Heathen Hill Yoga

Heathen Hill is pleased to present these outstanding guest teachers

retreat

May 16-18, 2014 – Getaway Yoga Retreat with Merav

Description

After a long and snowy winter in our crowded city we are heading upstate to unwind, relax and renew! Come spend a weekend full of yoga in a secluded and intimate retreat center surrounded by beautiful nature. Enjoy 4 extended yoga sessions combining vigorous Asana practice, pranayama and mediation, locally-grown fresh gourmet food, and plenty of free time for chilling in the hammock , lying on the grass with a good book, dipping in the hot tub and/or the swimming hole (don’t forget your bathing suit!), walking in the meditation labyrinth or playing volleyball, badminton, or whatever other game suits your fancy on the beautiful lawns. At night, sit around the bonfire, drink wine and enjoy the star-filled sky.

About Merav

Merav is a yoga instructor and psychotherapist based in NYC. She was a dancer for over 10 years and began practicing yoga in 2004 in tandem with her studies in psychology. She specializes in alignment-based vinyasa as well as therapeutic yoga for emotional well-being.

Born out of her interest in human behavior and movement, Merav recognizes yoga as a tool for personal growth as well as a proven way to develop focus and mind/body awareness.

As a yoga instructor, Merav incorporates principles from her background in psychology. She strives to offer a safe, non-judgmental environment for students to explore their bodies, observe their minds and confront and overcome their fears, limitations, or obstacles both on and off the mat. Merav currently teaches groups and private classes all around NYC and leads yoga and meditation workshops and retreats worldwide.

As a psychotherapist, Merav also incorporates yoga into her work with patients by combining yogic principles in conjunction with talk therapy. She works with both groups and individuals who struggle with trauma, depression, anxiety, eating disorders and substance abuse. Merav has received extensive education and training in psychotherapy and contemporary psychoanalysis. She completed her B.A in psychology at Hunter College and later her MSW at NYU. She is currently a psychoanalytic candidate and sees patients at NIP (National Institute for the Psychotherapies).

www.yogamerav.com

Retreat Schedule

Friday:

Arrival at 4pm
5:30-7pm – Vinyasa Blend Restorative –unwind and restore
8pm-Dinner & Heathen Hill’s special home sangria!

Saturday:

9-11am – Morning practice focusing on energizing back bends and inversions
12pm – Lunch time
4-6pm – Evening gentle asana, yin, restorative & Pranayama focusing on emotion and tension releasing, hip openers, twists and forward bends followed by meditation
7pm- Dinner followed by bonfire (bring your own wine or beer of choice as well as your instrument if you happen to play any for an after bonfire party jam!!)

Sunday:

9-11am – Morning practice focused on facing fears & future challenges with arm balances and inversions
12pm- lunch time
2pm- departure – Back to the city with a clear, fresh, and spirited mind and body!

To register contact – info@yogamerav.com

Prices

Singles: $475

Doubles: $425

Camping Deluxe: $400

Marisa Sako – Summer Sattva Part Deux – June 4 – 6 2010

Title: Marisa Sako – Summer Sattva Part Deux

Location: Heathen Hill

Description:

Come away upstate to lush pastures overlooking a gorgeous green valley. Unwind, relax, reinvigorate. Revel in four of Marisa’s energizing and creative vinyasa yoga classes with emphasis on alignment and ending with deeply restorative savasanas. Enjoy home-cooked goodness fresh from the organic garden and eggs courtesy of the Heathen Hill hens. Spend your time in between classes doing what brings you into balance. Take a swim, do a handstand or two off the dock, practice walking meditation in the labyrinth, admire the flower beds, play Bocci/badminton/horseshoes, or simply lounge under a shady tree with a good book. Explore the middle path if you wish to sip a glass of wine in the hot-tub, star-gaze and toast marshmallows on the campfire. Fall asleep in the quaint farmhouse or snug in your tent to the sound of crickets. Wake up refreshed and ready for more.

About Marisa

Marisa teaches vinyasa yoga at Kula Yoga Project, Bend & Bloom, Shambhala Yoga & Dance, and Om Factory.
Her classes are slow-flowing but intense, creative but safe, challenging but never competitive.
After completing her 200-hour certification in 2006, she found her way to Kula, where she learned to elongate the breath cycles and take a moment to let herself be in really intense places while finding comfort in the sonorous ujjayi breath in the room.
She has studied a good deal of anatomy, first with Neuromuscular Therapist Susan Hefner and then with yoga anatomy educator Leslie Kaminoff. She completed a 75-hour advanced training with Schuyler Grant in 2009, who has been one of her most influential teachers. Schuyler, along with her fellow teachers of Kula Yoga Project, have helped her learn how to bring alignment and bandha work into the vinyasa flow. By the time this retreat rolls around, Marisa will have finished her 500-hour certification with Alison West, who is also teaching Marisa yoga for backcare.
In her teaching, Marisa manages to geek out on alignment in just the right dose as to not disrupt the flow. And through this flow, she passes onto her students what yoga has given her: the use of the breath as a bridge between the body and the mind, as well as a way to imbue action with mindfulness and heart through this moving meditation. Each day, her student amaze, humble, and inspire her, and for this she is grateful.

Transportation is separate. Last time, we shared the cost rental cars, gas, and tolls which came to $90/person. If you have a car and would be willing to car pool, please let me know. Car owners get hooked up with a $25 discount on the retreat and they don’t have to chip in for gas or tolls.

Start Date: June 4, 2010
End Date: June 6, 2010

Email Marisa for more info, photos, itinerary, or to reserve – rissako@gmail.com

Samadhi in the Country – June 5-7

Title: Samadhi in the Country
Location: Heathen Hill
Description: Citta vrtti in the city got you down? Ditch those agitations of the mind and come away with us out of town!

Take the day off on Friday and we’ll head upstate to Heathen Hill to enjoy a weekend of juicy vinyasa flow, delectable home-cooked meals, lying in the grass with a good book, and dozing off to the sound of crickets. And don’t forget to pack a bathing suit for the swimming hole and hot tub!

About Marisa

Marisa is a local girl lucky enough to have a mom who was teaching her to walk on her hands shortly after learning how to walk on her feet! Throughout her life, she has dabbled in all sorts of movement, but nothing has been able to really inhabit a space in her heart like vinyasa practice.

It was this love that brought her to Laughing Lotus College of Yoga where she completed her teacher training with Dana Flynn and Jasmine Tarkeshi. Each day, she wakes up feeling honored and fortunate to be practicing and teaching yoga. Her instruction is greatly influenced by her on-going studies in anatomy and kinesiology, marrying detailed descriptions of alignment and encouragement to flow with grace. She believes that moving with mindfulness and compassion for oneself on the mat leads to moving about the world in the same manner.

 

*Please note that cost of transportation is separate. If you have a car and would be willing to carpool, please let us know!

 

Start Date: June 5, 2009
 End Date: June 7, 2009

Please call Levitate Yoga at 212-974-2288 or email Brenna@levitateyoga.com to register.