Retreats

Somatic Embodiment of Rest Retreat

Wakefied, QC, Canada

*July 26~28, 2024*

Join Jaya for an incredible weekend of Somatic embodiment, both exercises and experiences, to let your nervous system release deeply, while grounding into the core of your body. Let go of muscle bracing and inner resistance and find your way into the subtlety of your being, as we immerse ourselves in nature, sacred community, a restful forest setting and enjoy spectacularly prepared Ayurvedic food.

This Retreat will provide you with a multitude of Somatic tools to transform your health on all levels, that of possible clients, family and friends. Your body, mind and spirit will learn and experience how to unwind deeply, and your nervous system will remember and enjoy what it is to rest, in ways that it may have long forgotten.

Themes:

• Discovering & Uncovering your Nervous System
• The Vagus Nerve, how trauma both affects it and how it can be healed and regulated
• Tracking thwarted fight, flight and freeze (FFF) responses through related body sensations
• Discharging engrained stress & trauma responses and rewiring ourselves somatically
• Accessing emotions through the body, and reconnecting with our intuition through interoception (gut sense)
• Getting comfortable with fear, shame, anxiety, grief, healthy aggression, and related boundary-setting
• Discovering somatic exercises that can aid to ground, regulate and calm the Nervous System
•  Enhancing capacity for self-regulation and creation of new body memories for the life we long for
• Using the wisdom of neuroplasticity to help us transform stress-related habit patterns and behaviors
• Intergenerational trauma and cultivating ancestral resources to enhance connection and our vitality
• Employing trauma-healing as a portal to spirituality by waking up through the body, and living with embodied awareness
• Healing session demos with various individuals within the group to illuminate the work

***

“10 Day Somatics & Ayurveda: Embodiment of Grace Retreat in Bali”

*November 29~December 8, 2024*

Join Jaya and Tiffany for an incredible Somatic and Ayurvedic experience to ground yourself into your body, and let your mind and Spirit soar amidst the moving beauty of the island. This Retreat will help you to become trauma~informed, and also provide tremendous Somatic, Ayurvedic and Yogic tools to transform your own health, that of your possible clients, family and friends. It will also help you to reconnect with the profound healing power of nature through these ancient and modern sciences that revere the same simple, healthful principles at their cores.

This Island of the Gods will feed you through the energy of the one million prayers offered to her each day amidst the 1,000 temples that receive them. The Island’s Temples will bless you, and its waterfalls, water pools and Water Temples cleanse and nourish you! Your body, mind and spirit will come back to life through embodied practice, engaged learning, pure presence, nourishing food, beautiful community, and unexpected blessings of Grace.

The Eco~sustainable resort where we will stay up in the mountains, within a luscious green valley, is surrounded by fresh water springs and mountain streams that cascade down into a twelve-meter waterfall and rock pool that we can swim in. There are multiple food forests and sculptured rice terraces, and welcomed 5 degree cooler temperatures at 480 meters above sea level. The resort thrives on permaculture principles and provides for 75% of the food in the restaurant (uses no chemical fertilizers or pesticides). The filtered spring water is sourced directly from nearby Mount Batukaru, likely the purest water you will drink in Bali (straight from the taps!)

***

Tiffany Nicholson~Smith is an International Teacher, Ayurvedic Practitioner (Doctor), and a Lover of Life, sharing the gifts of Meditation, Yoga & Ayurveda globally. Over the last 2 decades she has had the opportunity to study and submerge herself in ongoing teachings and extensive retreats with her teachers, immersing herself deeply into Advaita Vedanta, Tantra, Hatha Yoga & Ayurveda. Tiffany is most known for bringing her clarity of sight and commitment towards revealing truth into each of her offerings.

She is the founder of Vichara Yoga, a very unique offering of Classical Yoga that combines the fullness of the Hatha Yoga Path along with deep Inquiry & Meditative presence. She has also founded Rasa Ayurveda, a School, Clinical Practice & Apothecary sharing the authentic, healing wisdom of Ayurveda. Tiffany lives in the forested hills of Quebec, where she teaches at her Vichara Yoga Shala and offers Ayurvedic consultations in her cozy clinic. She also travels worldwide offering Retreats, Trainings and Immersions/YTTs, as well as Ayurvedic Consultations and Private Sessions through her mobile clinical practice. For more info, please visit: www.tiffanynicholson-smith.com

DAILY SCHEDULE:

7-7:30 am – Meditation

7:30-9 am – Yoga

9-9:45 am – Dincharya

10 am – Brunch

12-2pm – Somatic and/or Ayurvedic Session

2-4 pm – Somatic 1:1s

4-5 pm – Yoga

5pm – Dinner

8-8:30 pm – Meditation or Evening Sadhana

OUTINGS & SPECIAL ACTIVITIES:

Visit Taman Beji Griya Water Temple and Waterfall on the way to the Eco Sustainable Resort in the mountains (one hour northwest of Ubud).

Welcome by the village women who will teach us how to make Balinese offerings followed by a blessing with the local Manku (local Priest) in the temple.

Visit to Pura Luhur Batukaru Hindu Temple on the December 1st New Moon where the Balinese bring flower and fruit offerings and pray to the light within.

Visit to the nearby Pantai Kelecung beach.

Visit and swim at the 2 waterfalls on the property.

Enjoy a 3 hour trek through the surrounding villages, food forests and rice paddies. 

Take some afternoons and/or evenings off to enjoy hiking, swimming or spa treatments at the Resort.

Our last evening, enjoy traditional gamelan music played alongside a ceremonial bonfire (weather permitting).

OFFERINGS:

Somatic Work:

• Discovering & Uncovering your Nervous System
• The Vagus Nerve, and how trauma both affects both the sacred space within us and in turn can be healed and regulated
• How to work with memory and track thwarted fight, flight and freeze (FFF) responses through related body sensations
• Discharging engrained trauma response and rewiring how stress lives in us somatically
• Identifying and integrating intergenerational trauma and calling upon ancestral healing to enhance our aliveness & joy of Being
• Accessing emotions through the body, reconnecting with our intuition, and getting comfortable with healthy boundary-setting
• Using the wisdom of neuroplasticity to help us transform the hormones of stress-related habit patterns and behaviors
• Reorient to living vital, free, easeful lives
• Discovering somatic exercises that can aid to ground, regulate and calm the Nervous System
•  Enhancing your capacity for self-regulation and creation of new body memories for the life we long for
• Employing trauma-healing as a portal to spirituality by waking up through the body, and living with embodied awareness
• Healing session demos will take place with various individuals within the group that will illuminate the work and bring applicability

Vichara Yoga: 

• Asana: Discover the profound wisdom of every unique sacred geometry
• Bandhas & Mudras: Classical ‘locks’ and ‘seals’ that offer potent revelations
• Pranayama: Experience daily extended practices of the classical pranayama techniques
• Dharana: Concentration practices that amplify ones attention and clarity of mind
• Dhyana: Daily Meditations at the beginning and end of each day
• Subtle Anatomy: Chakras, Nadis, Gunas, Dhatus, Vayus and Koshas

Ayurveda:

• Understanding the Doshas (Constitutions) as well as Prakruti & Vikruti
• Exploring the 3 Pillars: Diet, Sleep & Sex
• Exploring the 3 Causes of Disease
• Developing a Dinacharya (Daily Routine) & Rutucharya (Seasonal Routine)
• AyurYoga: Applying Ayurvedic considerations to our yoga practice
• Simple Herb Preparation and uses
• Ayurvedic Cooking & Mindful Eating – Rasas, Viruddhi, etc.
• Agni & Ama
• Introduction to Ayurveda – Mahabhutas, Doshas, Prakruti and Vikruti
• Exploring the 3 Treatments for Health: Ahara, Vihara & Aushadhi

Other Offerings:

• Nidra Yoga: The Yoga of Sleep, Dreams and the Power of Deep Relaxation
• Nada Yoga: The Yoga of Sacred Sound, Rhythm & Mantra
• Kriya Yoga: The Yoga of Purification of the physical, energetic and mental bodies
• Kirtan: Sharing of devotional song, chanting and musical celebration

Investment:

Private Bedroom Bungalow: $3,500 CAD or $2,575 USD

Private Bedroom Shared Bungalow: $3,200 CAD each or $2,355 USD

Shared Twin Bedroom Bungalow: $2,500 CAD each or $1,840 USD 

Take $100 CAD off! Earlybird until August 29, 2024

Feel free to send payment by Interac e~transfer to Jaya’s email or via Wise. If you prefer to send a deposit, cost is $1,000 CAD or USD. Payment can also be made via PayPal below (incl 3% surcharge). If you would like USD amounts for PayPal, please email Jaya and she can send you an invoice.

Includes:

Beautiful Eco accommodation, incredible food complimentary to the Yogic lifestyle, wonderful outings, 1 traditional Balinese massage, most transportation, including pick up in Ubud at 12pm on Friday, November 29th and drop~off in Ubud on Sunday, December 8th around 12pm, and all transport during the Retreat.

Travel:

Flights into Denpasar Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport and then take a 1-1.5 hour taxi ($30 USD or $40 CAD) to Ubud. We will pick people up from there and return them there.

You will also need a visa. The 30 day B213 Tourist Visa (Approx $35 USD and $50 CAD) should work well. Please consult with Jaya directly before purchasing.

• CE credits are available for Yoga Teachers and Ayurvedic Practitioners

Praise from February 2024 Somatics & Ayurveda Retreat in Bali:

It is hard describe how transformative this Retreat was for me. I have been to dozens of yoga retreats and Panchakarma. But none have altered me so deeply. The combination of expertise in both Heather’ s Ayurvedic yoga practices and Jaya Somatic healing sessions are a healing experience everyone can benefit from. I’ll be returning. And they have deeply influenced my own medical practice too. I now believe that their approach is crucial to transforming our treatments of trauma & it’s deep psychological scars.

~ Dr Molly Shorthouse, BScBMBS(Hons) FACRRM (AST Mental Health), Australia

I came to this retreat for many reasons: Having a deep trust and respect for Tiffany and her traditional yoga teachings. Being curious about somatic therapy and Jaya’s approach towards it. Then there’s Bali, a tropical place where spirit is alive in its culture – where a million prayers are said everyday. And finally, there was a block. A wall of anxiety I have been hitting my head against for months, or years even. Something I was fully aware of but at a loss as to what it was and how to more on from it. My heart knew though. The moment I read about the retreat heart said ‘this was where I needed to go.’

Through the nourishing environment created by these incredible women, a tiny window appeared in the wall. Somatic guidance gave light and space for a deep forgotten trauma to rise up and be acknowledged, expressed and heard. Yoga and breath supported its further release and the window became larger. By the end of the retreat, the wall had become the window. And there I stood in the new light of self. The support and love from Tiffany, Jaya and the other retreatants, made this journey possible for me to go through. I hold them all in my heart with great gratitude. I feel this retreat has set me free. Life is renewed, on an unknown path, with heart open and full of light, guiding the way.

~ Heather Malek, Film Artist, ON

Bali had been calling my name for some time so when the opportunity came along to attend Tiffany and Jaya’s 10-day yoga, ayurveda and somatics retreat, it felt so right. It provided me the container I very much needed to calmly pause and catch my breath from the hectic daily life I’ve been experiencing. The daily exercises, classes and exchanges were held in a beautiful and serene yet vibrant space and were deeply grounding and enriching; it was what my spirit was craving for lately. Some of the highlights for me were the open morning classes immersed in Bali’s beautiful and lush nature, learning about the balinese ceremonies and culture, and connecting with beautiful like-minded souls who travelled from across the world to be there. Starting the retreat as strangers with fellow retreatants, it quickly became a family to feel safe with, to be present together and to witness each other’s shifts throughout the process. I am very grateful for Tiffany and Jaya and the retreat.

~ Amanda Eid, Government worker, Ottawa, ON

The trip from Austria to Bali and Jaya & Tiffany’s Retreat was a solo trip, so I was all the more pleased that I was able to make friends for life at the Retreat. The Retreat was very professionally structured and offered me a profound heart opening, as well as the clarity and courage to choose a new career path by the end.

I highly recommend the Retreat to anyone who needs a fresh start in life or simply wants to recharge their batteries and learn more about the incredible healing and health practices of Yoga, Ayurveda and Somatic Trauma healing.

~ Ivan Djordjevic, Dance & Public Relations, Vienna, Austria

Retreat Location

Temples, Water Temples, Waterfall and Beach Visits:

***

“Regulating & Reconnecting Training & Retreat”

Bacalar, Costa Maya, Mexico: March 10~17, 2023

Jaya and her dear friend and colleague Athena Guzman-Poole, Shamanic Medicine Practitioner (www.earthtempleretreats.com), are feeling so inspired to combine their expertise in Somatic Trauma Integration and Shamanics to offer you an incredible experience that you won’t forget! It will take place in Bacalar, Mexico, one of the “Magic Towns” (Pueblos Magicos) at a gorgeous vacation rental on the 7 colored, turquoise Lagoon (same waters as above ~ also see pictures below!)

The Somatic part of the training guided by Jaya, will help us to understand how trauma affects our nervous system, stress physiology, emotions, behaviours and our lives. It will also help us to identify trauma symptoms, ways to integrate them somatically, using various practices and exercises, as well as using Neuroplasticity.

Her content will primarily draw on the work of Dr. Peter Levine (Somatic trauma integration, and founder of Somatic Experiencing), Dr. Gabor Mate (Trauma expert), Dr. Joe Dispenza (Neuroscience and neuroplasticity), and Dr. Norman Doidge, (Neuroscience and neuroplasticity), and Betsy Polatin (MFA, Somatic, Breath & Movement Specialist).

The Shamanic part of the training, guided by Athena, will engage us in experiential and personalized journeys, to help to regain our ability to draw wisdom, guidance and support from the Universal field of energy, and return us to sacred relationship with the wisdom of our ancestors, as well as the land through Ancestral healing and Earth-based ceremony.

It is for practitioners and lay people, and can help to trauma-inform your practice, yourself and support loved ones with related symptoms.

This Program will help participants to explore the following themes:

• What is the Central Nervous System, the Peripheral Nervous System, including the Autonomic Nervous System, and Somatic Nervous System, the Vagus Nerve, and fight, flight and freeze (FFF) responses
• How to work with memory, including intergenerational traumas, and track thwarted FFF responses through related body sensations to help heal stress physiology somatically
• Accessing emotions through the body, our guts (interoception) and getting comfortable with healthy aggression and related boundary-setting
• How neuroplasticity helps with trauma healing, including related meditations, and somatic exercises to ground and calm the CNS, enhance capacity for self-regulation and create new body memories
• Trauma healing and spirituality, increasing awareness and the pitfalls to be avoided
• Shamanic Wisdom teachings on reading energy and recognizing issues, the practice of crossing over trapped ancestors, bringing healing down the ancestral line
• Soul retrieval and ceremonial reclamation
• Working with the principles of Ayni, abundance and living in right relationship
• Learning how to make ceremonial offerings to the land, Despachos, fire offerings, land offerings, offerings to the guardians, and other practices
• Sovereignty and the relationship of power; the misuse of power and power dynamics and staying in integrity on our path

Spontaneous somatic healing sessions/demos will be offered as appropriate to either an individual and/or the group to encourage the wellness of the whole. All learning will happen in an organic way, interspersed with teachings, sharings, ceremonies and somatic exercises. Each participant is encouraged to honor their capacity and not override their systems while participating in/integrating the material.

Medicine Retreat Assisted with Jaya’s Somatic Sessions in Hawaii!

November 25-December 2, 2022