I just got back from my first every mini yoga retreat in Woodbourne, NY and I am full of bliss!
As a yoga student for basically half my life, this has been a long time coming. Mainly because I didn't see myself as a "yogi" and didn't want the seriousness of a yoga retreat. I practiced yoga more for the physical benefits (balance, flexibility and tone). The feeling of "joy" after a yoga class was an extra bonus. When you're in high school, you don't really care that much about how healthy your mental state because you're too busy dealing with teenage drama!
It wasn't until my early 20's that I realized how badly WE all needed a safe space to just simply breathe in and out, in and out, in and out. Just to focus on our breathing in order to get out of our head.
The importance of our mental health has come to the forefront of the American culture the past couple of years. This movement about taking care of not only our body, but also our mind and spirit has changed many lives for the better. I mean, #selfcare has over 5 million tags on Instagram!
Because of the awareness on social media, I've started following a ton of spiritual women who are the the quest to live their life in peace. These women hold retreats all over the world, but to get a spot is pretty pricey so I decided to head up 2 hours north of NYC to Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch to experience a spiritual weekend getaway.
Where: Woodbourne, NY (2 hours outside of NYC)
When: March 31st-April 1st
Weather: AM 39 degrees, PM 45-50 degrees
An ashram is a spiritual community made up of volunteers of all denominations. It is a very welcoming and peaceful retreat that incorporates meditation, yoga and more. Be mindful of the ashram rules of dressing modestly, shoes off, not being wasteful and not bringing any animal products.
My friend, Persia, and I left early Saturday morning during Easter weekend. We got there around 10am while everyone was in the middle of a Passover/Seder celebration. Since we got there after they started, we couldn't join in so the volunteer watching the front desk suggested we head over to the sauna. Persia and I looked at each other, trying to hold in our excitement, and quickly made our way over. It was a cool 150 degrees where we relaxed in there for over an hour. We were so warm that when we walked out of the little sauna hut, we were able to stand in our swimsuits in the cold for over 10 minutes, just soaking in the beauty of nature and the sun rays! We were giggling the whole time with disbelief that it was 45 degrees out and we were just standing around in our swimsuits! It was a perfect start to our 24 hour visit.
When we went back into the main hall, we were greeted with a generous seder meal! One of the volunteers made us both a large plate with homemade matzo ball soup, quinoa dish, artichoke, salad, potatoes and this bread-y lasagna dish. Then we were offered dessert, to which they would not take a "we'll share" for an answer! All the meals are vegetarian where they also follow a Ayurveda diet of no garlic or onions.
Once we were bursting with fullness, we decided to head upstairs and lounge around at the library. It was a quaint room filled with so many spiritual books! It was heaven for me and I only wish that I had a longer stay so I could read as many books as I could!
Around 1pm, we joined a group for a nice 40 minute nature walk on their grounds. We went along the "Om" trail where we walked down hills, crossed streams and passed a small temple. It was a nice walk after a full lunch.
After lunch, we attended a "Find your Voice" workshop for 2 hours. Our teacher, a former piano teacher, had us chanting, listening and dancing from our root chakra. It was a fun, uncomfortable experience that I wholeheartedly took in. Once the workshop was over, I headed to a very traditional Hatha yoga class with Shyam.
The first half an hour was focused on breathing exercise, and WOW was I frustrated with the Pranayama breathing technique! But I am so glad I stuck through it because our teacher guided us through numerous yoga poses that I don't get to experience in my normal yoga classes (think all the crazy "how do you do that!" yoga poses on Instagram). But once it was over, I felt so spiritually grounded. I was even more grateful to our teacher, Shyam, because he took some time to answer my questions about the breathing exercises that made me so frustrated. I was so grateful that I found myself putting both hands on my heart while chatting with him.
(Shyam, right, photo from Sivanandayogaranch.org)
This was pretty much the first day! We didn't join the group for Satsang, which is a 30-minute silent meditation, kirtan / chanting, spiritual lecture they have every morning and night since we decided we needed to rest. We settled into our very simple double room ($110/night) with a breathtaking view of the mountains and went to bed early with the amazing blue moon lit above us.
The next morning, we missed Satsang again (scheduled at 6am) and Yoga (scheduled at 8am) to sleep in for a bit. Around 8am, I decided to soak in more of the nature that is a rarity when living/working in NYC and went for a walk to the Siva temple at the top of the hill where I journaled. Then I spent some time in the library reading about Reiki before heading downstairs for a delicious brunch with rice and daal (my favorite combination!).
We went back to the sauna for 20 minutes and then sadly, headed back to our New York city lives. But the zen that I received in my very short visit is still with me, and I am SO grateful that this ashram exists! When you are surrounded by nature AND kindness, you can't help but feel at peace.
I packed as light as I could with the 45 degree Spring weather in mind. Since I was driving, I carried my yoga mat (even though they have community yoga mats to borrow), my Tumi deflatable bag, my Dagne Dover backpack and a bag of snacks (their eating schedule was sparse and very intimidating!). They have a boutique open certain hours during the day (run by the volunteers) where they sell tea bags, light snacks, books, shirts, sweaters, yoga pants, CD's and organic toiletries. The site gives us a lot of information about what to pack. Since it is an ashram, you aren't there to dress up just for yoga. Instead, you dress as simply and comfortably as possible and making sure to cover your shoulders and knees.
What I packed for 24 hours at the ashram:
- 1 pair loose comfortable pants
- 1 pair of yoga pants
- 2 t-shirts covering my shoulders
- 3 pairs of socks (1 wool for sleeping)
- set of PJs
- light sweater
- meditation shawl
- indoor slippers (you take your shoes off in the main hall and in the homes)
- toothbrush, toothpaste, face cleanser, lotion, body wash, wash cloth
- Saje essential oils (I take this wherever I go, you never know when you'll need it!)
- Motrin, insect repellent, cough drops, nail file
- 1 pair of Nike free
- green apple, AB&J (almond butter), rice chips
- 1 book
- journal and pen
- cell phone charger
- a tumbler for water and/or tea
- swimsuit and small towel
What I wish I packed:
- hiking boots or rain boots! Since it was early Spring and there was still snow on the ground melting, we were walking in a lot of mud during our nature walk.
Very simple, no frills packing list for those who want to visit an ashram in the Spring. Simplicity is key to enjoying a peaceful, low-stress weekend away :)
