"I think it is essential to go into retreat, to stop everything that you have been doing, to stop your beliefs and experiences completely and look at them anew." ~ krishnamurti Need some guidance? We're happy to help you put together your personalized retreat. Just email us. 
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Retreats allow us to relax, refresh and gain perspective. But going away is not always possible — or even desirable. That's when a DIY Personalized At-Home Retreat can be the perfect answer. Are you opting to stick close to home during this summer for financial, health or personal reasons? You can still get the benefit of retreat by planning your own customized, no- or low-cost personalized DIY Yoga Retreat for a day, a weekend, or a week. All you need is a little intention, a bit of structure and access to Mountain Yoga's inspired programming. Once you finish your retreat email us about your experience — the dates/schedule, what you did and how you felt afterwards — and you'll be entered to win a free month of unlimited yoga and other yoga prizes!
If you're a member, your retreat is already paid for! Just use your membership to to enroll in daily yoga and meditation. If you are not yet a member, now is a great time to start — 50% off your first month, and no minimum contract. You can terminate your membership at anytime following the first month
HOW TO PLAN YOUR DIY RETREAT Make an intention. Spend a moment contemplating your reason for a retreat. This is no time for "shoulds." What is your heart's desire? Rest? Clarity? Inspiration? Think about how you are feeling now, and how you want to feel different at the end of your retreat. Dream a little. Once you have identified your intention, dream a little. Have fun imagining what sorts of activities, food, readings, music, company, schedule might help you make a positive shift toward your goal. If you usually get up late, you may want to rise at dawn. If the alarm clock typically wakes you every morning, you may want to have a schedule based on you sleeping as long as you like. What sounds absolutely dreamy to you? Create a Daily Schedule. Schedules are an integral part of yoga retreats. A schedule takes the pressure off of deciding what to do when, and enables us to be fully immersed in the moment. Will your retreat ibe one-day, a weekend, a full week — or more? Create hour by hour schedule for your retreat days. Consistency can be good, with room for a little flexibility. Block out free time to rest, probably the most important ingredient of retreat. Create a ritual start and end to each day, like seated meditation or journaling in the morning, and a relaxing bath or or prayer before bed. Now, turn to Mountain Yoga to plug your yoga and meditation classes into each your schedule. Book Your Yoga + Meditation With 30+ in-person and on zoom classes offered each week, Mountain Yoga offers you plenty of option for practice for your retreat. Consider starting the morning with one of our meditation classes, followed by yoga asana. In the evening you may want to take one of our Feel Good Friday offerings, like a session in Yoga Nidra or Restorative Yoga, or our Sunday Good Night's Sleep. Don't forget, these sessions include 7 days access to the recording, so you can schedule them into your retreat at a time that works for you. Create your class schedule, book your sessions on our website and then write them in your calendar! Plan your detox. Retreat is like a cleansing or sorts. What are you needing to detox from? Food? Social Media? Tech? Alcohol? Unhealthy relationships? Whatever it is, make arrangements to facilitate removing it from your retreat time. Buy groceries (or healthy juices or prepared meals!) in advance, inform family and friends ahead of time you'll be off the grid. If you can't get away from tech altogether, set one time a day to check in. Bring inspiration. Inspiration leaves us feeling more happy to be alive. Consider including individuals you find inspiring in your retreat by scheduling walk in nature together, or a phone conversation after dinner. There are countless podcasts, youtube videos, books and blogs that can inspire your retreat (just be careful not to get hooked into your tech!). Some great and varied sources of inspiration can be on found online at Onbeing, Improvised Life, Viniyoga Tradition of T. Krishnamacarya, The Thich Nhat Hahnn Foundation or Schoool of Life. Looking for a good retreat book? Consider Book of Delights by Ross Gay, Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change by Pema Chodron or Will I Be the Hero of My Own Life? by Swami Chetananda. Now, relax, follow your schedule, and be kind to yourself! Once your retreat begins, give yourself time to get in the groove. It takes time to let go of your day-to-day life. Be patient. Follow the schedule as it frees you from planning. But if you get off track, don't beat yourself up. This isn’t a performance. Be kind, if you feel resistance to doing a preplanned activity, explore your resistance a bit further. What is causing the resistance? Are you being driven by boredom and restlessness? Give yourself permission to change your plan to respond to the present conditions if necessary. iThis time is for YOU. Mindful Closing. Allow some time at the end of your retreat to reflect. What was that experience like? Often you'll come out of retreat with an answer to a question you've been having trouble with, or a new perspective on how you want to organize your day to day life, or just feeling a little more like yourself. Give yourself time to reflect, and write down anything your hope to take away from the experience. Then email us about your experience to be entered into our contest to win a free month of unlimited yoga, andother prizes! |