A WEEKEND THAT BROUGHT ME BACK TO MYSELF

A WEEKEND THAT BROUGHT ME BACK TO MYSELF

A WEEKEND THAT BROUGHT ME BACK TO MYSELF

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BEN CLARK INTERVIEW
A Weekend That Brought Me Back to Myself
Looking for a yoga retreat in Northern California? Mount Madonna Center offers Personal Retreats, yoga classes, meditation, hiking, wellness services, and overnight stays among the redwoods near Santa Cruz.

Why I Needed a Weekend Away
The past few weeks have been nothing short of a whirlwind of events. I spent over 50 hours completing my Pilates training, flew to Los Angeles for a week-long work trip, got approved for a new apartment, and started packing up my life. This was just the last two weeks! 

When it rains, it pours. That is exactly how the last month of my life has felt: nonstop running around, busy days, working constantly, and falling asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow from exhaustion. But I know this pace of life is not sustainable. And that is why I carved out a weekend retreat at Mount Madonna.

The best time for relaxation is when you feel like you have no time for it. We need to intentionally place times of rest, otherwise, we will never get to it and eventually experience burnout. 

Camping at Mount Madonna Center
This weekend, I went camping in the mountains of Northern California. The Mount Madonna Center is a serene yoga retreat center. I opted for a Personal Retreat weekend, where I got to create my own schedule and choose which of their offerings I wanted to enjoy. 

To ground myself a little more deeply this weekend, I chose to camp, though they also offer beautiful rooms, cabins, and yurts. Nothing relaxes me more than sleeping among the trees and waking to birdsong. One of my favorite parts of the weekend was sitting quietly at the campsite in a meditative state, simply watching the sun rays shine through the trees. Mount Madonna was a perfect choice because of how easy and convenient they make it to truly slow down. They offer delicious, nourishing meals, yoga and meditation classes, spa and massage services, and scenic hiking trails that are all easily accessible. 

Yoga, Nature, and Slowing Down

Often, we are asked to do more, stay busy, work harder, and give more of ourselves. This weekend, my main goal was to move slowly and intentionally, and to give myself the gift of presence. One of my preferred ways to embody presence is through yoga. I teach yoga three days a week and recently haven’t had time to enjoy being a student in someone else’s class. While it is one of my life’s greatest honors to teach yoga, I don’t get the same reprieve in yoga when I’m teaching compared to when I am simply practicing. 

This weekend, I did several self-guided yoga flows in nature right outside my campsite. I also took a yoga class in the Redwood Yoga Room, which had all the props a yogi could need. Not only did I get to enjoy moving my body, I left feeling more inspired than ever to take these lessons with me during my next opportunity to teach. The more deeply I connect with myself, the more I am able to open up and serve my yoga community.

The Benefits of a Personal Retreat
The next time you are “too busy” to slow down, consider booking a weekend away. A weekend dedicated to self-care, connection to nature, and coming back home to yourself.

Explore Personal Retreats and wellness getaways at
Mount Madonna Center in Northern California.

Author Bio:
Matia’s decade-long journey with yoga transformed into a profound calling after settling in Santa Cruz in 2022. Here, she discovered yoga’s true essence as a pathway to building meaningful connections with community, with self, and with the innate wisdom of the body.Having completed her 200-hour teacher training, The Embodied Breath, at Pleasure Point Yoga in Santa Cruz, Matia brings a nurturing and inclusive approach to her teaching. She creates a welcoming space where students of all levels can explore their practice authentically, honoring their body’s unique needs and capabilities.

BODHI SALT YOGA

BODHI SALT YOGA

PARTNER

BODHI SALT YOGA

BODHISALTYOGA.COM

Bodhi Salt Yoga exists at the nexus of spirit and body.

Tradition tells us that the Bodhi Tree symbolizes awakening, peace and understanding while salt symbolizes taste, purity, preservation, luxury and welcome. The ocean that surrounds our Ventura home embodies all these symbols.

Both a sanctuary and a community, Bodhi Salt Yoga is here to promote health, healing and connection. Yogis of all ability and experience are welcome here. Our practice is grounded in caring for our own body and spirit so we may be fully present for others with kindness, love and joy.

BODHI SALT YOGA

175 S Ventura Ave Suite 103B
Ventura, CA 93001
175 S Ventura Ave Suite 103B
Ventura, CA 93001
info@bodhisaltyoga.com
(805) 628-9099
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Yoga Plus magazine Teacher bio photo - Shari Vilchez-Blatt
Yoga Plus magazine Teacher bio photo - Shari Vilchez-Blatt
Yoga Plus magazine Teacher bio photo - Shari Vilchez-Blatt
MOUNT MADONNA CENTER

MOUNT MADONNA CENTER

PARTNER

MOUNT MADONNA CENTER

MOUNTMADONNA.ORG

We are a learning community inspired by the example of our teacher, Baba Hari Dass. Located on 380 acres of redwoods and grasslands in the Santa Cruz mountains overlooking the Monterey Bay, our retreat center offers a peaceful haven where you can step back, slow down, and reconnect to your self, to nature, and to a more authentic flow of life.

We offer a beautiful venue, centrally located in California near Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay area, for yoga retreats, meditation retreats, corporate offsite events, personal practice, spiritual and personal development programs, and other types of seminars and workshops. Our modern meeting spaces evoke a rustic and tranquil atmosphere and provide a variety of settings to gather and practice.

Mount Madonna

Mount Madonna Center
445 Summit Road
Watsonville, CA 95076
Mount Madonna Center
445 Summit Road
Watsonville, CA 95076
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Yoga Plus magazine Teacher bio photo - Shari Vilchez-Blatt
Yoga Plus magazine Teacher bio photo - Shari Vilchez-Blatt
Yoga Plus magazine Teacher bio photo - Shari Vilchez-Blatt
OFFER WHAT YOU CAN YOGA

OFFER WHAT YOU CAN YOGA

OFFER WHAT YOU CAN YOGA

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Power Vinyasa *MAX-FLOW*™ classes!
Wednesday 7:30 pm | 2744 B’way
Saturday 6:30 pm | 2726 B’way
Sunday 11:30 am | 2744 B’way

About:


AFFORDABLE YOGA IN NYC
MAX KENNEDY IS REVOLUTIONIZING ACCESSIBLE YOGA

In New York City where the price of yoga classes can soar up to $50, Max Kennedy is making sure that anyone and everyone has access to yoga by offering pay what you can yoga classes. You can find Max teaching at least three times a week in a studio space he rents on the Upper West Side.

Share your yoga journey with us.
As a lifelong New Yorker, it wasn’t until I was well into my 30s that I was first introduced to this practice. Someone I adored, adored me enough to go out on a limb and invited me to take a class alongside them.  And voila, that was that! I was hooked!

When I decided to take the plunge and do a teacher training in the summer of 2018, I had no intention of actually teaching. Like many, my sole intention in enrolling in a training was to deepen my practice, nothing more. But at some point I discovered that in order to receive my certification, I was required to teach at least one 60 minute class.

The moment I learned that I could use my voice, that people could listen with their hearts and minds, I was imbued with an undeniable sense of clarity and commitment. Rather instantaneously it became clear to me, I’d commit myself to opening as many doors for people to make their way through, by way of their own self-directed evolution. I knew right then and there, this is what I will always do. That *this* is all I would ever want to do. To create some semblance of beauty, to endeavor to end some semblance of suffering and to help people help themselves. I haven’t looked back since.

What inspired you to offer “Pay What You Can” yoga?
Prior to the pandemic, I exclusively taught at a donation-based studio. In 2020 this studio had to shutter all its locations overnight which was a source of immediate devastation for countless people. There was a huge void that was created when this pay-what-you-can model of practice vanished.

Once again, clarity and commitment entered the equation. I knew I had to do everything I could to once again foster community — to provide access to a practice that didn’t hinge on one’s financial means. To do it the right way. That is how •Offer•What•You•Can•Yoga• came to be.

What is your hope for the future of yoga?
The impetus for launching •Offer•What•You•Can•Yoga• was to simply provide possibility. For people to know it’s possible to have a practice no matter their experience, their age, or their income. That having a fulfilling practice isn’t predicated on their body type, nor their physical abilities — but rather the contents of their heart.

It’s my hope that the future of yoga has inclusivity and accessibility at its nucleus. It’s my hope to be amongst those who help normalize these tenets. That in no uncertain terms, access to wellness modalities must be viewed as being a right — not as a luxury.

While I’ll always champion yoga’s prowess in being a healing, discovery, growth, and acceptance practice  — I know full well, it might not be for everyone and that’s okay. But, everyone must have the right to explore what their own holistic wellness can feel like. It’s my unyielding intention to contribute to this reimagined approach. I have every reason to believe that we, together, can usher in this shift in perspective.

CONTACT US:

offerwhatyoucanyoga@gmail.com

Yoga Plus magazine Teacher bio photo - Shari Vilchez-Blatt
MOUNT MADONNA CENTER

MOUNT MADONNA CENTER

MOUNT MADONNA CENTER

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We are a learning community inspired by the example of our teacher, Baba Hari Dass. Located on 380 acres of redwoods and grasslands in the Santa Cruz mountains overlooking the Monterey Bay, our retreat center offers a peaceful haven where you can step back, slow down, and reconnect to your self, to nature, and to a more authentic flow of life.

We offer a beautiful venue, centrally located in California near Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay area, for yoga retreats, meditation retreats, corporate offsite events, personal practice, spiritual and personal development programs, and other types of seminars and workshops. Our modern meeting spaces evoke a rustic and tranquil atmosphere and provide a variety of settings to gather and practice.

CONTACT US:

reception@mountmadonna.org

Yoga Plus magazine Teacher bio photo - Shari Vilchez-Blatt
Yoga Plus magazine Teacher bio photo - Shari Vilchez-Blatt
Yoga Plus magazine Teacher bio photo - Shari Vilchez-Blatt