Yoga Retreat
Luminous Treads of Insight: Weaving Together Practice, the Yoga Sutra and Everyday Life
Richard Freeman & Mary Taylor
March 19 – April 1, 2023
In this course, we will work with subtle yet strong internal forms of ashtanga vinyasa practice using the imagination to understand the inexplicable in our asana practice and beyond. Wavelike patterns and vibrations that appear as our breath and sensation will be tied into the moment, thought and the full spectrum of emotions to offer insight into meditation and the use of intelligence to experience deep, natural relief within the connection to others and to nature. We will also explore the Yoga Sūtra as it shines a light on today’s different schools of yoga, different religions, nationalities, and the challenges of living in these challenging times.
During these complex times where uncertainty, divisiveness, and confusion abound, as yogis we sometimes wonder, “What can I do to help? What must I do to survive?” We must start where we are—that’s all any of us can really do. Join us for this two-week retreat where together in the magical embrace of nature by the sea, we will explore these questions and what it means to be human in ways that, during even the most difficult times, we can flourish so we may help others to do the same.
Richard Freeman has been a student of yoga since 1968, beginning with one simple sitting posture in the Zen tradition. He spent nine years in Asia studying yoga asana, Sufism, Sanskrit language, and Indian philosophical texts, contextualizing them within the turbulent political times of that period in history. In 1974 Richard began working with B.K.S. Iyengar, with whom he studied precise alignment principles, applying them to his own internally rooted experience of the forms. Drawing from this variety of contemplative traditions, and from Buddhism, in which he cultivates a deep interest, Richard teaches the Ashtanga Vinyasa method of yoga as taught by his principal teacher, the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, India. Richard’s metaphorical, often humorous, teaching style appeals to students of many backgrounds and nationalities. He teaches workshops and trainings throughout the world, and remains an avid student fascinated by the linking points between different traditions and cultures. He is the co-founder, with Mary, of the Yoga Workshop in Boulder, Colorado; has produced a number of highly regarded yoga audio and video recordings; and is the author of The Mirror of Yoga and co-author of The Art of Vinyasa (Shambhala Publications).
Mary Taylor began studying yoga in 1971, soon after she came home from France with a grande diplôme from Julia Child’s cooking school, L’Ecole des Trois Gourmandes. She found yoga at first a means of finding equanimity during the stress of University, and it was that thread of balance that got her hooked. It was not until 1988 and finding her primary teacher, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, and the Ashtanga Vinyasa system that she experienced the profound and transformative impact that a dedicated and daily practice can have on all aspects of life. She continues to study and practice yoga and Buddhist teachings with great enthusiasm and inquisitiveness, with an eye on how the residue that is produced on the mat (and cushion) through these teachings informs and supports all aspects of everyday life. Mary travels and teaches with Richard and also within the caregiver and hospital setting as part of the core faculty of the Being with Dying program (Upaya Zen Center) and the Urban Zen Integrative Therapy Trainings. In 1988 she co-founded, with Richard, the Yoga Workshop. Mary is also the author of three cookbooks and the co-author of What Are You Hungry For? Women Food and Spirituality (St. Martins Press) and The Art of Vinyasa (Shambhala Publications).
The program begins at 5pm on the first day of the retreat with a group welcome and departure is at 12pm on the last day. The schedule is subject to change at the discretion of the teacher.
| 7:30 – 10:30 am | Morning Practice |
| 10:30 am – 1:30 pm | Brunch |
| 1:30 – 4pm | Free time |
| 4:00 – 6:00pm | Afternoon Session: chanting, meditation and philosophy |
| 6:00 – 8:00pm | Dinner Buffet |
| Wednesday afternoons no sessions | |
| Day off | Saturday 25th March |
| Last class | Saturday 1st April |
Rates are in US Dollars, are per person, and are fully inclusive of room, buffets, and practices for the duration of the program dates
| Room Type | Retreat Rate |
| Private Room | $2,678 |
| Semi-Private Room | $2,416 |
| Shared Two-Bedroom Loft | $2,158 |
Subject to availability, we have Friends & Family rates for any registered Samahita Retreat guest’s partner, family member or friend, who is not interested in participating in any of the programs but will stay in a room and board capacity. Shared accommodation, food, and the facilities are open to them. If they prefer to engage in the selection of yoga, breath, meditation, and fitness classes every day then a separate booking under YogaCoreCycle is advised.
