|
|
 Ageless Body Able Mind
A Full Movement Retreat
Yoga and The Feldenkrais Method®
in the Beautiful Berkshires
February 8-10, 2013
This very special package is devoted to tuning up your body and nourishing your ability to sense, feel, and be healthy.
Designed for all bodies, ages, and fitness levels, its focus is to improve the mind-body connection for greater awareness, grace, stamina, and coordination.
Return to easy movement, childhood flexibility, natural alignment, better balance, and stress relief through The Feldenkrais Method® and Restorative Yoga. Plus, enjoy nourishing, delicious macrobiotic meals and like-minded company in the beautiful Berkshire hills.
|
Improve Movement, Improve Life!
Physical activity is an essential component to good health, and a necessary aspect to any recovery from illness. Unfortunately, exercising may mean, for many, changing personal habits that over time have become comfortable and habitual -- just like eating.
Developing a body responsive to healthy movement can be challenging, particularly if we have been inattentive to maintaining good physical habits.
In this body immersion weekend, you will begin to sense, recognize, and self-regulate your body in a much more intimate manner, understanding and changing your response to:
- daily tasks of sitting, standing, lifting, bending, or lying down;
- periods of intense activity, including expending too much effort in tasks such as carrying heavy luggage, backpacks, hoisting materials above the head, or over-extending through exercise programs;
- fatigue, hunger, and thirst;
- dependence on weight-bearing on only one side of the body;
- rapid, repetitious similar movements;
- use of your breath.
|
 "A fantastic match, that gives me specific tools for gentle movement as well as the gift of hope. I can feel more parts of myself and move in ways that relieves pain in my arthritis-stricken body. The more I participated, the more I became aware not only of my muscles, joints, and bones, but also of myself as a body, mind, and soul."
-- Diane Valentine "By slowing down with The Feldenkrais Method®, my experience of yoga becomes more of an adventure, sparking my curiosity about how I move more in relationship to the space inside myself and around me. As I begin to notice smaller and more subtle ways of moving, I find this brings an expanded joy to my yoga practice." -- Rita Vilmer
"What I learned from Feldenkrais® lessons was that I had other options for movement that I hadn't realized. Instead of being locked in my same yoga movement patterns that kept my yoga at a plateau, I learned that I had other ways to move my body. Instead of practicing what I already knew, the Feldenkrais Method®, taught me to explore other ways of movement besides my habitual patterns into which I had been locked."
-- Carolyn Garfinkel
" Yoga continually surprises me when I respond with less effort. I have more endurance and energy by simplifying and slowly moving in and out of asanas. I am calmer and practice is always one that I look forward to since incorporating restorative poses."
-- Jack Kemp
|
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
In this movement weekend retreat you will be introduced to two rejuvenating, body-wisdom processes, guided by experienced practitioners, suitable for every age and fitness level regardless of whether you have been perceiving yourself as a "couch potato," a weekend warrior, or as a healthy, fit individual seeking to maintain optimum balance in your life.
Welcome to The Feldenkrais Method®, an internationally acclaimed 
movement program that brings awareness to range-of- motion options; balancing the relationship between muscle, bone and the brain. Participants at Kushi Institute have remarked on how simple yet extraordinarily powerful, transformative, and grounding these classes are. Find better balance and flexibility, grace and ease, and comfortable posture as you explore your own ability for optimal functionality, cueing into your body's intelligence. The Method originates from the biological, developmental moves from infancy, and the fine-tuned coordination of martial artists. Consequently, you will find this sensibility both familiar and intriguing. The modality is especially important as an effective preventative process for anyone needing sustained bed rest, as it enables one to move (or imagine movement) regardless of one's condition, improving circulation, joint mobility, and well-being.
Its founder, Moshe Feldenkrais, was one of the century's most innovative thinkers and, along with Ida Rolf, and F.M. Alexander, was a seminal figure in the body-mind field of somatics. His legacy has demonstrated its potency of helping millions of people suffering from common aches and pains to debilitating neurological problems (including cerebral palsy), in addition to assisting athletes, musicians and dancers who wish to maintain and enhance their developed abilities.
This weekend retreat includes:
- Improved flexibility in your hips, shoulders, neck, and feet
- Simple, easy to generate techniques for maintaining healthy bones
- In-depth exploration of moving into two yoga asanas -- bridge and sphinx
- Increased range-of-motion and joint mobility
- Greater body awareness, attention, and coordination
- Anti-aging benefits
View this YouTube demonstration and click here for written information (check the right side for articles).
Welcome to Restorative Yoga, and it's powerful ability to relax both the body and the mind. Designed for all levels of experience and bodies, restorative yoga allows you to stretch and tone your body while savoring the fullness of rest and nourishment through soothing, well-supported postures. Find and trust your body's wisdom on and off the mat, sensing a place of deep contentment and peace that resides within you through this specialized practice.
This weekend retreat includes:
- Yoga appropriate for all bodies, ages, and levels
- Supportive techniques applied to postures to deepen your experience with modifications adjusted for individual needs and growth
- Sequenced, calming, restorative flows designed to leave you fully comfortable, neither energetically over-stimulated or depleted
- Slower tempo, for deep relaxation and body awareness
- Nourishment to all your organs, reduced blood and sugar levels and muscle tension
- Understanding how the use of props can enhance your personal yoga practice
Free the body of restrictions, eliminate stress and tension, and feel different!
Take the time to learn to listen to your body's energy and emotions. Expect to feel blissful during this practice and afterwards.
|
RETREAT PROGRAM SCHEDULE Friday, February 8th 2:00-4:00pm Arrival and check-in with office 5:00-6:00pm Orientation 6:00-7:00pm Dinner 7:30-9:30pm "Hip Flexibility" using Feldenkrais Awareness Through
Movement® & Yoga Nidra (please bring extra blanket from your room) Saturday, February 9th 6:45-8:00am Early Morning Yoga 8:00-9:00am Breakfast 9:30am-12:15pm Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement®,
exploration of two asanas -- bridge and sphinx 12:30-1:30pm Lunch
1:30-2:45pm Private sessions availability, stroll throughout the property, and/or browse at Kushi Store
2:45-5:45pm Restorative Yoga (please bring extra blanket from your room)
6:00-7:00pm Dinner
7:30-9:30pm Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement®, "Flexible
Feet and Ankles," "Sounder Sleep" techniques (please bring extra
blanket from your room)
Sunday, February 10th 7:30-8:45am Early Morning Yoga 9:00-10:15am Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® "Relax the Jaw, Relax the Neck" 10:30-11:30am Brunch
12:00 noon Room check-out, opportunity to book private sessions
in the afternoon (per availability) or continue enjoying the Kushi
Institute property
Feel free to stroll around the property and enjoy
the Berkshires throughout your weekend stay!
If you like outdoor activities, bring your walking
poles or even snowshoes depending on the weather!If you have a yoga mat, blocks, and straps, please feel free to bring these along.
|
|
|
Presenters
 Annie Alquist
is a certified yoga instructor with almost two decades of practice in Iyengar, Anusara, TriYoga and Kripalu-style traditions.Her background includes health coaching, massage training, and therapeutic yoga. Annie recently taught
a sequential series of classes in Goddess Yoga and Weight Loss Yoga, both designed to use the benefits of yogic techniques, including posture, breath work, and meditation, to help heal personal relationships with food and achieve weight-loss goals. You will find Annie teaching in many venues throughout Berkshire County including Berkshire Community College, TriYoga Studio, Great Barrington Yoga, and Mepal Spa. She has a busy partnership with Berkshire County school systems, assisting in the facilitation and teaching of Yoga in the Schools to high school students.
 Misha Forrester is a staff member of Kushi Institute. She is Guild Certified Feldenkrais®, & Bones for Life® practitioner and yin-yoga instructor, in addition to being a licensed massage therapist, with specialized training in oncology massage and lymph drainage. She has been presenting The Feldenkrais Method®, particularly, at Kushi Institute for the past four years in various programs to include the Women's Retreat, and most recently, our New Year's retreat, Science of Relaxation, and Way to Health Plus programs. Misha also has a private practice in the tri-state area, teaching Feldenkrais®, meditation, yin-yoga, and cancer massage techniques at senior centers, cancer support groups, yoga spaces, hospice, and private homes.
|
Want to know about special events and offers,
and receive free recipes and articles?
|
To see all Kushi Institute program offerings click here.
|
|
|
Program Fee
$215 includes all
classes and meals
Friday evening-Sunday brunch
Commuter Fee Saturday only 9:30am-9:30pm $140 includes day classes plus
lunch and dinner
Overnight Housing Fee Starting as low as $50
includes both Friday and Saturday nights
Rooms with shared bathrooms:
North Hall:
$50 - Small single
$50 - Double or triple per person
Main House:
$166 - Single
$83 - Double per person
Other Housing Options:
$75 - 1/2 bath
$285 - Full private bath
For more housing details please call. D
Extend Your Stay!
A great opportunity for
renewal & self-care
Come the day before
to settle in:
- Relax in our serene natural environment
- Enjoy our delicious whole-foods meals
- Socialize with like-minded people
- Stroll along our scenic country roads
- Explore regional culture and activities
- Book a private movement or massage session or a macrobiotic consultation with a Kushi Institute counselor
Only $75 per person per day
includes housing and meals
Call ahead for availability
and to schedule
Macrobiotic counseling
Individualized menu planning
Restorative Massage
Feldenkrais Functional Integration®
Shiatsu
For more information
and to register
1-800-975-8744
Int'l: 413-623-6457
programs@kushiinstitute.org
To register online click here
Kushi Institute
198 Leland Road
Becket, MA 01223
|
|
|
|
Kushi Institute is a federally approved 501-C-3 non-profit educational organization. Discrimination based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, veteran status, or disability is contrary to the principles and policies of Kushi Institute
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
