The Yoga Loft at Vernonia Springs, Linda Santilli Taylor, Julie Bertagna, and Cathy Lawgates, all RYT’s, will be your gentle guides! This yoga retreat is a weekend of renewal and discovery with mindfulness meditation, a journey through the labyrinth and nature path, gentle yoga, yin and yoga nidra, the calming sounds of crystal singing bowls, healing reiki energy, awesome healthy food and lots of laughter! Vernonia Springs is a gorgeous property that has been restored from the ground up with care by while protecting the natural forest. There are so many great spots to pitch your tent or if you prefer, reserve a glamping wall tent. When we take the time to reset, align our heart, spirit and actions with the life we want to lead, we create peace and harmony within. Whether you are in recovery, and/or on the path

Mindfulness offers us a way to see more clearly and be more aware of what’s happening within us and around us in the world. It’s definitely something I lost touch with when I was trapped in addiction, but even in recovery, there’s times when I find myself not paying attention to what I’m thinking and how I’m responding. We can learn to be mindful of how we approach life, how we view ourselves and others, and how we navigate interpersonal relationships. Being mindful is another way of saying that we’re being watchful—watchful of our mindset, emotions, and behaviors and noticing how it makes us feel inside.

“Every thought we have and action we take becomes part of the collective energy of the planet!  When we use our energy to bring light into the world, it combines with the light brought by others to dispel the darkness.“  By Madisyn Taylor.  We live in a world that is fighting for separation through violence, hate and comparison.  Although at times it seems hopeless, I believe the most powerful thing we can do to create change is to act consciously by shining our light to inspire connection with compassion and love.   To live mindfully, here’s a “Glimpse Practice” from The Little Book of Being by Diana Winston When we notice we are rigidly caught in our drama, we can try this glimpse practice in which we soften, pr “melt Back” just like chocolate melts when heated. Briefly sense into your body.

View from the dock overlooking the pond at Vernonia Springs “The body heals with play, the mind heals with laughter, and the spirit heals with joy.” And, of course, plenty of yoga will set you on the way 🙂     Maybe we all just need some time to be.  It’s my word for the New Year and I have to say it’s opened up a whole other level of discovery.  Discovery that I can at least be in control of many parts of my life, that I can be in creation of the life I crave.  A lot of it is slowing down.  Yes, there’s still bills to pay and grand kids to babysit (love) and responsibilities…but, there’s some things I can say no to and many things I don’t need to buy and  I’m noticing what really matters and what

Guide me Niyamas The Niyamas are yoga practices that bring us in alignment with our highest selves. They are guidelines, along with the Yamas on the Eight-Fold path of yoga, that show us the way to experience our humanity as spiritual beings. If we “live” our yoga based on respecting these ethical and moral rules, our inner Universe is transformed as we develop awareness around how our lives are affected by the actions we choose. The Yamas are restraints, or simply habits that don’t serve us, and the Niyamas affect the relationship we have with ourselves at a core level and how we feel at the end of the day.    The Niyamas are described as follows: Sacha is purity; the act of cleansing our mind, our thoughts, and our bodies. Santosha is cultivating an attitude of contentment, or letting things

Struggle can find no foothold when confronted with gentleness, because conflict can only exist when fed by two opposing forces. Throughout life we must cope with blockages that impede our forward momentum. Whether these obstacles are of a personal, professional, or societal nature, our first instinct may be to push against the obstruction. But the simplest way to alleviate resistance is to approach it gently, with a soft manner and kind intentions. Struggle and strife can find no foothold when confronted with gentleness because conflict can only exist when fed by two opposing forces. So the question I ask myself over and over is, “Do I want to be right, or do I want to be happy?” Every area of our lives can benefit from the application of gentleness. The beauty of gentleness lies in its multifaceted nature. It is part love,

The Power of Thought:All You Need Really Is Within   Our human reality operates entirely through thought in the moment. Everything we feel is a result of our thinking. If we feel anxious, it’s because we are experiencing anxious thinking. If we feel happy, it’s because we are experiencing happy thinking. Our entire reality, therefore, really does come from within! It is an inside-out world.   When we were born, we were perfect and whole, and not anxious. Then, when we gained the beautiful power of thought, we learned that the external comfort blanket was super comforting, because “it made us feel better,” right? Wrong. The blanket is an object, with no capacity to make us feel anything. One hundred percent of the comforted feeling came from our own thinking about the blanket. It’s the same with all of life. I believe

Naikan- a Japanese practice of taking inventory What have I received? What have I given? What difficulties have I caused? In Naikan practice, we train the mind in balance. Our mind develops “a wide-angle lens.” 10 Starting an evening inventory with the first Naikan question shifts our attention away from the pain of our difficulties to the joys of what we have received. We move from the natural human tendency to zero in on what bothers and agitates us to seeing a more complete view. This is not to say that we revert to denial about things that are distressing and difficult. Rather, we learn to keep our troubles in perspective. We practice looking at the whole picture, both the good and the bad.

Satya Truthfulness of speech, thoughts, deeds… Honesty, ownership of feelings, loving communication, assertiveness, giving constructive feedback, forgiveness, non-judging. Letting go of the masks. As we continue on the path of discovery, we let go of the clutter in our minds and our bodies so we can get to the core…the truth…of our being. If we want transformation, we come to the realization that a lot of what we’ve accumulated over the years in the way of beliefs and judgements keep us from our truth. When I think about Satya in light of recovery and yoga, I think about “clearing out” to create space for something new. In doing so, truth or Satya, one of the Yamas on the Eight fold path of yoga, is revealed. Leading a life of truthfulness is a journey. It is practice, not perfection. When our ego

On this journey, we continue to peel away the layers to reveal the pearl in the dust bin Step 8:  Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all (including ourselves!) This step is about inquiry and willingness.  It’s the beginning of the best possible relationships with every human being we know…including ourselves.  Thoroughly looking at our relationships brings a spirit of openness and truth. Which relationships have unfinished business and which relationships we have the illusion of control? With whom do resentments and jealousy pop-up? Sometimes making things right may mean letting go.  Were we passive, emotionally distant, dishonest or enabling? Step 8 is where we become fully present to our impact on others.  It is an opportunity to take responsibility for our actions and align with the yogic principle of