This week’s blog competition is to win a spot on an &Breathe retreat worth £2,200. To WIN this exclusive spot, comment on my Instagram post with GIVE IT TO ME and follow @andbreathepostnatal. The competition would be for our &Breathe Flow retreat which runs from the 13th to the 19th May 2018 and see more info here: https://www.andbreathepostnatal.com/flow. This is a brand new yoga/pilates retreat which focuses on restoring the core and building strength for functional fitness as well as deep relaxation and mindfulness. There are baby-bonding sessions as well as the usual childcare. Beautiful accommodation, full board, massage and baby equipment all included. While I haven’t been on one of the retreats, I have heard many good things and am already quite jealous of the winner. Here’s a little more information about the retreat:
Sometimes, or more likely, most of the time, parents forget to look after number one. Clio, the founder of &Breathe launched her business when shit was hitting the fan after her daughter (now three) was born. She really struggled with the transition to motherhood; the loss of identity, the pain of breastfeeding, the difficulties of getting the baby to sleep and getting enough sleep herself, pelvic floor issues, postnatal depression, and the confusion of keeping a child alive. (The usual quagmire so many of us navigate in some form or another) Never mind the desire to throw things at her husband’s head occasionally (a lot).
If you haven’t heard of &Breathe, get on over to their website right now. They run award-winning postnatal and family fitness retreats all over the place but they started their journey in France at Clio‘s family home, a rambling manoir in the Limousin region which she owns with her husband, Bryn. When your body has been through such a lot (pregnancy and childbirth is your body’s biggest workout) it can feel like you don’t own it any more, especially when you’ve got a kid hanging off your boobs 24/7; but the lack of postnatal exercise information out there is terrifying. Add to that the way you tend to eat three packets of biscuits in a row because it’s the only thing you can reach/munch one-handed; and your out-of-control hormones and fragile mental wellbeing, and a re-set is often in order.
Unfortunately there are few places where you can do this with baby in tow. Which is where &Breathe steps in.
– All inclusive (tick), you don’t have to worry about any extras
– Except for travel (tick), so you’re not forced on a plane with everyone else if you don’t want to be
– Expert postnatal exercise and yoga (tick), so you know you’re in safe hands and can recover properly, rehab the core, strengthen pelvic floor, get fit for everyday life
– Dads exercise/yoga classes too (tick), and yes, they will be pushed!
– PT session per adult too
– Full board (tick) for healthy (uh oh) but delicious (yay) food which you can easily re-create at home; and we do have treats and wine too
– Relaxing massage, which will have you in zonked out bliss
– Childcare sessions so you can reconnect with your partner, or just read a book quietly (how novel)
– Mindfulness sessions if you’re up for it, because we could all do with slowing down a bit and appreciating ourselves and others.
