Silent Flow

HOTEL LEMONGARDEN

What don’t you mind hearing amongst the silence? The roar of the sea, the twitter of birds, the chirping of crickets … At Hotel Lemongarden on the Croatian island of Brač, the silence is something quite special.

YOGA, MEDITATION AND POETRY

The sun glitters through the tops of the trees, the waves crash gently onto the pebble beach and the soft breeze wafts past the end of your nose. I experience all of this in the new yoga pavilion on the private beach at Hotel Lemongarden, from which the beauty of the natural surroundings can now be appreciated all the more intensely. A programme for the first yoga retreats at the Lemongarden has been put together with the help of Ben Rakidzija. The yoga teacher practises Silent Flow, a free interpretation of Hatha yoga, Vinyasa Flow, Yin yoga and Qigong. There are also fascia training exercises and other forms of movement. But why make it silent? All of the classes take place in silence and so offer the opportunity to really be at one with yourself, no matter whether you’re a beginner or an experienced yogi. Ben Rakidzija isn’t just a trained yoga teacher. He is also an educated philosopher and historian, composes prose and poems and organises

the Lit.Eu literature festival in Opatija, which authors Marie Gamillscheg, Markus Orths and Franzobel have all attended. “The aim of my lessons is to promote a strong body and a clear mind. Every class is different, every day is new. I don’t force my students and try to find a balance between strength and relaxation,” says Ben, who in the evenings doesn’t need much encouragement to share stories about his many yoga experiences.

Between the morning and evening yoga sessions and a refreshing dip in the sea, it makes sense to spend plenty of time in the private spa. Guests can enjoy the Finnish sauna made out of cedar, a steam room boasting a combination of light and aromatherapy with lavender, lemon, lime and orchid fragrances, and an experience shower. Those who haven’t yet laid on one of the ergonomically designed, blue illuminated AlphaSphere loungers really must. Developed by the Viennese artist known as SHA, the lounger transports users into a trance-like state thanks to a sea of tiny vibrations, gentle electronic sounds and changing coloured lighting inspired by chromotherapy. Afterwards, you feel as though you have been in

another world, where everything is beautiful and pink. Luckily it is still beautiful when you come round, only now it’s not pink but turquoise.

It’s recommended that you stumble your way straight to a Lemongarden aromatherapy session and enjoy a relaxing massage on a lounger using lemon and orange essential oils. In this deeply relaxed state you go to yoga again, then curl up in bed afterwards with the blissful realisation that the next day you will wake up feeling just as good as when you went to sleep. Whoever can’t make the Lemongarden yoga retreats in May should absolutely book them for September!