 It's time to celebrate the harvest of late summer and early fall. With the equinox coming on Friday, 9/22/17, we will usher in the official beginning of autumn. Take this time of the New Moon to set your intentions for the new season and the end of 2017. The New Moon signifies the beginning of a new cycle, and this New Moon will bring a nouvelle vague of energy that will influence the entire month.  Vigo is the sign of: health, work, seva, discipline, living healthy, the little things, organization, tidiness and animal companions. You may already notice you have started paying more attention to details since autumn has been picking up. You may have a period of increased productivity and vision. This New Moon could signify either obstacles with our personal healing or show up as empowerment. Those of you who have been feeling stretched in many directions could still be riding the wave of Piscean feels. It could bring up feelings of less-than or not-good-enough. However all of this could be letting us know we need to be more focused, forthright, and objective.  So with all of this New Moon information, ask yourself, "What can I do to make my life run more smoothly? What can I let go of that's getting in the way of me making these positive changes in my life?" Remember, Virgo's New Moon is celebrating the Harvest. The power lies within your capability to decide and take your new energy to make powerful and transformative changes in your life for the good. If you are still feeling a little frazzled, find your grounding in nature. Weather that is on the lakeshore, or in the forest or even a park, get your feet on the ground and feel Mother Nature. Remembering to honor the moon and her cycles reminds us that we too, are a part of nature. We may have lost connection because our weeks don't reflect the changing of the moon, they are set on a Monday through Sunday cycle and we don't often take time to notice, but the more connected to nature we become, the healthier we will be and our society as a whole. Elizabeth CampFounder Yoga Camp, E-RYT 500, Reiki Master
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 A yoga retreat has so many benefits. Personally, whenever I return home from a retreat I have a renewed sense of energy, and I am inspired and excited about life. If you are experiencing any of the signs below, I highly recommend you considering booking a yoga retreat.  1. You want some "Me Time" Do you find yourself constantly doing things for other people? Are you always putting others first? Do you crave time to sit back and relax with a cup of tea and a good book? If the answer is YES, a yoga retreat will do the trick! You will find certainly find time to rest, and reflect. 2. You want to meet people with similar interests Expanding your network is great both personally and professionally. A yoga retreat is the perfect time to meet new people with similar interests, dreams, and visions. By learning about your new found friends you will expand your knowledge, shift your perspective, and you will most likely make friends who will literally change your world.  3. You could use a jump start to living a healthy lifestyle I always LOVE how I feel after returning home from a yoga retreat. I always feel so healthy and refreshed and it makes it much easier to continue a healthy exercise and meal plan. I also always get new ideas for foods to add to my diet, and cooking techniques. 4. You want to experience something new Trying new things is super rewarding. Traveling to new places, trying new foods, and meeting new people. There is a lot of new at a yoga retreat. If you are looking to try a variety of new things, definitely give yourself the chance by booking a retreat. 5. You are feeling stuck in your current life If your days are feeling, same old, same old, it's time to book a retreat. By giving yourself a break from everyday life, you will refresh your soul and return much more grateful for the good things in life. Taking a break for yourself is one of the best things you can do. Everybody needs a chance to reset once in awhile.  6. You want to expand your yoga practice At a yoga retreat OF COURSE you will expand your yoga practice. You will work with different teachers, meet people of all levels, and you may even try a type of yoga you have never explored. A yoga retreat is the perfect time to explore and dive deeper into the goodness of yoga! 7. You are looking to be inspired If you are looking for inspiration in life a yoga retreat is the perfect remedy! Yogis are by nature, kind, open hearted people, who will support you, and love you no matter what. A yoga retreat is a safe space where you can be honest about your dreams and feelings. I have no doubt you will find people to support and inspire you!  So, what are you waiting for? Start thinking about treating yourself to a yoga retreat! You will not regret it! For information on Yoga Camp’s upcoming retreat, that is sure to address ALL the above, click here. I hope you join us! Much LOVE! Lacey  Lacey DoboszenskiYoga Camp, Travel and Media Specialist, RYT 200  Photo by Elizabeth Camp Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP) has been gaining popularity in the last 5 years. It’s a great workout, it’s safe for everyone and you can see nature up close and personal – the reasons go on. The sport has grown in many different formats from racing to leisure and from bootcamp to yoga classes. Anyone can find a reason to get on a SUP.  Photo by Lacey Doboszenski 1.Full Body Workout – SUPing works your arms, legs, back and core. By paddling to a point in the horizon you can get a serious workout going against the wind or the current. The instability of the boards allows your body to work the smaller muscle groups. The best thing about stand up paddle boarding is you will get a workout without even realizing it. You can paddle hard and feel the burn or paddle casually and still work your balance and core strength.
4. Relaxing – If you’re not into racing, you can use your board as a chance to get some “me” time. Being on the water is a way to unwind listen to the birds chirp and hear the tide splashing on the shore. 5. Socialize with Friends & Family – Paddling is a great why to disconnect from any technological distraction and enjoy great company like we used to. Enjoy great conversation with friends, family or take your 4-legged friend along for a ride. Time flies paddling alongside your buddy and chatting away.  Photo by Lacey Doboszenski
 I recently completed a full year of handstands. Yes, I did a handstand every single day in 2016 and documented it. Every single day. The world looks different now.  1) You will make incredible progress on your handstand journey! My orginal handstand goal on Janurary 1st, 2016 was, "work up to a 10 second hold and leg variations." I have gotten a lot stonger and a lot more consistent in my handstands. I have to tell you right away that I have not yet acheived my original goal. I am a lot closer. I can consistently hold a handstand now for 1-3 seconds. I can't yet really do any intentional leg variations. I thought I would reach my goal, but I can assure you, I am in no way dissappointed in myself. I am actually very proud of myself for staying committed and for the progress I have made. 2) You will explore your city, and the world and yourself. It was interesting how motivating the art of the challenge was for me. It enticed me to explore my city more than I normally would and take more trips. I also observed how it was fueling me as an artist.
Taking a picture every day for to share on social media was a unique motivator for a lot of reasons. Publically announcing my self-imposed challenge via social media kept me accountable and not only motivated to perservere, but also make my challenge as artistic as possible. I am a fanatic about Instagrm and also the layout of my gallery. The idea of creating a grid that would flow together beautifully also played a role in mt journey. It drove me to seek out new places, different lighting, and explore different variations to keep my IG gallery beautiful. I don't think I would have stuck to the challenge if it hadn't been for my public comittment via social media, and I know it wouldn't have been so fun and motivating.  I recently led the Second Annual Yoga Camp Photo Journey Retreat. It was an exceptional experience. I love this facet of Yoga Camp because I love serving women and helping guide them in their healing in the context of a carefully curated retreat. Honestly the whole retreat was outstanding. We had an amazing time! All the activities were great, and the weather was cooperating, which was an enormous blessing. Thank you God! I can tell you about all of retreat experiences more in detail in another blog post later, and you can check my social media channels for more info and photos, but I want to focus today on something that was completely unexpected. I booked the dates of this year's retreat over the full moon which occurred on October 15th, so we planned a full moon fire ceremony. That was amazing too! It was even warm enough to create the ceremony outside. That is another experience I would love to share more in detail about at a later time.  After our ceremony and finalé celebration, we went to bed. I woke up the next morning to take Maxime, my giant dog, outside. For some reason I followed my intuition and let her out the back door. I usually take her out quickly through the front door in the morning, but something told me to go in a different direction. I thought the sky looked pretty, and so I followed the sky down closer to the banks of the lake and peaked through the trees, only to find something I never even knew existed. The full moon on the horizon. I wanted to let the campers that were interested in on this blessing, so I ran inside and announced eloquently, "Full Moon! Outside! Still Up!" Then I ran back outside and down to the dock. What I saw was, the full moon, still up from the night before and it was setting over the horizon mixed with the gentle colors of sunrise floating in from East. I didn't even know something like this was a thing. I had nothing to compare it to, and I've never seen anything like it before. I've seen the moon high in the sky on occasion while the sun is up, but this was entirely different. The mixture of the colors and the epic landscape was one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed.  I often observe that when I let go of expectations, or have no preconceived notions of what will be, I am the happiest. When I have expectations, I am usually disappointed. The full moon in the morning surprised me, and filled me with joy! This full moon reminded me that life is full of gifts: some that I have not yet experienced, and some that I didn't even know were possible. This beautiful moon reminded me to let go of my expectations, let myself be surprised, and to love and experience life fully. When I walked back up to the cabin, I was immediately reminded of one of my favorite quotes about balance. "Some nights stay up till dawn, as the moon sometimes does for the sun. Be a full bucket pulled up the dark way of a well, then lifted out into light." Rumi Now I have experienced this in a deeper sense than I even knew was possible. In sharing my experience with you, I urge you to follow your intuition. I urge you to take a deep breath, think about something you have expectations about and then let some of them go. If you are able, let all of your expectations go. Namaste my friend. With love, elizabeth Landscapes by Elizabeth Camp
Portrait by Marjorie Renn Solis  Life is hard, and you deserve a break! The key to happiness is in your own hands, take a chance now and book a Yoga Retreat. Set aside what is holding you back and find a way to make it happen. There are always a million reasons and excuses in our heads telling us not to do things, I say – Just do it! You will not regret it. Here are 10 reasons to back me up! ;)
1. Meet Like Minded Individuals – There is something magical about being Immersed in a group of like-minded people. You feed off of each other’s energy and vibes. You learn things from each other simply by listening to each other. You get to talk about things for hours on end that you are passionate about, and likely you have someone listening who shares your passion or at least understands it. Being with people who share your passions helps allow you to open yourself and your mind and to truly embrace your authentic self.  2. Eat well without having to do any work – Really… need I say more??!! 3. Relax and destress – This is a pretty obvious benefit! What a retreat is all about. Simply time away to enjoy. 4. Take your yoga to the next level – Whether you are a brand new yogi or an experienced yoga teacher you are bound to learn something new on a retreat. In addition to the physical practice of yoga a retreat is about living your yoga, though showing compassion for others, for nature, and for yourself. It is a chance to truly embrace yoga in every movement of your day, and boy does it feel great! 5. Get to travel to a place you may have not otherwise gone – Going somewhere new is good for the body and soul! A retreat is often the chance to see somewhere beautiful! Let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to do some traveling?!  |
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February 2018
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