Join us October 25 for a One-Day Dayfulness Mind Retreat (also known as Mindfulness Day Retreat) with experienced yoga teachers: Kevin Leep & Sasha Saur.
Price includes a hearty breakfast snack, fresh juice, a nourishing vegetarian lunch, and endless hot tea. You’ll experience intentional and accessible yoga practice, pranayama, several forms of meditation & mudras, Tibetan sound healing, and an extended period of silence. We will also be sending everyone off with a gift at the end of the day.
The studio space we are using has some yoga equipment we can use, but plan to bring your own mat, and any comfort items (additional blankets, bolsters, eye pillows, etc). Remember you will be spending longer periods in seated meditation, so you may want your meditation cushion/bolster. Please let us know if you have accessibility needs, we are happy to accomodate! We also invite you to bring a journal for reflection.
Why a Dayfulness Mind Retreat?
Simply put, we become busy and we forget. We forget what it’s like to be with ourselves, to be quiet, to go inward. We forget who we are at the center or everything else.
The intention of mindfulness & meditation is to remember that place, to go into it, to notice. Kevin and Sasha both have a passion for the aspects of yoga that are often “forgotten/lost” by western studios or have been replaced by fitness-oriented studios. While western yoga has its place and has served many well, we love to dig into the essential components of mindfulness & yoga and share them with you!
In traditional yogic philosophy, our spiritual journey (mindfulness & meditation) and pranayama (breathing) come first, and the Asana (movement/postures) come after the mind & breath have been mastered. As you come to this one-day retreat, you’ll be exploring those original and essential principles of yoga: longer pranayama and meditation practice, periods of Noble Silence* and restorative walking meditations, traditional Yoga Asana, Yoga Nidra, Tibetan Sound Healing, and ample solitude/reflection time. We encourage that this time be free from distraction as you journey within: leave your phones and smartwatches in your bag, and come be fully present to the body, mind, and spirit.
*Often practiced by Buddhists: “Mouna” or “Noble Silence” is intentionally quieting the body, speech and mind. Mouna is a Buddhist concept meaning ‘measurement’ - specifically the measurement of words. Practicing Mouna means not speaking unnecessarily, a process which eventually leads to more meaningful and powerful speech.
Schedule:
7a - Arrival & Intros
Begin “Mouna / Noble Silence” - entirety of the morning*
Pranayama & Meditation
Yoga Practice
Fresh Juice & Breakfast Snack
Tibetan Sound Healing
Journaling & Reflection time and/or Walking Meditation
Lunch - break silence
Meditation & Pranayama
Yoga Practice
Sharing/Closing Time
5p - Farewell & Depart
Location:
The studio is called ie3 Center for Body Wellness and is located in the Cascade area of Grand Rapids, MI. The studio space has glorious big windows and views of the woods, as well as a cozy lobby with the hot tea bar that can be utilized during meals and silence. Walks through the trees behind the building are accessible and available during our break.
Google Maps Link
Cost:
The price for the full day is $325* (Due Oct 1) and a $75 non-refundable deposit is due at registration to save your space. You can find details for how to pay when you register below.
There is room for only 15 attendees, so be aware that spaces may fill quickly.
*We want this event to be accessible to anyone who would like to benefit from these practices. If you would like to attend but find finances a barrier, reach out to us and we can talk about options.
Facilitators:
Kevin Leep
Kevin completed his 200hr teacher hatha/ashtanga training in 2015 on a 28 day immersion in Bali, Indonesia. He attended two 10-Day Vipassana Meditation Retreats- Feb 2017 & Nov 2018. Vipassana means, “Insight”. The technique offers discerning understanding into the fluctuations of the mind.
In November 2020, Kevin began Tibetan Sound Healing training with Danielle Dvorak. His training has continued for yearly immersions into developing & creating better sound experience.
During covid in 2020, he discovered Yoga On The Inside, the online teaching of Eddie Modestini and Kristin Bosteels. This led to consistent practice and learning poses in a deeper, more purposeful way. Developing the endurance to place the mind in the tissues and open the body while attempting to maintain mental equilibrium. This led to his 300 HR training led by Iyengar teacher, Gabriel Halpern that focused on the therapeutics of yoga, using props to work with injuries, pre/post surgery, or understanding a posture from a different perspective. He graduated in August 2023. These trainings and teachers have helped develop Kevin’s voice and perspective into a safe and insightful asana practice, and aims to honor the tradition of yoga with its benefits and transformative potential in modern day.
www.kevinleep.com
Instagram: @kevleep
Sasha Saur
Sasha started personal training in 2009, with the goal to help accomodate and inspire strength & growth in creative ways. She noticed stress and adrenal fatigue was rampant and began introducing and guiding her clients through meditation & mindfulness practice 9 years ago. Her yoga practice & training shortly followed, and her mentality & journey was completely transformed.
As a Yoga teacher, Sasha focuses on using yoga as a vessel for students to tap into their whole person. Because of her own transformational experiences, she believes the yoga mat is where we can tap into our intuition, acknowledge fears, and are liberated and healed as we move and breathe. Sasha is an avid learner and has continued her education, from classic Vinyasa training, accessibility training, extensive mobility & injury training, mindfulness certification, Qigong training, and is currently finishing her 300HR Hatha training.
She developed “Imperfect Practice” because she believes that there is always room for awareness and each day the body, mind, and spirit arrive differently.
Every class will begin with pranayama, and include opportunities to explore the various facets of meditation, mindfulness, mudras, and asana.
www.imperfectpractice.org
Instagram: @sashasaurusrex
Yay! You made it this far and we are excited you want to attend: When you submit this form, consider yourself registered, and a $75 deposit to reserve your Spot will be required. the remaining $250 will be due October 1st.
You can Paypal/Venmo/ Send a check to us, or we can send you a digital invoice to pay via credit card (*additional 3% fees required for CC processing).
If you still have questions/thoughts/feelings before you sign up, send an e-mail to sash.saur@gmail.com or kevinleepyoga@gmail.com.