Workshops:
Please email if you're interested in hosting a workshop in your area.

This workshop will help you cultivate a self-trusting relationship with food, your body and yourself. Many of us become disconnected from our natural relationship to food and our bodies. Instead of trusting our inner wisdom we are taught to follow misguided eating rules. This workshop will help you to quiet your mind and come into your body, relying on your body’s wisdom for guidance.

Gentle and restorative yoga postures and yogic breathing will reconnect you to your body and yourself. Through teachings, exercises and a guided mindful meal, you will learn how to listen to and trust your body's hunger signals, take pleasure in the foods you love, eat mindfully and respond effectively to emotional eating. You will gain tools for starting and sustaining both a mindful eating and yoga practice at home.

For more information on Rivka Simmons, please visit her website at www.rivkasimmons.com

Start your new year off with the best gift you can give yourself or others! In this beginning level yoga workshop we will explore asana practice through postures which gently stretch, strengthen and soothe the body. Restorative poses are woven into this experience of body/mind meditation to nurture the body's energy into balance, and deep relaxation will release layers of stress and bring the body and mind to rest at their center. This workshop is appropriate for anyone interested in a slower, softer paced yoga experience and it is particularly helpful for those who are interested in yoga and have not yet taken the leap. This is a wonderful practice for re-energizing the body, de-stressing the mind, and taking one step at a time towards bringing the mind to a state of stillness.

Medical science is now scientifically proving that practicing yoga changes brain chemistry by increasing neurotransmitters that fight depression and anxiety.  In this workshop participants will practice a sequence of active and restorative yoga postures designed to ease symptoms of depression and anxiety and to create feelings of mental stability and well-being.  The sequence is based on NIH-funded research, coauthored by Owen, which studied yoga’s potential to help treat depression and anxiety. All levels welcome.
Click here to read the press release for the study, published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, November 2010.

Winter Yoga Retreat on Isla Mujeres, Mexico February 25 – March 3, 2012 Hosted at the Na Balam Resort, Isla Mujeres, Mexico

Will you be ready for a break from winter in February 2012? Come to beautiful Isla Mujeres for a week long opportunity to de-stress your body and mind. Immerse yourself in yoga asana (postures), breath work and meditation practices while you listen to the gentle waves of the Caribbean Sea and feel the warm sun recharge your body and soul.

Our venue is the NaBalam Hotel on Isla Mujeres, a 20-minute boat ride from Cancun. Na Balam, noted as one of the world’s top yoga retreats, is a refuge for the soul. It is situated on Playa Norte, voted one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, with tropical gardens and hammocks under beautiful palm trees. This warm winter haven is steeped in the spiritual culture of the Mayan tradition. The beautiful white sand beach of the turquoise Mexican Caribbean, together with its colorful sunrises and sunsets, provides a refuge of peace and beauty to truly relax, rest, and renew in the middle of winter.

Single occupancy: $1300
Double occupancy: $975 per person

The week includes:

• Six days/seven nights in a pool side/garden room.
• Continental breakfast each morning including coffee, tea, fruit, yogurt, bread and juice.
• Five evening vegetarian dinners at the Zazil Ha Restaurant, a beach front Mayan Palapa setting featuring Mayan, vegetarian and fusion cuisine.
• Six 2-hour morning asana classes for all levels.
• Five 1-1/2 hour afternoon restorative yoga/pranayama/meditation classes for all levels.
• One afternoon snorkeling trip.
• Unlimited access to Playa Norte, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
• 10% discount on massage services.
  
  November 20, 2011: Non-refundable final payment due.

Registration and payment:
Payments may be made via Paypal or by check. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW
Please make out deposits/checks and mail to
Liz Owen
236 Highland Avenue
Arlington MA 02476

Please see www.nabalam.com for information regarding the hotel, including rooms, services and amenities.

For questions and special requests about accommodations, meals and other concerns please contact Judy Edwards at jedwards0323@gmail.com.

WORKSHOP AND CLASS VENUES
Liz has offered classes and workshops at the following locations: