Join us for a Warriors at Ease Retreat that offers a deep dive into the practices of yoga, meditation, and yoga philosophy! This retreat is special because it’s a civilian-veteran retreat, designed to bring people together for a week of personal reflection, transformation and growth. Through this unique combination, participants will have the opportunity to learn from one another and develop a deeper sense of connection amidst deep practice.

Attendees can expect a daily program that includes yoga, iRest Yoga Nidra, Vedanta lectures, silent meditation, breathing practices, creativity practices, vegetarian food, personal reflection time, and community fun with fellow attendees. As a special surprise for Winter Creativity Retreat participants, Hipólito Arriaga-Harari III and Anthony Torres Jr. will be leading us in some truly unique creativity experiences and collaborations! There will also be two days of silence during the week, in which participants are invited to adhere to Mauna (Sanskrit for “silence”) throughout the day’s activities.

The focus is on going deep into the practices of yoga and meditation. There will be no difference in participation between veterans, civilians, or providers of the retreat. We are all in this together, we will all be doing the practices. We will all be sharing in the experience.

This retreat is open to veterans and civilians who already have a regular meditation and yoga practice and are interested in an advanced retreat. This retreat will maintain a strict retreat schedule. It is rigorous, but we are inviting people who are serious practitioners and who from their own personal interest want to experience Advanced Retreat.

Costs:

Through the generosity of a private donor, the tuition for this retreat is covered for both civilians and veterans. Veterans need to cover only their travel expenses and civilians need to cover their travel and accommodation expenses at the Ashram. The Sivananda Yoga Ranch Ashram is a sweet place, which is carefully maintained by beautiful souls and on a gorgeous piece of property. The food is vegetarian and delicious. Much of it is grown on the property. Vegan and gluten-free options are available. Please advise of other dietary restrictions. There will be two shuttle buses departing from NYC. Times will be announced soon. If you are able to make it onto these shuttles, transport to/ from NYC is included. If you cannot make the shuttles, you will need to arrange your own transport to the ashram.

To register, please email Betsy Diller, the retreat coordinator, at: retreats@warriorsatease.org

January Winter Creativity Retreat Schedule:
6:00 am: Wake up
6:30 am: Morning Satsang: Silent Meditation & Program
8:00 am: Morning Pranayama (Breathing) & Yoga
10:00 am: Brunch
12:00 pm: Creativity Practices
2:00 pm: Yoga Philosophy Talk/ Discussion with Swami Paramananda
4:00 pm: Afternoon Practice & iRest Yoga Nidra Guided Meditation
6:00 pm: Dinner
7:30 pm: Evening Silent Meditation & Program
10:00 pm: Lights out

Facilitators:

Molly Birkholm (Teaching at both Retreats) Molly Birkholm is a yoga and meditation teacher trainer, professional speaker, consultant, and author. She is the co-founder of Warriors at Ease and has helped pioneer evidence-based trauma-sensitive yoga and meditation programs for PTSD in the military and other communities affected by trauma and stress. Molly’s stress management programs, resilience training, and trauma treatment programs are used by leaders and top organizations. Molly teaches trainings and retreats around the world and also online on The Great Courses and as the host of the Women’s Empowerment Initiative on Yoga International. www.mollybirkholm.com

Swami Paramananda (Teaching at the January 13-18 Retreat) is the manager of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch and longtime teacher of Sivananda Yoga Teacher Trainings in the Bahamas, New York, and India. A much-loved teacher admired for his humor, warmth, and devotion to the practice, he seamlessly weaves classical yoga teachings into modern daily life. He is also a veteran after serving in the Israeli Special Forces.https://sivanandayogaranch.org