Upcoming Classes & Events:
September 3rd-6th - The Heart of Renewal Labor Day Weekend Retreat with Jill Leslie & Chrisandra Fox in Glen Ellen, visit www.YogaTreeSF.com for details & registration
September 19th & 26th, Sundays, 2-5PM, Cleanse & Renew Seasonal Cleanse at 7th Heaven Yoga Studio in Berkeley See class descriptions for details. Cost: $95 (includes 2 meals) Cleansing kits will be provided for an additional fee of $55
*Individual consultations available, $75 for 1 1/2 hour personal consultation and 30 minute follow-up phone session
Call 7th Heaven to pre-registrar, 510.665.4300
October 3rd, Sunday, 11-5PM, Art in Nature, Nature in Art,Redwood Regional Park, Oakland, Visit Kitchen Alchemy’s Siddah Jala Installation. We will be preparing and serving ‘Ayurvedic medicated waters’ alongside the stream at this interactive festival. Visit www.artinnaturefestival.com to find out more about this extraordinary event.
October 7th-October 28th, Thursday Evenings, 6-9PM, Living Ayurveda: A Back to Basics Approach to Cultivating Vitality & Longevity
In this 4 week course you will learn the foundational principles and practices of this ancient holistic healthcare system. This class is ideal for anyone that wants to refine their diet & lifestyle practices and improve the quality of their life.This is a hands on class. We will cover theory, but more importantly you will have the opportunity to put the principles into action and embody these practices. You will recive a 40 page booklet with theory, recipes, practices and so much more!Health care practitioners, yoga teachers, and anyone that is in a healing profession, will learn ways to empower their clients to help them achieve their optimum level of well being. Cost: $195, Pre-reg by Sept 10th, Class size limited to 10 students. Email for class syllabus, kitchenalchemy@gmail.com
October 10th, Sunday, 9:30 -5:30PM, Yoga Belly: Awakening Your Digestive Fire, Vitality & Femininity with Jill Leslie & Chrisanda Fox- Day Long Retreat for Women at Tara Bella Villa
Do you suffer from poor digestion? Excess weight? Low energy? General blah? Do you love your belly? Or do you try to hide inside of it?
This daylong retreat for women will guide you to your core and help you cultivate the power of healing through yoga, ayurveda, and meditation practices designed to awaken digestive power, vitality and the natural beauty of your femininity.
As female creatures, our digestion is a delicate system influenced not only by what we eat, but also by hormonal and seasonal changes, what we think and how we feel. This workshop will empower you to become more familiar with your own unique digestive system and the belly that contains it, and to embody the feminine vitality that arises naturally when you honor yourself with mindful care, innate intelligence, and a few traditional secrets.
You will learn the art of yogic cleansing and strengthening practices in a sequence designed to stoke your inner fire and support digestive health and emotional balance. You will also receive a restorative practice to bring healing awareness to your belly, and sound meditation and visualizations to transform held patterns of negativity and nourish your belly – and your entire being – whole.
During two sessions in ayurveda, the ancient holistic healthcare system from India, you will learn about your unique constitution and how to support your digestion through diet, herbs, belly massage, and simple ayurvedic home remedies. Enjoy a simple, cleansing, and delicious lunch, time for soaking in the hot tub and lounging by the pool, having a massage, and being in Nature with a supportive community of women.
The Heart of Renewal Retreats offer a step away from the busy-ness of daily life to support the awakening of our natural states of witnessing, ease of heart, and joy. In this beautiful setting, we strengthen self-knowledge through refining our rhythms of practice, nourishment, connection to nature, creativity, and community.
REGISTER at yogatreesf.com
January 2011, The Yoga of Everyday Life: Beyond Asana, Self Care for the Yogi with Jill Leslie & Chrisandra Fox, Retreat at Tara Bella Villa, Details Soon..
February 20th, 2011, Yoga Belly: Awakening Your Digestive Fire, Vitality & Femininity with Jill Leslie & Chrisanda Fox- Day Long Retreat for Women at Tara Bella Villa
February 12th & 13th 2011, Ayurveda & Vedic Astrology with Jill Leslie & Sam Geppi- 10Am-6PM, A(including a delicious Ayurvedic lunch!) at Yoga Mandala, Details soon…
Spring 2011, Spring Break :Cleanse & Renew, with Jill Leslie & Chrisandra Fox, Retreat at Tara Bella Villa, Details Soon..
June 2011, The Alchemy of Ayurveda & Yoga Mela, Details TBA
Ongoing Classes:
Wednesday Evenings, 6:00-7:30PM, Vinyasa Flow, 7th Heaven Yoga Studio in Berkeley .This class is suitable for all levels.
Friday Evenings, 4:30-6:00pm, Mindful Vinyasa Flow, 7th Heaven Yoga Studio in Berkeley
Mindful Vinyasa incorporates the fluidity of a vinyasa practice with Buddhist principles on breath and sensation awareness. This class is suitable for all levels. A mindful vinyaysa practice is a lovely way to transition into your weekend.
The Alchemy of Ayurveda & Yoga Workshops
Contact Jill Leslie to host a workshop in your community, info@KitchenAlchemyTreats.Com
Ayurveda Demystified ~ The Enchanting Journey Toward Balance
Discover the basic principles and practices of Ayurveda in this introductory level workshop. Students will have the opportunity to determine their body constitution (Vata/Pitta/Kapha). We will review simple and effective dietary guidelines & lifestyle practices to support and harmonize the body and the mind. The beauty of Ayurveda is in its profound simplicity. With a basic understanding and application of its principles we can truly make profound and lasting changes in our lives.
Ayurveda ~ The Daily Routine
Living Harmoniously in Rhythm with the Flow of Nature
How we live our life determines the quality of our health and our experience of life. A daily routine is essential for creating radical change in body, mind, and consciousness. Ayurveda utilizes numerous daily routines to support a healthy body and a tranquil mind. These foundational practices are easy to incorporate into your life and potent in their effectiveness in maintaining optimum health and harmonizing the body, and spirit. We will cover diet and lifestyle practices including pranayama (breathing techniques) and asana (yoga postures) to restore and maintain balance i n the body/mind. After asana practice, students will learn daily rituals and routines to incorporate into their lifestyle.
Let Your Food Be Your Medicine
Reme
mber, your food becomes you! Eat to nourish your body, calm your mind and satisfy your senses. Ayurveda highlights the importance of digestion and diet as the key to wellness. The ancient texts on Ayurveda have clear guidelines about which foods are the most nourishing, the most easily digestible, and those most often found to be the source of illness. There is a saying in Ayurveda “When your diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.” In this class students will learn these ancient, tried and true principles, as well as recipes, menu planning, and why some people are challenged by food sensitivities and how to overcome them.
The Skin Eats
Ayurvedic Herbal Preparations & Aromatherapy for Health, Beauty & Wellness
Ayuvedic body care products are more than simple cleansers. They have been used since ancient times as a means of nourishing the tissues of the body through the application and absorption of oils, herbs and powders.
Students will make herbal body care products and learn about the healing properties of each ingredient and how they can be used to balance individual constitutions and health concerns. These are hands on workshops providing skill s, recipes and samples to take home. Students will learn to make abhyanga (massage) oil, facial masks and cleansers, tooth powder, hair oil and nasya (nasal) oil.
Kitchen Alchemy: Ayurvedic Chutneys & Churnas
Spices & The Secret to Proper Digestion
“Let Your Food Be Your Medicine & Let Your Medicine Be Delicious!”
The role of chutneys and churnas (spice blends) were tra ditionally used as digestive aids. Learn the art of making spice blends and delicious condiments to enhance the flavors of your food and ensure proper digestion. This hands on workshop will provide you with invaluable tricks & tools that can be incorporated into any meal or snack. We will explore the qualities of common herbs & spices and how to use them to balance the body and the mind.Chutneys and churnas are easy to make and add an exotic touch to any meal. Recipes and samples will be provided for students to bring home.
Cleanse & Renew
The Yoga & Ayurveda : The One Day Cleanse
Cleansing is an essential tool for tuning the body to the rhythms of the earth and strengthening the body from the inside out. It gives the body, mind and senses a rest from constant challenges and the chance to eliminate excess toxins. By making simple dietary and life-style changes, reducing stress, eliminating toxins, and improving nutritional intake, remarkable shifts take place.
Incorporating a cleansing day into your week is a versatile practice. It is a way to allow the digestive system to rest and gently flush toxins from the system before they begin to accumulate and create blockages and health concerns with out having to commit a great deal of time. In Sanskrit it is called Upavaas and means ’staying close to yourself or gaining knowledge of yourself.’
Cleansing days can be done weekly, monthly or simply when you feel a bit sluggish.Recipes will be included, as well as lifestyle practices, pranayama and yoga poses to support the body in its cleansing process.
Potential Benefits of Cleansing: *Eliminate Toxins * Increase Energy * Improve Skin Appearance * Reduce Stress * Weight Loss *Fewer Body Aches & Pains *Clarity & Peace of Mind
Cleanse & Renew
The Yoga & Ayurveda 9-day Seasonal Cleanse
(Two Part Workshop, Offered on Two Consecutive Weekends)
This is a good cleanse to do 4 times a year—just before the change of seasons. Done in this way it will eliminate the toxins that cause seasonal illnesses before they make you sick.
During the 1st Workshop: *Introduction to Ayurveda * Personal Body Constitution Analysis * Detoxification Theory & Practice * Cleansing Asana Class * Ayurvedic Meal * Set Intentions & Goals
During the 2nd Workshop: * Review Cleansing Process, Goals & Intentions * Provide Guidelines for Post Cleanse Diet & Lifestyle * Guidelines for Staying Healthy During Autumn & Winter * Cleansing Asana Class * Ayurvedic Meal
Cost: $95 (includes 2 meals) Cleansing kits will be provided for an additional fee of $55
*Individual consultations available, $75 for 1 1/2 hour personal consultation and 30 minute follow-up phone session
Yin/Yang Yoga
Finding Stillness in Movement and Movement in Stillness
Experience this unique style of yoga that combines the yang active aspect of our nature with our receptive yin qualities, creating a deep integrated practice.
The first half of class will evoke our lunar nature with long slow holds, releasing connective tissue and en hancing energy flow and distribution. With the body safely opened and warmed, we will move into our more active portion of class, expressing solar radiant qualities with rhythmic fluid movement.
The class will end with a lovely Yoga Nidra practice which is both restorative and anchors our commitment to lasting transformation.
Beyond the Kama Sutra
The Use of Rejuvenating & Aphrodisiac Herbs from the Ayurvedic Pharmocopeia.
Perhaps two of the most unique aspects of Ayurveda is the specialized branch of medicine that incorporates rejuvenative tonics and aphrodisiacs as part of a daily routine. Aphrodisiac herbs are used to rebuild and revitalize the body and mind, slow down the aging process, nourish and reinvigorate the reproductive organs, increase fertility and sexual desire, and alleviate anxiety & depression.
In this workshop we will focus on the most potent rejuvenative and aphrodisiac herbs as well as the anupana, or delivery method, to reach the most subtle channels and deepest tissues in the body. We will make and sample lickables, eatables and elixirs. Class will include recipes and sample for participants.