Dru Yoga is a type of yoga that is more delicate than different structures. Sarah Dawson required an end of the week retreat in Wales where she joined it with strolls through the British open country.

Over the previous year, I’ve been snared on investigating and strolling on the South Downs in Sussex, and I’m passionate about yoga, so when I heard of a Dru Yoga and walking retreat in Snowdonia, I was in.

A train journey from Brighton to London then a scenic connection from Chester brought me to Bangor station where I was spirited into the Nant Ffrancon Valley by my taxi driver. Nestled beside a tranquil brook, fields of grazing sheep and a backdrop of ice-capped mountains were the UK headquarters of Dru Yoga.

I checked in and met my ‘roomie’, Lucy. Our open current twin room was adorned with privately woven covers and Snowdonia-roused divider workmanship.

In case you’re new to Dru Yoga, this delicate, yet amazing type of yoga is energetically suggested. ‘Dru’, an Indian (Sanskrit) word short for Dhruva generally means ‘north star’ and addresses the quietness of the stars; our own ‘inner point’.

Dru Yoga was made by a gathering of yoga aficionados around 30 years prior. A common meeting will incorporate conventional yoga presents like the extension, descending canine, cobra, etc however its masterpiece is an emphasis on good change through rebalancing the ‘chakras’ and the ‘koshas’, which incorporate our musings, sentiments, and our internal identity.

At Friday’s early meeting place’s director, Jane Saraswati Clapham, who’s been working and instructing inside Dru for a very long time, clarified: ‘Yoga is a type of physical and mental self-authority, and strolling is a fantastic method to free the mind’. I was unable to stand by, my mind is so full of creative ideas I sometimes feel overloaded!

At 9.30 the following morning we met in the yoga lobby for Dru Yoga. Numerous visitors were Dru Yoga instructors there to unwind, others were Dru Yoga beginners. Our instructor, Petra consoled us that Dru is perhaps the most available style of yoga because of its streaming nature, and not least since it draws on the contribution from osteopaths, and physiotherapists.In a Dru yoga class, you can expect muscle stretches to plan for the stances in this way, forestalling injury, and familiarity with centre steadiness to fortify postural muscles.

Yet, what were these ‘Koshas’ about? ‘These are the five distinct layers of presence in our lives, our ‘unobtrusive’ nature,’ affirmed Petra.

‘While rehearsing Dru Yoga we carry attention to the energy framework while moving through the actual developments to help carry us to our ‘still point’ – the fifth kosha, our euphoria layer, known as ‘Anandamaya Kosha” Petra said.

‘It’s natural for us to hold onto strong emotions after conflict and stressful experiences but if left unresolved these thoughts, feelings, and memories can get stuck in the body, potentially creating future, more serious, health problems.

‘Through conscious breathing, observing thoughts and feelings while flowing through our yoga practice, and introducing positive affirmations and visualizations we can unblock them and restore balance on every level,’ she clarified.

Seven Dru Energy Block Release groupings – gatherings of postures done in Dru Yoga classes – were made for this reason. Petra took us through some warm-up developments (referred to in Dru as ‘initiations’), then ‘EBR3’, a flowing sequence involving yoga poses like the Archer, to help heal/rebalance heart energy.

We took a short yogi coffee break and chat then our meditation teacher Jane Saraswati arrived for our session. She affirmed that statistically, individuals who practice long-haul reflection are 80 per cent less prone to heart disease and 50 per cent less likely to suffer from cancer. However, how to do it well?

‘Get as comfortable as possible,’ she stated and went through certain tips. ‘Do some movement before sitting to ensure the spine is relaxed, yet awakened, make sure hips and shoulders are comfortable, as these tie in with the body’s relaxation response (the parasympathetic response).’

I shut my eyes and permitted Jane’s alleviating voice to assist me to accept my achy shoulders ‘Dru Meditation goes farther than being careful and tolerating our physical or enthusiastic distress,’ she clarified. Meditators are urged to go further and to change pointless considerations and emotions into good ones to feel more joyful. As such, the reflective state encourages us to become ‘ace’ of our considerations, as opposed to casualties, by repeating positive phrases. These included:

- ‘I have all the resources I need to achieve my dreams’ – to boost self-confidence and trust in our unique abilities.

- ‘I am calm and capable’ – when overwhelmed by stress.

- ‘I am loving, lovable and loved’ – for self-esteem / improving all relationships.

I was voracious after all that groundbreaking looking and a generous sound vegan lunch filled me up for our first walk. Top to toe in waterproofs we followed Nigel Murphy, our Dru Yoga instructor, and our local guide, Tom, into the valley.

We strolled through lush forests, passing powerful waterfalls, juxtaposed by still lakes, stone bridges, and majestic mountains. The fresh clear pure air cleansed my lungs and I found the rain quite purifying.

Close by a lake, the walk turned out to be all the more testing as we headed tough on the sloppy ground. I nearly lost my balance, however, we as a whole felt an extraordinary pride, and back at base a sweet potato curry and tofu and vegetable stir fry followed by apple crumble with custard in the ambient cafe more than restored a sense of equilibrium.

On Sunday in our pre-breakfast yoga meeting, Dru educator, Nanna, warmed us up with some energetic Dru ‘activations’ before a unique Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskara), which demonstrated that Dru Yoga could be dynamic and amazing, just as delicate and remedial.

After our morning meal had settled Nanna acquainted us with the Dru Power grouping which includes Warrior 1 and 2 postures, and other strong poses to move flat energy and engage us. It felt rejuvenating, and a deep 20-minute relaxation helped the benefits soak into my psyche.

I settled on the ‘delicate’ evening walk around the Ogwen valley driven by instructors Jane and Joshna. We saw the terrific and amazing spouting Ogwen Falls, then took a tranquil walk leading to the coastline of Anglesey.

Before I knew it, it was Monday and after our last yoga was Monday and after our final yoga and meditation session, we walked into the valley. The rain was lashing down, yet we were courageous. A guest teacher from Australia asked us to form a circle at an oak tree grove and led us through Prithvi Namaskara – salutation to the earth. It was magical performing this sequence in the glory of nature – yes even the rain.

On our walk back to base we stopped beside a waterfall to tune into all our senses; tasting the rainwater, hearing the sounds around us, feeling the air/rain on our face, touching the stone bridge, observing the smells, and taking in the scene with our eyes.

I envisioned all parts of the view before shutting my eyes, each time adding more to my memory. I anchored the stone bridge, the trees to the left, the pathway, the ancient monument on the hill to the right, the water, the stones in the water, and a patch of mossy grass below me. This picture remained with me, months later.

Since yoga was created and inspired by nature itself, it’s not surprising that yoga and walking in nature are so conducive for wellbeing. The Dru style is a great antidote to stress- for beginners and more advanced yogis who want to work with the subtle energy and transformation elements.

After that retreat, I felt light, loose, and lucid, my body supple from the yoga and the nutritious food. Furthermore, all that fresh Welsh air left me filled with a calm, centred enthusiasm to launch some new projects. There’s a result.