DATE: February 18 – 25, 2017
PRICE: Please visit our Rates and Reservations page for our base rates.
PACKAGES: We have many yoga retreats to choose from. Yoga & Advneture, Yoga & Surfing, Yoga & Rejuvenation, and Pure Yoga. Please see our Yoga Retreats Packages (ARP’s) for more information. Or for those who are not totally into yoga, there’s no need to choose a yoga package at all – you can book all your activities and excursions A La Carte. We call it the Relaxation Retreat.
We are also now offering a Scuba Certification and Yoga package to our guests.
WORKSHOPS: We are excited to offer you a special Tantra Dance Workshop, a Kundalini Workshop, and an Introduction to Tantra Workshop this week. For more information please see descriptions below.
Guest Teacher Elena Klymenko
Elena is an experienced and inspiring Yoga Teacher, Wellness Coach, Personal Trainer, and Dance instructor. Her main mission is to share the tools and knowledge she gained pursuing her passion for thriving life through yoga, movement, meditation, dance, nutrition and other practices that bring health and joy to the body and mind. Her Yoga classes are based on the flowing and mindful combination of asanas, breathing exercises and sound therapy that provides energizing, healing and uplifting effect on the body and mind. She did her teacher training with Sivananda Yoga School in a beautiful ashram in Brasil, and she has been constantly expanding her practice and teaching methods with Iyengar, Ashtanga, Anusara and Kundalini Yoga based techniques. She believes in finding joy and poise in every asana and pranayama, making it a creative expression of your soul, and transferring it from the mat to your life.
Elena has been in wellness, fitness and health career for over 12 years. After immigrating to Canada in 2000, she decided to follow her passion for healthy active lifestyle, and became a personal trainer and group fitness instructor with ACE and CanFitPro certifications. Working at the best clubs in Toronto and continuing her education with functional training, post-rehab, and specialized female training courses, she realized the value of studying in depth exercise physiology and biomechanics. Elena obtained her specialized honour degree in Kinesiology and Health Science from York University. Consistently following her passion for effective, fun and mindful art of fitness, Elena has been teaching a variety of effective and fun yoga, dance and body sculpting classes. During two years working as Fitness Director at Verity Club Elena managed a high calibre team of Personal Trainers and Fitness Instructors. She also had an opportunity to meet lots of fascinating women at various stages of their lives, careers and health levels. Some of the main responsibilities of this job were to research and analyze members’ fitness needs and challenges, perform fitness assessments and consultations, and create individualized fitness and wellness plans for the members to achieve their goals.
Elena’s intent is to share her passion for movement, yoga, mindfulness, nutrition and healthy lifestyle. Through her experience and knowledge in fitness, yoga, dance and healing modalities she is helping people to achieve their optimal fitness and well-being, look and feel radiant and beautiful, and find the infinite source of energy, strength and happiness within themselves.
Currently, Elena is in India, deepening her yoga and meditation practice and taking another teacher training with a celebrated Kundalini Yoga master – Gurmukh. She is looking forward to sharing even more love, knowledge and light during her upcoming retreat at Anamaya.
Elena’s Philosophy
My Yoga teaching philosophy is aligned with he core teachings of the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres and Ashrams, and based on 5 main principals:
• Proper breathing
• Proper exercise
• Proper relaxation
• Proper diet
• Meditation and positive thinking
Proper breathing techniques help us use the lungs to their maximum capacity and how to control the breath. Proper breathing should be deep, slow and rhythmical. This increases vitality and mental clarity. By far the most important thing about good breathing is the Prana, or subtle energy of the vital breath. Control of the Prana leads to control of the mind. Breathing exercises are called Pranayamas, which means to control the Prana. Each class we start with Full Yogic Breath, and as we progress through the week I’ll be teaching various Pranayama techniques from Hatha and Kundalini Yoga, such as Breath of Fire, Alternative Nostril Breath and more.
Proper exercise is important to keep the body and mind healthy, vital, strong. The body is as young as it is flexible. Yoga exercises focus on the health of the spine, its strength and flexibility. The spinal column houses the all-important nervous system, the telegraphic system of the body. By maintaining the spine’s flexibility and strength through exercise, circulation is increased and the nerves are ensured their supply of nutrients and oxygen.The Asanas also affect the internal organs and the endocrine system. Encouraging and teaching the proper alignment is the key to safe and effective practice, and I focus on educating students about anatomy, physiology and correct form during the physical practice.
Complete relaxation after the main practice is very important and it brings rejuvenation and healing to the body and mind. In order to achieve perfect relaxation, three methods are used by yogis: “Physical”, “Mental”, and “Spiritual” relaxation. Relaxation is not complete until the person reaches that stage of spiritual relaxation: the yogi identifies himself with the all pervading, all-powerful, all-peaceful and joyful self, or pure consciousness within. He knows that the source of all power, knowledge, peace and strength is in the self, not in the body. We tune to this by asserting the real nature, that is “I am that pure consciousness or self”. This identification with the self completes the process of relaxation.
We are what we eat, and the food we eat should be very nutritious, whole, organic, grown without cruelty, sustainable. It effects us on physical, mental and spiritual levels, and our vital force – Prana, depends on what and how we eat. It’s important to be mindful and appreciative about the nutrition we get.
Meditation is the practice that increases awareness, opens the heart to experience unconditional love and compassion, and allows us to go beyond duality and judgements into the state of pure acceptance and joy. It allows as to connect to our true self, and become more positive, creative, loving and joyful beings.
When your body is in rhythm with infinite consciousness, there is health, or ease. When this rhythm is lost, there is dis-ease. Understanding the art of healing in this way allows you to feel liberated and whole throughout your life.
Special Workshops
Kundalini Yoga for Heart Opening & Creativity
Kundalini Yoga is called the Yoga of Awareness. It is a dynamic, powerful tool that is designed to give you an experience of your soul. In Kundalini Yoga we harness the mental, physical, and nervous energies of the body and put them under the domain of the will, which is the instrument of the soul. This technology precisely and consciously combines breath, mudra, eye-focus, mantra, body locks, and postures to balance the glandular system, strengthen the nervous system, expand lung capacity, and purifiy the blood. It brings balance to the body, mind, and soul.
Tantra Dance Workshop
A fun and uplifting dance-meditation practice to embrace the Goddess within, in all her grace, beauty and power. It’s a unique experience based on mordern and anciant tantric and shamanic practices for those who are rebelious to find the freedom and harmony within, embrace their earthiness and divinity, celebrate their sexual, playful and creative authentic expression! The workshop will begin by connecting the sexual core with the heart centre – opening Inner Flute, followed by Aphrodite awakening sensual dance and movement meditation to call on and balance the elements. These practices will expand our ability to give and receive love and pleasure and allow deeper intimacy and joy in our relationships.The workshop will begin by connecting the sexual core with the heart centre – opening Inner Flute, followed by Aphrodite awakening sensual dance and movement meditation to call on and balance the elements.
Introduction to Tantra Workshop
This workshop is designed to introduce simple sacred sexuality practices. In this workshop you will learn how to circulate and cultivate your sexual energy using the simple tools of Tantric meditations and visualizations. These practices can be easily integrated into your daily life to allow a better connection with Source and the fullness of who you are. Integrating these practices daily will ensure deep healing and thriving in every area of your life. For this workshop there is no partner required. This introductory level will be focusing on establishing the solo practice first in order to cultivate the primary relationship with the Source. It is playful, fun and easy experience with no nudity involved.
Each workshop is 90 minutes. Price is $30 for one, $50 for two workshops, and $70 for all three.
