Nourish Your Seed ~ Full Moon Yoga Retreat with Chia Rafelson
Feb 12, 2011 - Feb 19, 2011
Prana del Mar ~ Baja Mexico

Surfing

2 optional days will be spent at Cerritos Beach, the best beach for swimming and learning to surf. 2 hour lessons with Mario's Surf School will get you up and riding waves. They share the fundamentals of surfing in a safe friendly environment. Keep the board for the rest of the day to practice your new techniques.

Yoga & Movement

Morning Practice ~ Solar Energy
Enliven at sunrise with Surya Namaskar 'Sun Salutation' ~ Yang. Bring the healing energy of the sun to awaken the body, focus the mind and connect to a sense of gratitude for the new day. Offer salutations to the divine, represented by the sun as a source of light and vitality. Remove the darkness of a clouded mind and the diseases of the body.

Engage in an active and receptive ~ yang, grounding and centering asana practice each day. Designed to develop and maintain pliancy in the muscles and joints. This will increase strength and vitality in all systems of the body.

Evening practice ~ Lunar Energy
At sunset wind down with with Chandra Namaskar 'Moon Salutations.' This is a series of asanas ~ postures done in sequence in honor of the moon and its special energies. The moon represents Yin energy and is connected to the cyclical rhythm of life. It is associated with balance, turning inward and calming the mind with forward bends, pranayama, meditation and shavasana.

Why Retreat?

In removing ourselves from our familiar surroundings, daily activities and responsibilities, retreats afford us the opportunity to see accumulated habits of distraction which build an internal wall between ourselves and our experience.

These unconscious patterns of unaware living shield us from the inherent joy of our true nature. Daily practice helps us to become aware of these habits, while longer retreats emphasize continued mindfulness. This allow us to sustain an unconditional presence and an awareness unbound by circumstance.

Teachers

Chia Seed Rafelson ~
As a lotus struggles in the dark murky water before it breaks through to open up its seed and show its beauty, so has Chia done the same. She struggled with addiction and grew out and up from those very murky waters. She found her path to be yoga and it is in this journey that she has found her lotus heart. Chia is in her element when she teaches. Not only does she bring clear and concise yoga teachings emphasizing presence and non judgment, but soothing and helpful pranassage ~ adjustments to her students with her nurturing and intuitive touch.

She is soulful and her infectious joy of teaching takes you deeper into your practice enabling you to discover your own lotus heart. Chia teaches from the yoga lineages:
Iyengar yoga ~ postural integration
Ashtanga & Vinyasa Yoga ~ The grace and flow of connecting breath and movement
Prana Yoga ~ Active and fluid form of Vinyasa Yoga
Yin Yoga ~ Meditative and restorative practice which nourishes and balances the energy body.

Chia has been living and teaching yoga in Portland Oregon for eight years. She has continued to deepen her practice and knowledge through guidance from various teachers including: Shiva Rea, Anna Forrest and Paul Grilley. She is infinitely grateful for all their wisdom and inspiration. Chia is currently working toward her 500 hour teaching certification.

Testimonial
" Chia is one who teaches with a huge heart and passion. Yoga is meant to be a spiritual experience, with centering oneself in breath and feeling the power within the body. Chia helps you achieve all of this and more. Her approach is allowing and strengthening where ever you are in your yoga practice. This is her unique gift and I highly recommend experiencing her teachings.
Pamela Sky Jeanne, ND

Food

You will be nourished with Prana-infused organic meals prepared with Love by the staff at Prana del Mar. Featuring an international menu that incorporates contemporary and traditional Mexican influences.

Daily breakfast, lunch and dinner will be included in your package, with snacks available throughout the day. Most meals will be vegetarian, with fresh fish and seafood served occasionally throughout the week.

Raw Concepts and Living Food will be incorporated into the menu to encourage healthy eating habits.

Accommodation

Prana del Mar is located at the beach on 5 beautiful acres near the southern tip of the Baja peninsula. With the mountains to the east, the Pacific to the west, and the desert all around, we are comfortably nestled in a tranquil valley that provides an ideal setting for rest, relaxation, rejuvenation, and exploration.

With 15 guest rooms and suites, delicious cuisine, a spa with swimming pool and jacuzzi, a spacious yoga studio, and a stunning beach just steps away, you will enjoy a wonderful respite from your daily routine.

Continuing our commitment to environmental sustainability, the water that irrigates all of the gardens at Prana del Mar is reclaimed from each building and the soil is fertilized by the composting of organic material, so that nothing is wasted.

Location

Todos Santos, Baja, the closest town to our home for the week, is a 40 minute drive. 2 excursions will be offered to this quaint town. A vortex where the Tropic of Cancer, Sierra de Laguna Mountains, Baja Desert and the Pacific Ocean meet, Todos Santos is a charming artist community bustling with galleries, cafes, and authentic Mexican stores filled with pottery and keepsakes. Also home to an abundance of Organic produce that will infuse the weeks menu.

Getting There

Our Retreat starts with Dinner at Prana del Mar February 12th Flight Arrivals should be planned anytime in the afternoon.

Our time together will end with Brunch at 11am February 19th. Airport transfers will be scheduled at noon to have you back at the Airport by 2pm. Please arrange flight departures for late afternoon on February 19th
We recommend the following websites to book flights to San Jose ~ airport code SJD

West Jet
Kayak
Please forward your flight intinerary so that we can coordinate airport transfers. Travel to Mexico

A CURRENT PASSPORT IS REQUIRED!
Please contact your airline or passport office.