Romantic Couples Valentines’ Day Workshop for 2013
Need a Valentine’s Day Idea that isn’t a Crowded, Overpriced and Rushed?
- Turn off your cell phone and reconnect with your significant other!
- Bring your beloved to a wallet-friendly delicious, spiritually uplifting, and nurturing mini-retreat in the rustic country-side near West Chester, Pennsylvania.
- Leave feeling as though you are floating away with their significant other.
- A great way to get back that 5th date feel.
If you’re this close to staying in and watching another Netflix DVD, then it may be time to explore a new activity. Put a new TWIST on your Valetines Day with a spicy and soulful Yoga-licious night.
- Connect authentically without distractions.
- Feel the stress begin to melt away as you drive through the bucolic countryside to arrive for your mini-retreat.
- Connect in a revitalizing, strengthening, energizing and uplifting way
- Release stress and stiffness.
- Explore playfulness, nurturing and buoyancy.
- Within a 1.5 hour drive from most of the Philly metro area.
- Learn how to guide, honor, encourage, support and receive support from each other.
- Find a new sense of expansion, flexibility and openness in your muscles and joints.
- Enrich your spirit by focusing on your beloved and letting your beloved be focused on you.
- No previous yoga experience is necessary. Beginners and the inflexible are especially welcome.
- Explore your sense of adventure by hiking in nature, sitting by the fire and escaping to a private, intimate rustic retreat house
- Home-made herbal tea, chocolate and snacks after the session is included.
- Fire-side snuggling with your beloved.
Cost: $50 per person. Preregistration required via online registration or call 610.352.1177 to pay with a credit card over the phone.
Give a gift for your sweetie then email, print, or send it to them instantly!
WHAT IS INCLUDED
Gentle couples yoga sessions and guided massage lesson- Home-made herbal tea, Cheese and Chocolate after the Yoga Session
- Fireside snuggles with your beloved
WHAT TO BRING/WEAR
Yoga Mat- Cozy clothes to stretch in
- Water bottle
- A willing heart
Preregistration required via online registration or call 610.352.1177 to pay with a credit card over the phone.
Give a gift for your sweetie then email, print, or send to them instantly!
As you go through the motions together, you and your partner can expect a closer, more romantic and more soulful relationship than ever with each other through giggles, movement and massage.
We offer Two options for Valentine’s 2013
- 1.5 hour couples yoga classes in Manayunk on Friday nights
- 2 hour Workshop in the Countryside (purchase on this page) in West Chester on Feb 14th at 8 pm.
Valentine’s Day Beginner Couples Yoga Session in the Country-Side
Date: Thu, Feb 14th at 8 pm.
Cost: $50 per person. Preregistration required via online registration or call 610.352.1177 to pay with a credit card over the phone.
Arrivals : Please arrive 15 minutes before class starts to settle in so we can start on time without disruptions.
Before: Avoid eating a heavy meal before. Eat something light and easy to digest.
After: Plan on having a romantic evening at home with candles, soft music, wine or herbal tea.
Location: Temenos Community | Retreat House: 1564 Telegraph Road | Farm House: 685
Retreat for Couples in Pennsylvania near Philadelph
Broad Run Road, West Chester, Pa. 19382
- Explore your sense of adventure by hiking in nature, sitting by the fire and escaping to a private, intimate rustic retreat house
- Home-made herbal tea, chocolate and snacks after the session is included.
- Fire-side snuggling with your beloved.
Give a gift for your sweetie then email, print, or send it to
them instantly!
Travel Directions to Temenos Community
See additional information below on how to get to the Farm House at Temenos.
From the Pennsylvania Turnpike:
From the Pennsylvania Turnpike take Exit #326 at Valley Forge/King of Prussia. Go south on Route 202 toward West Chester. Take Route 30 West (Downingtown) Exit. Follow Route 30 to the Thorndale Exit. At the exit ramp turn left. Stay on this road which crosses Business Route 30 and is then named Marshallton-Thorndale Road. Follow approximately 4.5 miles. After passing Highland Orchards, the next intersection is Telegraph Road (162W). Turn Right on Telegraph and proceed to the next stop sign. Go straight across, the first left is the driveway for the Retreat Center. Head up the hill. After depositing any luggage at the Retreat Center please park in the lower two lots.
From Kennett Square:
Take Route 82 North to Unionville. Turn right onto Route 162 and proceed just less than five miles. After crossing a small metal bridge and seeing the turn for Broad Run Road continue another 200 yards and turn right into the driveway, which is the main entrance to Temenos. Proceed up the hill.
From West Chester:
Take Gay Street to Bradford Ave, turn right on Bradford, and then right again at the bottom of the hill to get to 322, turning left onto 322. Stay on 322 going out of town, towards Downingtown to the Sugarsbridge Road traffic light. Turn left onto Sugarsbridge. Go about 1 mile, then turn right onto Telegraph road (you actually make 2 soft right turns to stay on Telegraph). Go about 1 more mile. Go past Distinctive Gardens on the right. After stopping at the stop sign, go straight through the intersection continuing on 162 W (Telegraph Road). The turn for Temenos is on your left about 1/8 mile past intersection. Go up the hill and park in the lower lot.
Or: you can take 162 west out of West Chester – stay on 162 going through the borough of Marshallton. In Marshallton you will stay to the right at the fork, continuing on 162 W about 1 more mile. You will stop at the 4 way stop and then turn left onto 162 West (Telegraph Road) – Temenos is one eighth of a mile after the turn, on the left, up the hill.
From the South:
Come north on 202. Take the 322 bypass (the sign says To Downingtown) around West Chester to 322. Turn right onto 322 and go to the Sugarsbridge Road traffic light. Turn left onto Sugarsbridge. Go about 1 mile, then turn right onto Telegraph road (you actually make 2 soft right turns to stay on Telegraph). Go about 1 more mile. Go past Distinctive Gardens on the right. After stopping at the stop sign, go straight through the intersection continuing on 162 W (Telegraph Road). The turn for Temenos is on your left about 1/8 mile past intersection. Go up the hill and park in the lower lot.
To Reach the Farm House at Temenos
Follow directions above and then:
From the east on 162:
To reach the Farm House, continue on Route 162 past the main entrance to Temenos. Take the next left onto Broad Run Road. The Farm House is on your left. Enter the driveway between the first two houses on the left and park in the grassy area behind the shed. Meeting place is the first house.
From the west on 162:
Immediately after the small metal bridge on 162 turn right onto Broad Run Road. The Farm House is on your left. Enter the driveway between the first two houses on the left and park in the grassy area behind the shed. Meeting place is the first house.
4 ways to get the right start in partners yoga
1. Don’t assume partner yoga is only for couples.
Some partner yoga classes allow you to sign up as a solo participant and seek out a partner in the class itself. If you go this route and you’re new to partners yoga, try to pair with a student who’s about your height an
d weight. Mahoney notes that as you get used to the practice, learning to adapt the postures to two different body types is a rewarding challenge.
2. Don’t expect miracles.
If you begin a couples yoga class with an existing partner, talk with each other before going to the first class about what you want from this. Try not to let your expectations get overblown in terms of how the class can remedy any specific relationship challenges you’re having. Go in with an open mind and heart — not with a sense that this is going to fix something, but a willingness to learn and grow together by sharing and connecting through yoga.
3. Be ready to be giving.
As a supportive partner, your role is to listen as well as share openly, and to treat the person you’re practicing with as you’d like to be treated. Sound familiar? By exploring physical give-and-take, you and your partner can dive deeply into the principles that govern successful, supportive friendships and loving relationships.
4. Enjoy the moment.
Be present and focus on each other during your partner yoga class or practice — and try not to take anything too seriously, cautions Mahoney. “Take a deep breath and relax. Laugh together. Partner yoga is full of the hilarious and the divine.”
A partners yoga pose sequence to try
Child’s pose is a simple favorite to explore with a partner, Mahoney says. “Everyone loves the deep release that the partnered variations give the sacrum and lower back. Child’s pose can also serve as a solid base for other heart openers such as Camel pose.”
Start with this how-to video for child’s pose from the Gaiam Yoga Club:
Now add the couples elements: For a simple but delightful partners yoga massage, Mahoney suggests beginning with one partner resting in child’s pose and then moving into the following sequence:
- The active partner stands between the resting partner’s outstretched hands, and the resting partner takes firm hold of the active partner’s ankles.
- The active partner leans forward and walks hands down the resting partner’s back until you come to an Upward Dog-like position with hands resting on the lower lumbar or sacral area of the back.
- From here, the active partner moves his or her weight forward into the hands to give the resting partner a deep low-back release.
- The active partner shifts weight back into his or her heels, releasing the pressure. Repeat several times. Very, very nice!
Temenos Retreat Center at The Farm House
685 Broad Run Road
West Chester
(The Farm House is 1/8 mile past their Main Retreat Center)
Directions for Tenemos Retreat Center in West Chester, PA in the Metro Philadelphia Area.
From the East:
From the South coming north on 202 :
Take 322 Bypass (sign says To Downingtown ) around West Chester to 322, turn right onto 322 and go to Sugarsbridge road traffic light, turn left onto Sugarsbridge. Go about 1 mile then turn right onto Telegraph Road. Go about 1 more mile Go past Distinctive Gardens on right, after stopping at stop sign go straight through the intersection continuing on 162 W (telegraph road), turn for Temenos is on your left about 1/8 mile past intersection. Go up the hill and park in lower lot. The Farm House is around the corner from the retreat center. Proceed past the first turn for Temenos, got to Broad Run Road (next left) and turn left – Farm house is about an 1/8 mile down Broad Run (dirt road) on the left. Park in parking area up the driveway and behind the buildings. Call Donna at (484) 880 – 7129. for directions if lost
How to Choose a Yoga Retreat – 8 Things to Consider
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Are considering a yoga retreat?
You have allocated the time and money and are committed to a meaningful experience. How do you know what to expect from your upcoming retreat? A little forethought, research and proper planning can make your retreat a profound life experience a la Eat, Pray, Love.
A little online research will show that there are terrific retreats all over the globe. The abundance of differing techniques, varied locations and contrasting practices may be a bit overwhelming. Here is a checklist of considerations that might help finalize your choice, according to Jasmine Kaloudis, who teaches Yoga Retreats near Philadelphia
- Instruction – Just as you know there are many forms of yoga, you also know each variation has a different instructional style. Make sure the teaching style at your retreat is to your liking and within you ability. Is it vinyasa yoga, hatha yoga, ashtanga yoga, restorative yoga, hot yoga, bikram yoga, power yoga, acro yoga, beginner yoga, kundalini yoga, anusara yoga? Watch some yoga videos on youtube of the different yoga styles so you are familiar with the style taught or go to that kind of yoga class before the retreat.
- Goals – Make sure you understand the goals of the yoga retreat you will be engaging and that their goals match well with your personal aspirations. Again, research is the key. When setting your goals, think both long-term benefit and short-term benefit. If the program does not give you a sense of these benefits, speak to a coordinator.
- Facility – Get an understanding of the program’s facility and how the yoga program utilizes the retreat’s facilities. Practical ramifications of this information may affect how you will dress and therefore the clothes you need to pack. Are you looking for something luxurious like Miraval or would something spartan, clean and more budget-friendly like Kripalu serve your needs?
- Experience – Cross-reference your own research with the first hand or word-of-mouth experiences of previous attendees. Don’t be afraid to ask if they would return or what their progress has been since visiting the retreat. Do a google search for reviews of the retreat or ask if you can speak with someone who experienced the retreat.
- Travel – Just as you plan your itinerary, make sure there are no holes in your travel plans. Some retreats are in outlying areas. Verify and confirm all return-trip information weeks before departing. Check the weather as well before you are traveling. Investigate the cancelation policy in case of inclement weather.
- Budget – Your budget should include all costs associated with travel and the yoga retreat.. Be especially clear about meal and travel provisions. It is safe to say that every yoga retreat has its own standards. Are extras such as spa treatments, mats, blocks and other classes included or are they extra?
- Experience – Many yoga retreats cater to practitioners of different levels. Some retreats are prone to accept beginning students while others prohibit the beginner. Most important is matching your experience level with the program’s stated experience levels. Are you looking to do an intensive program with 6-8 hours of yoga a day or would 2-3 hours be your pace? Find our the schedule before hand if you can.
- Climate – Do you want to be in the tropics so you can lay in the summer when you are not in a down dog? Do you want to be able to hike in beautiful surroundings? Do you want to be able to ski and do more winter-y activties? Make sure to look into the other non-yoga activities and what the average temperatures are (in the water as well), it’s not so fun to swim in the Pacific Ocean in the middle of winter.
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