Finding Our Natural Rhythm

There are experiences that you prepare carefully, and then there are those that, once they begin, seem to find their own rhythm.

This is what happened during the first Flow Retreat – Yoga & Mindful Watercolour, three days spent together at the ancient Monastery of Fonte Avellana, between movement, colour, silence and nature.

What I wanted to create was a space where there was nothing to prove and nowhere to get to. A place where we could slow down enough to notice what was happening in the present moment — in the body, in the breath, in the watercolour, and simply in ourselves.

And perhaps this was the most beautiful part to observe.

As the hours passed, the group gradually became more relaxed. The initial hesitation gave way to curiosity, laughter, silence, sharing. During the painting sessions, there was no search for the “right” result. Instead, there was attention: to the movement of the water, to a colour changing on the paper, to a form appearing almost by itself. Yoga created another way of entering the same space — through the body, the breath and movement.

Something began to shift.

Not necessarily something dramatic or visible, but a subtle opening. People became more comfortable with not knowing what would happen next, with allowing things to unfold rather than controlling them. The watercolour became a way of practising presence, just as yoga became a way of listening.

This is what I mean when I talk about Mindful Watercolour. It is not really about learning to paint better. It is about discovering what happens when we give ourselves permission to slow down, observe without judgement, and follow what is actually happening rather than what we think should happen.

By the end of the three days, I felt that we had created something very special together. So much so that, before we even said goodbye, we decided to do it again.

The next Flow Retreat will take place on 9–11 October 2026.

If you feel that you might need three days to slow down, breathe, paint, move and simply be, you can join the waiting list here:

Perhaps we will meet there, and discover together what happens when we stop trying to control the flow.