seva journal

February 25 – March 3
LIFE IS SHORT. COME TO BALI.

Join yogi Michele Fife at the beautiful Soulshine Retreat Center in Ubud, Bali! From the moment you step off the plane let the warmth and rich culture of this tropical eden embrace you.

Enjoy all of the comforts of home and let the stress melt away in this jungle paradise. From daily Yoga classes to the delicious authentic Balinese cuisine this is your escape into the extraordinary. Every day a new adventure awaits — riding elephants, visiting the Sacred Monkey Temple, or white-water rafting! Or perhaps spend a relaxing day sunning by the pool and enjoying one of the many local Balinese spa treatments.

Each day will begin with a wonderful wakeup Yoga Vinyasa on our studio overlooking rice patties and the jungle, followed by a local Balinese breakfast served to you by the pool. And then the day is yours to enjoy at your leisure. A Yoga Master Class will be led on three of the evenings, designed to inspire and challenge you. Space is limited and life is short, so don’t miss out on this trip of a lifetime.

Photos from our previous Bali retreat:

Costs:

TERRACE VILLA : 10 spaces
$1250 per person – Double occupancy

LOTUS VILLA : 14 spaces
$1050 per person – Double occupancy

includes: Accommodations, Daily Breakfast, All Yoga Classes, 1 Hour Massage, Airport Transfers

Schedule:

Sat Feb 25: Arrive in Bali! Welcome drink and group dinner followed by a restorative yoga class
Sun thru Fri: Vinyasa Yoga 7am-8:30am, 10am breakfast buffet, then enjoy these days on the island!
Sun, Tues, and Thurs: Master Classes 6pm-7:45pm
Sat Mar 3: 7am Yoga, Group Luncheon Buffet, Farewell Paradise!

Complete schedule and updates will be given to you at the welcome dinner ~ please stay open to the flow, as the schedule may shift

Register with your $500 deposit now to reserve your space!

Contact Michele Fife for any questions you may have!

*deposit is non-refundable

with Chicago yoga teacher Remi Gonzalez
Saturday, April 9, 1-3 p.m.

Learn the basics of Forrest Yoga, and start to heal your body, relationships and life with a stronger connection to your body and spirit.

Find your Breath.

Feel your Strength.

Live your Integrity.

Nourish your Spirit.

These are the four pillars of Forrest Yoga. Take them with you off the mat, and they can transform your life. Forrest Yoga honors ancient yoga practices, and addresses the physical and emotional challenges unique to life today. Injuries, relationships, work and life transitions can be healed with the connection to your body and spirit that Forrest Yoga creates.

Learn the basics of Forrest Yoga and apply them immediately during a 90-minute class. Afterward, we’ll address your questions and discuss how to continue your journey.

www.forrestyoga.com

Remi Gonzalez is a certified yoga teacher based in Chicago, and has studied with Ana Forrest since 2005.

Cost is $30/pp.

Expand your awareness of the rhythm of life as you embrace a…
24-Hour Reset with Michele Fife And Marro Spehar

Pierce Cedar Creek Institute . 701 West Cloverdale Road . Hastings . MI 49058

YOGA . HIKING . DRUMMING . VEGETARIAN MEALS

Exhale at PCC with Michele and Marro for a 24-Hour Reset designed to calm the mind, open the body and relax the spirit.

Arrive at Pierce Cedar Creek in the mid afternoon and let the journey begin as you drop your bags in your room and allow yourself to unwind at the 661 acre nature facility. We’ll begin the guided activities at 5:00 PM. Marro will lead an afternoon Yoga (Sadhana) before sitting down for dinner at 6:30 PM. Saturday evening finds us exploring our innate relationship to rhythm. We will be led in an experiential drumming workshop – weather permitting, around a fire pit at 7:30. After finding our rhythm, unwind with a restorative Pranayama and Yoga Nidra session with Michele and Marro, 9:30pm.

Sunday morning brings an inspiring Yoga session with Michele at 8am before enjoying breakfast observed in Loving Silence at 9:15AM. Sunday morning is yours to explore the forests, fields and wetlands. Our closing lunch will be at 1pm.

June 4 & 5
Cost: $180 single, $160 double

Includes:
Overnight Accommodations
3-Vegetarian Meals
2-Yoga Classes
Drum Circle

Participation is limited. Register now!

*cancelled reservations subject to $50 cancellation fee.

March 26/27

Emotional and spiritual transformation evolve within a place of safety & security. We spark this transformation by fulfilling our moral obligation to provide our students and ourselves with a physically safe practice.

Optimal alignment enables us to create simple modifications for individual physical conditions, thereby providing the security needed to change and heal. This will be an interactive, hands-on workshop from which you will glean practical information to support your teaching and/or enrich your personal time on the mat.

Accessible Modifications and Adjustments
March 26, 1:30pm – 6:30pm
Exploring the postural template: applying and adapting it to your body as well as seeing it and guiding others to do the same. With this awareness, exploring pose modifications for oneself and others keeping body type, injuries and sensitivities in mind. The use of props and best adjustment techniques will be reviewed.

The Ethics of Yoga
March 27, 1pm – 4pm
A discussion of ethics as it applies to the seat of the yoga teacher with interactive group work and practical applications.

Saturday, March 19 · 2:00pm – 4:00pm

This class is for you if you want:
*Rapid, lasting weight loss
*Elimination or marked decrease of cellulite
*Firming and tightening of the facial skin
*Increased circulation to create a healthy glow
*An awesome increase in energy throughout the day
*Reduction of wrinkles and under-eye circles

Workshop is half juicy nutrition and lifestyle detox tips; half yoga practice awesomeness. Wear something comfy. Start living the life you’ve always imagined for yourself. Space is limited. Register now to save your place.

March 5 & 6

Principles of Ashtanga Yoga
Sat, March 5, 2:00 – 4:00pm
Ashtanga is the root of modern vinyasa. It is a powerful practice designed to bring about total balance of body, mind and spirit. Through this workshop you will learn and practice the foundational principles of Ashtanga Yoga. Through breath (ujjayi pranayama), energy guides (bandhas), and flow (vinyasa), Ashtanga heats the body to purify it of all toxins. A good understanding of the Ashtanga sequence is a must for serious yoga practitioners and teachers.

Ashtanga Primary Series
Yoga Chikitsa
Sun, March 6, 1:00 – 3:00pm
Yoga Chikitsa (yoga therapy) is a beautiful foundational practice that offers a deeper understanding of the art of flow. This Ashtanga sequence consists of a specific set of postures systematically designed to open and purify the body. In this workshop you’ll put to use the Principles of Ashtanga Yoga.
This high-energy flow is all about journeying the river within.

one year yoga experience recommended.

$30 per session at the door

Friday, February 4 6-9pm
Saturday, February 5 1:30-6:30pm
Sunday, February 6 1:30-6:30pm

Flowing through a yoga practice or walking through life is often done without awareness. Yet, with some basic knowledge and simple consciousness, the journey becomes one of grace and eased.

Join Lynn Medow ERYT500 of Yoga by Design for a fun-filled and practical guide to understanding your anatomy from the feet up. Bring colored pencils, an open mind and loving heart – it’s sure to be an enjoyable expedition.

Saturday, January 22nd, 1:30-6:30 pm

Discover your shakti in this workshop designed to bring you greater awareness of your energetic anatomy. Chakras, energy centers, whirl within us, supporting our life energy and defining our consciousness. When too open or blocked, physical, emotional and spiritual imbalances occur, challenging us to grow.

Although there are numerous chakras within the body, 7 are of major importance. Located along the spinal axis, they’re associated with specific life functions. In this workshop, you’ll not only learn about these energy centers, you’ll experience them. Lecture, meditation, visualization, mantra, asana and group discussion will synergize to open us to the spectrum of light within.

The workshop includes a 90-minute chakra vinyasa class (3:30 pm – 5:00 pm) in which you’ ll experience familiar asanas from the perspective of the chakras, deepening your awareness of your energetic anatomy.

Note: the vinyasa class can be taken separately.

Cost: $60/entire workshop
$20/chakra vinyasa class

Nancy McCaochan, MA, E-RYT is a former writing professor and a published author who left the college classroom to devote her life to helping people feel better in their bodies. She’s been teaching hatha yoga since 1995 and chakra yoga workshops and teacher trainings since 2004.

with Natalie Donnellon
Saturday, December 18 · 1:30pm – 6:30pm

Ayurveda “the science of life” is a natural, holistic approach that facilitates the body’s own healing process.

This workshop will include lecture, discussion and hands on experiences that we will share together.

Our program will cover:
Introduction to Ayurveda Lecture
Creating a vedic kitchen at home
Optimizing Digestion and immunity

$45 Pre-Register
$55 Day of Space Permitting

Friday, December 10 at 6:00pm – December 11 at 1:30pm

Slow Down, Unwind and Relax with us in Nature at Pierce Cedar Creek.
You will enjoy 2 Rejuvenating Yoga sessions with Michele and Marro as well as 3 Healthy Vegetarian Meals prepared by the onsite Chef.

We will begin Friday night with the perfect end to your work week – YOGA. After practice we will enjoy a healthy dinner together and then you may relax by the fire, enjoy a movie with us in the auditorium, or simply retire to your… private room.

Saturday we will wake with another Yoga session designed to inspire your day and then share a delicious breakfast in the dining hall. From here by mornings light you will be able to see the beautiful nature preserve that surrounds us.

After breakfast, you will have the opportunity to join a guided hike through the 661 acres of field, forest and wetlands, or relax as you choose.

We will all meet again to share one last meal in the dining hall, closing our experience – Until the next time that is.

Cost is
$155 Single rate
$135 Double rate

The cost includes Yoga, Meals and your accommodations.
Depending on weather we can hike, snowshoe or x-country ski.

Please contact Michele at Seva – 616-458-2541
or email us for information.

The facility can house 40 guests.