PRACTICE MAKES PROGRESS:
Three days of asana, energy & fun!
with Mark Nelson
October 25-27
PRACTICE MAKES PROGRESS:
Three days of asana, energy & fun!
with Mark Nelson
Are there parts of your practice you wish you could improve? Maybe you feel good about balancing poses, but you'd like to work on your back bends. Are tight hips and hamstrings a fact of life you'd like to work on? Or have you always wanted to get upside down in an arm balance, but don't know where to start?
Welcome to Practice Makes Progress! We’ll spend three days moving through a full range of asana and discovering techniques to keep you focused and motivated as you take your new insights back to your daily life.
We’ll explore how to move with stability, mobility and flexibility in all areas of the body:
Stability: Create a firm foundation physically and energetically.
Mobility: Range of motion through detailed alignment.
Flexibility: Learn techniques to release tight muscles.
We’ll look at eye-opening ways to direct the energy of our bodies:
Bandhas: Areas of focus within our bodies to move powerfully.
Vayus: Techniques for directing the energy of our movement.
Koshas: Levels of awareness from outside to inward.
Part asana workshop, part playful experiment, every person in the group will be able to work at their own level with their own goals in mind. We’ll explore balancing poses, back bends, shoulder openers, inversions, hip openers and hamstring stretches. And all of it will be at your own level.
This is a unique opportunity to try new approaches to your practice in a fun, inspiring, supportive setting. Grab your mat, invite a friend, and see what kind of progress your practice can make!
PRACTICE MAKES PROGRESS:
Friday, October 25
To help you transition from your work week into retreat mode, we’ll gather over a healthy dinner, then move through a slow flow practice into a grounding, restorative yin practice, setting the tone for the weekend.
Saturday, October 26
We'll move from outdoor activities to a flowing practice into a fun, interactive workshop where we'll explore a full range of asana and ways we can approach them no matter where you're at in your yoga practice. In the evening, we'll settle in for deep stretches to wind down the day.
Sunday, October 27
Sunday morning, we'll top off the weekend with a targeted asana practice to expand on Saturday's progress. Then after lunch, you'll have the option of a stroll outside before heading home, revitalized with a fresh, new perspective on your practice.
A HOLISTIC IMMERSION IN THE HEART OF THE POCONOS:
Founded in 1971, the Himalayan Institute draws on its roots in the yoga tradition to offer programs in self-transformation, yoga, meditation, and holistic health at its headquarters in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Its services include global humanitarian projects, publishing books, a holistic health center (Purejuv Wellness Center), and the internationally acclaimed Yoga International website and educational platform.
The Himalayan Institute’s wooded 400-acre campus in the rolling hills of the Pocono mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania is a peaceful refuge from the stress of today’s hectic world and offers a place to study and deepen personal practice, or to rest and renew. Click here for an online tour of the Himalayan Institute.
Just Show Up and We'll Do The Rest:
Guests can arrive at the Himalayan Institute any time between 4:30 and 6:00pm on Friday, October 25. The weekend will officially start with a healthy, hearty vegetarian dinner at 6:00pm. The rest of the weekend will be a balance of yoga and free time until we check out after a 12:30pm lunch on Sunday, October 27.
Registration: $350 (Food and Lodging is a separate fee through the Himalayan Institute)
Your Registration Includes:
• Three days of yoga, new approaches for your practice, and group activities
• Unstructured time for quiet time or spa services (available separately)
Easy Lodging Options:
Lodging at the Himalayan Institute is very reasonably priced and offers a variety of options for single, double and group reservations. We will forward you a reservation code once you have registered for the weekend. Click here for an overview of lodging options.
Nurturing Spa Services:
The Institute offers a full menu of holistic spa treatments on site. Contact the PureRejuv Wellness Center, located at the Institute, to book a variety of spa treatments. The best time to reserve your treatments will be on Friday before we begin, Saturday afternoon, or after the retreat ends on Sunday, but feel free to book at any time. This is your retreat after all! We recommend you book your treatments in advance.
Meet Your Host:
EASY TO FIND:
952 Bethany Turnpike
Honesdale, PA 18431
Phone: 570-253-5551 • 800-822-4547
The Many Benefits of a Yoga Retreat
One of the key aspects of practice is time. Time to focus on the details. Time away from the distractions of daily life. Time for your body and mind to adapt to new ways of doing things. Our regular yoga practice is a microcosm of that: we set aside time to come to class and focus on just that for those minutes in our day. But to go deeper, sometimes you need more time.
That's where a retreat comes in. Not only have you set aside that time for your practice, but the entire Yoga Garden retreat setting is designed to support your process. We create an environment where your only focus is on your practice. Your day revolves around learning and reflection. In a sense, your to-do list comes down to showing up for each session, while everything else is taken care of. We coordinate your lodging, your meals, we give you the opportunity to unplug and take breaks to walk in nature while all the lessons soak in. From the moment you arrive till the end of the program, you have the luxury of time.
We think of our retreats as immersion experiences. You get to set aside the demands of daily life and immerse yourself in something you love. Yoga. Wellness. Self-Study. By immersing yourself in the details of your practice, you're able to fine-tune the things you want to work on, so the time you spend on your mat back home can become an extension of that. It makes the difference between just showing up to class and practicing what you're working towards.
A yoga retreat is a key aspect of building your skills as a yogi. And knowing how busy all of us are in our everyday lives, it's a rare window of time when you can really focus on something you love!
