Yoga & Music Festival Whistler Aug 1 to 4, 2019

I’m sure you’ve heard me talking about Wanderlust, a Yoga and Music Festival that takes place in Whistler every Summer. I’ve been a couple of times and I have to say that I really love it.

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It’s a truly a magical experience!

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Over four days there are so many interesting classes, talks and workshops with world renowned teachers and then in the evening there’s a concert. The whole village comes alive!

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Some of the highlights for me are doing a Yoga class with hundreds of people – the energy is amazing, the silent disco, the Speakeasy talks – always enlightening and just the general buzz.

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At night there’s a Silent Disco; everyone wears headphones so when you walk in the room it’s silent but everyone is dancing. There are three DJ’s each one with a different colour, the headphones have three settings/colours, so you can choose which DJ to listen to. Sometimes the whole room turns to one colour, it’s so cool! And there’s no alcohol, no pick-up scene, it’s just people having fun – I just love it!

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You can attend one or multiple days. I literally go all day from 8am to 1am because I don’t want to miss a thing. You do as much or as little as you want, there are meditation workshops, stretching, all kinds of Yoga, etc. It’s so fun, enlightening and soul nourishing. I highly recommend it!

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CHECK IT OUT HERE

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Hope to see you there!

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Our Better Nature

For more than 30 years, psychologist Ming Kuo has studied the effects of nature on humans. She  became intrigued by the positive effects of nature after she started to dig into the data. “It’s only when you look at the patterns of what people are like with more and less access to nature that you start to see this pattern”.

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“Nature is like a multi-vitamin”

I have always felt this my own body!

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I highly recommend you listen to this fascinating podcast: LISTEN HERE

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I’m Back From My Magic Adventure!

As you may have read in my previous post I recently had little magic infused into my life and got to go a little adventure.

If you missed the original story, here it is.

Many of you have been asking how it went so I thought I’d share my experience with you.

I’m always amazed when I get on a plane, and in what seems like an instance, I’m in another world.

 

I flew out Friday morning November 6th early and arrived in San Francisco by 8am. I rented a car and explored a little of the city before heading to Napa.  San Francisco is stunning!  Just beautiful, reminds me a bit of Vancouver.

I then drove to Napa and settled in at the hotel. That evening a group of us attending Elizabeth Gilbert’s workshop met up for dinner at the hotel bar. It was such fun meeting new women with similar interests. I really need to do this sort of thing more often! It fills the soul.

Dinner in Napa

The workshop started at 9am Saturday morning. We were all very excited!  About 300 people attended, there were about 5 men.  The energy of the group was fantastic!

Liz is such a great speaker, so articulate and insightful. I hadn’t really considered that it was a writing workshop, I had thought more that she would just be talking to us.  She had us write six letters with different themes.  I really enjoyed it and found it very enlightening.  At the end of the workshop I got to meet her briefly.   It was very exciting! Unfortunately she did not allow photos.

Shortly after the end of the workshop I hit the road back to the San Francisco airport. My goodness, those American highways, wholly smokes they are big!

Oh la la! 😉

I traveled all night (13 hours door to door) and arrived in paradise the next morning: Tulum, Mexico.  I went straight to meet with my group.

I had a really wonderful week with some wonderful women! We ate incredible food, enjoyed the sun, went floating down a river, salsa dancing, walks on the beach, jungle adventures, exploring shops, did Pilates, yoga, stretching, had some really great sessions goal setting, spa treatments. It was all wonderful!

Our guide was a little Tarzan.

All in all, it was a dream!  I am so glad I went and it all worked out.

I invite you to think up an adventure for yourself, big or small, at home or away.  Think of something you can do to infuse a little excitement in your life, a little magic.  When you believe in magic it really starts to happen.

One thing I’ve noticed about an exciting event is that it lasts way past the event itself.  There is the anticipation leading up to the event, then the event itself and then afterwards there is an afterglow, the event stays with us in our memory where we get to relive it over and over. So really it becomes so much more than just the event itself.

Ah the fruit!

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Come Away With Me!

It’s not too late to come on my RETREAT to Tulum, Mexico

just 9 weeks away!

November 8th to 15th, 2014

Know someone who would love to come?  Please share!

 

 

RATES    PHOTOS   REGISTER

Did you know?

Statistically, airfare is at it’s lowest 60 days prior to departure

Best time to buy is Tuesdays at noon PST

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Retreat Photos!

Fifteen wonderful women, age 30 to 81,

joined me on my second annual Retreat to Tulum, Mexico in early November.

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It was a truly magical week .

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Our perfect little cove.

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Yes it is actually this beautiful.

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The Retreat was…

“A great pleasure because of the beauty of the place and the wonderful bunch who I shared it with.”

“Aaaamazing! Total bliss in every way. I loved the location, the food and the service was impeccable. I really needed the break and it was all I could have hoped for.”

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Walks here are just, well, “aaah”.

The water was warm & sweet.

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“I completely loved the retreat!! Just what I needed and am still missing it every day.”

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Hangin’ around.

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My favorite part of the Retreat was...

“Hmmm….that’s tough to answer.  I loved the feeling of no responsibility for one!  I really loved Ali’s classes. My body changed in the week. I loved the meditations and breath work too. Walks along the beach, not having to cook or drive…I really loved it all.”

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“Hard to say, however, I loved the routine of doing regular exercise every day. Made me feel good and I could see the improvement in my body.”

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Our lovely studio.

“How I miss our group!  It was so very special for me.”

This cute little Iguana had his own spot in the Yoga Studio where he would watch our classes.

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A fun evening out dancing & watching the amazing locals Salsa dancing.

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“Enjoyed meeting you and loved your playful and fun loving spirit. I also valued how much thought and energy you had put in to make everything appear relaxed and easy. I know that takes a lot of preparation and work!  I was very pleased to be in the company of a wonderful group of women and was delighted that we represented so many decades of living! 30 – 80 was such a great span of time.”

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Coffee grinds body scrub on the beach, so much fun!

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“I loved the amazing women that were there, it was such a great mix. I loved the food and the pilates. I loved the early mornings and the quiet, I slept amazing.”

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So much beauty everywhere.

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“I enjoyed the goal setting and it has made me think more about goals and it’s something I’m planning to continue with your setup about breaking them down into steps. Makes me realize how little I think out of my box.”

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The food was… “very good. I ate and ate and lost 3 pounds.”

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“Fantastic food… my favorite were all the salads and fresh fruits, so colourful and tasty with all the different little shoots in them. Although I ate too much on many occasions, I didn’t go up in weight. Also good to have authentic Mexican food, tapas and tortillas which were as light as a feather. The dining room crew were very friendly and service was prompt. They went out of their way to help us.”

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The view from the Restaurant.

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“Loved the excursions, it was nice to get out and mix with the knowledgeable locals. They do such a great job with it all and I love that about Mexico, they really want you to be there and enjoy their country.”

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Excursion to the Muyil ruins.  Our guide grew up playing in the ruins and the secret tunnels underneath.

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Our excursion to the Sian Kaan Preserve.

Floating down an ancient Mayan Canal was nothing short of magical.

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Biking through the ancient Mayan city of Coba with a climb up to the Honey Bee God Pyramid.

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“I think you did the most incredible job I have ever seen for organizing a trip of 16 women, you thought of everything and answered questions before I could ask them. It is truly a gift. You are a great teacher too and I really enjoyed the classes. Thank you so much Ali for the whole week and the build up to the week, it was so special. XOXOXO”

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Lounging around.

Little treasures everywhere.

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“I think you were amazing Ali. I especially enjoyed meeting new people and they had such different and interesting lives.  I know I am one very lucky lady to have gone to the retreat and it is amazing how ONE WEEK can change one’s perspective on things.”

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Can’t wait until next year!

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“The retreat was a “10” for me.  Thank you for all thoughtful touches and hard work.  You made it very special and I am very grateful to have had the experience.”

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Registration is now open for next year.

I hope you will join me!

Nov 8th to 15th, 2014

Tulum, Mexico

WEBSITE

REGISTER

2012 Retreat Photos

*PS.  Big thank you to Sarah Lovely for her beautiful photos!

Some of these were taken by me, some by her.

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Retreat Photos!

Sunrise was a spiritual experience.

“Thank you so much for the wonderful retreat, Ali, it was everything you promised and much, much more. I can truly say that my body, mind and soul was rejuvenated.  You made it all possible with your kindness, thoughtfulness and planning everything to the final detail – it was very special – and all we had to do was soak it all up and live in the moment.“

The resort at sunrise… heavenly.

“Ali, your retreat was unreal! It was the perfect combination of challenging pilates & yoga, relaxation, meditation and adventure. Thank you for putting together such a special experience.”

Barefoot all week.

“…it was wonderful; I can’t imagine it being better; you found a perfect location and provided the organization and leadership to make it meaningful.”

Sand was so powdery soft.. sigh.

“It was like summer camp for adults: lots of different activities that were fun but structured so that you could have time to yourself as well as with others, and not be too busy; the meals were superb; the location surpassed any others I’ve seen in the Yucatan; and there were new people to meet and share time with.  It was only a week but nevertheless long enough to totally “get away from it all”!!”

50 Shades of Turquoise

My favorite part was…

“the food!! the fitness!! the beach!! It’s hard to say. Not having to think about anything came to my mind first…a true retreat.”

“the pilates class and the long walks on the beach.”

“I really enjoyed the restorative yoga. It was really unlike I have ever done before, and I found it unbelievably relaxing and mind-opening.”

The food was fresh and delicious!

“I can’t believe I ate so much & didn’t gain any weight, even with all the second helpings of everything including dessert!! It was great to have so much to choose from at each meal – so much fruit, & so many delicious salads & yummy soups to complement the main courses.”

The Buffet.

The food was… “excellent! I looked forward to every meal and was never dissatisfied: a creative, well-prepared blend of fresh food offering diverse flavors and sensations.”

Fresh coconuts for drinking!

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Coco crazy!

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Lushness all around.

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Our cabanas.. lovely.

The resort…

“Couldn’t have been better, top notch.   I loved the way the staff were so friendly, even getting to know us by name.   I loved the tranquility.”

Every room has a little foot bath so you can rinse your feet before entering.

“The room was wonderful – spacious, clean, and the water was always hot and water pressure great. The view of course was incredible, looking E/SE onto the beach catching the sunrise and yet shaded by palms in the heat of the day.”

Quite simply, heaven on earth.

“The location was superb, and being on the little cove, the beach was protected. You could walk either way on the beach in the morning, and there were a few little stores just metres down the road.”

Our little cove was perfect for swimming.

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Can you think of a more heavenly place for a walk?

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Biking through the Coba ruins.  An ancient Mayan city once home to 50,000 people.

“Excursions were really fun- it was great to have a variety of day trips to chose from, and they were great.”

A little walk into town to browse the quaint little shops.

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The beach in town.

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Our Yoga and Pilates Studio.

“I appreciated your presentation of diverse levels of difficulty and encouragement for each of us to stay at our preferred level. I also am thankful that you were persistent in reminding us to breath and perform all the actions necessary to achieve a stronger core.”

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The Spa reception.

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Face masks on the beach – we’re only being so serious because our faces will crack!

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Time passed very slowly.

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“I felt my body letting go of extreme tension.”

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The main decision of the week: Hammock or Lounge chair?

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It was worth getting up early to watch the sun rise!

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“You did an excellent job preparing everything Ali! I can’t wait til next year!”

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REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR NEXT YEAR’S RETREAT

November 2 – 9, 2013

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Take advantage of the early bird bonus: 1 free half day excursion & $50 spa credit

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Wish you were here!

Pilates & Restorative Yoga Retreat with Ali

Good-bye rain!

Hello Sunshine!

Hello Palm Trees!

First of many sunrise walks.

Heaven on earth!

Lounging

It doesn’t get much better than this!

Time is passing slowly, a day begins to feel like a week

Mayan adventures – felt like Indiana Jones!

Cheers!

Mud face masks on the beach

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