Soul Circus Yoga Festival 2017 {Review}

Nestled in the fields of Elmore, Gloucestershire, Soul Circus is a deliciously welcoming yoga festival that is guaranteed to leave you feeling completely chilled with a warm buzzing feeling inside. Having attended last year's inaugural event I was looking forward to see if 2017 could top it - it did not disappoint.

Summer Emotions

This weekend my girl turned 11; her last birthday before heading off to secondary school in September. These two events are in no doubt causing me to be very emotional at the moment. Year on year the children's birthdays set me off on a path of mixed emotions and I become an absolute nightmare to live with whilst I deal with it. We are also at the start of the last week of the school year and I'm getting emotional about everything; the girl's leaver's assembly on Thursday, finishing this academic year of yoga teaching, realising the holiday is only a week away and I'm meant to be running the Norwich 10k race in less than 3 weeks and I can only just walk on a knackered achilles, realising that, despite a positive physio appointment 2 weeks ago, I will have to shelve the planned marathon in September. Then I think to myself that in the grand scheme of things these are only little stresses and I should do the simple thing of 'snapping out of it'. Sometimes I can but sometimes I can't. I am quite an emotional thing with quite a fiery streak - just ask the husband. As cliche as it sounds, running is my therapy - well one of them, yoga being the other. Running gives me time, it gives me fresh air, it gives me exercise, it clears my mind, it makes me feel great. Simply put, not being able to do it is really getting me down. Now I could just leave it at that but I do have a positive side to me. I am telling myself it could be way worse than having to shelve some races and take it easy. So I'm going to now look ahead to the summer and think of the positives!

In less than two weeks we'll be taking our annual trip down the A350 to Dorset for the tenth installment of Camp Bestival! This will be our eighth Camp Bestival and that simple fact obviously means it is an event that as a family we would highly recommend - here was last year's review.

I may not be running there this year but I'm going to take the annual trip east along the joyous M4, M25 & M11 to my home county of Norfolk - the thought of the Norfolk coast is already making me smile!

   

The wide open space of Greenacres needs to be booked for some family chill-out camping time.

Soul Circus gives me my yoga festival hit for the summer. I am so looking forward to three days of rolling out my yoga mat in the amazing tents and chilling in some pure indulgent me-time. Last year's inaugural event was fantastic and I reviewed it here.

And there is also the simple fact that alarm clocks can be switched off, school bags can be hidden under the stairs and we can just chill with the family.

So, and I do need to remind myself of this, there's a lot to be positive about.

x x x

Soul Circus Yoga & Wellness Festival 2017 {Ticket Giveaway}

The sun is shining and it really feels like Summer is on the way and for me that means only one thing...festival time! The warm weather has put me, and my friends over at Soul Circus HQ, in a fantastic mood and because of that I am hosting a giveaway for 2 general admission tickets, valued at £200 apiece, to Soul Circus 2017!

To be in with a chance of winning just read the following and then enter via Rafflecopter below...

Soul Circus returns for a second year to Elmore, Gloucestershire for a weekend of yoga, wellness, good food and drink, camping, relaxing and an all round feeling of chillness and bliss. The line up is crammed full of talented yoga teachers to guide you through a huge range of yoga sessions whether you are a seasoned yogi or just dipping your toe. Here is just a taster of Soul Circus 2017...

Soul Circus Yoga & Wellness Festival 2017 {Preview}

The Easter holidays are upon us and the Spring sunshine is filling the sky, and our hearts, with some much needed warmth. It's that time of year, with the clocks already having moved on, that I start to look ahead to the long sun filled days of Summer and begin to make some plans. My Summer always has to include a tent and a festival and this year I am so happy to be going back again to cover the amazing yoga and wellness festival that is Soul Circus.

Tucked away in the quiet area of Elmore, Gloucestershire, and within easy reach of the M5, Soul Circus is an ideal festival for the yoga lover whether you are on the start of your yoga path or way down that road; with a wealth of classes to suit a variety of styles there will always be a class for every yogi to participate in.
Many faces are returning from last year including Aimee Garcia-Marshall, who had me smiling all the way through her Vinyasa Flow class, Taylor Harkness, the first teacher to inspire me to attempt a handstand, and Emily Young (RYT 500 & senior lecturer in Children's Health and Wellbeing) to whom I owe a big thanks for really igniting the spark in me to train as a children's yoga teacher following a wonderful conversation with her last year, as well as assisting me in my handstand in Taylor's class!

Soul Circus will also have the whole family in mind again in 2017 with Mary Grinstead installed as the resident yoga instructor for the under 18s. As a fellow school teacher, and children's yoga teacher, I'm really looking forward to seeing Mary working with the younger yogis at Soul Circus.

As well as having opportunities to challenge yourself with your asana practise, Soul Circus also places high value on it's musical entertainment. Music will fill the air of Soul Circus 2017 with live entertainment on the main stage and acoustic offerings tucked away in pockets around the site.

Food and Drink looks to be a winner again; 'Whatever your diet, whether you desire gluten free, dairy free, cold pressed or grass fed we've got it covered!' Local produce is a key point again this year as well as the festival having it's own manifesto on sustainability including pledges to increase recycling and lower food waste, introducing composting loos for 2017 and sourcing food locally within 60 miles of the site.

For a bit of indulgence and pampering the VIP experience will give you access to a champagne bar, VIP champagne lounge, all day coffee and tea bar plus more!
You can also add a spot of extra comfort to your camping experience with a range of luxury glamping options plus, new this year, pre-erected tents. You can of course bring your own tent or camper van!

Wherever you stay for the two nights of Soul Circus 2017 you are bound to have a dreamy, chilled out sleeping experience.

Soul Circus 2017 takes place 18th - 20th August at Elmore Gloucestershire. You can find out more information on the Soul Circus website including ticket info.

You can also read more about my time at Soul Circus 2016 here.

**Heads up - I will be holding a giveaway for two weekend tickets soon!**

x x x 

Disclaimer; I have received a weekend pass to Soul Circus 2017 in return for previews and reviews of this year's festival. As always, views and opinions are my own.

My January

So as I type this, January is almost at an end; I've never known a January to last so long but that isn't necessarily a negative thing. This month has been jam packed with my new yoga venture which has definitely kept me on my toes. It has increased the fire in my belly and now I yearn to embrace more, learn more, challenge myself more and grow more. Training to become a yoga teacher for children has been one of the best of things I have done and it has been an absolute joy this month to start my business off. The smiles, the laughter, the positivity, the calm, the relaxation and the gratitude I have seen in my little yogis in just one month makes me burst with warmth and happiness inside.

Alongside teaching yoga, I've also made sure I've hit the mat for my own practice continuing to go to a lush weekly class as well as finding time in the week to roll out the mat at home. I'm increasingly aware that yoga is not just about the mat and achieving a yoga pose goal and have felt it changing my outlook on life in many other ways. Back in November I made the final steps to follow a fully vegan diet and much of this life choice has been influenced by the compassionate element of yoga. January has seen me continue to have a great time in the kitchen trying new foods, testing new recipes, veganising old favourites and trying to get the family to have fully vegan days - the kiddos almost got there today until they admitted that they had been eating their Christmas chocolate upstairs!

Last year was definitely a year of running for me with three half marathons completed and January has seen me continue to lace up the faithful Nikes and hit a few pavements. The miles are down a bit on this time last year - just 41 this month - but the enjoyment is still there. Every week I meet up with a work colleague and through running we have forged an amazing friendship beyond the classroom walls. Our runs may be slower due to all the chatting but they leave me warm on the inside - which has been helpful on some of our cold January plods.

As January finishes off with a cold, wet and grey finale I had a ray of sunshine with the confirmation that I am off to Soul Circus again this summer. I went to the first Soul Circus event last year, on my own, and loved every minute of it. If you enjoy yoga, good food and decent live music then take a look. And keep an eye out on my blog and social media for news of a ticket giveaway!

I hope your January has been a good one too.

x x x