At 7.45 am on Sunday all shops along the road to Castara are closed, with no signs of opening any time soon. Other than a handful of people seen along the way, I assume that everyone is either sleeping late or at church. I cruise along the winding roads toward my destination–rustic Castara Retreats, where I will teach a 9 am Kundalini Yoga class to a group of raw foodists on retreat.
I arrive an hour early. Some members of the group are relaxing, chatting, drinking green smoothies. They are from the UK, USA and France, with a UK-based facilitator, Gabi. Their faces are glowing, no doubt from a combination of sun, relaxation, fresh air and a few days of healthy raw eating.Having lived a raw vegan lifestyle myself, for one and a half years, I spend some of the pre-yoga time chatting with Gabi on the subject and hearing about what they have been doing in their workshops.
Steve, owner of Castara Retreats, appears, greets me and offers a glass of chilled green smoothie. I taste patchoi, maybe lime, the effervescent zing of ginger...and other less recognisable ingredients. My energy awakens with every sip of this green life force.