Yoga Retreats

Yoga Retreat Mendoza, Argentina In Autumn 2010

2009-10-24T16:40:00.000-07:00

Check back for information. A week of yoga, wine tasting, river rafting, hiking in the Andes and tango!

Links:
NY Times article on travel bargains in Argentina

Argentina Turismo

Tango In Mendoza

Nice words from Rebecca

2009-01-15T15:44:00.000-08:00

"We were blessed to have a beautiful week in Laveno and I am delighted to have been able to join you all. It was great to meet you and practice yoga under your tutelage after hearing so much about you from Ellen for so long. Thank you for your kind and competent yoga instruction, not to mention all your logistical gymnastics to get us to our final and perfectly suited destination. It was an incredible week. I loved our wine-tasting outing at Prunotto and feel privileged to have had that opportunity. Thanks so much for all your hard work and planning, it certainly paid off!" -- Rebecca
Read Rebecca's blog: Nybography: Lago Maggiore

Yoga Retreat Reflections

2008-09-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

I feel so fortunate to have participated in Tama’s yoga retreat in Northern Italy this past summer. It was truly magnifico! From our lodging on Lago Maggiore (inclusive of some of the most inspired and delicious cuisine I’ve ever had the pleasure to consume), to our twice-daily group yoga sessions and our additional private classes, to our excursions (visiting le isole/the islands of Lago Maggiore + wine tasting + riding the funicular, and more!), we spent a delightful week together. Grazie mille, Tama, for everything! Let me know when you plan another retreat. I will happily join you anywhere in the world!
Namaste,
Susie

Italy Retreat Reflections8/27/08

2008-08-31T16:11:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that two months have passed since our incredible yoga retreat in Italy (6/21/08 to 6/28/08). It was an amazing experience. I am fortunate to have been one of Tama’s yoga students for a long time. We were even students together before she began her own teacher training. I have always enjoyed, learned and benefited from Tama’s thoughtful instruction in Iyengar, Ashtanga and restorative yoga.

The retreat took learning to another level due to the concentrated luxury of two 1.5 hour classes daily: a physically challenging class in the morning and a separate restorative class in the early evening. We also had individual sessions on the second day of the retreat so that Tama could provide informed instruction to us for the rest of the week. This was in addition to completing detailed questionnaires prior to the retreat so that Tama understood our needs and goals.
It was another luxury to have only four students in our class. We had a beautiful studio (with a gracious hostess) in a small town in lovely Northern Italy.

Two of us were working around injuries. Tama provided modifications that allowed us to participate fully without pain, and in fact the work that we did promoted healing. I have never had the opportunity to have a vigorous class and several hours later, a focused restorative class. Tama did a lot of work with us on pranayama during restorative sessions. It was so interesting and beneficial to reflect physically on the work done earlier in the day. Closing the afternoon with the restorative class was a wonderful bridge to our lingering dinners (I can’t even begin to describe the food) on the lake front terrace at our hotel.

In addition to our yoga classes, we had many choices of interesting and serendipitous activities during the afternoons. It was very helpful that Tama, Susie and Mike all speak Italian, as we were a bit off the beaten tourist path (yeah!). Tama did a wonderful job of driving us all over the area; Rebecca was a stellar navigator, and together we had tons of fun. Rebecca and I even learned some Italian. I could go on and on, but as they say in Italy, Basta!

--Ellen 8/27/08

2008-08-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

Yoga Retreat June 21-8, 2008 Lago Maggiore--the Real Thing!

2008-07-09T21:34:00.001-07:00

We've returned from our wonderful week together in Laveno, Italy. Everything changed at the last minute--a long story which I will relate in another post--changing venue, city, hotel. But, like all great adventures, it turned out for the best. The photo is from my hotel room at the Il Porticciolo which was our home base. The hotel is right on the lake--we could hear the gentle lapping of the waves on the hotel foundation--and watch the sunset glistening on the water.

Susie found a Conde' Nast publication with a listing of great restaurants in Italy--guess what? Our Il Porticciolo restaurant in the little, off-the-tourist-track town was on the list! The food was delicious and beautifully presented:

And the yoga studio? Perfect! Plus the owner, Luciana, was the most beautiful person--inside and out--who went out of her way to make us feel welcome. We'd come into the studio to find lovely almond meringues, or mini pizzas, or samples of organic lotions and balms. She cooked a feast for us, took us everywhere, smoothed our way, and became our dear, dear friend.

We had a wonderful group of people: Susie, Mike, Ellen and Rebecca. More on our adventures together to come in future posts. It's great to be home--but I miss everyone!

I'll be posting recipes from Italy on the blog I created for my work:
http://winefromtouringandtasting.blogspot.com/
ciao for now, Tama

Links to Lago Maggiore

2008-04-12T12:14:00.001-07:00

Here's some websites describing the area:

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Italy/Lombardy/Lago_Maggiore-148939/General_Tips-Lago_Maggiore-BR-1.html

http://www.world66.com/europe/italy/lombardia/lagomaggiore

http://www.illagomaggiore.com/?set_language=en&cl=en

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g187843-s403/Lake-Maggiore:Italy:Off.The.Beaten.Path.html

Retreat location

2008-03-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

The best way to locate Sarigo on the map is to use the interactive map from MapQuest:

http://www.mapquest.it/mq/maps/madAddress.do

If this link doesn't open in your browser, just go to http://www.mapquest.com and click on "Maps outside the US and Canada", then click on the "Italy" link, then enter "Sarigo"

Here are a couple of maps--note that the train station stop is in Porto Valtravaglia. The retreat center is in Sarigo, a couple people are staying at Casa Speroni in Castelveccana.

Photos from our retreat spot in northern Italy

2007-10-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

Ciao, friends! I finally have photos up on the blog, thanks to my friends who just visited.

An explanation: Casa Speroni and the Sarigo Retreat Center are run by the same family. The former is a working B&B--very nicely fixed up; the latter is undergoing renovation (to be completed in April of next year).

I'm still working in the details of the retreat, but am excited to announce we will have at least two trips included in the week. Some ideas: to Milan to shop, see the "Last Supper" and Duomo, etc. and possibly attend an opera at La Scala; driving around the lake to see castles and gardens and visiting the largest weekly outdoor market in Europe; touring and tasting Piemontese Barolo or Barbera wines!

Other day trips you can take on your own (or go with me and my daughter as a friend rather than "official" student) will be to take the ferry around the lake to the islands to view castles and gardens; visit Switzerland; take a combination ferry/train ride that goes to the mountain town of Domodossola; hiking; much more--see the links blog to research some of the other towns and sights within train distance in a day.

here is a long list of websites to explore. Please post a blog entry if you find out anything interesting (I haven't looked through the sites yet) and include anything of interest to others.

grazie Tama

http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/mag/nlm.html

http://www.lagomaggioreexpress.com/Inglese/index.html

http://www.stresa.net/lido2000/uk.htm

http://www.borromeoturismo.it/scripts/home.php?lang=en
(scroll down as the clickable images are at the bottom of the page)

http://www.cenacolovinciano.it/html/eng/home.htm

Stairwell at Casa Speroni

2007-10-28T21:25:00.000-07:00

The stairwell at Casa Speroni, showing the three floors, and my "bellissima" friend Virginia who was at Sarigo and Casa Speroni in September and took these photos.

Stairway at Sarigo

2007-10-28T21:24:00.001-07:00

This photo makes me nostalgic for Italy!

Casa Speroni Balcony view

2007-10-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

Here's the view from one of the Casa Speroni rooms.

Sarigo Bedroom

2007-10-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

Here's one of the bedrooms at Sarigo in the current, unrefurbished state--needs some TLC, but has potential.

View from the back of Sarigo

2007-10-28T21:20:00.000-07:00

View of the surrounding hills of Sarigo.

View out the back of Sarigo

2007-10-28T21:19:00.000-07:00

This is the view of the hills from the back of the place.

Yoga Room at Sarigo

2007-10-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

Here's the state of the yoga room in September 2007--as you can see, it needs a lot of work! But, look at the wonderful brickwork (and my lovely friend Virginia) and imagine it fixed up like the rooms Casa Speroni, and practicing yoga and pranayama there...

Amazing Brick Ceiling

2007-10-28T21:11:00.000-07:00

This may actually be at Casa Speroni, rather than Sarigo, but I've added it here to show the amazing brickwork. These buildings are hundreds of years old--like most buildings in Italy.

Sitting room at Speroni with TV

2007-10-28T21:09:00.001-07:00

This photo and the ones below are all from Casa Speroni B&B where my friends visited last month and brought back these photos. Casa Speroni is--as you can see--comfortably furnished and currently taking guests.

Living room at Speroni

2007-10-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

Here's the living room at Speroni.

Another single room at Speroni with double bed

2007-10-28T21:02:00.001-07:00

Another single room at Speroni--with double bed.

Bathroom at Speroni

2007-10-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

An example of a bathroom at Speroni.

Twin Bedroom in Speroni

2007-10-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

A shared room at Speroni with twin beds.

Italy Yoga Retreat 2008

2007-08-09T18:27:00.000-07:00

Look here for information about the June 2008 yoga retreat, plus helpful information about Italy and surrounding countries for travel and adventure.