A unique Eco Luxury destination, Playa Viva offers a relaxing and tranquil vibe surrounded by miles and miles of beach.  A beachfront property right on the Pacific Ocean with unspoiled nature in a luxurious setting with an environmentally conscious resort dedicated to sustainability and regenerative practices. Relax in eco-luxury rooms, each with a beachfront view, including  an award-winning oceanfront Treehouse. Immerse yourself in nature, yoga, and relaxation and rejuvenate and connect to your soul. 

This will be a 25-hour training moving from the outside in, a deep dive into the journey through the koshas!  The practice of yoga and meditation help us to untangle the many layers of our being bringing us closer to our hearts. In this six day training, Joan will guide you through the outer most layer, and into your deeper layers through the practices of asana, pranayama, and meditation. Each day will open with a practice focusing around a specific theme helping to access a specific layer.  After practice, enjoy a long brunch, relax by the ocean, and take a dunk in the pool! You will have access to massage, miles of beachfront property, and quiet spots to help you relax and rejuvenate. We will reconvine in the late afternoon for a discussion and lecture, followed by a quiet restoring practice in the early evening. End the day with dinner watching the sunset and enjoying relaxing vibes from a like minded community of yogis!

Please see the itinerary for the day by day schedule. 

If you have a desire to deepend your yoga practice and if you are an inspiring yoga teacher seeking continual education, this trip is for you!  For students working towards their three hundred hour program with The School of Yoga, this will be thirty hours towards your certificate, once you complete the homework! 

For more information see below!

This will be my fourth retreat to Playa Viva and I love this retreat center! A place to get quiet, nurture your soul, and come back to yourself! 

7am - Coffee & Tea light snack

8am - Yoga practice - two practice including asana, meditation, and pranayama

10am - Breakfast

11am - 2pm - Relax beachside, massage, and excursions.

2pm - Lunch

3:30pm -6:30pm - Discussion and Practice

7pm - Sunset & Dinner

8pm - Relax in lounge 

We will begin with a grounding practice at 4pm, followed by an introduction circle. Joan will introduce the koshas and the first layer, the Anamaya Kosha, the outer most layer. 

We will explore twisting postures and the nadis. Pranayama will be intertwined as we move from the outside in. Joan will introduce the energetic body known as the Pranamaya Kosha.

Practice will finish at 10am and brunch and relaxation will follow.

We will meet up again at 4:30pm for a discussion on pranayama, including the nadies and vayus, that help to transport prana.. The day will end with a pranayama practice followed by dinner and the sunset. 

Practice will start at 7am with a brief meditation before moving into an inversion practice. Inversions help us access our pranayama kosha and balance out our nervous system. They can also bring up fear, so learning to watch and observe are thoughts are key. We will explore the gunas and our mental fluctuations and end with a meditation. 

We will meet up again at 4:30pm and discuss the Manamaya Kosha and learn about  the energies that fluctuate here and the difference between our lower and higher mind. . We will close with restoratives and a meditation practice before heading to dinner and sunset. 

We will begin the day at 7am with an energizing practice including pranayama techniques to energize the system and introduce the bandhas. We will move into an  arm balances practice which helps to build confidence and strength. . We will discuss the bandhas and how they help us access lightness and ease in challenging postures. We will also discuss the asmita (ego) and how when active, can increase  the tendencies towards the lower mind. 

Brunch and relaxation will follow.

Class will meet up again at 4:30pm and we will discuss how to develop our inner witness through accessing our higher mind called the Vijnamaya Kosha. We will close with a quiet yin and restorative practice before moving into a mediation.. 

Dinner and Sunset will follow. 

We will open the day at 7am moving into backbending and inversion practice.. When practiced with awareness,, backbends can have  many positive benefits on our system and leave us feeling rejuvenated and open. We will discuss what the Anandamaya Kosha, which is our bliss layer that connects us to our heart center, and how it can be accessed through practice.

Brunch and relaxation will follow.

We will meet up again at 4:30pm and discuss the highest practice of all,, surrender. They say in the Yoga Sutras, that if we can learn to surrender, we've mastered the higher wisdom that yoga is teaching us. We will do some journaling and a discussion before closing with a meditation practice and a gratitude circle.

Dinner and sunset will follow along with a closing circle by the bonfire. 

Practice will begin at 8am and include a well rounded practice, helping us to integrate everything we've learned. Hugs, good byes, and a photo before everyone departs. At Playa Viva, you can take your time leaving to soak in the exquisite nature of this special place.