Tag Archives: temescal

Women’s Creative Writing and Yoga Retreat 2015: Lifting Your Creative Voice

Announcing the 5th Annual Women’s Creative Writing and Yoga Retreat.  Arrive Friday, March 6, depart Saturday, March 14, 2015–8 nights, 9 days with market tour,  plus options for traditional Oaxaca cooking class, and temescal* sweat lodge.

SOLD OUT!  JOIN THE JULY 28-AUGUST 6, 2015 SESSION.

Group2 You are a woman with something to say. You keep journals, notes, drafts of unpublished material. Or, you dream of writing and never have. Ideas percolate and you want to capture and develop them. Perhaps you have written and/or published a while ago, let the writer’s life lapse and you need renewal.  You may want guidance and support to continue an unfinished piece or publish it.  The Women’s Creative Writing and Yoga Retreat: Lifting Your Creative Voice is your place to learn, express yourself, and be the woman who writes. A_WritingRetreat-29  WomenWritingReading-6 With published author/poet and university professor Robin Greene‘s guidance and coaching, you’ll gain knowledge and perspective about the art and craft of writing.   During the workshop you receive writing exercises and triggers, thoughtful discussion, caring feedback, and the simple gift of time to bring up the words and let them flow. YogaFoodWriting-12  A_WritingRetreat-5 Here, you are empowered to tell your story well. Write in the genre that best suits you:  memoir, journal, poetry, creative nonfiction, or fiction.

  • We accommodate novices and experienced writers.
  • We limit enrollment to 9 women to guarantee personal attention in a small group.
WritingChurchTlacolula-6  YogaFoodWriting-10

The daily yoga with Beth Miller enhances your writing.  We tailor the sessions to fit each person’s physical level and needs. As you flex your body, you stretch your imagination.  Yoga develops core strength to find voice and creative center.  This is a perfect combination of the physical and spiritual, says past participant LeeAnn Weigold. YogaFoodWriting-35  A_WritingRetreat-22 What Participants Say

  • I learned I am fully capable of being the writer I dreamed of becoming.
  • The location, teaching and program structure creates a truly transcendent experience of enormous value.
  • I was challenged and that turned out to be exactly what I needed.
  • Far exceeded expectations. Got many suggestions for how to write healing stories.
  • It was wonderful!
  • The combination of writing, yoga, meditation and shared sisterhood is transformational.
  • Oaxaca feels safe, safer than my hometown in the USA.
  • I identified a writing project that engages and excites me.
  • The balance of intensive writing workshops, cultural excursions and yoga lead to a powerful experience on all levels.
  • The feedback was so thoughtful.  I honestly can’t think of anything I would change.
  • Beth’s yoga is the best I have ever experienced.  A perfect combo of the physical and spiritual.

We are based in the Zapotec weaving village of Teotitlan del ValleOaxaca.  Imagine a setting so beautiful that it inspires all the best within you.  Here, amid the flowering Bougainvillea and in the shade of red pomegranates, with the backdrop of 9,000 foot mountain peaks, you will enjoy a rich and rewarding experience. Our all-inclusive workshop is perfect for renewal and self-reflection.  A_WritingRetreat-27  WritingChurchTlacolula-44  A Message from Your Workshop Leader, Author/Poet and Professor Robin Greene “The writing retreat is very relaxed, and in the past four years–yes, this is our fifth!–the participants have been wonderfully supportive and open-hearted. You don’t need to bring any writing, but if you wish, you can–anything from a piece in progress, notebook ideas, some journal entries, or finished work. Oaxaca is a lovely place and finding writing topics is easy. Also, I’ll have plenty of prompts, writing exercises, and suggestions—and, of course, as women write, we energize each other. “As the writing instructor, I like to encourage women to find their individual voices so that the retreat experience is personally meaningful. In addition to one scheduled conference with each participant, I’m available for feedback and coaching throughout our time together.  And, because I teach creative writing, I have a repertoire of techniques and strategies to share with writers at all levels. “While I’m a university professor, this Women’s Creative Writing and Yoga Retreat remains my favorite teaching experience.”

YogaFoodWriting-44  A_WritingRetreat-50

We cannot promise that you will win a poetry prize, as did one of our participants after writing her winning poem at the retreat, or be published in literary journals as several past participants have. We CAN promise that you will explore, develop and deepen as a writer. A_WritingRetreat-36  A_WritingRetreat-31 You’ll have an opportunity to write on your own during open time in the schedule.  And, if you choose, there’s also plenty to do here. We’ve scheduled options for you to take part in a cooking class, shiatsu massage, and temescal Zapotec women’s sweat lodge.  You might take a walk, a hike, watch birds, and visit village weaving and artists’ studios, too. What the Retreat Includes:

  • 21-hours of group workshop and feedback
  • One-hour individual coaching session
  • Focused sessions to hone your skills: grammar, reading in public, publishing, grammar
  • 7  yoga sessions tailored to your skill level
  • Guided visit to Tlacolula regional market
  • Self-guided map of village
  • 8 nights lodging
  • 8 breakfasts
  • 5 lunches
  • 6 dinners

Optional Added Fee-based Activities:

  • Shiatsu Massage scheduled during the workshop, $50 per person
  • Zapotec/Oaxaca cooking class, arrive early, spend one additional night, includes lunch, dinner, breakfast, $125 per person  (2 person minimum)
  • Temescal women’s sweat lodge, scheduled during the workshop, $50 per person

*What is Temescal?  The pre-Hispanic temescal of Mexico was used by the Aztecs, the Zapotec, the Mixtec, and the Maya for therapeutic and purification purposes—coming-of-age rites, childbirth, the burial of a relative, and other tribal ceremonies. Temescal comes from the indigenous Nahuatl word temazcalli, meaning “bathhouse.” The temescal is a rectangular or round adobe structure with a vaulted roof. In it volcanic rocks are heated, and steam is produced by throwing herbal teas, such as rosemary and eucalyptus, on the rocks. The bather is gently whipped with ritual or medicinal plants. Curanderas, locally trained folk healers perform the ritual. They say it is important not to bathe for twenty-four hours!

The Spanish friars fought against this custom during the viceroyalty because they considered mixed-gender bathing inappropriate. Nevertheless, the temescal survived and is still used in certain parts of Mexico, mainly for bathing, for alleviating illness, or for recovery after childbirth. However, there is an increasing interest in reviving the traditional religious aspects of the temescal as part of the country’s heritage.

YogaFoodWriting-62   YogaFoodWriting-52 WomenWritingReading-2 2014 Exquisite Corpse Poem: In Oaxaca, Anything is Possible Now the eye of day closes, garlic and sapphires in the mud, the cactus flower fading, crumbling, becoming earth, the pond house evaporating like a cloud. And on the floor, still as any corpse, my spirit reaches, finds the flame, the infinite of the women around me, a workshop of distilled memory, the smell of fire I will miss, the crying mother who puts an arm around my shoulder, walks me toward the white curtain, open now, then drawn shut. It is only the Virgin de Guadeloupe, I tell you, who can quell my heart, take my pain like water from cactus. But as I prostate myself before her, explain that I only want the easy stuff, pap and pamper—not the bent knees and arms, upright and splayed, launched and launching— she focuses on the sensuous, on the lesson of emotion, on the long braided women, clunky mountain tops of stout brittle trees, on the practice that tells me: this shadow is fat, this heart is iron, this wind is voice. *Exquisite Corpse is a surrealist tradition, as Robin Greene explains, in which many create a piece of collaborative art.  The Corpse Pose in yoga is the Shivasana ending pose.  Robin asked each participant to add a favorite line or two that she wrote during the workshop. Robin collected the lines, wove them together, and created a poem in one voice to lift us and carry us forward as we leave.  Here is In Oaxaca, Anything is Possible. YogaFoodWriting-83  A_WritingRetreat-15 There are lovely walking paths around the village, along the river and into the countryside near a local reservoir. You are welcome to venture out and explore the village on your own. Personal safety is not a concern here. YogaFoodWriting-84  A_WritingRetreat-8 What Women Say . . . “I better learned how to put together a writerly life.  The coaching session will help me stay on track.  I enjoyed listening to and evaluating each others’ work.  What a great group of women.” –Leslie Larson, California “I came with the hope of being rejuvenated.  I am leaving with a lightness and grounding that is beyond comprehension.”  –Rebecca S. King, North Carolina WomenWritingReading-14 WomenWritingReading-13 WomenWritingReading-4 “The instruction was excellent and supportive. The personal coaching session offered me a chance to talk about my writing in a way I never had before.  The workshops are especially valuable because the feedback is so thoughtful.” –Susan Lesser, New York “I discovered that my writing entertains people!  Beth’s yoga is the best I have ever experienced.  A perfect combo of the physical and spiritual.  And I loved the cooking class.” –LeeAnn Weigold, British Columbia, Canada A_WritingRetreat-41 There is amazing resonance between Robin’s and Beth’s teaching — vigorous, solid, and accepting. –Deborah Morris, M.D., North Carolina A_WritingRetreat-26 A_WritingRetreat-51 “It was all perfect. You gave us a beautiful writing workshop in a beautiful village setting and you also gave us a strong community-of-women bond that will far outlast this conference. Mil gracias!” — Katie Kingston, MFA, Trinidad, Colorado “The quality of the teachers was stellar and the combination was a perfect fit for me. Robin has a clarity that is lovely, supportive, truth-telling, knowledgeable, superbly skilled. Beth is a beautiful, beautiful teacher. Combining the yoga and sound with writing was profound.” — Nancy Coleman, Portland, Maine Robin’s knowledge impressed and guided me throughout the week.  She is one of the most generous people, instructors and writers I have ever met. The week gave me the insight to reinvestigate life and write about it.”  Kathryn Salisbury, North Carolina “The week helped with my intention to write my book. There were too many valuable parts to list! We experienced an amazing time together, sweating leaves, meditation, chanting, writing, and honoring our lives. This was an awesome experience.” — Susan Florence, MFA, Ojai, California “We learned from the other women in the group, from the culture, the language and people in the village. It was magical.” –Bridget Price, Sydney, Australia and Mexico City WomenWritingReading-19  WomenWritingReading-8 Your Workshop Leaders Robin Greene is the McLean Endowed Professor of English and Writing, and Director of the Writing Center at Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She is also co-founder and senior editor of Longleaf Press, a literary press that publishes contemporary poetry. Greene is the recipient of a NC Arts Council/NEA Fellowship, a university teaching award, and a visiting professorship in Romania. Her work is widely published in literary journals. Greene has led community and conference workshops, has served as a writing consultant, and has taught creative writing for over two decades. Her books include Real Birth: Women Share their Stories(nonfiction), Memories of Light and Lateral Drift(collections of poetry), and Augustus: Narrative of a Slave Woman (published in 2011). Greene holds an M.A. in English from SUNY-Binghamton and an M.F.A. in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. See Robin’s website: www.robingreene-writer.com YogaFoodWriting-32  WomenWritingReading-17 Beth Miller is our yoga instructor who combines yogic practice and philosophy with meditation, creativity and improvisation. She specializes in Vinyasa-Hatha yogic traditions and employs sonorous yoga practices as an approach to help women of all ages to give voice to their lives.

BethMillerPortrait

Beth has a background in Holistic-Health Counseling, working primarily with teen girls and young women to inspire healthy lifestyle habits. In addition, Beth is a vocal artist, performer and teacher of Western classical and sacred music. She holds a B.A. in music from Westminster Choir College, is a Certified Holistic Health Counselor, and completed the chef training program from the Institute for Culinary Education. A_WritingRetreat-12 A_WritingRetreat-13 Norma Hawthorne produces arts and educational programs in Oaxaca, Mexico, operating as Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC since 2006. She offers textile and fiber arts, tapestry weaving, natural dyeing, creative writing, and photography workshops that people throughout the world attend.  During her 30-year university career, Norma organized national award-winning programs for Indiana University, University of Virginia, and George Washington University.  Before she retired, Norma raised more than $23 million for The University of North Carolina School of Nursing. She holds the B.A. from California State University at Northridge and the M.S. from the University of Notre Dame.   Preliminary Workshop Outline

  • Friday, March 6, travel day, arrive and check-in
  • Saturday, March 7, introductions, orientation, village walk, writing exercises, yoga
  • Sunday, March 8, regional market visit, yoga, writing
  • Monday, March 9, yoga, writing, coaching, temescal
  • Tuesday, March 10, yoga, writing, coaching, weaving demonstration
  • Wednesday, March 11, yoga at Yagul archeological site, writing, coaching
  • Thursday, March 12, yoga, writing, option to visit World Heritage archeology sites
  • Friday, March 13, yoga, writing, reception and reading
  • Saturday, March 14, departure

Add-on 1:  Come early, arrive Thursday, March 5, and take a cooking class on March 6, $125 per person, includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, lodging on March 5. Add-on 2:  Oaxaca Textile and Shopping Excursion. Stay a day later. Spend the day and night in Oaxaca city.  Norma will take you to the Museo Textil de Oaxaca and her favorite shopping spots.  Includes one night lodging on March 14. Depart March Sunday, 15.  $185 per person shared occupancy with private bath.  $255 per person single occupancy with private bath. A_WritingRetreat-35 A_WritingRetreat-43 Lodging/Accommodations and Cost To keep this program affordable, we have selected clean and basic accommodations at family operated bed and breakfast inns.  Local cooks prepare delicious meals from scratch, including corn tortillas, with organic ingredients. Vegetarian options are available. Cost: 

  • $1,195 per person double occupancy with shared community bathroom facilities
  • $1,395 double room with private bath (sleeps 2)
  • $1,495 single room with private bath (sleeps one)
  • $50, add-on Shiatsu massage
  • $50 add-on Temescal sweat lodge
  • $125, arrive early, add-on traditional Zapotec cooking class and learn to make mole. Includes lodging on March 6 with breakfast, lunch and dinner
  • Oaxaca Walk and Shop, $185 shared/$255 single occupancy in Oaxaca city on the night of March 14.  Includes transportation and lunch. Depart Sunday, March 15.

Most travel workshops of this type and length cost more than twice as much! YogaFoodWriting-46  WomenWritingReading-10 The workshop does NOT include airfare, taxes, tips, travel insurance, liquor or alcoholic beverages, some meals, and local transportation to and from Oaxaca city.  We will arrange taxi pick-up and return from/to the Oaxaca airport at your own expense. We reserve the right to substitute instructors and alter the program as needed. A_WritingRetreat-33 A_WritingRetreat-49 Reservations and Cancellations A 50% deposit is required to guarantee your spot. The final payment for the balance due (including any add-ons) shall be paid by January 10, 2014. We accept payment with PayPal only. We will  send you an itemized invoice when you tell us you are ready to register.  After January 10, refunds are not possible.  You may send a substitute in your place.  If you cancel before January 10, we will refund 50% of your deposit. Required–Travel Health/Accident Insurance:  We required that you carry international accident/health/emergency evacuation insurance.  Proof of insurance must be sent at least two weeks before departure.  If you do not wish to do this, we ask you email a PDF of a notarized waiver of responsibility, holding harmless Norma Hawthorne and Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC.  Unforeseen circumstances happen! Workshop Details and Travel Tips.  Before the workshop begins, we will email you a map, instructions to get to the workshop site from the airport, and a document that includes extensive travel tips and information. To get your questions answered and to register, contact: normahawthorne@mac.com  Since we are in Oaxaca most of the year, we are happy to arrange a Skype conversation with you if you wish. A_WritingRetreat-34 This retreat is produced by Norma Hawthorne, Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC. We reserve the right to make itinerary changes and substitutions as necessary.

Oaxaca, Mexico Women’s Yoga Retreat

Oaxaca Women’s Yoga Retreat with Beth Miller, July 5-11, 2011 — for beginners and all levels of yoga practice

Deepen your awareness and expand your perspective as you join us for this 6-night, 7-day retreat based in the Zapotec village of Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico.  This women-only program is perfect for mothers and daughters, sisters by birth, marriage, friendship and relationship, and any woman who wants a magical getaway to reconnect with self and others while exploring the majestic beauty of southern Mexico’s high-desert.

During the retreat we will explore the two complimentary modes of spiritual awareness — “mukti” and “bhukti.”   “Mukti,” or liberation, is the upward flowing consciousness that releases us from worries, plans, fears, fantasies, and limited identities … until we become space itself.  This is the experience of the seeker on the mountain top: transcendent and blissful.  “Bhukti,” or enjoyment, is a rooted state of fully embodied presence that allows us to take pleasure in the life of the senses. We allow ourselves to feel and become solid on the earth as the unique beings we are. We welcome the complexity of emotion and the dualities of physical existence, while cultivating the refinement of our senses. Oaxaca, with its potent sights, sounds and scents, is an ideal location in which to celebrate and explore.

Our morning practice will focus on yoga asana and movement. It will be a strong and grounding physical practice, and variations will be offered for practitioners with different levels of experience and ability. Alignment, presence, and breath consciousness will guide and anchor us.  Afternoon practices will invite play, as we explore partner yoga exercises. This will be an opportunity to observe our patterns in relationship to others and to have fun together!  Evening practice will be more restorative and will include sonic/vocal meditations and breath work.

All levels are welcome–individual consultations will be scheduled for those of you who would like feedback on your practice and yogic journey.

Additional activities are included in the cost. During the week,  a variety of additional activities planned that are included in your registration fee:  a visit to a local permaculture farm with yoga session under the palapa followed by lunch, yoga on the mountain top at the ancient archeological site of Yagul followed by a guided discussion with a renowned anthropologist, a day at the famed regional Tlacolula market (no yoga here!), and visits to local artists and artisans.

We are offering options to partake of a traditional temescal women’s sweat lodge, a one-hour Zapotec massage with a local bodyworker, study Spanish with a local teacher and to stay a day longer to immerse yourself in the local cuisine with a traditional Zapotec cooking class taught by Reyna Mendoza Ruiz.

Location is in family-centered Teotitlan del Valle. We will be here during the annual village saint’s day celebration. A highlight of this festival is the “Dance of the Feather” or “Danza de la Pluma” which is held on July 5 and July 6 in the church courtyard.  A troupe of local dancers who have practiced together during the year will re-enact the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs, performing for 10-hours straight in traditional regalia.

Our bed and breakfast/retreat space is located within walking distance of the church, the village market, hiking trails, and some of the best weavers and artisans in the world.  The food is delicious and prepared fresh each day.

About Your Retreat Leaders

Beth Miller of Boulder, Colorado, is our yoga instructor who specializes in Vinyasa-Hatha yogic traditions.  She employs sonorous yoga practices as an approach to help women of all ages to give voice to their lives.  Beth is an experienced workshop leader and meditator who combines yogic practice and philosophy with creative expression through sound.  She has a background in Holistic-Health Counseling, working primarily with teen girls and young women to inspire healthy lifestyle habits.  In addition, Beth is a vocal artist, performer and teacher of Western classical and sacred music.  She holds a B.A. in music from Westminster Choir College, is a Certified Holistic Health Counselor, and completed the chef training program from the Institute for Culinary Education.

What Past Participants Say About Beth Miller:

“Beth is a wonderful and supportive teacher.”

“It was deep and delicious work in a very supportive environment.  The yoga was extremely rich.”

What a wonderful opportunity to be surrounded by such an inspiring, intelligent, centered, supportive and eclectic bunch of women.  Thank you.”

“Beth gave me tools for greater contemplation and a way to honor myself.  Excellent.”

“The community of creative women was extremely supportive and inspiring.”

“This was an amazing experience.  Beth is a beautiful, beautiful teacher.”

Norma Hawthorne has produced arts and educational programs in Oaxaca, Mexico, through Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC since 2006.  She has offered creative writing, tapestry weaving, natural dyeing, painting, documentary filmmaking, and photography workshops that have been attended by participants from throughout the U.S., Canada and from as far as Australia.  During her 25-year career in higher education, Norma has organized national award-winning continuing education programs for Indiana University, University of Virginia, and George Washington University, and has raised more than $20 million for The University of North Carolina School of Nursing.  She holds the B.A. from California State University-Northridge and the M.S. from the University of Notre Dame.

What Past Participants Say About Norma Hawthorne:

“We got tons of helpful info from Norma before the retreat, and all during the retreat Norma was busy shepherding us, explaining life in Oaxaca, and seeing that all our needs were met.”

“Norma’s knowledge of the culture as well as her generosity of spirit are remarkable.  Not replicable, I think!”

What Past Participants Say About Questions of Personal Safety

“I would say you are often as safe as you think you are and that bad media, amongst other things are only trying to feed your fears.  That safety is not a concern in Oaxaca, just to be wise, as you would anywhere and trust your gut, come well-informed and open your arms and heart to the beauty of the incredible place.”

“Not a problem.  We felt perfectly safe in Teotitlan del Valle.”

“There are some simple precautions to take regarding food, but I have always felt safe here and that the people are very helpful.”

“I would say – ‘you are missing an awesome (in the real, not slang sense of the word) experience.’ ”

“It’s a wonderful place.  I did not feel threatened in any way.  It was safe and people were kind, patient, friendly.”

“I felt more safe here than in many U.S. cities.  I saw and heard no violence, no drunkenness, no homelessness.”

Lodging/Accommodations. To keep this experience affordable, we have selected accommodations that are clean and basic.  If you prefer luxury accommodations, please consider a different program.

Cost:  The basic cost for the retreat is $1,095. USD. This includes six nights lodging double occupancy with shared bath, six breakfasts, four lunches, six dinners, local transportation associated with the retreat, and all instruction.  Most programs of this type, length and quality cost more than twice as much! The cost does NOT include airfare, taxes, gratuities, travel insurance, liquor/alcoholic beverages, some meals, entry fees, and transportation to/from the airport.

For the base price of the trip, $1,095, you will share a double room with shared bath.  Please indicate your preferences on your registration form.

Option 1: Double room with shared bath; $1,095 each. Deposit to reserve: $550.

Option 2: Double room with private bath; $1,295 each. Deposit to reserve: $650.

Option 3:  Single room with private bath;  $1,495 each.  Deposit to reserve: $750.

Option 4:  Add one night lodging on July 4, $40 each.

Option 5:  Add one night lodging on July 11, $40 each.

Option 6:  Add cooking class on July 11 with Reyna Mendoza Ruiz, $65 (includes lunch).

Option 7:  Add temescal women’s traditional evening sweat lodge, $45

Option 8:  Add on-hour traditional Zapotec massage with local bodyworker, $40

Reservations and Cancellations. A 50% deposit is required to guarantee your spot.  The final payment for the balance due (including any optional supplemental costs) shall be postmarked by May 31, 2011.  Payment may be made by check or PayPal.  We will be happy to send you an itemized invoice.

Please understand that we make lodging and transportation arrangements months in advance of the program.  Deposits or payments in full are often required by our hosts.  If cancellation is necessary, please notify us in writing by email.   After May 31, no refunds are possible; however, we will make every possible effort to fill your reserved space or you may send a substitute.  If you cancel on or before May 30, we will refund 50% of your deposit.  We strongly recommend that you take out trip cancellation, baggage, emergency evacuation and medical insurance before you begin your trip, since unforeseen circumstances are possible.

Questions and to Register:  normahawthorne@mac.com or call (919) 274-6194.