Yoga retreat in Egypt
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
The centre has been built with the utmost respect to the environment. Most of the rooms are built out of wood. Minimum amount of power is used considering this is a public place. There are gentle reminders to not misuse electricity and water. Long life bulbs are used. There is re-cycling in place, nothing is wasted. Left over food goes to local camels and goats.
Most of the team live there, so are very conscious of the correct way to behave. We always point out to NOT waste water, eg. don't leave the tap running whilst cleaning teeth, take short showers rather than a bath, refill your water bottle where possible to minimise plastic bottles, try to use a re-usable bag rather than plastic carrier bags for shopping. The bags are a problem as they invariably end up in the sea. polluting the water and getting caught in the corals which kills it. We also tell people not to touch/step on the corals for the same reason. it takes about 100 years for 1 inch of coral to grow.
Community
This holiday is a yoga retreat rather than a yoga holiday. Designed for people who would like a more in-depth and holistic study of yoga, rather than just doing the asanas (postures) which is what you generally do on a yoga holiday. The main activity on this holiday is yoga, ie yoga asanas, pranayama, (breathing techniques), meditation, yoga philosophy, (looking at why practise yoga, the benefits) chanting. We will be doing the asanas mainly outside and as the air is so pure in this region ie (no industry,) virtually no cars, the benefits are even greater.
The resort is locally owned and run. The owner being very present and hands on. he was involved with the building of it originally and is not an absent manager as he is there regularly overseeing the running of the place.. He personally leads all the excursions and takes a very keen interest in other cultures. On these trips either he or the local Bedouins supply interesting info and history about the Sinai and tales of the desert. When we eat out in the desert guests get to watch the Bedouin cooking in their traditional way. Baking bread in hot sand and cooking a feast on an open fire.
All the staff at the resort are local, as are all the drivers connected with the resort. Regarding the diving aspect. the Egyptian government have now passed a rule that all diving centres must have a specific ratio of Egyptian diving instructors. All produce for meals is grown in Egypt and where possible local, however most of the food is from the Delta area as nothing grows in the desert unless very specifically cultivated, which is not such a good idea as it requires a great deal of water.
Desert trips are generally run by Bedouin, the indigenous people of the area. They have a great saying regarding being in the desert, "leave nothing behind take nothing away". On trips to St Katherine’s monastery there will be a great opportunity to purchase beautiful hand made crafts made by local Bedouin women.
1of6
