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Grounded in Nature – A Restorative Weekend Retreat
May 10, 2019 @ 3:00 pm - May 12, 2019 @ 12:00 pm
$700 – $900Grounded in Nature
– A Restorative Weekend Retreat –
We are all innately creative, yet we’ve been trained to believe that creativity is reserved for the select, gifted few.
Get back in touch with your inner world and channel the creative nature you didn’t know you had. Through the practices of physical yoga and meditation, it is natural for long-held creative blocks to be released, and for new revelations to occur.
Grounded in Nature is a 2.5 day intensive retreat based on self-inquiry and creative exploration through relaxing yoga practices and the visual arts.
Throughout the weekend, you’ll reconnect with and revitalize yourself under the guidance of artist and Certified Yoga Guide, Natalia Vásquez.
Natalia will teach you the wisdom of restorative yoga practices you can use every day to keep yourself grounded and energized. The weekend includes the practices of chakra meditation, yin yoga, restorative yoga, and yoga nidra to unwind and face what reveals itself within. Journaling and visual arts activities are designed to inspire deeper exploration and expression of oneself.
Between activities, you’ll have free time to immerse yourself in nature at the beach or kayaking along the Sebastian River.
Reset your body with a variety of fresh home-cooked plant-based meals served throughout each day to support your journey through introspection.
The retreat takes place at the beautiful Island View Cottages Resort in Sebastian, Florida. We’re hosting this weekend event as a part of Alma Community’s Adult Summer Camp Series.
No prior yoga, meditation, or artistic experience is required to attend.
In this Retreat, You’ll Learn
- How to achieve a state of stillness and inner peace so you can stay connected with your inner self.
- How to explore your chakra system to connect with layers of your consciousness from the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual perspectives.
- How to release tension and observe your inner world with Yin Yoga practice.
- How to induce a deep state of restfulness with Restorative Yoga practice.
- How to observe your subconscious mind and hidden thoughts with Yoga Nidra as you practice hovering in the state between sleep and wakefulness.
- How to let go of subconscious blocks to your innate creativity and channel that dormant energy into the visual arts.
- How to use journaling to understand oneself and maintain constant creative flow.
Retreat Program
Friday
3:00pm – 4:00pm Arrival and Check-in
4:00pm – 5:00pm What are the chakras? Intention Setting and Journaling
5:00pm – 6:15pm Yin Yoga Practice
7:00pm Vegan Home-Cooked Family-Style Dinner at the Resort
9:00pm Lights Out
Saturday
7:00am – 7:30am Sunrise Pranayama and Meditation on the Pier
8:00am – 9:15am Restorative Yoga Practice
9:30am – 10:15am Breakfast
10:30am – 12:30am Creative Expression Practice
12:30pm – 1:30pm Lunch
1:30pm – 5:00pm Free Time in Nature. Kayaks Available
5:00pm – 6:15pm Yoga Nidra Practice
6:30pm – 8:00pm Dinner and Reflection
9:00pm Lights Out
Sunday
7:00am – 7:30am Sunrise Pranayama and Meditation on the Pier
8:00am – 9:15am Restorative Nidra Practice
9:30am – 11:30am Brunch Circle and Group Reflection
12:00pm Closing
Location
Island View Cottages Resort
Island View Cottages Resort is located in the Sebastian River Area of Central Florida. They are situated on the bank of the Indian River Lagoon, and offer a quiet refuge ideal for reconnecting with oneself and nature.
11450 S. Indian River Drive,
Sebastian, FL 32958
View Website
Accommodations
Island View Cottages offers spacious one bedroom non-smoking air-conditioned private cottages situated on two acres of nicely wooded property along the Indian River.
They have 11 private cottages to choose from – each uniquely designed by a local interior design expert. Retreat guests may choose to book their living arrangements alone or share their accommodations with another guest.
Each cottage comes fully furnished with a queen-size bed and the option to add a deluxe cot for another guest. All cottages come equipped with a small kitchen, refrigerator, microwave oven, toaster, coffee maker, and WiFi.
Make use of swings, hammocks, picnic tables, and lawn chairs around the property during your stay.
Meals
Friday
Welcome Reception: A warm buffet-style meal with soup, salad, roasted vegetables, quinoa salad, and vegan dessert cups.
Saturday
Breakfast: An assortment of fresh fruits, nuts, grains, vegan yogurts, and a savory dish.
Lunch: A home-cooked meal by local artisans enjoyed picnic style (weather permitting) or in the social room.
Dinner: Mediterranean BBQ buffet, enjoyed communal-style under the stars (weather permitting).
Sunday
Brunch: Plant-based brunch enjoyed together during the closing group reflection.
Light snacks including fruit, nuts, and fresh juices will be provided in your cottage during the weekend.
What to Bring
- Comfortable clothing or athletic wear for yoga and stretching
- Water bottle
- Swimsuit or athletic wear for kayaking
- Sun protection
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Yoga mat if you prefer your own. Yoga mats will be provided.
Your Retreat Facilitator
Natalia Vásquez is a visual artist and yoga practitioner/guide focusing on the yin, restorative, nidra, meditation, and energetic aspects of the practice, regularly using the chakra system as a map through internal landscapes. She is the founder of Heart in Brain Studios, offering trauma-informed visual arts and yoga practices for wellness and transformation. Natalia has a degree in Studio Art/Photography, is RYT 200 certified, and holds a third degree black belt in the Chung Hun system of Tae Kwon Do. Through her artwork and teachings, she aims to de-stigmatize society’s perception of mental, emotional, and spiritual ailments.
In her work, Natalia explores the psycho-spiritual processes of transformation from ego to spirit. Playing with the balance between darkness and light, she studies the relationship among the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual realms of existence.
Inspired by years of depression, anxiety, and insomnia that led from near death to a life-saving daily meditation practice, Natalia’s imagery symbolizes the paths taken through internal landscapes that lead from chaos to calm. Themes faced in her works include broken sexuality, memory, dreams/nightmares, fragmentation and integration, beauty within suffering, grief, fear, and redefining identity through love.
Natalia combines photography with found objects and mixed media to create spaces that are felt by viewers, and leads meditations and restorative yoga sessions within her installations.
Raised in Miami, Natalia spent a decade in Prague, Czech Republic before returning home. During her time in Prague, she taught undergraduate students photography at Anglo-American University. Natalia now offers an array of workshops uniting the disciplined practices of yoga and meditation with a creative outlet.
786-789-2562 (ALMA)