Specialists in Alternative Holidays

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Tutors and Therapists
Staff for the 2009/10 season will include:-
Paula Vidakovic
I am originally from Croatia, and was born on a lovely Spring day in May in the early 70’s. I spent my teenage years living under a Communist Yugoslavian system – which brought a unique yet interesting life experience, when one looks back!..

I now live in London, where I am living my dream, working hard in my chosen field of Yoga and Pilates, and taking each and every opportunity to travel and bring my teachings with me! I did not study Yoga to begin with, though I have been a passionate practitioner for well over twelve years....In my previous life I was a journalist, after graduating in Political Science – Journalism and doing a Masters in Communication. My career began in a well-known TV News Agency in London - and it was here that I discovered my career was not fulfilling my dreams or desires... In fact it seemed to be standing for everything I was not!...

Always my first love and interests have been sport – Tennis, Table-Tennis... Sliding down hills – aka Skiing, Snowboarding and floating – aka Swimming… and amongst all of these sports and my long working hours – I found myself with even more muscular tension in my body.... So I needed an answer and fast! I therefore decided to explore various other forms of relaxation using exercise and arrived at Yoga. The minute I practised Yoga I instantly fell in love with it! From my very first class, I came back fully stretched in all my muscles, but at the same time I realised I felt calm, centred and completely dazed by what I had just experienced. I had to learn more!...

I have taken up Yoga Teacher Training with the eminent and charismatic Simon Low, at his well respected Yoga Academy and I also attained the British Wheel of Yoga and Yoga Alliance Certification. It changed my life, I have never looked back. The warmth in my heart and the smile on my face are as a result of this. On a “lighter” note – my Birth Number adds up to number “9”. In Numerology – which I did for fun – I suddenly discovered I reflect its “qualities” – it says a No 9 embodies mankind’s highest principles. They are tolerant of all and feel genuine love for everyone. Their compassion and willingness to try to heal others – is boundless... They desire to make people happy, to laugh! and will do all it can to ensure those around them are aware of how grand a gift – “Life” – is...

To summarise – there are a number of magnificent ever inspiring modern teachers, that we have crossed paths – in different parts of the world – for different learning and “growing” experiences.... I am therefore immensely grateful to the wonderful knowledge given to me by Sean Corn (Vinyasa Flow), Baron Baptiste (Power Yoga), Cindy Lee (Hatha Yoga), David Swensen (Ashtanga Yoga), Tias Little (Iyengar Yoga), and Donna Farhi. I bring to each lesson my joy for life – my happy spirit and most of all my love of teaching ....This is me... Namaste to all of you. PAULA
Susie Philip Á Holistic Nutrition Consultant (CertEd iDiet and Nutrition, ITEC)
London based Susie has taught through schools in:- Barnet, Brent, Hampstead, Hertfordshire, Highgate & Islington & had a successful career influencing the minds of the next generation. She has been recruited on several occasions to teach on P & O World Á Cruises, taking her so far to Australia, Dubai, Egypt, India & South Africa. As Susie has had the natural health as well as Travel Bug Á since her teens - this has not proved much of a problem for her to work with!...

She was head-hunted Á in the early 2000Ãs to live and work out of Tampa Bay, Florida, USA Á where she advised on Nutrition for private residences who had daily medical supervision. (The guests being more senior in years and very appreciative of SusieÃs input). Once back in the Uk again, she formed the London Diet & Nutrition Clinic. She specialises in Food Intolerance and will be bringing her Vega Testing Machine & Kits out Á to work on our clientele with. She will also bring with her the patented œBio-Detox Foot Spa” Á which enables each client to gently start their own detox process, by soaking the feet in specially prepared minerals Á and allowing the body to loosen stored toxins which will be expelled through the skin in their feet & into the spa bowl.

She will do individual personal consultations, in a comprehensive manner Á to ensure each guest detoxÃs in the most suitable way for them. There will be a personalised eating plan & a provision (with some extra fees applicable) of:- An after care service/follow up by email - to ensure the onward success of all the work she has put into place with each guest. There will be various offers Á the client can take up to ensure they have Susie œat their side” if not in person Á but certainly by ŒCyber Meansà to continue the good work they start in Thailand in their home country.

In her spare time Susie is an avid Keep Fit fiend! She loves her daily jogs in the more wilder parts of the London suburbs, plus Power Walking, Body-Pump, Swimming, Yoga (in all its various guises) and last but not least Á all forms of Dance! If any Beatles fans out there wish to invite Susie to Twist...she is very keen to try... Susie will be offering the chance to do 1-2-1 personal training throughout your stay Á please enquire directly with her as to all your requirements. Lastly for her charity work Á Susie is an avid supporter of ADHD and has helped out its sufferers with specialised diets & services as required. We welcome her to the team with open arms....Welcome Susie!


Professor Nadir R Farid, MBBS, FRCP, FRCP (C), FACP, Endocrinologist, Harley Street, London (pictured on left)
www.diagnosemefirst.com/

Mr Michael Zenonos DMD, holistic dentistry and laser clinician, Cyprus (on the right) http://www.drzenonos.com/

Nausika Loukides
Nausika qualified as a yoga instructor at the Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation in Bangalore, India and has been a A practitioner of this Eastern life philosophy since childhood. Driven by her own inward journey, she is inspired to help others embark on a life-changing exploration of the self through the practice of yoga. Her classes focus on pranayama and asana practice. Nausika’s background in environmental sciences supplements the yoga teaching as the self is so closely interlinked with nature. Nausika founded and runs the Ananta Yoga Centre in Skoulli, Paphos, where she holds regular classes and workshops.
Siridatta - Kundalini Yoga. Inspirational Workshops. Personal Advisor. Holistic Escapes is delighted to welcome Siridatta to our Palolem Beach Retreat. With a wealth of experience in Kundalini Yoga Practices, she will introduce us to both a relaxing and dynamic style of yoga. Her afternoon classes will leave us both relaxed and enlightened into a new way of relieving daily stress from our lives. Siridatta practises and teaches all over the world. As a Reiki Master she will be taking specialised classes and private one-to-ones in this subject during her stay.

Ann S Klein
Ann has been practising yoga since the age of 19. She had the privilege of being trained by a yogi in her private home over several years - and even had the joy of being given an Indian head massage at the end of her two-hour lesson - followed by home-made Indian cuisine... (not all lessons, since these valued moments, have included such indulgences - but the happy memories live on!!)

She opened her holiday retreat company in 1996 because she could not find the quality and variety of services (holistic and also spiritual) that she required. Through her extensive world travel including wonderful sojourns into mother India, she has sought out the finest therapists, yoga teachers, protocol with medical practitioners available to work with her abroad , and so she can provide a comprehensive health tourism experience for her valued clients.

Ann has a natural gift - from childhood - to see/ intuit colours and to incorporate this system of healing, plus encompassing the complementary areas of her reiki training, crystals training, counselling training and stage one NLP training, into her specialised and complete healing session/ treatments. She is a natural psychic, and only with her client's permission, she will pass on valuable information she is offered for the person she is working with. Ann offers guided colour visualisations as part of her course and in her private working life, outside the retreats. She is always open to her clients and staff, for one to one consultations, and likes to integrate as wide a spectrum of personalities and backgrounds from her valued staff as is available - at any given time - for her holidays.

Therefore through her extensive travels she has gleaned and put together a "hit team" of qualified people from all over the world. She looks forward to meeting you at one of her upcoming holidays, and hopes you will thoroughly enjoy the experience. Namaste!..........

As Buddhism quotes:-"Find at least one good quality in everyone, no matter how many defects are visible to you" and "Flexibility enables me to
move with time, slipping through life as gently and as strongly as possible" - Brahma Kumaris


 

Elizabeth Walker - Aromatherapy Massage/ Therapist.
"I was introduced to Massage Therapy (aged 10) 20 years ago when I was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Not only did massage relieve the pain, it also improved the mobility of the affected joints. Massage is an excellent tool for mental relaxation but also for physiological well being, internal cleansing and detoxifying the body of metabolic and environmental pollutants. I have been a practitioner of Sport Massage Therapy for 3 years both on shore and at sea using Swedish Massage and Stretching techniques to reawaken the body and mind. Your body will tell you what it needs to be strong, healthy and full of live when you allow yourself to stop and listen."

Nicky Coville - Sivananda-style Tutor and Astanga Tutor.
"Yoga is to me like solid ground after after years at sea. When my life has been full of changes and movement, yoga has been my rock. There are many paths, and all lead ultimately to the same place. As with most modern day mystics I have explored many different practices, and found it hard to find one way that I could immerse myself in. Years went by, I searched and experienced many things. The time came when I recognized I wanted to share what I had learned on my journey. To my surprise I came to the realization that yoga had been there all the time, and had slowly slowly transformed me. Old and trusted, tried and tested...Yoga was a way to share the magic that had helped me heal, and gives me hope for the future. My mother was the first to share her knowledge of yoga with me when I was only 8. Since then I have practised and taught yoga all over the world. A lot of my training took place in South India, but many other great teachers have helped me along the way. In the four years that I've been teaching I've taught at Festivals, in Ashrams, on retreats and yoga holidays. On the beach or in fancy hotels, in the hills of Thailand and the serene beauty of central France, and of course in Cyprus. Yoga has created a sense of continuity and stability in the absence of a permanent home or environment. My life revolves these days around my spiritual practice. At the heart of my spiritual practice is Yoga
"

 

Eroz and Frida

 

PICTURE

 

 

Michael Bailey
Sitting in the Rose Gardens of St Albans Cathedral contemplating my biography for the web site, I began to recall my personal journey into yoga (20 years ago) and Pilates (6 years ago) and how best to recount this journey.

I became involved in the fitness industry 13 years ago at Harpenden Country Fitness Club. By then I had taught myself everything from cycling to running to circuit training, weight lifting, aerobics and even hip-hop dance instruction. As I realized I had come full circle in my training and education of the fitness world, I knew there was something still missing. So I began to look into the many styles and practices of yoga (and all that this entailed). My research lead me to attend lessons in Astanga, Hatha and Iyenger, eventually qualifying under the tuition of Paul Dallaghan and Neil Barker in Koh Samui, Thailand.

By the end of my qualifying period, I found this experience had been ‘life changing’ and continued to enhance my practice under the guidance of Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois, in Mysore. With him I completed 3 months further study. I would spend hours ‘watching’ fellow pupils and teaching staff and ‘move’…. (I have also watched Break Dancers, Martial Arts’ students, Gymnasts’, Sportsmen and Sportswomen in a similar fashion).

The reasoning behind this for me was to produce the most dynamic, yet flowing and easy to remedy style of posture work. What I mean is I would develop a sequence of movement in which each individual in my class could move from one asana to the next with the easiest ‘flow’ of movement (with a strong emphasis on the individual’s Breath Control and Alignment).

When I was 15 in St Albans I studied Callanetics and enjoyed how this new style of exercise made me feel, especially how it ‘sculpted’ my torso. Years later, I came across a Pilates lesson in my local private gym. It made me realize how similar it was to Callanetics, which I had learned as a teenager at my sister’s gym. It occurred to me how I could combine practices of all three mediums and make a ‘super-power’ lesson in which all those combined elements came together to really ‘Work-Out’ the body and give the individual the most comprehensive of tuition.

Seven years ago I began training to become a Pilates teacher at the Pilates Institute, London. My tutor was Michael King who was world-renowned. Since then I have gone to Joseph Pilates’ original studio in New York and The New York Pilates Studio too.

Expressing yourself and enjoying life is a firm ‘hobby’ of mine and I like to share in class both the serious side (mind, body, spirit experience) and the Fun, Joy and Laughter that we all feel through ‘CONNECTION’ to both one another and the Beautiful Life Force that runs through the room as we exercise together. Being ‘self-aware’ is one of the greatest ‘gifts’ as a teacher I can bestow on my class. This is my way of teaching. This is my joy and purpose in life. The first time I felt the vibration of OM and felt the coursing humming travel through me I realized something. As a child I had suffered with anemia (low iron count) and used to hum to myself to alleviate my mood/symptoms. Years later I begin and complete my lessons smiling as I commence ‘OM’!

To sum up:- I have been very fortunate to train with and learn from some inspiring and informed teachers (Wisdom is my friend). I have been humbled and give thanks to everyone and each experience that has shaped my path. As my new chapter begins in the dawn of 2010 I am keenly awaiting my chance to teach you and take you to the next level through my fitness training and meditation courses and help you realize:- Your Journey ….
My motto:- Teach with love and honesty. Lead by example.
Namaste. Michael Bailey


Roni Sapir
Principal and Director
www.east-west.co.il

Roni hails from the Northern City of Haifa, Israel and has moved and studied around the world - to reach the well deserved success and recognition inside the world of health, he has today. His university studies in computers (a main and very popular line of study inside Israel) together with geography and gave him one insight into possible career choices he could make post study....

But in the early 1980’s and he was exposed to Ancient Chinese Medicine and in particular Acupuncture and where by chance, on television and he saw a programme showing Open Heart chest surgery using only acupuncture anaesthesia, which completely changed his life. There were no drugs used in this procedure and Roni felt there and then, he must study something as powerful and yet as natural as Ancient Chinese Medicine.

In 1982 Roni began the long road to study at the Israeli college of Complementary Medicine and by 1984 he had decided that Chinese Medicine must be studied on the basis of Chinese Classics and started to look for the best place to learn Chinese Medicine around the world.
In 1985 Roni started his 8 years of study at the International College of Oriental Medicine, in England. The inspiration of his future chosen career path of both practitioner, lecturer, school principle and international speaker was down to the teachings he received from Dr van Buren at the college. Roni was inspired and drew much knowledge on all levels from his time at the college and it’s teachings. In 1993 he returned to Israel, to begin his dream and began his practise. He strongly believes in the beauty and way of health and living that Chinese Medicine brings to the life of all who embrace it.

He says and “Creating the way of accomplishment cost a high price of totality, loyalty, determination, responsibility and humanity. The action must involve two parallel ways, one is the spreading the medicine around the population all around, the other is to teach and train the therapists, clinicians and researchers to the highest possible standard.” (Roni always has a waiting list for his time inside the clinic and where up to 200 patients a day are seen by his well respected staff).

In 1997 Roni founded the Israeli Centre of Classic Chinese Medicine and it was called East-West, where it remains today in one of the busiest areas inside central Tel Aviv. He has worked with the Chinese Authorities for the last 12 years and also with a number of hospitals around China. To this date Roni is still sought after to teach in China and as well as keeping his commitments to his own school inside Israel.

By 2010, around three thousand graduates completed their studies at the school, and now practice in many avenues and under his guidance and around the world. Several return weekly and as part of the team at the school’s well known clinics. Throughout Israel and beyond, the school is known as a centre of excellence for both learning and receiving treatments. Under his guidance and daily inspiration, the East-West school offers a highly successful and fully subscribed four year course of Classic Chinese Medicine, Chinese Herbal Medicine with Pharmacy. Inside the school there is a well stocked library, working dispensing pharmacy, classic Chinese products shop. There are currently running Chinese Medicine programmes in hotels and health resorts nationally, which brings him to work with Holistic Escapes on further ways to bring this wonderful knowledge and results of tried and tested treatments, to an even wider audience. Roni is keen to travel at this point in his career to expose to as many new people as possible the benefits and relief his type of natural healing treatments can bring.

In recognition of his works, continued studies, teachings and inspired devotion to the world of Classic Chinese Medicine and Roni has been given the following honours.
Director at the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, China.Council member at the academic committee of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, China.Council member of the Cancer Research committee of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, China.President of the Israeli Association of Classic Chinese Medicine PractitionersAcademic Dean of East-West and The Israeli Centre of Classic Chinese Medicine

Anton Simmha - presenter and teacher in association with GMTV'S MS PENNY SMITH of UK'S top selling video for POWER YOGA. Anton will be co-presenting his unique Yoga Teaching Style in Palolem for our courses, due to take place from Spring. He will be demonstrating to the group both asana work, pranayama, chanting and meditation skills and techniques.  He will offer an insight into Yoga-related subjects through his workshops

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Rachel Petrou
I first came to yoga when I was pregnant with my first child nine years ago and immediately fell in love with it, I had always been into health and fitness but felt yoga was much more than just exercise, it became part of my life, and I explored lots of different styles. I continued my studies with The British Wheel of Yoga, finishing my three-year teaching diploma. I have been on numerous workshops and retreats, and continue to add to my experience. I teach dynamic hatha, power yoga, ashtanga, yoga trance dance and yoga bugs. I am also a qualified Pilates mat and Pilates reformer teacher. Being a yoga teacher to me is a vocation and a way of life. It is so familiar and fresh every time I practice and I try to bring this into my teaching. Yoga is a fantastic way to express love, joy and peace. I feel priviliged that I can share my experiences and observations with others, so they can too enjoy the wonderful, healing journey to the Sel
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"Yoga is a light, which once lit will never dim. The better your practice the brighter the flame." B K S Iyengar

Ursula Avins - Master Crystal Healer, Reiki and Karuna Teacher, Life Coach, Vortex Healer and Alternative Therapist, Ursula has been working with crystals and energy healing since 1992. She trained with leading teachers in the UK and USA including Simon Treselyan (UK), Lesley Carol (UK), Michael Orminston (UK), Shimara Kumara (UK), Melody (USA), Alton Kamon (Aus) and Amorah Quan Yin (USA). She has studied Reiki with various Masters, over the past 9 years incorporating 8 different forms and received her Mastership training in the temples and Pyramids of Egypt. Ursula will be available to give treatments throughout your stay this Spring and Summer. She will also be running workshops in Crystal Healing and Reiki. The Crystal Healing workshops will incorporate the use and properties of crystals for personal development and healing. They will also include meditations, layouts, sound work and information on energy anatomy and colour. Reiki courses include all teaching, manuals and certificates.

Jill McKenzie
- Massage therapist/ physiotherapy massage specialist - text follows

Rebecca Zambetakis - Ananda Marga Yoga Teacher.
"I am a yoga teacher with the Ananda Marga school of yoga. Ananda Marga means Path of Bliss and thats exactly what I feel I am walking on. From a child I was always searching for something more, I finally found the truth five years ago when I started yoga and meditation. I found myself, I found inner peace ,I found the beauty in life and how we can have a beautiful, healthy life. Wanting to share these things and much more I went on a teacher training course. Ananda Marga has training around the world, India, America and Europe. My training was in Malta and follow up courses and seminars in Greece and Cyprus. We follow the Ashtaunga system o f yoga and meditation, meaning 'The Eight Limbs' of yoga. With Hatha asanas, breathing excersises, self massage and deep relaxation the class will leave you feeling full of positive energy. Energy from practices that are thousands of years old. Feel wonderful, peacefull, happy from within, where it counts."


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