breathing

Big Basin Redwoods Yoga, Meditation, & Hiking Retreat

March 2, 2016 By Cassandra

It is that time of year again- Retreat Time!

Big Basin Redwoods Yoga, Meditation, and Hiking Retreat!

May 13th – May 15th

Big Basin Redwoods State Park, CA

Living In Rhythm: This weekend we will practice Yoga and meditation in nature, how it was originally intended to be practiced. The traditions of Yoga and it’s sister science, Ayurveda, emphasize the importance of living in harmony with the natural rhythms of the world around us and within us. You will learn how to intelligently attune your yoga and meditation practice to the natural world’s seasonal and yearly cycles, even biological rhythms such as your heart beat, your breath cycle, and sleep cycle. In fact, the term vinyasa yoga means “to place intelligently in a cycle,” which could mean placing a peak posture in your sequence, or adhering to seasonally and age appropriate yoga, diet, and lifestyle routines. We will learn what practices are best for ourselves as unique individuals and how, through that inner connection, we connect to the entire cosmos.

One Yogi or Yogini: $ 219

Special for a Couple/2 friends: $199 per person

Our View:

Please Note: Yoga practice will be moderate/all levels perhaps more gentle based on who comes; please speak with me on the phone if you are not familiar with my teaching style and we do not know each other already. We are “off-roading” our practice this weekend and we will not have an indoor space to practice. We are not going to be practicing on even ground, and we will probably practice in tennis shoes. This is an adventure! Yoga in nature means fresh air and vibrant Prana to pump us full of life’s energy, and it could also mean bugs and rain! Prepare for anything. Price of Retreat includes camping this time. It does not include your transportation to the park. I have a limited number of spots. My last retreat sold out, so sign up fast!

Please commit to this retreat when you sign up; no refunds will be permitted. I recommend you purchase travel insurance. Exception: this trip is subject to weather related cancellation. I do recommend travel insurance in any case.

Register above, or Click here to register and pay via Paypal. Or use this direct link to register: https://form.jotform.com/60618916983165

You can also pay by credit card via square, cash, or check in class where I can also provide you with a receipt.

After registering, about a week prior to the event, you will receive some more details and guidelines.* I am SO excited to see you there! Price Includes 8 hours of Meditation and Yoga practice, including lecture/discussion of Ayurveda and Yoga. Price does include camping this time- limited spots available. State Park Camping include restrooms and paid shower facilities. We will all be camping as a group between two campsites and one additional site will be kept clear for practice purposes.

Only two cars are allowed per camp site so ride sharing may be necessary. Vehicle fees will be charged by the park.

Updated Schedule: (please note, food is only provided if you enroll in the catering option for $75)

Friday and Saturday evenings: Community gathering and s’mores- 7pm-8:30pm (or until later- but quiet time starts at 10pm and we need to respect that wholeheartedly). Please, no beer or anything else this time. Last time, beers were fun and fine, but this time I want to challenge us all to build community while sober! Possible bonus evening meditation Saturday by a babbling brook at 7pm TBA…

Saturday and Sunday Mornings: Meet at site 170

Light Breakfast: 8am (probably fruit and energy bar/granola bar/cereal assortment)

9am-9:30am- Hike to Yoga practice spot (easy to moderate hike). There is a bathroom on the way.

9:30am-11am Prana Yoga session amongst the beautiful redwoods in one of our spots!

11am-Bathroom break and Hike to Meditation spot

11:30am- noon Hike back to camp for Lunch (we should arrive back between noon and 12:15pm** Saturday, Sunday we will get back earlier to check out on time)

Lunch: About 12:30pm -Fresh organic deli-made sandwiches will be provided to catering opt-in folks- you will be able to choose fillings. Plus chips etc.

Saturday afternoon: Lecture 3:30pm-6pm at campsite or quite nearby in nature- meet at site 170

Lecture Outline: Introduction to Ayurveda

Ayurvedic Dosha Quiz- Find out Your Type!

What is Ayurveda? What is yoga?

The 20 attributes of nature- to see the patterns of life/Ultimate Life Hack

The 5 elements as they relate to yogic and ayurvedic philosophy, and most importantly, your life

The three doshas (bodily types/humors), their attributes and elements

Vikruti and Prakruti- Your type: genetics and epigenetics via Ayurveda

Rtucharya- Seasonal Rhythms for your type

Dinacharya- Daily Rhythms for your type

Lifestyle practices for your type

Yoga postures for your type

Meditation for your type

Breathing for your type

The 3 mental humors to balance psychology (Prana, Tejas, and Ojas)

The 3 Gunas or states of awareness and you (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas)

The Seven Chakras (wheels of energy)

Questions if we are not catatonic with information overload!

Medicine Making for your type

Saturday dinner: 6:00pm (probably grilled veggies, veggie burgers, baked potatoes possibly…) – meet at site 170

Sunday afternoon– Retreat ends after lunch, giving you time to explore Big Basin’s hikes on your own (preferably with a buddy!) and time to get home.

To enroll in Organic Catering from New Leaf Grocery for the entire retreat, Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon lunch and smores supplies each night (excludes Friday dinner) , by May 3rd please send $75 to Cassandra McDonough on Facebook or via Paypal (choose option send to a friend- email me with button above for correct Paypal email address). You can also square me or give me a check in class. Please also email me ASAP by May 9th only if you have dietary preferences (Gluten Free, Vegetarian, vegan, alergies, etc.) There is a cafe at park Headquarters (open 10am-4pm) with coffee , smoothies, salads, etc.

**Please be open to “the flow.” We may spend a slightly longer or shorter amount of time depending on what feels right in the moment for the majority of the group. The schedule may change at a moment’s notice, but will be adhered to in general.)

Previous Retreat Photos:

The Four Principles of the Breath, per Krishnamacharya

February 8, 2016 By Cassandra

The role of the breath in yoga: why should you care? Because without intentional, conscious breathing, you are not quite doing yoga. You might be getting in great shape with gymnastics, but you aren’t practicing HA-THA yoga, which represents the union of the polar opposites. In sanskrit, ha means sun and tha means moon– opposites. The inhale and exhale are opposites, and we consciously connect them with the body movement.

The body movement IS the breath movement. When you lift your arms, does your body like to inhale, or exhale? Or think about a forward fold. The body has a preference; test it out!

The Four Principles of the Breath, per Krishnamacharya:

1. The breath starts and ends the movement. (Or, the breath lasts longer than the movement.)
2. As you inhale, the heart and ribcage expand. As you exhale, the belly flattens–pull the abdominals up and in.
3. Pause momentarily between each breath.
4. Use Ujjayi, or ocean-sounding breath, on both the inhalation and exhalation.

If you do all four of these principles, for at least seven minutes a day in as gentle of a practice as you like, I personally promise radical positive transformation in your life. I promise that you will find Love, Sex, and Intimacy, all of which pave the road to enlightenment.

Check out my teacher Mark Whitwell’s app, iPromise, for a led sequence. Also check out his book on amazon.com, The Promise of Love, Sex, and Intimacy. I will post more tutorials on Ujjayi breathing soon!

Pranams,
Cassandra