Yin so good it’ll make your spine feel this long
Hello yogis! Sorry for sending this a day late this week, but it’s regular schedule this week, which means Wednesday and Sunday Yin.
Plus more details about the yoga + writing retreat in Costa Rica in February/March and yoga + storytelling (writing and photography) in Kenya in March, both which are going to be amaaaaazing. Both retreats are filling up fast, so lemme know if you’re interested!
As always, if there are particular requests or if you have feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out. All details below.
Classes This Week:
Wednesday May 19, 3:30pm ET: 30-minute Yin.
Sunday May 23, 5pm ET: 45-minute Yin.
You can sign up for all classes here. Or, if you join the WhatsApp group, I send a Zoom link and a playlist a few minutes before class starts. Please do RSVP via the scheduler, WhatsApp, or email so I know how many people to expect.
After you sign up, you’ll receive a confirmation with the Zoom info. Please let me know if there are any issues (you can reply to this email). If you find you can’t connect via the scheduling app, here is the direct Zoom link. Please hang out in the waiting room and I’ll let everyone in when class begins.
Music: You can find the class playlist the day of class via my Spotify account. You’re also welcome to practice to your own music, or none at all. And I am always on the hunt for new songs if you have yoga favorites you want to share.
Community: There’s a Yin yoga WhatsApp group if you want to join — it’s a casual community of class regulars, and I send a day-of link to the class and the day’s playlist. If you want to join, email me with your name and phone number.
What you need for class: A mat, something warm and cozy to wear, two yoga blocks (I use these; if you don’t have blocks, a few thick books will work); a pillow or a bolster; a wall nearby (a closed door is enough space); and a strap (or a belt — the belt of a robe works well). That said, I give modifications for everything, so you don’t need any fancy gear to practice.
What’s Yin? If you’re new to Yin, or if you haven’t practiced Yin with me before, expect long holds in deep stretches (think three minutes in Pigeon pose, for example). We work with a slow, meditative breath, relaxing the mind as we ease the body into positions that are passive, but intense and sometimes uncomfortable. Yin isn’t restorative yoga; it’s deep work into the muscles and the fascia, increasing flexibility, improving joint health, and re-training the mind on how to meet discomfort with calm. It’s accessible for all levels — no need to be super bendy, or bendy at all.
Cost: All classes are donation-based. If you have the resources to pay for yoga, I’m on Venmo at @jill-filipovic and PayPal at jill.filipovic@gmail.com. If paying for yoga feels at all financially stressful — even if it means sacrificing a small pleasure, like a latte — please practice for free and don’t give it a second thought. Alternately, I would be just thrilled if instead of paying me for class, you donated to the EarthChild Project, a charity in Cape Town that I got to know when I did my yoga teacher training.
Anything in particular you want to work on? If there are certain areas of the body that feel tight or congested, areas where you’re working to improve flexibility or mobility, or certain Yin poses you just love, please don’t hesitate to reach out and make a request. I am also more than happy to hear feedback after class on what worked / what didn’t.
Upcoming Retreats
Yoga + Writing in COSTA RICA, February 28 - March 5, 2022
My teacher, collaborator, and friend Emily Shapiro and I are hosting a yoga and writing retreat at the gorgeous and famous Harmony Hotel in Nosara, Costa Rica. There will be daily yoga and optional workshops, daily writing workshops, a surf lesson, hearty and healthy breakfasts, one of the world’s most beautiful beaches, and much much more. The Nosara retreat is incredibly rejuvenating, relaxing, and refreshing — a perfect re-set at the tail end of winter.
The retreat includes:
-Daily vinyasa flow yoga
-Options for intensive yoga workshops and/or restorative Yin
-Daily writing classes catered to the group's interests and individual projects
-Individual writing feedback and edits as desired
-Shared accommodations for five nights at the gorgeous Harmony Hotel in Nosara
-Hearty healthy breakfasts
-A surf lesson
-Airport transfer
-and much more!
Cost:
Shared accommodations: $1750 early bird (before July 1) / $1900 regular
Private accommodations: $2800 early bird / $2950 regular
Flights are not included. Covid vaccine required.
We strongly advise purchasing travel insurance to cover your trip and any health issues.
To secure your space, a nonrefundable $400 deposit (+ %5 if you’re outside of the US) is due to me (@jill-filipovic on Venmo, jill.filipovic@gmail.com on PayPal) or Emily (@Emily-Shapiro-4 on Venmo, emily@loveandkale.com on PayPal). Just reply to this email and I can answer any questions about Covid precautions, refund options, or anything else you might want to know.
Writing + Storytelling in KENYA March 12-20, 2022
Join me and award-winning photographer Nichole Sobecki for a yoga + storytelling retreat, with daily vinyasa flow and workshops focused on creating compelling visual and written narratives. The retreat will take us through Nairobi, on a safari in Laikipia, and to Kenya’s magical coast. This is a long one — nine days — and includes internal flights, safari, conservancy fees, game drives, and much much more. Nicki has lived in Nairobi for nearly a decade, and I spent several years there as well, and we’ve set this retreat up to take you to our very favorite places in a spectacular country — truly special places we know well and go often, and that we cannot wait to share with you.
The retreat includes:
-Daily vinyasa flow yoga
-Options for intensive yoga workshops and/or restorative Yin
-Daily workshops in photography, writing, or both
-Individual feedback and edits on writing and photo projects
-Shared accommodations in Nairobi, Ol Pejeta, and Lamu
-Two nights and three days of safari
-All transfers and flights within Kenya
-Conservancy fees
-Sunrise and sunset game drives
-Bush walks and conservation tours
-Visits to Sheldrick’s elephant orphanage, a giraffe sanctuary, and the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary (founded by Jane Goodall)
-Bush breakfasts and sundowners (drinks on safari at sunset)
-Three meals per day while on safari
-All drinks, including juice, soda, beer and wine
-A nighttime game drive
-A ticket to the Lamu Yoga Festival and unlimited yoga during the festival (this is pending festival scheduling; if the festival doesn’t happen as planned, daily yoga will be included in Lamu)
-Sunset dhow cruise
-Breakfasts and dinners in Lamu
-and much more!
Cost:
Shared accommodations: $5,100
Private accommodations: $7,000
We are limiting this retreat to 12 participants.
Included in the cost: Accommodation for 8 nights, all flights and transfers within Kenya, most meals, drinks including beer and wine, daily yoga, daily workshops in photography, writing, or both, morning and evening game drives, and private editing sessions with Jill and / or Nichole.
A $500 non-refundable deposit (+ %5 if you’re outside of the US) is required to secure your spot. We accept payment via Venmo, PayPal, Mpesa, check, or Zelle.
Full payment is due no later than January 1, 2022.
Payment plans are available: Six installments of $850 paid monthly (beginning at latest August 1, 2021).
What’s NOT included: Roundtrip airfare to NBO; a $50 tourist visa; travel insurance (highly recommended); staff tips; premium spirits, cocktails and wines; lunches during the yoga festival (so you can eat at your convenience); souvenirs, laundry, and other personal expenses; spa services and massage.
Italy September 11-17th and September 19-25 are SOLD OUT
…but we have a wait list, so if you’re interested in being out on it, please let me know.
Are there other locations you’d love to retreat at? I’m always open to new ideas, so hit me up!
And that’s it! Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions, and I hope to see you all on the mat, or on a retreat somewhere in the world, very soon.
xx Jill