Need a Valentine’s Day Idea that isn’t a Crowded, Overpriced & Rushed?

We were voted Best Valentine’s Day spot  by Ardmore-Merion-Wynnewood Patch, and Haverford-Havertown Patch!

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.

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.

• Connect in a revitalizing, strengthening, energizing and uplifting way
• Release stress and stiffness.
• Explore playfulness, nurturing and buoyancy.
• Learn how to guide, honor, encourage, support and receive support from each other
• Yoga virgins, the stiff and inflexible are especially welcome.
• At a rustic retreat location (Temenos) in West Chester, PA
• Fireside snuggling
• Cheese and Chocolate after the Class
• Overnight accommodations possible at Temenos call - 610-696-8145 for pricing and availability

Guys you can Do This!

Sample Video of a Couples Yoga Class

We offer Two options for Valentine’s 2013

Valentine’s Day Beginner Couples Yoga Session in the Country-Side

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

What to Bring/Wear: Please wear clothes you can stretch in, a water bottle and a willing heart.

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 Broad Run Road, West Chester, Pa. 19382

Follow directions below.  GPS often bring you to the wrong location. 

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:

1. The active partner stands between the resting partner’s outstretched hands, and the resting partner takes firm hold of the active partner’s ankles.
2. 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.
3. From here, the active partner moves his or her weight forward into the hands to give the resting partner a deep low-back release.
4. The active partner shifts weight back into his or her heels, releasing the pressure. Repeat several times. Very, very nice!