spain — Inner Beauty Outer Glow

If you´d have come to one of my yoga retreats a few years ago you would have found a more naive Me teaching, as a hardcore yoga philosophy girl who clung to her battered copy of the Yoga Sutras like a clutch, that yoga was all about the mind, that yoga was all about service sacrifice and ethics, that yoga was all about this and all about that and it literally took years of practice, study and working on myself to realise that fulfilment/happiness/joy/ spirituality/peace isn't a one-stop-shop for all. It doesn't look the same, it doesn't feel the same and if it's truly fulfilling, it should be beneficial for every aspect of your life, not just one sector of it. But why is that? Why is the definition of true fulfilment, not the way we all traditionally see it and experience it? Surely those strict, judging and extreme yogic attitudes never garnered much success? After all, isn´t that why the Buddha coined the term The Middle Path. So here's why fulfilment shouldn't and can't look the same for all of us…

I guess for the majority of us, at least at one time or another, our first instinct in defining fulfilment, likely would have been the classic working in a job you love, finding true love, balancing your work with your home, owning a beautiful house, maybe having a few cute children or pets - all while being surrounded by a supportive circle of friends and being able to find time to focus on your healthset too. I know as a mama, business owner, wife, teacher, house owner, friend, daughter, dog mummy and wellness lover I did just that and I struggled when I thought I should then have been totally fulfilled... and yet I wasn´t. It's an experience that has defined how and what I now teach as a yoga teacher, retreat host and woman, it´s clear that the classic model of fulfilment is starting to feel outdated in our society, especially one that has endured a certain level of suffering over the past year. Not only are the effects of the last year shaping our ideals in lasting positive ways but as the opportunity to take on far different concepts has expanded - the definition of fulfilment has had to change accordingly with It and the word SOUL is on the tip of everyone's tongue.

I can only assume the first thing that would come to mind when many people hear the word soul, would be what an enlightened being embodies/nurtures and probably a far-out concept we can´t get to grips with. One thing you certainly wouldn't hear often is people exclaiming is how their soul feels - but for me now, it is almost as productive and balanced as life can get. What makes your soul sing? What makes your soul cry? What makes your soul grow? Have you ever really sat down and asked yourself these questions. Your soul is the real part of you, it´s not your body or your mind or your ego or stories, it´s YOU. A soul needs to be filled with purposeful work, it fundamentally needs to serve and give generously to others, creates good actions and kind words, fun in the sun, fun in the rain, organic friendships, great food and drink, time to recharge and cuddles with your sweethearts, hobbies, creativity, dance, music, laughter, tears, pain, transformation and ultimately love galore. If your soul likes shopping for pretty dresses or the latest technological gadget, fine, if your soul wants to live in a camper van - great, if your soul wants to live in a big house by the sea, great… do you get where I am going here. I learned a long while ago now that fulfilment looks, and feels so very different for every single one of us. I also realised it's so very easy to see how one person lives and in turn decimate our own interpretation of fulfilment. Yet what could be fulfilling for one person could be wildly unproductive for another, but that's something we have to learn, accept and act on.

During my hardcore yoga days when I thought suffering was the fast track to get my yogini brownie points, I lost my sparkle and now I've found that with the emergence of my truth, it's become very easy to feel that sense of inner joy if I honour all parts of myself. It´s so easy for people to insinuate that fulfilment comes before hard work or that it is something to be achieved in the future when you have acquired this/that/things and yet with that comes a certain amount of intrusive thoughts and yet what I have discovered is that fulfilment is a labour of love, a day to day journey that should be unapologetically unique to you and your soul, as well as benefitting all the facets of you that exist. Fulfilment can look as different as you'd like it to look and don't let anyone else sway that for you - you do you.

Maybe you´d like to take a few days this summer to touch in deeply with your Soul and REMEMBER who you truly are, if so I would love to invite you on my unique Soul Rememberance retreat this August in Spain from the 22nd-29th. You can read more HERE.

PS: I´d love to know: What things make your soul sing?

Love Kat xx

Summer Yoga Retreat with Kat Webster Yoga — L

When I first moved to Spain, straight out of the ELLE HQ in Carnaby Street, London I was blown away by the contrast in lifestyle habits, sure I'd heard the rumours about the Mediterranean diet, doting mothers, siestas and blue zones but I honestly never thought it would be so... well, so true and so healthy.

I was accustomed to commuting on a busy tube for over an hour each day (loved it btw!) which was a complete contrast to Spain where people considered working more than 10 minutes away from the comfort of their own home an inconvenient lifestyle disaster; I was accustomed to eating little and on the go in-between cracking deadline after deadline and people here were taking three hours for a massive lunch followed by a nap and family time and while my weekends already consisted of plenty of yoga, nice food and friends here it was meal after meal, saving money by eating with your family (most people I know here receive food parcels from their Mamas way into their 40´s!) and totally rejuvenating yourself for your next working week. It took me quite a while to settle in, my nervous system still craved the hustle and bustle but now as I look back I can see that moving to Spain has probably added many years to my life, colour to my eyes, at little peace to my heart and beauty to my life. Here are my top five healthy Spanish lifestyle tips you might like to have a little play with...

1. Loving Mealtimes.

Spanish people love to eat, their entire life is planned around food but not in the fast food, obesity driven kind of way but rather the fresh fish, vegetables, lentils and high-quality meat kind of way. I remember my first Spanish family meal, everyone gathered around the table, drinking mini tumblers of Spanish white wine called Rueda from Valladolid, (if you want to style your next meal in the spirit of Spain try swapping your large wine glasses for some understated tumblers, I love these ones and buying a bottle of Rueda from ASDA here,) while dipping fresh bread into plates of anchovies from Bermeo, hand-picked red peppers picked, roasted in wood and jarred in Calahorra along with various seafood style canapes. Up next was an organic, free-range chicken born and raised on the family farm, there were no accompanying roast potatoes or veggies, everything is kept simple and excellent produce speaks for itself, the chicken is served alone covered in its own sauce.

This long lunch, rolling into its third hour was followed by coffee and mini cakes from the local patisserie and a long standing tradition called ´After Desk´ which includes sitting around enjoying a Gin & Tonic or liqueur and taking time, lots of time. Mealtimes are the highlight of their days and right there, hidden behind all that food and chatter is what I believe to be one of the biggest health tips from Spain, the appreciation of local ingredients, slow cooking, slow eating, conversation, community, family and taking the time to enjoy what is there.

2. Naps.

I didn't need to move to Spain to love a nap but since I arrived a daily 30 min rest in the afternoon has become one of my non-negotiables. The Spanish have relied on the trusty nap throughout time as a way to split their long days into two productive sessions, a siesta means they can have a productive morning; skip the intense midday heat and productively work later in the evening.
This moment of peace keeps my mind in a state of balance and harmony, I don't necessarily fall asleep but I allow my mind and body to relax and let go of the stresses of the morning routines and rejuvenate, I use a specific relaxation technique that is called Yoga Nidra, some studies have claimed that 20 minutes of profound relaxation can have the same effect as 4 hours sleep, you can try it for free here. And while it may be easier for people to nap in Spain with their long lunch breaks and close to home offices, everyone deserves a weekend nap as an additional snippet of self-care to look forward to.

3. Less travel, more rest.

Like I mentioned previously I was blown away by the fact people in Spain place so much importance on being able to walk to work and it's not just walking to work, it's being able to walk to your gym, your yoga studio, your hairdressers, your beauticians, your fruit shop, your fish shop – practically everything. Again, this was something I totally resisted; I loved travelling far and wide around London hopping from the Flower Market on Columbia Road to the vintage stalls at Brick Lane to the food markets in Borough Street and my yoga jaunt in Primmy Hill, I loved the diversity, the energy, the excitement... but how much energy was I using to do this? I was basically giving away all my physical/mental energy along with the energy of my time and money so that when it came to aspects of creativity, ambition and personal growth I was somewhat lacking. Would I do it again? Absolutely. Do I feel healthier, stronger and more vibrant now that my lifestyle is more restful? Absolutely. I guess it all comes back to that wonderful concept of balance.

Moving to Spain was never something I consciously planned, it came and stole me in the night on the wave of a romance but maybe, just maybe it was the answer to a higher calling for rest and health which I now have the joy and privilege of sharing on Bilbao Yoga Retreats. These two-day well-being retreats I host from my very beautiful Basque home are aimed at stressed -out city folk who are in need of a quick fix of health and healing. I also offer daily yoga classes and Teacher Training Taster events.

If you'd like to answer the call for wholeness I would love to see you someday soon. Kat x

Arroz Jugoso, that´s juicy paella to me and you!

Red Tuna is abundant in Cadiz and Tarifa.

No need to buy a hairbrush this summer .