Alison Campbell Yoga

Winter Retreat Recap

alicampbell — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:43:02 +0000

Mother Nature provided us with a beautiful gift on our yoga retreat this weekend–the first snow of the season. We were able to arrive on Friday night, practice over looking the lake as the sun set and experience a deep Savasana by candle light. I don’t know if you’ve ever had the opportunity to begin your practice while it’s light out and end when it’s dark, but I highly recommend it. Then Yafa treated us to a spectacular dinner of squash, ginger and carrot soup, followed by Moroccan tilapia, green salad, steamed asparagus and a delightful apple torte with lemon yogurt for dessert. We sat in front of the fire, said goodnight and awoke to a snowy wonderland. Morning practice felt cozy and we created a lot of heat with focus on the breath. Slow intentional movements with pace directed internally from breath A delicious lunch, and then a winter, snowy hike! Animal tracks…and even the spotting of a blue heron taking flight from a small tree aside the lake. Some indulged in a massage back at the Inn and we all prepared for our evening restorative practice. Another stellar dinner, fire and sleep. Sunday morning led to a hike, colder this am! We were treated to a beautiful view of the sun coming across the lake as it cleared the trees. We ended with another yoga practice, and said our goodbyes over brunch. Thank you to all the beautiful yogis who joined me and created such a special group to make one of my dreams realized. I’ve been thinking of a weekend retreat for about two years, and it finally came to fruition. And an open invitation to all for next year. If you are interested in a weekend away with yoga, meditation, amazing food and accommodations–I have the perfect spot. Blessings, Ali

A Visit with Friends and the Scapula

alicampbell — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:40:48 +0000

It’s a been a while. I’ve fallen off the map a little these past few months. I had an interesting fall season with many losses and also now in retrospect, many gains. I had the good fortune to visit my friend in northern California last week, Nicole, as she helps her Dad, Peter, heal from a traumatic brain injury sustained during a car accident on October 10th, 2011. Unfortunately, we lost Joan, Nicole’s mom, my fairy godmother, in the accident. We miss her light, her laugh, he passion for art and education, and her zest for all things, especially people and animals, the way she made a perfect cappuccino. Nicole and I could literally feel Joan’s presence surrounding us in the short, three days we spent together. Being with Peter was amazing. He is having to relearn many things. I was honored to be able to be a part of some of his therapies–occupational, physical and speech. I can’t begin to describe the joy at watching him re-learn simple tasks. As the physical therapists at the San Jose Rehablitation Hospital helped Peter out of his wheelchair and into a piece of equipment that helped him stand upright, you could see the grimace on his face as one therapist kneeled behind him on a therapy bed and dragged/pulled his chest and sternum upright. Can you imagine what effort that took after almost 3 months in a bed and chair? I thought his first word was going to be “Ow. That hurts!” Eventually he relaxed a bit and was able to take the direction from the other therapist who worked with Peter on grabbing a small ball with his left hand and as I stood in front of him, passing it to me. It appears as though Peter’s right side is more compromised, meaning the left side of the brain was more affected in the injury. It’s been difficult for Peter to cross his mid line with his arms, i.e. taking his left hand and moving it across his body to his right side. We weren’t able to accomplish that today, think of all the brain has to do to organize this movement, but I can tell you, there were tears in my eyes when Peter passed me the ball, it took about half an hour to get him into the “standing-up-equipment” and about another 15 minutes to begin to take simple direction but as we worked and worked he was able to pick the ball up, extend his left arm a bit and place the ball in my hand. The look in his eyes was one of pure accomplishment. Ahhhhhhhh! Joy!

The next day, I had another chance to observe the therapist teaching Nicole how to stretch her Dad’s arms and shoulders. The therapist showed us how Peter’s scapula were almost locked on his back. After moving Peter to his side body, the therapist began directing Peter’s scapula and humerus with his hands and making a movement across the body (crossing the mid line again). Picture lying on your side and moving the top arm over to roll on your stomach. Those of you who know me and my love of anatomy, I was making mental notes to look up when I got home…Tom Myers, author of Anatomy Trains, talks about dissecting a spiral line in the body, this movement the therapist was making with Peter made me think of it immediately. My teacher at the Breathing Project, Amy Matthews, has an incredible knowledge of embodied anatomy and movement and I have heard her many times talk about the order babies typically begin to learn movement…And of course, when I got back to my hotel that night I got on the floor and practiced a little yoga and felt my scapula moving my arms in ways I had never thought of before. Thank you, Peter!

Being around Nicole and Peter gave me such perspective. It was the best holiday gift I received. Nicole’s attitude, intention and general way of living life after having lost her mom and now in the role as director of care and healing for her dad is nothing short of miraculous.

I hope to see you all on the mat soon. I’ll be back at Garden State this Sunday (5:30pm) for slow flow and restoratives…and as you may have guessed, we’ll be exploring the spiral line and scapula movement, you can thank Peter for that!

Winter Retreat in Bucks County, PA, January 20-22, 2012

alicampbell — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 02:58:30 +0000

Join me this January for a chance to brighten your winter practice, rest and restore deeply and align your energy and intention for the new calendar year. The Lake House Inn, on Lake Nockamixon is beautifully appointed. Glenn, the owner, has a special touch at mixing the old and the new. Original wood flooring and planking were kept where appropriate and mixed with stone and tile bathrooms in a soothing earth tone palette. Originally built in the late 1700′s as a stage coach stop and Inn, this historic structure has over the last 200 years served as a U.S. Post Office, general store, and restaurant. In 2005, Glenn and his family completed a renovation and addition and currently host weekend events.

Beautiful views of the lake will inspire our daily practices and guide our intentions to rest, restore and come away from the daily grind–even if only for a few short days. The Lake House Inn is surrounded by 5,200 acre Nockamixon State Park and day hikes are calling those who want to strap on their boots and get outside, or snow shoe? Or cozy up to one of the large windows in the common areas, take in the view of the lake and say “Ahhhhhh.” Ten guest rooms allow for an intimate retreat. Friends and partners may share rooms.

Food will be lovingly prepared, nutritious and delicious. Dietary options are respected and vegetarian is available upon request.

The retreat begins Friday evening at 5:00 with a welcoming, slow flow practice from followed by dinner.

Saturday morning practice is energizing from 8-9:30 followed by breakfast, tea fruit and granola will be available early for those wishing to eat something before a.m. practice. The rest of the morning is yours to explore how you wish. Lunch at noon, and more free time for those wishing an excursion, the nearby towns of New Hope, Lambertville and Frenchtown are all a short drive away. Hike around the lake or cozy up with your book. Afternoon meditation and intention work begin at 4 pm, restoratives from 5-6:30 followed by dinner and an outdoor fire, weather permitting. There’s nothing like a fire in the cold, winter air.

Sunday morning we will seal our intentions with a meditation and slow flow practice from 9-10:30 followed by brunch. Tea, fruit and granola available early again for those wishing to eat something before practice. Check out is noon, but feel free to stay on the grounds, explore another town, hike or settle in for a few last moments of calm to end our retreat together.

I hope you’ll join me for this magical winter time together. Yours, Ali

Click here for accommodation options.

Click here for waiver and release.

Accommodation Options, Lake House Inn Winter Weekend, 1/20-1/22/2012

alicampbell — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 23:15:16 +0000

Option One

Perfect for 4 friends looking for a weekend retreat together or for anyone looking for the most economic option. Three rooms and a shared bathroom on the third floor of the Inn make a European style family suite. Take one of the three single beds in two of the bedrooms and share a bathroom or pay a bit more for a full size bed in a separate bedroom with the shared bath.

Single bed option $600 investment

Full size bed option $650 investment

Option Two

Private room, private bath $800 investment, single occupancy, $1400 double occupancy investment

Option Three

King Size bed and private bath

$850 investment single occupancy, $1500 double occupancy

Option Four

Deluxe Suite (1 available)

King Size bed in the main bedroom, private bath with soaking tub, shower and two toilets, private dressing room/bedroom with pull out ottoman, view onto lake with private terrace.

$1000 Investment single occupancy, $1600 double occupancy

All rooms have the ability to accommodate a roll-away bed. Some rooms have pull-out single bed ottomans and one suite has a sleeper sofa. Please contact me for options concerning adding another friend to your room and pricing.

All pricing includes yoga and meditation practices, food, lodging and weekend programming. The participant is responsible for transportation to and from the Lake House Inn and any alcoholic drinks consumed. An honor bar system is used.

Weekend in the Berkshires

alicampbell — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:42:41 +0000

Each fall I mark the ending of one year and the beginning of another with Jillian Pranksy’s Fall Foliage Retreat. A few friends and I pack up the car and head North. First stop, New Paltz for lunch, then on to the Innisfree Garden where we decided fairies live. A hike around the lake and exploring the garden allowed us a nice transition into the weekend. Next stop, the Racebrook Lodge, where we would stay for the weekend. Dinner at the Stagecoach Inn was lovely. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. We were treated to some live music that night in the basement of the restaurant–who knew? Local band, think banjo, guitar, drum and two lead vocalists, one strong female lead and one strong male lead. The next day there was time for a trip to Great Barrington before the yoga retreat began Friday evening. Practices all weekend allowed us to ground down, relax and restore deeply in order to prepare for the windy, vatta season of fall. Meditation, yoga, hike, eat, rest, repeat–all weekend long. Thanks to Catherine, Katie and Piper for going along for the ride. It’s always a meaningful experience and you all make it more so. Happy Fall!

Ordinarily Divine, California in the Summertime

alicampbell — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:52:30 +0000

Alright, I know it’s November, I’m cold, we have our first fire in the fireplace, football is on and it’s makes me think of California in the summertime. I realize this is an issue. For one because it’s a practice to live in the moment you are in and for two, I am just now getting around to writing about California. I believe the world of blogging is supposed to be more up-to-date. 3 months later, I’m still feeling the effects of the summer sun, sand between my toes during yoga practice and all the teachings I had a chance to learn from teachers in the South Bay. I was able to swim a lot this summer, something about being in the ocean that feels familiar and vast, all at the same time. Once while completing the pier to pier swim (Hermosa to Manhattan) I had the feeling of being so small. I was swimming by the pylon of the end pier. Ryan, my husband, was holding my kids up on the pier and they were all waving at me below. I stopped for a second and treaded water–I waved. I looked at the pylon again as I took my next breath and I have never felt so small. It was overwhelming me. I knew, without a doubt, that I was a speck in this great universe of ours. I felt it. As I rounded the pier I took another breath and saw a swimmer next to me, that took the vast feeling away and I came back to my body and the feeling of this life, this moment right now. I was “in the body” as we say in yoga. Just me, swimming, doing a common thing. It reminded me of a Hasidic teaching I once came across on the concept of balance. “Keep two pieces of paper in your pockets at all times. On one write, ‘I am a speck of dust.’ On the other, ‘The world was created for me.’” We are all divine and we are all ordinary. In that moment in the ocean I felt both very close to each other.

Thanks to the lovely Monika Broz for spending some time with me in LA this year. We explored Santa Monica one day, had a yoga practice together, shopped in Venice and rode our beach cruisers to El Segundo so Mon could shoot some photos. A few included here. Please think of her should you need a photographer and visit her site when you have a moment to see her work and how she is inspired in photography. www.monikabroz.com

Invincible Summer…

alicampbell — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 17:27:57 +0000

Icy Tree Buds

“In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer.” Albert Camus wrote that. Smart man, he. I wish I could talk to him right now, but unfortunately he died in 1960. I wonder if Albert Camus ever had an ice storm that made the tree branches of his Japanese red maple so heavy they touched the snowy ground that had been snow-covered for the past 5 weeks–no sign of the grass-albeit dead, or ground underneath? I wonder if his kids wore their pajamas inside out and backwards, slept with spoons under their pillows and flushed ice cubes down the toilet before they went to bed in order to have school canceled the next day? I wonder if the people in his town started to get a little grumpy in the middle of winter? If they honked at each other while driving down a street that suddenly became one-way since there was no where else to put the snow? I wonder if these same people drove up a snow bank to park their cars while taking their children to activities in town, or to a friends house or to school? I wonder if Albert Camus longed for the sun in his winter? Did he long to see the earth? To taste a tomato picked from the vine in his garden? And how, oh how, did he know that summer was invincible? Not only invincible, but also in him? Not outside him–in him. I guess that’s what we refer to as faith. And hope.
While eating a beet in a salad the other day it gave me great pause. I looked at it on the fork, closed my eyes, smelled it and then ate it. Ahhhh, the taste of the earth. How foreign. And then I saw, really saw, the tree in our front yard this morning. After standing on the corner waiting for the school bus for 35 minutes and getting sleeted on, I was ready to get into the warm house. And there it was, right in front of me, a little bud, under the coat of ice. I looked closer and saw that these little, gutsy, buds were all over the tree, under the ice. I got it. I got it, Albert Camus. It made my heart warm. Invincible summer, right there in front of me–and also, in me.

Retreat in the Berkshires

alicampbell — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:12:02 +0000

Oh, what an exceptional weekend I just had in the Berkshire Mountains. I traveled with my two dear friends, Catherine and Katy, to Sheffield, Mass. this past weekend. We had a lovely two hour hike, reaching the amazing Race Brook Falls, just at the Appalachian Trail, and then a yummy dinner at the restaurant by our inn. The menu was so interesting, we felt compelled to read it aloud. Try it, “Heirloom Fried Green Tomatoes served with Bhok Choy in a warm Tomato and Parmigiano Sauce”. The next day we explored the town of Great Barrington, where I had the best latte I’ve ever drunk. If you ever get there, order it at the coffee shop, Fuel. We had lunch, walked around, shopped, and then on our way out of town, we walked into this amazing shop, Rubiner’s, a cheesemonger and grocer. In my next life, I will come back as a cheesemonger and live off the grid in Massachusetts, occasionally riding my vegetable-oil-driven-motorcycle to the island of Nantucket! But I digress, on Friday we continued our weekend with Jillian Pransky’s yoga retreat. Wow. Practices in a post and beam barn, overlooking the bright trees of New England as they dropped their leaves to the ground. Not to mention a fire circle, incredible food, and drum circle with John DeKadt. He performed a drum poem for us that resonated to my core. “My body wants to be like this drum, an empty shell, offering itself wholly, without fakery, belly up, with all its skin…” Please check out his work if you are so moved.

Fall is a time of great change, you can look outside your window, especially if you live on the east coast, and see this to be true. As always, yoga reflects what is going on in the natural world. How are you able to let go of the leaf, yet still stay grounded in the roots? I hope your fall practice is full of this kind of balance. This past weekend’s retreat was a lovely way for me to remind myself of those principles. I look forward to sharing them with you in class. When I see you next, let me know what you’ve let go of and how you remained rooted.

Retreat to Italy, 2011

admin — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 18:48:22 +0000

Balancing Body, Mind and Spirit in the Umbrian Countryside

September 24 — October 1, 2011

Please join teachers Ali Campbell and Danielle Diamond for an experience of a lifetime in the Umbrian Countryside of Italy at Locanda del Gallo. Daily yoga practices, paired with meditation and pranayama techniques make for an invigorating yet calming retreat. Leaving your daily schedule, phone and computer behind tends to make more room for an expansion in your practice and more space to enjoy the Locanda, a beautiful 12th century restored castle. Umbria is known as the “green heart of Italy” and you will understand why once you arrive at the villa and take in the unspoiled, surrounding views. Daily meals are prepared by the for us by the chef, often times using fresh vegetables and fruit from the villa. All olive oil used at the Locanda is from the small olive grove on the grounds.

Accommodations are tastefully done with a nod to the owners’ travels in Indonesia. All rooms have windows with breathtaking views of the landscape. Bed linens are of high quality and duvets have an “at home” soft-cotton feel. Bathrooms include traditional tile work, and glass door showers. Rooms are cleaned daily by the accommodating and gracious staff.

The price of your retreat includes your room, 3 oraganic meals daily, all yoga practices, a day trip to Florence, and a wine tasting and tour of a local vineyard. If weather permits, we enjoy a fire ceremony one evening. Also included is the use of the beautiful infinity pool, jacuzzi, and sotto terra (underground, built into the side of a hill) spa. Which has a common area for relaxing and reading, drinking your tea or cappuccino, and private treatment rooms. (Spa treatments are a´la carte). Walk the grounds, hike the surrounding hills, come…unwind with us.

Book Discussion Series to Deepen Your Practice

alicampbell — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:51:48 +0000

Please join me this October as I lead a monthly book discussion and lecture series hosted by Starseed Yoga. Held each month on a Friday night from 8-10pm, this is a wonderful way to deepen your asana practice. Consider this book club as a way to read and discuss relevant, pertinent texts to yoga and spiritual practice. Feel free to come for one, or join me for all 8 and receive a discount. Please register at Starseed Yoga.

October 8, 2010 The Heart of Yoga, Desikachar
November 5, 2010 Inside the Yoga Sutras, Carrera
December 3, 2010 The Yoga of Breath: A Step by Step Guide to Pranayama, Rosen
January 7, 2011 The Tree of Life, B.K.S. Iyengar
February 4, 2011 Moving Into Stillness, Schiffmann
March 4, 2011 Living Your Yoga, Lasseter
April 1, 2011 Anatomy and Asana: Preventing Yoga Injuries, Aldous
May 6, 2011 A Path with Heart, Kornfield