My Amazing Time In London

I arrived home late last night from an amazing three days in London.  I thought travelling to such a big city on my own would have been really scary, but it really wasn't.  It was a perfect weekend and i'm so thankful that I faced my fears and followed my intuition.  It's a trip i'll never forget.

I arrived in London on Friday morning and took the rather long walk from Kings Cross to the Strand.  I was pulling my suitcase in one hand, following google maps on my phone in my other hand, whilst accidentally hitting everyone that I walked past with my yoga mat.  I did finally make it to my hotel around lunchtime.  

After a quick bite to eat, it was time to explore.  I picked up my camera and off I went.  I walked to Waterloo bridge which was just around the corner and took a few photos from there.  

Then I walked to Trafalgar Square.

And then I decided to find Covent Garden.  I managed to find Neals Yard and immediately fell in love with it, such a lovely little place right at the heart of London, with a raw food cafe, salad bar, juice bar and of course Neals Yard Remedies.  

I decided to have my lunch in the Wild Food Cafe which serves lots of raw foods.  I chose a raw pizza and it was delicious.

After a little more exploring, I went back to my hotel to get ready for the theatre  I had booked to see one of my favourite musicals - Les Miserables.  I made my way to Shaftesbury Avenue and found my seat in the Queens Theatre.

It was an amazing show, and I cried on more than one occasion.  I love the emotions of the songs and the cast were incredible.  I'd definitely go back and see it again.

I walked back to my hotel and fell asleep within 5 minutes after such an exhausting day.  

Saturday morning was when my raw foods and yoga retreat began, so I walked back to Neals Yard to the meeting rooms where the retreat took place.

I met Saskia who's a raw food coach that i've had a coaching session with before, but never met her in person, so it was lovely to finally meet her, and Dory, who's a yoga instructor.  They are both such inspiring women and so passionate about what they do and they love to share that with others.  

We started with 2 hours of yoga, including meditation, relaxation and chanting.  I enjoyed it so much and I really pushed myself. I really feel like i've improved my yoga practise and i've tried new asanas that I didn't think I could do, but I managed them.

After yoga, we moved into the next room for a raw food workshop.  Saskia taught us so many delicious recipes and she gave me so many ideas and so much inspiration.

We then did a little more meditation at the end of the day.  I went back to my hotel and did more yoga, had a bath and ate raw foods, feeling very positive and happy.

Sunday was very similar.  We did a very intense yoga workout in the morning.  It was challenging, but I was very proud of myself for managing it.  Dory also gave us lots of information about yoga, meditation and chanting.

We learnt some more new recipes with Saskia, which were all really lovely, and ended with a final session of meditation and chanting.  

Raw foods and yoga have played a large part in my life for a few years now, and this weekend has really confirmed why I am so passionate about them.  

I felt so peaceful and calm after I left the retreat.  I was so happy to have experienced such an amazing time and I walked back to Kings Cross Station feeling much more confident that when I arrived a few days earlier.  I had taken a big step, and it was a lovely feeling.