I was in the north shore of Oahu, was the first time I had ever booked a one way ticket. My friend @ursuchabeach saw the state I was in and told me to get on a plane and get out of venice. Another friend of mine @elizapearl saw that I was there via the gram and invited me to come visit her. Through the happen to be at the right place at the right time scenario, I ended up renting her friends house right in front of pipeline. I had just started my phd program and gone through a breakup and I was all sorts of tangled up and inside out and backwards. I walked the long stretch of beach over and over, I listened to the tropical storms, I cried and journaled in the sand, I fell asleep under the embrace of the sun, I prayed to the stars when I couldn’t sleep, I stared at my computer screen trying to remember how to write an academic paper, I made new friends, ended up teaching a few classes, and let the mystery and spontaneity of the island take me in and hold me. And it did. First group of photos is from that trip. Now, years later, I am close to being finished with my degree (please no one ask me again when will I be done) and am probably in the most grounded, peaceful and joyful place I’ve ever been in my life. These islands take you in when it’s time to reconnect with something you may have thought you lost or have forgotten, and now it’s time to return.

Southern Portugal, Along the Algarve A perfect place for the @yogaforbadpeople retreat recipe which combines yoga and play, strength and softness, restoration and rejuvenation, structure and spontaneity, exploration and healing and plenty of summer activities. June 23-29th with @isabella_channing & myself, @heatherlilleston at our favorite garden oasis @quintabonita_countryhouse A week of memories that live in your body, heart and mind forever. Friends that last a lifetime (we aren’t kidding here - 80% of last years retreat is joining on this years Menorca retreat as a reunion, they all loved each other so much). The most delicious beaches and summer days sandwiched by two classes where you will meditate, restore, revive, strengthen, reflect, forgive, give thanks, cultivate acceptance, plant seeds of inspiration, open doors to creativity and more … For real tho, we aren’t just saying it. Retreats take a ton a work beforehand, but it is worth every moment for what happens during these weeks. This is why we keep doing it. They take effort for our guests too - saving the money, planning to be away from home and responsibilities, carving out the time, trusting us, organizing your life so that you can give this to yourself, getting on the plane and getting there, knowing, somewhere deep down, there is something waiting for you on retreat. And I can promise you, there is. This is a labor of love beforehand. People say, “you have the most amazing job” - and sometimes I’m only thinking about all the work behind it - but then, when I’m on retreat, I feel this massive wave of gratitude and I cannot believe I actually get to do this! I feel every moment re-energized and very clear that the purpose behind these weeks is something I truly stand by, and will continue to work hard to make happen for all. If you’ve been eyeing these retreats for years, or just haven’t been in awhile, take this as an invitation to get behind the wheel of your life and come ride the wave of retreat, one that you’ll be gliding on for awhile after. We truly get the best guests joining us and we hope you are one of them!

NorCal hometown appreciation post Some of my favorite moments from the last 6 months When these are your roots, it’s easy to have wings 🪶

Our 8th retreat in Jose Ignacio, Uruguay and this place is the gift that keeps on giving. Always reminding me that synchronicity still exists, simplicity still fulfills, open arms and wide smiles are still there to greet, untouched nature is still there to embrace us with awe, and abundance and generosity still cross my path in magical ways. Thank you to my partner in unforgettable memories @isabella_channing ~ you are the magic!! Thank you to all our friends @vikjoseignacio @theshackwellness @lahuella.parador @restaurantmarismo @lasusanajoseignacio @santa.teresita @cruzdelsurfarm and most importantly to all the incredible retreat guests who make every year so fulfilling and heart expanding, none of these weeks would be anything that they are without you. 💘🐎🪶⛱️ @yogaforbadpeople for more 🌺

Want to feel a little lighter to start the new year? For all my friends in the Los Angeles area, may I highly recommend joining me in the @SIRONACLEANSE ~ a 5 day cleanse delivered to your home in LA, SB, Malibu or Ojai that combines organic salads, soups, juices, and other light vegetarian dishes with gently potent supplements to support your digestion system in clearing out toxins, inflammation, old residue and generally keeping things moving. For the last 8 years I have looked forward to every chance I get to participate. It is the only cleanse I have ever done where I sincerely enjoy all the meals, never feel hungry or underfed, have the most frequent and easy bowel movements, all while feeling incredibly energized throughout. Every dish is satiating, flavorful and clean. Since it is not a mass produced cleanse - where the lettuce can go bad or berries can mold - I can rely on eating the freshest ingredients. I also think that 5 days is the perfect length of time to do during a busy week where you can be distracted by work, and set aside time to rest in the evening. I aways feel completely reset by the weekend, and actually miss the meals once the cleanse ends. I highly recommend the @sironacleanse for any one at any time who needs a little discipline in their diet to kickstart a new health routine. I’ll be joining this Jan 22-26th ~ sign up to join (link in bio) or get on their mailing list and stay tuned for the next round.