Yoga Tree Workshops and Retreats

VIEW FRIDAY NIGHT SPECIALTY CLASSES

 iRest®  Fundamentals - 8 week series
with Susanne Hutchinson
Mondays, September 14-November 2,
6:00-7:15 pm
 online via ZOOM!
$75 for the series, or drop in to any single session for $10. You can also use your class pass for any single session.
Preregistration required.

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Whether you are brand new to iRest Yoga Nidra, or have been taking classes but are wanting to spend a bit more time exploring the fundamental aspects of the protocol, this Fundamentals Series is for you.

Each week, Susanne will guide you through an in-depth exploration of a different step of the iRest protocol. Class will consist of some lecture, discussion, and a guided practice.

This series can serve as a great place to begin before taking one of Jennifer’s Thursday advanced series, or as a supplement to the weekly drop-in classes.

Week 1 - Inner Resource - Discovering our felt sense of security and well-being - Sept. 14
Week 2 - Intention and Heartfelt Desire - Laying the foundation of Sankalpa: making commitments that support our heart’s longing - Sept. 21
Week 3 - Body sensation - Sensing and welcoming the body as sensation - Sept. 28
Week 4 - Breath sensing - Experiencing the breath as a flow of energy that moves through the body - Oct. 5
Week 5 - Feelings and emotions - Understanding the difference between feelings and emotions, and experiencing them as messengers - Oct. 12
Week 6 - Cognitions - Experiencing thoughts, beliefs, images and memories - Oct. 19
Week 7 - Joy and Well-being - Welcoming joy independent of objects or circumstance - Oct. 26
Week 8 - Sahaj and integration - Realizing our Essential Nature, and Everything Just as it is - Nov. 2

This series will run continuously, every 8 weeks. So if you miss one week, no worries! You can catch it the next time around, or drop in to any single session that you want to spend more time exploring.

Experiencing the Five Elements Through the lens of iRest® 
with Jennifer Cabanero
Thursdays, October 1-29, 6:00-7:15 pm
 online via ZOOM!
$70 for the series

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Thursdays, October 1-29, 6:00-7:15 pm Pacific, online via ZOOM
$70 for the series, preregistration required

We can connect with the 5 elements: earth, water, fire, air & space when out in nature by feeling the warmth of the sun, or the caress of wind on our skin. Or, we might turn inwards to greet the elements within, perhaps the earth-like density of our bones or the water-like throb of circulation. When we feel the element within and around us simultaneously, we can feel the separation between nature and our Selves begins to blur. We are growing our relationship to the connection between all things!

Experiencing the elements in meditation can be a source of healing and a way to connect with an inner knowing. We might feel the groundedness the earth element offers, or sense the element of water and its ability to flow with the bends and turns that life brings our way. Once we’ve regularly connected with the elements in our meditation, we can then take the practice with us into our daily life.

Each class in this series will be devoted to one of the elements and will start with a short orientation, then a long leisurely iRest Yoga Nidra meditation using the 5 elements as our map for meeting the body, emotions, mind and beyond. There will also be time for reflections at the end of each class. The iRest sessions will be recorded and emailed to the participants at the end of each class.

All levels of meditation experience welcome.

Everyday Stress Relief: iRest® Meditation Immersion
with Ford Peck
October 2-4
see schedule below
 online via ZOOM!
$350

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October 2-4, online via Zoom
Everyday Stress Relief with Ford Peck
$350
 
Friday, October 2: 5:30–6:00 PM orientation, 6:00–9:00 PM program
Saturday, October 3: 10:00 AM–6:30 PM
Sunday, October 4: 10:00 AM–4:30 PM
All times are Pacific Time
 
When the going gets tough, how do you cope? Enhance your stress-management toolkit by joining the iRest Yoga Nidra Immersion, ​Everyday Stress Relief with Ford Peck​, from October 2nd to 4th. ​With the guidance of Senior iRest Trainer and Supervisor Ford Peck, learn fundamental practices proven to l​ower stress levels, improve sleep, boost immunity, and uplift mood.


In this livestreaming event, study the foundations of iRest Yoga Nidra Meditation, a practice rooted in ancient spiritual teachings. Experience the radically healing power of the breath, and release stuck energy as you consciously explore the body. Importantly, learn to integrate iRest teachings into your daily life. 

This iRest Immersion event is open to everyone; both experienced iRest practitioners and newcomers alike wishing to sample the fullness iRest has to offer for health, healing, and wholeness of being.
This iRest Yoga Nidra Immersion fulfills the short retreat requirement of the iRest Certification Program.

Energy Book Club
with Linda Oshins
Wednesdays, October 7-28
12:30-1:45 pacific
 online via ZOOM!
$60 for all 4 sessions

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Wednesdays, October 7, 14, 21, 28, online via ZOOM
12:30-1:45
$60 for all four sessions
Open to Reiki practitioners and Energy Healers
 
Among the books on energy healing Linda Oshins has read, Bonnie Gintis’ Engaging the Movement of Life stands out as both inspiring and practical. She has read it a number of times and every time it sparks new avenues of inquiry and intuitive realization in her practices and offerings to others. Marcia has read it multiple times, too, and says “almost the whole book is underlined.”
​
Bonnie is a cranial sacral worker and Continuum practitioner. She has finely articulated and body-felt things to say about intention, attention, presence and the great mysteries of generative energy itself. She describes ways “to refine attentiveness and ‘fly below the radar’ of the hypervigilant survival stress response…. This open-ended curiosity eventually gives way to a realm without any reference to barrier, neither toward nor away from anything restricted in any way… The invitation to ask, ‘What else…?” Sound familiar? This connection to vastness is common to energy healers and meditators. Want to get together to read what she has to say and practice together? In four sessions we will discuss selected reading assignments from Bonnie’s book and do an energy practice based on the reading. Linda Oshins will lead the discussions aided by Luann Jacobs.

At Home, Resting in Stillness: iRest® Meditation Retreat
with Richard Miller and Kirsten Guest
October 15-21, schedule below
 online via ZOOM!
$960 Early Bird Pricing through Sept. 15
$1,060 Regular Pricing 

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October 15-21, online via ZOOM
$960 Early Bird Price through September 15
$1060 after September 15
​
Thurdsay, Oct 15, 2020: 3:30–5:30 PM (PDT)
Friday–Tuesday, Oct 16–20, 2020:
7:00–8:00 AM; 9:00–11:00 AM; 1:00–3:00 PM; 4:00–5:00 PM (PDT)
Wednesday, Oct 21, 2020: 7:00–8:00 AM; 9:00–10:30 AM (PDT)

​At Home, Resting in Stillness: The Integration of Meditation into Your Home Life 
For more than 20 years, the Yoga Association of Alberta has hosted meditation retreats with iRest founder Richard Miller—making the annual event his longest-running gathering. iRest Institute is now pleased to collaborate with YAA to present this very special offering online via livestream, accessible from anywhere in the world.
 
Kirsten Guest has worked with Richard for two decades as a student, teacher and retreat leader and now serves as the iRest Director of Certification. Together, the two experienced guides will lead you on an exploration of the highlights of iRest Yoga Nidra Meditation—a journey you can take from the comfort of your own home. 

Each day of retreat will take you deeper into your iRest practice, including:

• Meditation 
• BodySensing 
• Chanting
• Breathwork
• Self-Inquiry
• Discussion 

At times, you will be welcome to extend an Invitation to household members to join in and experience the bliss of iRest.
 
This livestream retreat offers a seamless experience that includes ongoing technical support and easy instructions. You’ll have the option to access recorded sessions, so you can easily engage the material on your own time and schedule. 

Please join us for this sacred time to learn, connect, and cultivate your unshakeable sense of peace and well-being. We’ll see you online!

iRest® Dyad Meditation Practice Weekend
with Jennifer Cabanero
November 6-8, online via ZOOM! 
Friday 5:30-8:30pm,  Saturday & Sunday 1-5pm, $250

REgister

Online via ZOOM! Preregistration required to receive zoom link in your email.
Friday 5:30-8:30pm
Saturday & Sunday 1-5pm

$250

Offering our attention to another can transform our relationships. Not just with others, but with our Selves, and the world around us. Dyad meditation is an integral part of the iRest teacher trainings, where we grow our ability to sit with another as a sacred mirror. Not trying to fix or change the other, but to meet them as they are in their wholeness. 

If you have taken an iRest level 1 or 2 teacher training, and would like to grow your skills using the Dyad Meditation, we are excited to be offering an online weekend workshop where you will have plenty of opportunity to hone your dyad skills. Whether we teach iRest to groups or individually, the dyad skills can help us to learn how to stay heart-centered and connected while using the “tools” of iRest.

This workshop will include non-speaking Sacred Mirror gazing, as well as the opportunity to practice the dyad/co-meditation with 3 different participants. Participants will be practicing with their dyad partner in a Zoom “breakout” room where there will be qualified iRest assistants occasionally dropping in to observe, offer feed forward, and help with any questions that might arise. There will be a staff-guided iRest practice to end each day, offering a time to meet anything might have been “bracketed” while facilitating a dyad. 

This workshop has been designed to support participants who have attended the level 1 or level 2 iRest Yoga Nidra teacher training.

Therapeutic Breathing Exercises
with Linda Oshins
December 4-6 and January 9-10
online via ZOOM! Schedule below
​$195 by November 4/$220 after November 4

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Online via ZOOM! Preregistration required to receive zoom link in your email.

Weekend 1
Friday, December 4, 3:30-5:30p Pacific Time
Sunday, December 6, 10:30-1:30 Pacific Time
Weekend 2
January 9 & 10, 10:00-1:30p Pacific Time

In this workshop, we will do a number of practices that show us, in our own bodies, what a healthy breath feels like, take apart the mechanics of that breath, and then learn how to help others feel that same full breath themselves. Linda will introduce you to ways to promote healthy breathing in your students that can be done when working remotely and ways to work together when we can actually be with one another in person and use touch as a treatment asset. You will receive a very detailed manual with this course that references scientific studies on the efficacy of these breathing techniques and that includes audio recordings of the main practices.

Given the focus on breathing that has come along with the Covid-19 pandemic and the fact that breathing is one of the easiest ways to help people relax and feel grounded in their own bodies and expansive in their hearts, now might be a good time to take a healthy breath!

The Feminine Face of Yoga
​with Anne Douglas
April 9-11
 Online via ZOOM!
​$225 Early Bird through March 26
​$250 after March 26

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April 9-11 with Anne Douglas
Online via Zoom! (and hopefully in person too!)
$225 Early Bird through March 26
$250 after March 26
 
Friday, 6:30-8:30 pm Pacific
Saturday, 1:00-4:00 pm Pacific
Sunday, 1:00-4:00 pm Pacific
 
The Classical teachings of Yoga arose in a time of patriarchal rule, with a masculine perspective for a male audience. Presently there are over 40 million practitioners in North America, yet most are women. How does this powerful gender shift in the users and teachers of yoga impact the evolution and flowering of the practice?
 
The Feminine Face of Yoga embraces the corporeal experiences of emotion, gut intuition, sensuality, embodiment and connection with nature, while building on the masculine yogic path of renunciation and transcendence as a path to Freedom. This integrated view could provide answers to global environmental and political crises.
 
Join us this weekend to explore the feminine principle at the heart of the Yogic Teachings. All genders welcome. 
 

• Explore the pre-historical, feminine roots of Yoga and review the foundational masculine philosophies.
• Experience expressions of the feminine from yogic texts including the Vijnanabhairava, the Spandakarika and the Pratyabijnahrydayam, and the practices of Tandava, Rasa Yoga, iRest® Yoga Nidra, & Shakti Pranayama.
• Build a conscious vision for the future, embracing both the feminine and masculine.

 
Anne Douglas has been offering yoga and meditation classes, workshops, retreats, trainings and private yoga therapy for over 30 years. She is the creator of the iRest Daily - 14 Day Meditation Program, has over 3.5 million listeners to her meditations on the Simple Habit app and is the past Director of Trainers for the iRest Institute. Anne’s boundless enthusiasm, depth of wisdom and gentle humour create fertile ground for inspired learning.

iRest® Yoga Nidra Silent Retreat
with Jennifer Cabanero
June 25-27, 2021 (next summer!) 
 Aldermarsh Retreat Center on Whidbey Island
​$600 by June 4/$625 after June 4

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PLANNING AHEAD FOR SUMMER 2021!!!!!!
With Jennifer Cabanero 
June 25-27, 2021
$600 by June 4/$625 after June 4*
  
Aldermarsh Retreat Center on Whidbey Island
6436 Maxwelton Rd.
Clinton, WA 98236
 
*Price includes shared lodging and delicious, vegetarian meals. No refunds after June 11. Refunds prior to June 11 are subject to a $50 administrative fee.
  
Silent retreat is a chance to connect with ourselves at a deeper level. With fewer distractions we become tuned in to our inner life, our hopes, and our dreams. We also become aware of the beliefs that we have about ourselves and the world around us.
With time, as the stream of thoughts begin to slow down, we experience mini-moments of true calm and peace. In this way, silent retreat can yield fresh perspective, and bring clarity to our state of mind. Coming out of silence, there is often a renewed sense of gratitude for ourselves and for life just as it is.

The ancient non-dual teachings behind iRest Yoga Nidra help us to reconnect with our essential nature; the part of ourselves that is grounded, whole and unchanging no matter what occurs in our lives. Retreat is a precious time that we can set aside to dedicate our selves to nourishing our inherent wholeness.

This retreat offers the perfect combination of guided iRest meditation, body-sensing movement, breath-sensing, sitting, walking, and co-meditation. It is through practicing meditation in movement, stillness, and with others that we experience first hand how these teachings come alive for us as a practice of life.

This retreat is open to students of all levels who wish to sample the fullness iRest offers for health, healing, and wholeness of being. Come prepared to explore stillness, movement, laughter, and delight.

VIEW FRIDAY NIGHT SPECIALTY CLASSES