Ashtanga Yoga & Surf Retreat at Paradise Cove
1 week of Ashtanga Yoga Mysore style, Meditation, Yin Yoga & Surf
from 18th – 25th of March, 2016
We invite you to join us for an Ashtanga Yoga and Surf retreat in the beautiful south of Sri Lanka . We are staying at Paradise Cove, a beach villa set on the shores of the Indian Ocean. The five bedroom villa with ensuite bathroom is located on the serene Nilwella Bay far away from the busy tourist hotspots. The place and its surrounding offers you tranquility and the simple luxury of life.
The villa has been recently renovated, newly furnished and is in a mint and lovely condition to accommodate up to 10 guests. The heart of the villa is a covered terrace with an enchanting view of the Indian Ocean where the yoga classes will take place.
From the terrace, a smooth slope through the lush coconut tree garden leads you directly to the beach where you will enjoy your utmost privacy. This very special place invites you to rest, swim or surf between the Yoga classes.
Excellent surf conditions for both – beginners and advanced surfers – can be found at the neighbouring bay. We are happy to book you in for surf lessons. Either you bring your own surfboard to ride the waves, otherwise boards can be rent on an hourly base and/or would be included in the surf lessons. **
The Retreat Package
Friday 18th of March – arrival day
17:30 – 18:45h Yin Yoga
19:30h dinner
Saturday 19th of March
07:00 – 07:30h Meditation
07:30 – 09:15h Ashtanga Yoga Mysore style
09:30 – 10:30h breakfast
11:00 – 13:00h beach time with surf session **
13:30 – 14:30h lunch
15:00 – 17:00h free time
17:30 – 18:45h Yin Yoga
19:30h dinner
Sunday 20th of March
07:00 – 07:30 h Meditation
07:30 – 09:00h Ashtanga Yoga Mysore style
09:30 – 10:30h breakfast
11:00 – 17:00h trip to Rock temple incl. lunch break
17:30 – 18:45 Ashtanga Workshop: Focus on Ujjayi, Bandhas, Drishti and Vinyasa
19:30h dinner
Monday 21st of March
07:00 – 07:30h Meditation
07:30 – 09:00h Ashtanga Yoga Mysore style
09:30 – 10:30h breakfast
11:00 – 17:00h surf session or free time with lunch in between
17:45 – 18:45h Yin Yoga
19:30h dinner
Tuesday 22nd of March
07:00 – 07:30 h Meditation
07:30 – 09:00h Ashtanga Yoga Mysore style
09:30 – 10:30h breakfast
11:00 – 15:00h free time with lunch in between
16:00 – 20:30h afternoon safari to the National Park of Udawalawe
21:00h dinner
Wednesday 23rd of March
07:00 – 07:30 h Meditation
07:30 – 09:00h Ashtanga Yoga Mysore style
09:30 – 10:30h breakfast
11:00 – 13:00h beach time with surf session
13:30 – 14:30h lunch
15:00 – 17:00h free time
17:30 – 18:45h Yin Yoga or 2nd Ashtanga Yoga practice of the day with a focus on alignment, Ujjayi, Bandhas and Drishti depending on the groups’ demand.
19:30 h dinner
Thursday 24th of March
07:00 – 07:30h Meditation
07:30 – 09:00h Ashtanga Yoga Mysore style
09:30 – 10:30h breakfast
11:00 – 17:00h surf session or free time with lunch in between
17:45 – 18:45h Yin Yoga
19:30h dinner
Friday 25th of April – departure day
07:00 – 07:30 h Meditation
07:30 – 09:00h Ashtanga Yoga Mysore style
09:30 – 10:30h breakfast
departure
The retreat is suitable for all levels of practitioners.
All Ashtanga Yoga classes will be taught Mysore style * from 07:30 to 09:00 am. We start together at 07:30 h with the chant of the Mangalam mantra. Every morning before the Ashtanga Yoga class, there will be 30 minutes of silent meditation. Everybody is invited to come and participate but it is up to you if and at what time you join for meditation.
If you are new to Ashtanga Yoga and / or Mysore style, we teach you step-by-step to the fundamentals of Ashtanga Yoga and you start learning the Primary series. We introduce you to the concept of Mysore style teachings. By the end of the retreat you will have build your Ashtanga Yoga practice according to your levels and abilities. You will leave with a daily Yoga routine to keep practicing back at home if you wish.
Depending on the amount of students, the beginners and introduction class to Ashtanga Yoga can be taught within the morning Mysore class setting or directly after.
Please bring your own yoga mat and a towel for adjustments.
The retreat is hosted by Katrin Delorme and Melanie Schwier. Melanie teaches the yoga classes and will be assisted by Katrin, while Katrin takes care of the organisation of the retreat.
Melanie is an Ashtanga Yoga Teacher and the Founder of Ashtanga Yoga Revolution – a Yoga Shala in the South of Sri Lanka where she teaches part-time a year daily Ashtanga Yoga. She believes that Yoga is more than just a physical practice, but a path practiced on and off the mat.
After years of practicing Ashtanga Yoga and studying with some great teachers, she wants to share the benefits of this wonderful practice. Apart from more than ten years of practicing Ashtanga Yoga, Melanie has completed teacher trainings of Ashtanga Yoga Primary and Intermediate series with Manju Jois and Andrea Lutz and a teacher training in the tradition of T. K. V. Desikachar.
She thanks all her teachers for sharing this wonderful practice and their wisdom and experience with her and feels grateful for the encounters with all the lovely people who crossed her path.
Katrin loves Yoga. She did her Inspya 200 h Yoga International Teacher Training with Lance Schuler 2013 in Germany. She is passionate about Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Yin, Flying and Acro Yoga. Katrin is married, has family, is an Architect and Interior Designer, lives and works in Dubai and needs Yoga to be balanced.
In 2012 she bought the charming beach villa what became Paradise Cove in the South of Sri Lanka with her husband Laurent. They renovated it and rent it out now for families, groups and Yoga retreats.
Paradise Cove will be the home of the Ashtanga Yoga and Surf retreat.
She thanks also all her teachers for sharing their wisdom, experience and energy and is happy to assist Melanie.
RATES and RESERVATION
One week Ashtanga Yoga & Surf Retreat includes all Meditaiton, Ashtanga Yoga and Yin Yoga classes, shared accommodation in a double room at Paradise Cove Villa, breakfast – lunch – dinner – all vegetarian and Sri Lankan style, a safari trip to the National Park of Uda Walawe and a visit to the local Buddhist temple.
USD 790.- ***
**The surf lessons are optional and on request. They can be arranged with the local surf school and will be charged separateley.
***Please note that flights and transfers are not included. Airport pick up and drop off can be arranged on request. Please enquire for rates.
about the style of Yoga
ASHTANGA YOGA is characterized by a focus on vinyasa, or a dynamic connecting posture, that creates a flow between the more static traditional yoga postures. Vinyasa translates as linking and the system also implies the linking of the movement to the breath. Essentially the breath dictates the movement and the length of time held in the postures. Attention is also placed on the journey between the postures not just the postures themselves. The purpose of vinyasa is to create heat in the body, which leads to purification of the body through increased circulation and sweating.
The whole practice is defined by six specific series of postures, each series always done in the same order, combined with specific breathing (Ujjayi). Each sequence typically begins with the sun salutations followed by a set of standing poses. This is referred to as the “opening sequence”. The student then moves to either the Primary, Intermediate, Advanced A, B, C, or D, depending on his or her skill level, followed by back bends and finally closes the series with a set of inverted postures, referred to as the “finishing sequence”.
*MYSORE STYLE (supervised self practice) refers to the traditional way as taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Class is taught within a group setting where each student moves through the practice at his or her own pace and level and personal adjustments and teaching is given according to the individual needs.
YIN YOGA is a form of yoga that seeks to achieve physical, mental and emotional relaxation. The body rests in the postures that can be supported by props. The postures are held for a certain length of time to allow the body to enter states of deep relaxation and release. Yin yoga poses apply moderate stress to the connective tissues of the body—the tendons, fascia, and ligaments—with the aim of increasing circulation in the joints and improving flexibility. They are also designed to improve the flow of qi, the subtle energy said in Chinese medicine to run through the meridian pathways of the body. Improved qi flow is hypothesized to improve organ health, immunity, and emotional well being. A more meditative approach to yoga, yin aims at cultivating awareness of inner silence, and bringing to light a universal, interconnecting quality.
Yin Yoga is the perfect compliment to your Ashtanga Yoga and surf practice.
See you on the mat and on the board!