Retreats & Retreat Trainings = Journeys of a Lifetime!
Since 2009 I have been taking trips with students around the world. Places like Bali, Indonesia, Napa Valley CA., Kenya on Safari, India, Isla Mujeres Mexico, Sedona AZ, Costa Rica, Tuscany, Sicily, Amalfi Coast and so much more....
Travel is one of my biggest passions, next to yoga, and putting them together is like a dream come true. I choose our journeys based on creating an experience and then finding just the right place to make it happen. Each trip has taken on its own personality and purpose. Learning, Cultural Immersion, Food & Wine, Organic Loose Tea, Scenery & Nature have all been a part of the repertoire. Removing myself from my daily routine and seeing a new perspective is life changing. Simple things like seeing how others live, tasting new food, watching the sunrise on a new part of the earth, and changing pace with a different culture makes me feel more alive. What I love the most is that I take my yoga with me wherever I go.
This year I will be taking a total of four trips. My first trip was in April to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Dahlonega Georgia. It was a five day Retreat and Training where we focused on the teachings of the 8 Limb Path of Yoga. Each of the amazing women that attended the trip were totally dedicated to learning and living yoga philosophy for their entire stay. We connected in a deep way and all shared so much. It was a tremendous honor to hold the space for so much transformation in such a short time. Each day we explored different aspects of yoga in interesting and interactive ways. Lydia Merl and I had a lot of fun finding ways to lighten the mood after six plus hours per day of serious studies. Lots of tears and laughter were had by all. We returned renewed and ready to put the teachings into action in our everyday lives.
Up next is my Yoga Safari to Kenya. This is truly a Journey of a lifetime. My first trip to Kenya was in 2016 and I fell so in love with it that I knew before I even left that I would be back. I am counting the days until our return. June 7-17 will be an unbelievable week! For this SOLD OUT trip back to the Masai Mara I have partnered once again with my dear friend Annabelle Teleki. We have been planning for a year and are now less than one month away from our travels. Each day we will do two yoga practices as well as two game drives. We are staying in a luxury camp with the best hospitality you can imagine for our first seven days and then I have added an extension in Nairobi to give back to the community.
First, we will visit the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage to tuck in the babies in the evening. Our hotel in Nairobi is on a Giraffe Sanctuary where we are able to feed, care for and learn more about these precious creatures. But, I’m most excited about the extension day we will spend with the Africa Yoga Project (AYP). My friend Paige Ellison founded this incredible program to bring yoga to the local villages of Nairobi. We will join them for a community yoga practice similar to Sanborn, with about 300 attendees, then meet the teachers in the community, have lunch with them and participate in some outreach programming for the rest of the day. Whenever I can, I incorporate outreach work into the trips to enrich the experience for everyone involved. To find out more about AYP click here https://www.africayogaproject.org/
In the Fall I am off to Spain with the one and only Nata Mason from Trend Tea. It is another European Adventure. After three trips together to Italy we have decided to go another route this year. Valencia here we come. Seven days and nights in a fully restored 19th Century Farm House in the countryside. Yoga, tea and meditation at sunrise will be our way to start each day, macrobiotic meals for the week and then we add new and different opportunities to explore the surrounding area. Private boat tours, cooking classes, visits to medieval villages and a day in Valencia, the 3rd largest city in Spain will create a magical time for everyone. This will be our most intimate trip, allowing only enough room for 14-16 guests. The theme for our European trips is always FUN! The food and wine are abundant and we get to indulge a bit and experience the culture fully. There are still a few spaces available if you want to register. So grateful to Dawn Oliver for helping us find this incredible space http://wellxplored.com/retreat-to-spain
My last trip for the year will take place in November before we step into the holiday season and gear up for Something BIG. I have narrowed it down to three places and am ready to book it soon. This will be an opportunity to mix our yoga with music and culture. I have invited a special guest to join me on this one… DJ Drez and I will create a unique retreat/training experience for all those that attend. Stay tuned for the details and the destination.
Do you have a destination on your wish list? Please feel free to share it with me in the comment section. It will help me select the spots going into 2019 as well. Thailand, Cuba, Malta, Greece, a return to India or Italy are all possibilities... Let me know your thoughts and together we will create another trip of a lifetime!!! I have always said it takes a village and I have had the honor of working with an amazing group of people along the way that have helped me make my visions into reality for you.
Thank you to Nata, Annabelle, Dawn, Lydia and especially Bri Aberle, for assisting me and for all of the collaboration to make all of these trips possible.
I hope that you will join me on one of my future journeys.
Namaste,
Leslie
