Autumn: Connect, Reflect and Release. A day of yoga, ayurvedic food and writing

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Sunday, October 21st, 2018
9:00 AM to 4:30 PM

Join Yoga teacher Sarah Jane Smith, Ayurvedic Chef Kari Mathieson and writer Claire Sicherman for a day of seasonally inspired yoga, food and writing at beautiful Golden Tree Farm on Salt Spring Island. ​

As the world around us changes over the course of the year so do we. You may notice overarching themes connected to each season that inspire different ways of moving, eating and being. In this first of four, seasonally inspired one day retreats we focus on balancing the themes that are dominant in the Autumn season with appropriate yoga postures, breath work and meditation, seasonally balanced foods and journaling inspiration.

Outline of the day

Arrival and welcome circle

2 hour seasonal practices session including all levels vinyasa, pranayama, meditation and mantra

Lunch - Seasonally inspired Ayurvedic vegetarian lunch

Balance the elements in your food - Ayurvedic cooking demonstration

Remember, reflect and release - a unique combination of yin yoga and journalling

Closing circle

Details of the day

Seasonal Practices session with Sarah Jane

We can allow our yoga practice to change over the course of the year as a way to connect with nature and the world around us and ultimately ourselves.

During the Autumn, we see plants directly energy downwards deep into the earth and into their roots in order to rest and lie dormant before sprouting up again next spring. We can bring this approach into the physical practice of yoga by working with asana (postures), Pranayama, (breath practices) that ground us and draws energy inwards. If we look outside we also see many plants shedding and letting go and we can take this cue to look inside and see what may have run its course and actively release what has come to fruition with the help of meditation and mantra practice.

This session is presented in an all levels style with options to build on the foundational postures for those who are more experienced.

Sarah Jane teaches yoga at her home based studio – the Nest hot yoga. Since her initial 500 hour training with Moksha yoga in 2010, she has continued to study and build her knowledge and skill as both a student and teacher of yoga completing over 1500 hours of training and teaching over 3000 classes. In Sarah Jane’s classes you can expect variety with purpose, alignment based instruction, opportunities to explore, individualized verbal instruction and modifications, invitations into self awareness and discovery, challenge, breath awareness, seasonally themed intentions and looooong savasanas. Go here to read a more detailed biography.

Lunch and Ayurvedic cooking workshop with Kari

"Kari will prepare for us a nourishing and beautiful seasonally inspired lunch. She will also offer an Ayurvedic cooking demo, sharing with us some simple seasonal recipes we can bring into our kitchen and our daily lives to support a calm , stable, clear and balanced mind and body. According to Ayurveda, 'Sattva' is the essential energy of the mind, clear space of truth, contentment and stability. Sattva can be preserved through the foods we choose to eat and the way we prepare them. You will receive recipes to take home, information on Sattvic practices and some inspiration for deeper self care and nourishment."

Kari mathieson is a vegetarian chef, specializing in healing whole food and Ayurvedic inspired cooking for yoga and meditation retreats. She also offers creative cooking classes to inspire healthy wholesome eating and lifestyle to seekers on a path of healing and self discovery. Check out her website at www.karimathieson.com

Remember, Reflect and Release - a unique combination of yin yoga and journaling with Claire and Sarah Jane

Autumn can offer us the gift of moving inward, of remembering our ancestors, of grieving our losses, but in this reflection, there is also opportunity to let go and make way for growth. Writing is one way of releasing emotion that we hold in our bodies.

Yin Yoga is slow paced style where the postures are held for longer periods of time to create a moderate stress on the connective tissues of the body with the aim to improve circulation, joint health and flexibility. We use bolsters and blocks for support to encourage a deep physical surrender. This slow approach is inherently meditative and encourages quiet self reflection, self compassion and relaxation.

We lay the foundation of openness in our bodies to let held emotions arise with the yin postures and then we journal with writing prompts. These prompts are designed to guide and support the remembering and celebrating of loved ones, the releasing of ideas and ways of being that have come to fruition. Within the container of practice, we provide a safe space to explore grief, and allow for connection, reflection and sharing of writing, if desired.

Claire Sicherman is the author of Imprint: A Memoir of Trauma in the Third Generation. She facilitates a Journaling Circle on Salt Spring Island, which is part of a multi-generational writing project called Home Words. Claire is interested in exploring how we hold trauma and emotions in our bodies and self-regulation techniques. She has recently completed teacher training programs in Trauma Informed and Yin Yoga. www.clairesicherman.com/

Registration is limited to 20 participants and is an investment of $110.

This one day retreat is open to all levels of yoga experience from beginners to intermediate practitioners. No previous writing experience is necessary.

If you have any questions about the retreat or are wondering whether this offering is suitable for you, please email us.

https://www.thenesthotyoga.com