A Shade More…renewed

August 1-4, 2024

For people who want to:

• Deepen their Kundalini Yoga practice in a nurturing environment
• Feel strong and connected in body and mind
• Relax fully immersed in Mother Nature
• Celebrate the beauty within

Led by KRI certified Kundalini Yoga teacher Donna Alstad and supported by Dori Howard, Erin Routly and Meg de Jong, you will explore and learn more about yourself as you expand your kundalini yoga practice.

What you will do at the retreat:

• Kundalini yoga kriyas, meditations, gong bath, sound healing workshop
• Early morning sadhana
• Fire ceremony
• Seva
• Be nourished with delicious vegetarian meals
• Massage (optional and extra fee)
• Connect, share and have fun!

Accommodations

Accommodations for the retreat will be cozy and comfortable with the following options available: (most showers/bathrooms are shared)

Prices

early bird rates

$1300 - treehouse
$1250 - private room
$1150 - shared room
$850 - commuter /RV /Tent
$125 - virtual via zoom

Register by March 30, 2024 for Early Bird Rates.

Costs for this  4 day, 3-night retreat are per person and include accommodation, venue, delicious vegetarian meals using locally sourced, organic food, sound healing workshop, a special evening of meditation, gong bath and sound healing and specially designed yoga kriyas.

Massage appointments available onsite from Erin Routly, RMT, Johane Sinclair and Becky Pilon. Few appointments available.

Dietary needs: Meals are vegetarian. Please indicate if you have any food allergies.

Location and how to get there:

The enso beach house & forest sanctuary is located on tranquil Salt Spring Island, BC - where Zen meets West Coast. This 4.3-acre oceanfront property has stunning sunsets, soothing waves gently rolling into a private smooth stone beach, dense forests of arbutus and fir trees, a babbling brook and close proximity to hiking and the funky town of Ganges.

To get there, you must travel by BC Ferries. Bring your car and/or carpool with other participants. Walk-on is possible if you can arrange a ride to the property. We can arrange to pick you up from the ferries or from the town of Ganges. Reserve your ferries soon, especially for Sunday afternoon.

What to bring:

• Walking shoes
• Water shoes (flip flops etc.), bathing suits
• Comfortable clothing/layers for sitting in retreat, early morning meditation, (shawls, blankets), going outside, walking
• An object/artifact that represents who you are now or resonates with renewal
• Journal and pen
• Water bottle, thermos
• Headlamps or flashlight
• Yoga mat, blanket, cushions if you have them

About the Facilitators: 

Donna is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga teacher, musician and practitioner of Vedic and Western Astrology. She has taught classes and workshops for over 20 years, bringing Kundalini yoga to Vancouver’s North Shore in 2000. First teaching in her home studio for many years, she and a partner opened Sat Nam Yoga from 2006 to 2011.  Her love for the healing power of the gong led to some of the first gong baths in yoga studios here.  She currently teaches classes online and offers workshops at Maa Yoga in Deep Cove and Rasa Flow in Port Coquitlam. She also continues to offer astrology readings as well as teaching classes in Debra Silverman’s Applied Astrology School.

Erin Lisa Routly comes  in service to offer you a beautiful sound experience.  As a RMT and therapist of 20 years, healer, spiritually-minded teacher, yogi, musician, Mesa Carrier and student  of the Traditional Andean Teachings and Wisdom Keeping of her Peruvian  Curandero , Jhaimy Alvarez-Acosta, and First Nations Teachings under the direction of Starr Muranko, she creates a container of sacred space to surrender into. Taking you on a journey of self and inner wisdom to connect back with our natural essence through  sound vibration of the elements. 

Dori’s mantra, “it’s all about the learning,” is integrated into all aspects of her life. Her experiences in healthcare for over 30 years have brought many lessons of giving, receiving, health and wellness. This past year has been a steep learning curve in the practice of self-compassion. Dori’s view is that there is no magic bullet but rather a range of life practices that can move us ‘a shade more…’ towards wellness and healing. She created a self-prescribed holistic care plan that included yoga, meditation, conscious nutrition, hiking, and time in nature in her daily life in order to balance compassion for self and others. The healing environment at enso Beach House and Forest on Salt Spring Island has created a safe, holistic space to become A Shade More… Whole. Dori is a skilled facilitator with extensive experience in leading individual and group learning activities. She is a certified executive coach. Her passion is creating spaces and opportunities for people to reflect, learn and try out new (or re-activate) practices that move them toward life wellness and wholeness.  She is a KRI Level 1 Kundalini yoga teacher.

Meg has prepared delicious, nutritious and wholesome food for many of enso retreats. Meghan De Jong is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist who specializes in anxiety and gut health. Meg lives here on Salt Spring Island in a small cabin with her partner where she runs her nutrition consulting business. Along with working one-on-one with clients, Meg is also a recipe creator and an avid gardener. She focuses on whole food, locally inspired recipes, to connect people back to their roots and provide deep nourishment from the inside out.

a snapshot of A Shade More…renewed:

Thursday-Day 1

• 12:00 pm Arrivals and pick-up

• 2:00 pm Registration, welcome, room orientation

• 3:00 pm Opening Circle

• 4:00 pm Yoga class (V)

• 5:00 pm Nourishing dinner

• 7:00 pm Sharing and connection

• 9:30 pm Closing

Friday-Day 2

• 4:30 am awaken

• 5:00 am Morning sadhana (V)

• 7:30 am Breakfast

• 8:00 am Free time, Massage appointments

• 9:30 am Yoga class, gong bath (V)

• 12:00 pm Lunch

• 1:30 pm Workshop (Sound Healing with Erin) (V)

• 3:00 pm Free time, Massage appointment

• 5:30 pm Dinner

• 7:00 pm Connection Circle (Gong Bath or Sound Bowls) (V)

Saturday-Day 3

• 4:30 am awaken

• 5:00 am Aquarian Sadhana (V)

• 7:15 am Breakfast

• 8:15 am Free time, Massage appointments

• 9:30 am Yoga class, gong bath (V)

• 12:00 pm Saturday Market, Lunch at market

• 12:00 pm Lunch

• 1:00-4:00 Open space (massage, market, shopping, relaxing, playing, hiking)

• 4:30 pm Meditation (V)

• 5:45 pm Dinner

• 6:30 pm Fire Ceremony

Sunday-Day 4

• 4:30 am awaken

• 5:00 am Morning Aquarian Sadhana (V)

• 7:15 am Breakfast

• 9:00 am Yoga class (V)

• 10:45 am Closing Circle

• 12:15 pm Lunch

• 1:15 pm Depart

(V) indicates classes available to virtual participants. Agenda subject to change