Hosting and planning your own yoga retreat can be daunting. Here at AmaSer we are happy to share our insights. Here are our 7 tips on how to begin the process. 

1. Secure that money

A boring way to begin things, yes, but securing funding is crucial. Especially during these difficult times. A lot of retreat venues require a deposit to book your retreat. This is a personal financial risk for you. In case you have to cancel for any reason, you are likely to lose your deposit. Take into account that many venues ask for minimum numbers of students to sign up in order for you to host a retreat. So try to secure this before if you can.

Other important costs to consider:

• Advertising the retreat
• Lost income from classes you’ll miss out on teaching when you are away
• Your own travel expenses
• How to budget for the retreat’s food, any excursions, and activities

2. Create your vision

Your vibe will attract your tribe. When your retreat is an authentic reflection of...

India needs our help right now. 

Yogis, pull up. Here at AmaSer we are devasted to hear the news about the coronavirus pandemic wreaking destruction in India, and are incredibly concerned by the Vaccine Apartheid depriving the Global South of the resources they so obviously need. 

We hope that you will consider a donation to an organization supporting those desperately in need right now.   

We've attached a list of local charities which could really benefit from any kind of support:

Give India - Covid fund

Goonj - Covid fund

Akshaya Patra - Covid fund

Pratham - Every Child in School and Learning Well

Thankyou. 

This sustainable farming system was developed by Cho Han Kyu, AKA Master Cho, from the Janong Natural Farming Institute in South Korea. KNF is a style of farming that focuses on the culturing of Indigenous Microorganisms (IMO) to improve the health of your soil and regenerate healthy soil where it is no longer found. The end goal is to produce fertile soils that yield high output without the use of outsourced fertilizers and/or pesticides. This is also a helpful technique to implement when trying to make the switch from conventional farming to organic farming. 

Indigenous Microorganisms are what make up the micro life forms in your soil. The organisms that primarily makeup IMO are beneficial fungi, bacteria, and yeasts. There is a symbiotic relationship that occurs between plants and beneficial IMOs; the microorganisms convert nutrients into a form that the plant is able to absorb. In turn, the plants provide food to these microorganisms. 

Some of the potential benefits of...

Original Piece by Avani | 2016

There is a lot of pressure on yoga teachers to be juggling many skills: all star communicators, anatomy and physiology pros, committed practitioners, always kind, compassionate and available, skilled at hands on touch, present with ever breath…you get the picture.  It may seem overwhelming  to consider how you can focus on clear, concise cueing, observe you students, move through the space AND add hands-on touch.  The important skill in all of this is to approach each element with singular focus.  As you begin to feel more and more comfortable getting off your mat, see how it goes to add in just one assist (say, downward facing dog).  See how that goes.  Once that becomes very fluid, add the next piece.  How would you feel to move off your mat, offer a down dog assist AND add in a breath cue?  

What’s most important is that nothing is forced.  Forcing...

Imagine you are overlooking the clear blue Caribbean ocean, the sun is setting behind the mountains that encircle the coastline. You have an amazing view because luckily you are on a jungle hillside. As you watch the coast turn from that light shimmering yellow to a deep cerebral purple, all around you is a cacophony of birds, chirping insects and howler monkeys calling in the now dimly lit treetops. Perhaps, you are at an evening yoga class at AmaSer. 

I’ve just started working here and in my opinion, the location of AmaSer is one of its most unique qualities. It is just a few minutes walk to town and the ocean, yet the elevated hillside microclimate provides a sense of seclusion and fresh, boisterous air. You’ll notice that AmaSer is not just in the jungle, it is intentionally amongst the jungle. Every corner of AmaSer is padded with foliage. Draped over the walkways you’ll see ferns, and palm leaves, tall or short coconut, banana and moringa...

Original Piece by Avani | 2016

There are conflicting ideas on Yin Yoga and it’s placed in the world of Yoga. As we dive more into the anatomy of Yin you will be left to decide for yourself, based on practice and experience, what is truly best for your unique body. Whatever you decide, there is no doubt that all yogis agree the pace of lifestyle today is creating an ever-growing need to slow down.  One of the many benefits of Yin Yoga is its meditative quality.  Where Yang Yoga provides barely enough time to set up, breath, check alignment and then find mental focus…in Yin Yoga there is nothing but time.  The challenge and blessing become very mental.  Patience is a challenge…and will grow through Yin practice!    

The practice of Yin asks practitioners to hold poses from 45 seconds to 2 minutes for beginners or 2 minutes to 10 minutes for more experienced yogis.  Within that time we can feel...

The traditional paths of yoga were developed in answer to the original goal of yoga.  They are the Four Margas (paths) to enlightenment which include: Jnana- the path of wisdom or knowledge, Bhakti- the practice of extreme devotion, Karma- All movement is done with the mind centered on God, and Raja- uses the 8 limbs to produce a well-rounded individual, “King” Yoga.

Other traditional yoga paths were; Kriya Yoga- yoga as action, Mantra Yoga- repetition of mantra, Tantra- showing the unseen consciousness through words, diagrams, and movements, and finally, Hatha Yoga- the physical movements and postures with breathing techniques, base for the modern understanding of yoga.  It can be difficult wading through the sea of options when all the names seem unfamiliar or new.  Check out this easy bulleted list for a brief description of some of the more common Hatha Yoga styles on offer today. 

All of the following are considered Hatha Yoga as they...

SMILE AND SINK IN

Are you looking for easy ways to enjoy savasana? Although shavasana (or corpse pose) might look like the most effortless thing in the world, many yogis struggle to find comfort in this challenging posture. Whether it’s a racing mind or a fatigued body, dropping into enlightenment can seem impossible. Have you found yourself impatiently waiting for the instructor break the unending silence? The crew at OM has a few suggestions to make stillness a little more accessible.

Grab a Bolster

It isn’t uncommon for yogis to experience lower back pain in shavasana – especially if they’ve been performing a lot of backbends. Although taking the time to warm up before performing backbends and learning to backbend safely can help ease lower back pain, sliding a bolster under your knees can do wonders to treat the occasional ache. Give the instructor a wave and they’ll bring you a bolster if you forgot to grab one at the beginning of class!

Snuggle up...