The gals at Oriri have been on quite the journey this summer, galivanting around the south west to hit up some of the local wellness festivals. Below they share their favourite memories.
Hi friends, thanks for stopping by. Grab yourself a cup of tea and nestle down for a few minutes to catch up with what we’ve been up to. Our first stop was Green Gathering nestled in the rolling Welsh hills overlooking the Severn. Despite being in the peak of summer it was safe to say wellies and a raincoat was an absolute necessity.
Arriving on a rickety old bus, we sheltered ourselves away from the torrential rain and perked up with a hot choco chai. Although the festival was small, it spanned over acres of grassy fields and woodlands. It featured a campaign corner, agricultural tents, a crafts and skills section, a health and wellbeing area, a whole row of markets, different stages for music and entertainment as well as food and drink pop up tents. She was small but she was mighty.
Our first stop was over to the arts and crafts corner (obviously!). Lino printing caught our eye and before you know it we were heads down, cutter in hand, tackling the negative spaces of designs within the fabric. With Oriri on the brain, it was no wonder we both ended up experimenting with our logo. I went free hand and created a cartoon rendition and Katherine did a fantastic job of replicating the logo exactly! They came out so well, we put them on t-shirts! Here’s the final product, what do you think?
We left them to dry and headed over to Silent Disco Movement Meditation. We were welcomed by a very chirpy old lady and an American girl with the warmest smile. Headsets on and gentle piano playing in our ears we started to walk down field and faced with a beautiful view of the English countryside sitting on the other side of the Severn. We were guided gently through the festival, amongst the hustle and bustle of festival go-ers, encapsulated in a bubble with our own personal soundtrack we glided our way across the field with a spring in our step and a flow in our arms.
This journey took us past tents, into the woods, deep into ferns, past tall tangled trees and finally to an opening where tears of joy ended up shedding down my face as I swayed and reached up to the sky. I move almost every day, dance is such an integral part of my life but I had not danced so freely amongst such a beautiful backdrop. To move in nature with no inhibitions was a welcomed sense of freedom.
The day ended with me and Katherine squishing into a yurt with 50 other people, feet near strangers shoulders, elbows into neighbours ribs desperately trying to find a small space to settle for the next hour to surrender to sonic vibrations. The wind outside wildly shook the fabric of our shelter but nothing shook our sense of serenity as the gongs chimed. The hour felt like 5 years and 5 minutes at the same time. We came around with a new sense of self.
It was sad to come away but we knew it wasn’t long before we would be doing it all over again. We spent the last weekend at Soul Circus and oh boy, this event has a special place in both our hearts and souls. It encompasses so many of our favourite things. From yoga and spiritual practice, to outrageously sparkly outfits and dancing well into the early hours of the morning.
Hi all, Katherine here. We would have to do a whole other blog post to even scratch the surface of this amazing festival so for now we’ll cover some highlights.
It was the end of the weekend and we were both completely exhausted and looking for solace. The last workshop of the day in the main stage had the words ‘meditation’ and ‘live harp’, and we were sold! Slightly weary, we were quickly transported into the most magical hour of gentle movement and unfiltered emotion. It embodied intimacy and poetry allowing you to experience stillness and movement simultaneously. You felt a deeper sense of connection with yourself and others around you. That wasn’t something I had ever experienced before.
There were a few yoga sessions I went to, but the one that made an impact was Sambaddha with Sara. It encompassed yoga, sound healing, free movement and reconnecting with the 4 elements. At the end we connected to the earth to express gratitude for the ground beneath our feet and encouraged to practise deep self love right down to our cells. This was a really beautiful moment.
My final highlight (although there were many!) was the chakra yoga dance extravaganza! I don’t even know where to start with this one. It was, sacred yoga practice meets its super sassy sister. You’re doing yoga but feeling sexy and alive, dancing and moving to the music. You get to have freedom to move your body and not feel restrained. There was also the element of sharing a sacred connection through unified movement in the session that made it evermore powerful. We already cannot wait to go back next year.
Creative, Wellness and Movement is at the heart of what we do at Oriri. And if you’re reading this and thinking “this sounds right up my street” then our Day Retreat might be perfect for you. Check out our upcoming event in November for a day of yoga, flow, creativity and sound baths. Hopefully we’ll see you there.
