Yoga has the power to transform your body and your mind, enabling you to lead a happier, healthier, and more meaningful life. But what you emphasize when you practice yoga will determine whether you are maximizing or minimizing its extraordinary benefits.In this yoga retreat you will learn how to increase the benefits of yoga while learning to let go of detrimental behavior patterns that can creep into your yoga practice. You will also learn how to practice in such a way as to minimize injuries, even if you have pre-existing conditions that may make you wonder whether you should practice yoga at all.

 

 

Another emphasis of the retreat is to help you cultivate a personal practice to facilitate the integration of your yoga practice into your life off the mat, again to increase the benefits of your practice. Lastly, you will learn specific yoga techniques to address chronic health conditions such as back pain, poor posture, poor circulation, chronic stress, insomnia, constipation, neck tension, depression, low energy, scoliosis, and osteoporosis.

One important way in which to increase the benefits of your practice is to emphasize how you practice, rather than what you practice. This emphasis on how you practice means that the truly trans-formative aspects of yoga are accessible to anyone, regardless of physical condition. However, emphasizing how you practice is an aspect that does not come easy to most people. This is especially true for people who have previously emphasized a rigorously athletic practice, in other words, a practice focused primarily on the ‘what’.

 

This emphasis on the ‘how’ holds the promise of making your practice smarter than your habits. Focusing on the ‘how’ will help you break out of existing movement, posture, and thought patterns that don’t serve you, rather than reinforcing those patterns. I use creative, fun, and innovative techniques to help you break out of those habits — like using real-time iPad photos and videos in class to reveal detrimental movement patterns and to help you make dramatic changes on the spot. If you are convinced that you are not tensing your neck, for example, you cannot begin to relax it, and seeing your neck tension in a photo convinces you like nothing else!

Each day I will lead an asana practice from 9:30 to 12:30, and a meditation and pranayama practice from 16:00 to 18:00, leaving plenty of time to explore the local rice fields, temples, villages, caves, and hot springs, or simply to relax by the pool and make friends with like-minded yogis in the midst of stunning tropical scenery.

 

Schedule

Please arrive no later than 15:00 on Saturday, December 1, 2018.

• Sat: 16:00-18:00: Welcome circle, pranayama and meditation
• Sun-Tue: 9:30-12:30: Asana practice and theory
  16:00-18:00: Pranayama, philosophy, meditation
• Wed: 9:30-12:30: Asana practice and theory

• Levels: 0-3
• Course time: 20 hours of yoga, pranayama, and meditation practice

Departure after lunch on Wednesday, December 5, 2018.

 

Location: Mala Dhara Yoga Retreat Center & Eco Resort, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand

 

Mala Dhara Yoga Retreat Center is a boutique eco resort nestled in beautiful rice fields with stunning views of the surrounding hills. Mala Dhara features an amazing vegan/vegetarian restaurant that uses seasonal local and organic ingredients. Mala Dhara lies east of Chiang Mai at the edge of the fertile Ping River valley.

 

Getting to Mala Dhara

 

If you are driving, click here for a map and directions.

If you need transportation between Chiang Mai and Mala Dhara, please indicate that when you register, or notify me via the contact form no later than Wednesday, November 28, 2018. A minivan will leave from The Yoga Tree Studio in Chiang Mai’s old city at 13:30 on Saturday December 1, and will return to The Yoga Tree Studio Wednesday December 5 around 14:30. The cost of the van will be shared among all the passengers, but should be no more than 150-200THB ($5-7) per person each way.

If you are coming straight from the airport, the easiest option would be to contact Mala Dhara for an airport pickup. (Please contact them at least 48 hours ahead of time.)

Pricing Details

 

All prices include accommodation for 4 nights, 12 hours of asana practice, and 8 hours of meditation and pranayama practice. Also included are a traditional Thai herbal steam bath one evening, and a trip to the local natural hot springs. 3 delicious organic vegan/vegetarian meals per day and simple beverages are also included in the cost of the retreat. Additional food and beverages (espressos, smoothies, cocktails, etc) can be purchased between 8:00 to 20:00. Other services available at an additional cost include: private yoga, TRE, and craniosacral therapy sessions, Thai or oil massage, , cooking class, bike and motorbike rentals.

Regular Registration (paid by November 1, 2018)

 

Standard Cottages

 

(There are 5 standard cottages, 3 with one double bed, 2 with two twin beds each.)

• • ($625) for one person in a shared standard cottage (If you are sharing with a friend, please let us know their name. If you are coming alone and are booking this option, you will be placed in a twin room and a roommate of the same gender will be chosen for you.)
• • ($870) for one person in a private standard cottage (If you are coming with a partner or friend who is not participating in the retreat, book a private cottage for one person and your friend stays with you for free. A food charge of 900THB ($27) per day will be added for the second person. An extra bed for a third person (child) is 500THB ($15) per night, and a food charge also applies.)

Deluxe Cottages

 

(There are 4 deluxe cottages, all with two twin beds)

• • • ($640) for one person in a shared deluxe cottage (If you are sharing with a friend, please let us know their name. If you are coming alone and are booking this option, a roommate of the same gender will be chosen for you.)
    • ($900) for one person in a private deluxe cottage (If you are coming with a partner or friend who is not participating in the retreat, book a private cottage for one person and your friend stays with you for free. A food charge of 900THB ($27) per day will be added for the second person. An extra bed for a third person (child) is 500THB ($15) per night, and a food charge also applies.)

 

Dormitory

(There is one dormitory with 4-6 beds.)

• • • ($530) per person in the shared dormitory room. The dormitory is reserved for women only.

Late Registration (paid after November 1, 2018)

 

If any of the reserved rooms have not been booked by Thursday November 1, I will cancel the unfilled room reservations. So if you want to join after Thursday November 1 (assuming there is still space in the retreat), I will have to check first if there are still rooms available. Thus, to avoid disappointment, I would STRONGLY encourage you to register before November 1.

 

Weather in December

 

Mala Dhara Chiang Mai lies at 300m elevation, and mornings and evenings can be slightly cooler than you might expect from the tropical latitude, down to about 15 degrees centigrade at night (60 degrees Fahrenheit). Please bring some warmer clothes like a fleece jacket and leggings or long pants to make sure you are comfortable. If you get cold easily, wool socks and a wool hat are not a bad idea to bring along, and weigh next to nothing.

 

How to Register

 

Email Gernot at:    gernot@yogamindyogabody to register for the retreat.

OR visit the yoga mind yoga body website

Please include the following information: (you can cut and paste the bulleted list and make edits as necessary)

• • • Number of people registering, their name, and their gender:
    • Accommodation: Shared or private
    • If sharing accommodations with a friend: prefer two twin beds or one large bed (this choice is on a first come first served basis.)
    • Payment method: bank transfer or PayPal
    • If paying by PayPal provide your PayPal-registered email address:
    • I/we require transportation between Chiang Mai and Mala Dhara: Yes/No
      (We will arrange transportation in mini-vans, leaving from The Yoga Tree Studio in the old city. Transportation will be at cost, shared by all who use it. Expect to pay about 200-300THB each way depending on the number of passengers.)
    • I/we are bringing our own yoga mats: Yes/No

Payment Instructions

 

Upon receipt of your registration email, I will send you a PayPal invoice if you have indicated PayPal payment. If you are paying by bank transfer, I will send you an email with bank transfer instructions.

The total payment is due within one week of your receipt of the invoice or payment instructions, but no later than November 1. In other words, if you are registering on October 30, I still need to receive your payment no later than November 1.

 

NOTE: If you do not have a Thai bank account or PayPal account, I STRONGLY encourage you to set up a (free) PayPal account to avoid the steep international bank transfer costs, which can easily run $40 or more. Setting up a PayPal account is quick and easy. Once you have set it up, link your bank account to your PayPal account to draw money directly from your bank account without incurring additional fees. You can also fund your PayPal account from a credit card account, but you will have to pay fees (usually 3%). Another great option is Transferwise.com, but note that transfers via Transferwise take a few days, and the payment must be *received* by me by November 1, not sent by November 1.

Cancellation and Refund Policy

• • • If you cancel before November 1, 2018, your full payment will be refunded, minus potential bank fees.
    • If you cancel after November 1, 2018, but before November 15, 2018, your payment will be refunded minus a 25% cancellation fee.
    • No refunds will be issued for cancellations after November 15, 2018.
    • Should the retreat be cancelled for any reason, any payments you have made will be refunded in full.

Wait List

Space is limited to a maximum of 18 participants. If the retreat sells out, I will add you to a wait list if you wish. If there are cancellations, I will offer the available spots to people on the wait list in the order in which they were added to the list. If you are on the wait list and are offered a chance to register, the registration fee must be received within 2 days, or the next person on the wait list will be offered the spot.