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You’re Invited to A Feast for the Senses

The lover is always alone.
even surrounded by people;
like water and oil, he remains apart.

Love is like musk. It attracts attention.
Love is a tree, and the lovers are its shade.

– Rumi –

Hello, fellow friends on the path, 

I’ve been craving a day-long retreat and thought I would offer one to my community that is self-led. The theme for this weekend’s retreat is a Feast of the Senses.

In the Tantric tradition, the path to connection is through the senses. If you can fully be present in your body as you experience meditation, asana, eating, walking, and resting — all activities — the more present, content, and whole you will feel. 

Since we can’t come together in a live setting yet, I thought I’d share with you an outline for a self-hosted, full-day retreat. Included are two recipes—one for the chai tea that I LOVE. The second is for a soup that I just made last week that blew our socks off.

 

 

👁Feast of the Senses 👄
A 1-Day Retreat on Saturday 
February 13th

 

 

This day-long retreat includes classes that are exclusive for members of Practice with Clara – if you are not a member, we offer a 7-day free trial, which you can use to join this one day retreat for free. 

Check out the schedule below to see the entire offering.

 

Sending love and a virtual hug,
Clara & the Team. 

🙌🏼 PS: I’ll be hosting a LIVE 1-Day Retreat in March, so stay tuned for more details to come!

Agenda for Feast of the Senses

6:30am 

Wake up and prepare your mind/body to start the day.

 

🌞

7:30am

Open your day with a nourishing moving meditation. 

River of Prana 

 

Ground in fluid movement from Shiva Rea’s Prana Flow, a rhythmic style of yoga that links the body to the breath to directly influence Prana (life-energy) through the body. Stimulate the organs and nervous system through Bhastrika breath, Jalandhar bandha, and a variation of Kapalabhati with alternate nostril breathing.

✍🏼

7:30am

Take a seat for self-reflection with these journaling prompts.

 

What are some of the ways you indulge your senses? 
Sound · Sight · Taste · Touch · Smell
List the people, places, and things that make you feel good.
What are the activities that deliver total body-bliss?
&
Do you make space for these things in your life?
Why or why not?

🍵

8:00am

Tea ceremony with Clara’s Morning Chai Recipe & breakfast.

 

Below is Sara Jade’s description of a tea ceremony,
which she shared on the PWC podcast last year. 

Tea ceremony is similar to a Zen-style meditation. It’s silent, and you do one thing at a time. You pick something up in one hand and pass it to the other hand before setting it down on the table. It’s a very intentional, mindful practice, and also very engaged. It also works with spiral energy as you serve others, you move in circles from the heart coming in and out. So you’re really connecting with your guests in a shared experience. I fell in love with it. It was what I needed and is still a huge piece of my day and who I am.

Many things take our energy, and we really need to simplify and take a good look at what we’re doing and all we have. I like to ask myself, what am I really grateful for in this space right now? Tea ceremony made me more aware of the spaces around me; it opened me up to healing. Tea is the teacher, and it prompted me to examine how if things are not adding to my life, they’re taking away. So I ask you, where in your life do you feel that things are not adding to what you want to create?

🍵

Allow the making, pouring, and drinking of the tea to be a meditation on the senses — asking yourself — what do I see, feel, hear and smell?

Morning Chai Recipe

I love this tea for not only heating my body but also for stimulating Agni (spiritual and digestive fire).
🍯 This will make 8-9 cups of tea. Tea makes a great gift to friends and neighbors!

Ingredients: 

  • 5 black tea bags
  • 6 cups of water
  • 5 cardamom pods
  • 10 whole cloves
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 tbsp whole black pepper
  • 2 tbsp chopped ginger
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup/honey
  • 2 cups of (almond) milk
Cook:
  • Grind up the spices with a spoon
  • Bring 6 cups of water to a boil and add spices and ginger
  • Set to medium heat and boil for 10 min
  • Turn off heat and add tea bags and steep for 5 min
  • Add milk and sweetener
  • Drink
🍯 If I wanna get fancy, I add a little half and half to my cup to make it really creamy!

🎶

10:00am

Turn up the volume on self love with your favorite songs. 

 

Put on your favorite music, light candles, and dance with your loved ones; luxuriate in the shower/bath; paint your nails; read a book or magazine; walk your dog or snuggle your cat.

Choose an activity that fills you with joy
and revel in it for the hour. 

🧘🏽‍♂️ 

11:00am

Join me for the LIVE yoga class. 

For the Love of Krishna

Join me for a 60-minute class inspired by the Hindu god of Krishna. I’ll start the class with a myth and mantra for Krishna. We’ll dive into a 45-minute vinyasa practice moving working up to the backbend Wheel, Urdhva Dhanurasana.

Krishna is known as the God of compassion and an avatar of Vishnu.

For those of you who cannot make it to the LIVE class at 11am PST, here are two class options for you to choose from:

A Neat Bow

This faster paced vinyasa practice is focused on opening the front and lateral/side of the body while preparing you to explore some unique variations of bow pose.

Dancing Shiva

Enjoy this slow vinyasa class that builds strength in the abdominals and back to prepare you for backbends. The peak pose is Dancing Shiva and a bow variation. This class will start with lengthening and strengthening the back and side waist. This will open up the psoas, quadriceps, and chest. Leg strengthening and balancing will build heat, while poses like Anahatasana (heart pose) create space. Enjoy a poem by Hafiz as you breathe and ground in your body. 

🧘🏻‍♀️ 

12:30pm

Take a moment for self-reflection & journaling.

 

After our LIVE yoga class featuring Krishna, take a seat in meditation OR spend some time sitting with these journaling prompts:
 
· How do you express compassion with yourself?
· How do you express tenderness with yourself?
· How do you express love? 
· When and with whom do you express your vulnerability?


List the activities you perform for yourself and others, that embody some of the above-mentioned qualities. ·

 

🍜 

1:00pm

Time for lunch with Rice Cake Soup with Edamame.


Takes about 30 minutes to make.
Recipe from the NY Times.
Link in the title. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 medium leeks, trimmed, white and light green parts cut into 1/4-inch rounds
  • 1 bunch scallions (about 6), whites and greens separated, thinly sliced
  • 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
  •  Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 4 cups chicken stock ((I used veggie broth))
  • 2 medium heads baby bok choy (about 8 ounces), trimmed, stems and leaves divided, stems cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 cups fresh or frozen rice cakes (about 10 ounces)
  • 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

PREPARATION

  1. In a pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add leeks, scallion whites and ginger, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden at the edges and softened, 7 to 8 minutes.
  2. Add chicken stock and bok choy stems, and bring to a boil over high. Reduce the heat and simmer and cook until the broth is flavorful, about 10 minutes. Add rice cakes and simmer until plump, about 8 minutes.
  3. Add edamame and bok choy leaves and stir until bright green, about 1 minute. Swirl in the beaten eggs in a slow, steady stream, stirring gently to make sure the eggs form long ribbons. Stir in the vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls and top with remaining scallion greens.

🌲

2:00pm

Nature walk/time to explore the fresh air outdoors.

 
Take the afternoon to explore the outdoors (rain or shine!) for a silent meditation walk in nature.  

For the meditation walk, go slow; pay attention to your breath, and witness the beauty of nature all around you.

If you have kiddos and/or pets at home, bring them with you and enjoy the sense of spaciousness and play!
 
 

🦋

4:00pm

Restorative yoga session.
 

Chill Pill
Conscious rest is so important for the nervous system. If you’re looking to relax, ground, and go inside, join me for a chill pill.

I created this slow-moving practice on a day when I needed to connect to my body and slow down my mind.

Enjoy the musical accompaniment by Dj AuGustus

🍜

6:00pm

Dinner time with friends, family, or solitude.

As you prepare and eat your meal, get rid of distractions such as music, TV, computer, phone, books, and other media. 
 

Can you sit with your food (and loved ones) while you eat, and be present for the silence and/or conversations that arise? 


Appreciate the textures, colors, flavors, and aromas as you cook and eat.
 
 

☁️

8:00pm

Ritual and unwind time.

Do you have an evening ritual that helps you to unwind before bed?

 

Spend this hour with a ritual that helps you relax.


One of our community members asked for evening ritual ideas in the Facebook Group, here are some of the responses: 
 
⩥ Mantras (Lakshmi Mantra)
⩥ Oracle cards and tarot
⩥ Drinking herbal tea or hot chocolate
⩥ Reading or doing a craft
⩥ Spending quality time with family
 
 

🌙  

9:00pm

Yoga Nidra before bed.

Yoga Nidra
Nidra translates as “sleep” in Sanskrit. Yoga Nidra is a guided meditation to bring your body and mind into deep relaxation.

Recommended for everyone and can be helpful for those working with stress, anxiety, exhaustion, and burnout.


Music by Dj Augustus

◒ 

How to Join the Retreat: 

 

1. Follow the agenda above.
2. Attend the LIVE yoga class on Saturday.
3. Pre-purchase the food-stuffs if you want to follow the recipes. 
4. Plan accordingly with your family.
5. Share with a friend to participate with those you love!
 

 

Connect with us in our private Facebook group as you go through your day or if you have any questions!

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