Urban Retreat – April 5, 2014

Wake up to a new perspective!

Saturday April 5th, 8 am – 12 pm

Soltan Banoo 4645 Park Blvd University Heights

IN THIS MINI-RETREAT, YOU’LL LEARN NEW TECHNIQUES FOR…

Releasing stress, physically and mentally
Slowing down and gaining perspective during times of anxiety
Increasing your mental clarity and function
Feeling more connected to your body
Letting go of guilt with eating, and truly savoring your food
Cultivating a sense of gratitude and joy

WHAT TO EXPECT

A gentle yoga practice, suitable for any body and experience level
Learning mindfulness practices that can be done at any time, anywhere
Mindful eating practice, followed by a wholesome lunch

REGISTRATION
Space for this one-of-a-kind event is limited. To register, please visit http://sdurbanretreat.eventbrite.com/

Cost $40

Yoga for Every Body

josixfabulouseYoga For Every Body, February 2014

*New to Yoga and not sure where to start?

* Tried a class and left feeling discouraged?

*Afraid to go but know yoga would be good for you?

This one’s for you. In this workshop, we’ll experience different styles of yoga and find the one that works for you. You’ll leave the class with a personalized home practice and a new yoga mat.

Starting February 12th 2014
3 Wednesdays from 6:30-8pm
Integration Fitness
11839 Sorrento Valley Road, Suite 39E, San Diego, CA 92121
Corner of Carmel Mountain Road and Sorrento Valley Road

Class size is limited to 6 participants
New Yoga Mat included
all for only $110

To sign up please call 619-549-3408, prepayment in cash, check or through PayPal

Yoga for Every Body – Holiday SPECIAL

josixfabulouseYoga For Every Body: For those who have maybe tried a yoga class and left feeling more discouraged, or afraid to even go to a yoga class, this one’s for you. In this workshop, we’ll experience different styles of yoga and find the one that works for you. You’ll leave the class with a personalized home practice and a new yoga mat.
Starting January 8th 2014
3 Wednesdays from 6:30-8pm
Integration Fitness
11839 Sorrento Valley Road, Suite 39E, San Diego, CA 92121
Corner of Carmel Mountain Road and Sorrento Valley Road
Class size is limited to 6 participants
New Yoga Mat included
all for only $110
To sign up please call 619-549-3408, prepayment in cash, check or through PayPal
Sign up by December 7th and take $10 off and you’ll get the mat before Christmas!

Mahalo

Sunrise at Kalani

We’ll start at the end of the journey: the last sunrise at the Point, where we would all practice qigong and then walk back to the Hale and practice together for the last time on this journey. The tears flowed at the end of this practice, it would be saying farewell for now to some old and some new friends.  But it would also be saying goodbye to this place, this very special place.

Kalani is on the eastern shore of the Big Island of Hawaii.  From the Point, the horses would be grazing in the grass, fruit trees and flowers lining the path on our way back to our temporary homes.  The first day, I remember thinking ‘oh I could never live here, this isn’t home’. By the last day, it was a tearful good bye. The road to Kalani, winds along lava rock shores, sometimes enveloped with trees and hanging vines. The lava field at Kaimū

It’s an interesting feeling to be on land that  that once was a town, or was once under water less than 30 years ago. It’s like you’re seeing something out of a sci-fi movie, but it’s your planet. It’s also the realization that it can all be gone in an instant, mother nature always wins.

There were moments of intensity. My body resisted practicing, my joints hurt, the mind would not commit at all. It was like I was detached from everything, and yet, showing up still. My teacher Arturo talked about this, when you go in with expectations and you show up and it’s not like it was before or fun or relaxing or whatever your adjective is for your expectation.  The point is to stay with it, it’s not always passion fruit and peace.Kīlauea

And we did show up to do yoga….

I just don’t think we were supposed to do it inside the Thurston Lava Hawaii2013 080tube, but I wasn’t alone in my ridiculousness.

We practiced together, ate together and went on shopping trips to the middle of lava fields together. Yes, we did. We laughed a lot, at our orientation we were warned of the wild pigs at Kalani. The destructive creatures would root up plants and destroy habitat, got the nickname of ‘delicious criminals’.  We found secret thermal pools and plunged into scary ocean currents at times, well, some of us (me) plunged right back out.  We shared food, and our thoughts. We discovered the surface was a false advertisement to riches of coral and sea life in tidal pools. And sometimes, ‘disappointment’ turned into beautiful experiences.

The last night, I went to the pool and saw one of the singing frogs in my path, perfectly still, frozen in fear. As I lay in the pool, looking up at the glory of the stars and the milky way, clearly visible in this land without lights, contemplating the vastness of the universe, and how we can’t all be just here.

Ganesha The first day, a beautiful retreat center, an open airy room, a symphony of frogs, insects and birds to sing me to sleep.

Expectancy, met with obstacles, internal and external. The body not willing, the mind, barely there. But who is on the altar but Ganesha….

By the last day my heart opened.

It would take a big push. It would take a big one.

Later on the path back from the pool, another frog, still. Not moving. Staring off. Got my attention, as would a few other things.

When I got back, I looked up frogs and their symbolic meanings:

  • Cleansing
  • Renewal, rebirth
  • Fertility, abundance
  • Transformation, metamorphosis
  • Life mysteries and ancient wisdom

There’s not a bone in my body that doesn’t know this to be true for my life right now.

Hawaii Yoga Retreat 2013

The Inner Yoga – a journey on the Big Island of Hawaii
September 2nd through 7th 2013 –  6 days, 5 nights, all meals and yoga included.

kalani2 Early morning and late afternoon yoga and meditation practices, with opportunities for creative and independent exploration during the day or evening.  Most meals are vegetarian, organic local tropical fruits and vegetables, with a fish option.  Option for participants to pack lunch for day outings.  Starts with dinner on Monday 9/02 ending with lunch on 9/07/2013

An opportunity to deepen your own understanding and practice of yoga and meditation, while allowing space for reflection and personal renewal.

Investment – includes all meals, accommodations and yoga classes.
Lodge double shared bath = $1145 (shared room and shared bath)
Lodge double private bath = $1275 (shared room with private bath for that room)
Lodge single shared bath   = $1325 (private room and shared bath)
Lodge single private bath   = $1525 (private room and private bath)

Airfare not included. Secure your spot with a $300 deposit, balance due August 15th, 2013.
Take $50 off if you submit your deposit by June 15th 2013! Please email six.jennie at gmail.com to secure your spot as space is limited and will fill up quickly.

paypal

About Kalani:  Kalani is located 45 minutes from Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii.  Away from the tourist hustle and bustle, it’s 120 acres of lush Hawaiian nature gives visitors the experience of the real Hawaii.   Use of the pools, sauna, jacuzzi, volleyball courts and a Hula Basics class is included in your package.   Kalani will also package your lunch for you to go for your outings if you decide to venture to nearby snorkeling and surf spots, or volcano national parks.  There are massage and other healing modalities offered at Kalani that you can purchase from them.

About your Facilitators:

Arturo Galvez, E-RYT 500 is a Master Yoga Teacher, teaching Hatha Yoga for over 30 years.  A student of  Master Teachers Indra Devi and BKS Iyengar.  Founder of the Yoga program at the University of California San Diego & now heading the University’s 2 year Yoga teacher training program, he presents conferences and leads specialized workshops as well as teaching credit courses in the Philosophy and History of Yoga.

Jennie Olson Six, E-RYT 200, has been teaching for six years and studying for the past 3 years under Arturo Galvez.   She is a mentor teacher for the Yoga teacher training program at the University of California San Diego and teaches yoga at universities, gyms and privately.  She has led workshops and assisted other teachers in workshops, conferences and retreats.

Details:

Transportation to and from Hilo Airport can be arranged directly with Kalani ($65 per person one way $45 per person if more than one person) or if interested in sharing a car rental, this page will be used as a posting board for other participants to ride share.

Volcano National Park is approximately a half hour driving time away from Kalani and costs $10 per car to enter, $5 per person.

There is a public transportation bus system, very limited and a slow but inexpensive option.

Retreat will begin at 5pm Monday, September 2nd, with a tour of the grounds and dinner at 6pm.

There is nearby beaches, hiking trails, swimming in a naturally heated lava pond, snorkeling and surf spots.   Some may opt to group up and drive, others are sometimes within walking distance.  Arturo has visited Kalani several times and can provide further details.

The alchemy of yoga

I read this article written by Tim Miller, a well-respected and devoted Ashtanga teacher in Encinitas. 
In the article, he talks about the transformative power of the Ashtanga yoga in terms of asana practice and describes pretty clearly the eight-limbed path or philosophy of the Ashtanga system and how they are intertwined. 

Thoughts?

Thoughts on Yoga Philosophy

As I continue my education as a teacher and a student of yoga, I find there are things that I’d like to share.  Different discoveries and insights have given me new ways of thinking about yoga and my own life.

In a recent teacher training, my teacher and fellow students were discussing  the Western focus of yoga being of asana (postures) versus philosophy.  It came down to simply this:  While many practitioners may start off with asana practice, over time, things start to change more on the inside.   Our focus turns inward, subtle changes occur, maybe through diet and what we put in our bodies or how we think about the world and how we treat others.  Even if we come to this as a way of bettering our physical appearance, over time, our lives start to change in ways we couldn’t have expected. 

A lot of experiences are like those from students as documented in the book Meditations from the Mat by Rolf Gates & Katrina Kenison:

“Yoga was physical for me at first, but it is not that physical now.  I t taught me that I need to continue to work on myself.  I thought it would be too selfish….but with yoga practice new things come up all the time.  I have a new awareness.”

“I have been physical, but also very competitive, all my life.  Yoga was the one area in my life where I didn’t compete.  I’ve settled into being a student. I am willing to learn, but it’s not about getting better, or better than the person next to me.  Now I admire the other students for their dedication.  Yoga has cleared my mind, and my decision making is better.”

“Yoga makes me feel more like taking care of myself, so I am more conscious of what I put into my body, and I am more present, more aware of how things are affecting me.  I feel more committed to taking care of myself.”

As we move into the Holiday Season, I invite you to turn within.  Take time out to do a short practice if you can, or two minutes to just shut the eyes and focus on your breath.  Take some time to look over the past year and see what positive things occurred, what you would like to change, what small things can you do for yourself in the coming year.  Take time to breath and enjoy yourself, even if for one small moment. 

Toe Eyes

I stand on my head
To see you through my toes
I breathe in through my nose
Gravity is my best friend
Keeps me grounded when
I feel like my legs
Are falling from me
I stand on my head
To see you through my toes
This is how we flow
Between asana sequences and glasses of red wine
I write poetry by candlelight
Because it feeds my insides
I stand on my head
To see you through my toes
Twist and unravel
Warrior stances
And moon dances
Laughing
At being sore the next day
From a class I wasn’t ready to take
I stand on my head
Stare at you with my toes
The feet are a gateway to the soul.

by Hawah © 2010 The Poetry of Yoga and The Everlutionary Trust