written by Nigel Waters

In May 2013, I attended the first Yoga4Men retreat in Provence, France, organised and run by Rad, the founder of Yoga4Men. It was a 6 day intensive yoga retreat and, when I returned home, I was surprised to find that it took me 3 days to come back down to Earth from this massive “high”. I never expected to feel this way before I went, but it had such a powerful impact on me that something fundamental changed in me forever.

Since that first retreat, I've attended 3 further Yoga4Men retreats, all organised and run by Rad. Each retreat has been a unique and powerful experience, each one, in it's own way, a springboard to enabling me to change my life further that I ever imagined possible.

The Retreat

Looking back on it, the lessons on that first retreat began from the moment that we landed in France and were an opportunity to choose how to respond and react to the situations we faced. From the delay in getting the luggage, the mix-up with the cars, getting lost on the way to the venue and travelling a lot longer than we'd expected, all were opportunities for us to choose a negative response and to moan about our plight and to look for someone to blame. Or they were opportunities for us to choose to go with the flow, to accept that this is how it is and to see these challenges as part of the adventure and to have fun and to enjoy the experience. I was happy to see that, for the most part, we all chose to see the positives of our situation and to let the negatives go. The journey was a real laugh. Thanks to Jaye for letting me sit on his knee and for hugging me, lovingly, all the way to our destination.

The retreat itself, was an awesome experience and has changed me in ways that still surprise me today, almost 3 years later. I decided, from the outset, to just go with the flow, to just let whatever happens happen and to enjoy the whole experience. Making this decision allowed me to be open to all the lessons, experiences and discoveries that were offered to us, whether they were facilitated within the structure that Rad had designed and planned or whether they came about naturally during the course of the week. I learned a lot about myself, a lot about the people I was with and I tried things that I never thought I'd have the opportunity to try, ever. Thanks to Neale, for teaching some of us how to Tango and thanks to Martin for teaching Neale and I some Sports Acro poses.

We all bonded together well, as a group, and supported each other in creating a safe environment where we felt comfortable to open up to each other in ways that we might not have done had we not been on the retreat. I got to know everyone there much better and have formed some good friendships. This support, bonding and friendship is something I've gained from all the Yoga4Men retreats and is largely due to Rad's unique ability in making each participant feel special and important. It is fundamental in the way he designs his classes and retreats.

The theme of the retreat that Rad chose was Authenticity, Awareness, Peace, Happiness, Freedom and we explored each of these during the course of the retreat. We delved so deeply into ourselves, in such a short space of time, that the changes I feel that have occurred in me are too complex to put into words and took some time to manifest themselves.

That first retreat changed me forever and changed me for the better, as have each of the other 3 retreats. For most of my life, I had very negative thoughts about myself, my life experiences and the world in general and, for most of that time, I was miserable with only fleeting glimpses of happiness. Also, for most of that time, I blamed others for my miserable life and did not take responsibility for myself. That retreat, which Rad so masterfully designed, has changed all that. For the first time in my life I began thinking positively and, more importantly, consistently so. That was not just a fleeting change. It's a permanent change. Now, 3 years on, I'm feeling much happier than I've felt in my entire life. This, again, is all thanks to Rad and his awesome retreats.

That first retreat was a very special week and it changed my life forever. I feel blessed and privileged to have been a part of it. I loved it. Thank you, Rad.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Pont du Gard

Although this was a week focussed on yoga, it was also a week full of fun and we could not go to Provence and not visit at least one on the its most important and impressive historical monuments. The Pont du Gard is a first century Roman Aqueduct that has World Heritage status and is the highest of all Roman aqueducts.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Thai Massage

As an extra activity for the first retreat, Rad taught us the healing benefits of Thai Massage and the slide show below shows our efforts.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

The Location, Montclus, Provence

I don't know France well, but the location, within a short walking distance of the medieval village of Montclus in the heart of Provence, was a great choice. It is a beautiful and picturesque area, very peaceful and just perfect for reconnecting with nature. The location is stunning, surrounded by mountains, poppy fields, fields of vines and fields of lavender, as well as a beautiful mountain river. It is picture-postcard perfect.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

The Venue

The venue too, was very nicely laid out and very private, with large, secluded grounds, ideal for sunbathing and swimming naked, if you wanted to. The accommodation was great too. I was very comfortable in the cabin that I shared with Graham and I liked being away from the main buildings, perched on a small hill with views overlooking the countryside with the medieval village in the distance. Having a retreat in a venue that stood in its own grounds was ideal.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•