Oct 8th-16th, 2011

Join Arun & Megan for 8 days and nights at the Award Winning Ayurvedic Beach Resort, Somatheeram. Enjoy an invigorating morning practice of vinyasa krama yoga while looking down at the ocean. Come learn the secrets of Ayurveda at the very source and receive daily massages/treatments. Please feel free to contact us at any time if you have any questions.

Namaskaram!

Arun Deva                                          

yogarasayana@gmail.com

+1-310-435-4197

Megan McCarver

megan@meganmccarver.com

+1-949-280-9968

Somatheeram~Manaltheeram

The resort is spread lushly over 15 acres of greenery on a  hilltop overlooking Chowara Beach, south of Kovalam and a short drive away from Trivandrum. The gently sloping grounds are sprinkled with traditional thatched cottages and Kerala style wooden bungalows, nestled among native medicinal plants and coconut groves.

It is a short walk down to the beach for swimming, morning or evening walks. Along the way down is the swimming pool where you can rest during the day sipping fresh coconut water! The resort has outdoor and indoor yoga rooms. Climbing up the hill you arrive at the Rejuvenation Center with a full staff of Ayurvedic Doctors, where you will receive your daily treatments including abhyanga and shirodhara, Kerala style!

The resort has a thatched restaurant with a panoramic view of the ocean, and delicious Ayurvedically prepared meals (3 vegetarian, dosha specific meals a day are included). The resort also offers full services, such as laundry, safe deposit and internet access for an additional fee.

Registration & Information: yogarasayana@gmail.com

Itinerary – 8 Day Retreat

8 days & nights at Somatheeram/Manaltheeram Ayurvedic Beach Resort

Lodging: Your choice of Standard Room, Garden Cottage, Special Cottage or Kerala House Deluxe (A/C)

2 hr Vinyasa Krama Yoga Sequencing w/Arun: First 7 mornings*

Gentle Yoga and meditation w/Megan: First 7 evenings

Ayurveda for Daily Living: 5 afternoon lectures**

7 days of daily Ayurvedic Treatments***

3 Delicious Ayurvedic Vegetarian Meals Daily (Except on excursion day)

A sightseeing daytrip to Kanyakumari Temples & Palace visit

Airport Transfer to/from Triavndrum International Airport.

Pick your optional ½ day local backwaters cruise in a country boat or ½ day city tour of Trivandrum w/shopping & sightseeing.

Ayurveda tour: Includes visits of the herbal garden and the medicine-manufacturing unit with staff doctor and translator

Early morning beach walks and chanting at any time may spontaneously happen

Evening entertainment (most evenings)

Caparisoned elephant greeting upon arrival

*Vinyasa Krama means the methodology & sequencing of asanas in a particular manner, so as to create a harmonious flow of prana/breath all through the movements (vinyasas), as practiced by the great Master, Shri Krishnamacharya and taught to Arun by Srivatsa Ramaswami

** Spread over 5 sessions, this immersion in Ayurveda is to teach and empower you in the ancient art of daily routine, correct diet, lifestyle and exercise as determined by your own unique constitution and needs.

***These treatments include abhyanga and shirodhara as well as any other treatments as determined as being beneficial to you by the Ayurvedic staff at Somatheeram. (Most of this will be included in your costs. Some treatments are additional and thus optional)

Registration & Information: yogarasayana@gmail.com

Retreat Lodging Choices & Cost

Double Occupancy:

Standard Room: Per Person

• $2,000 (Book by July 31, 2011)
• $2,300 (Book after July 31, 2011)

Garden Room: Per Person

• $2050 (Book by July 31, 2011)
• $2350 (Book after July 31, 2011)

Special Cottage: Per Person

• $2150 (Book by July 31, 2011)
• $2450 (Book after July 31, 2011)

Kerala House Deluxe (A/C): Per Person

• $2450 (Book by July 31, 2011)
• $2750 (Book after July 31, 2011)

Single Occupancy:

Standard Room: Single Occupancy

• $2,225 (Book by July 31, 2011)
• $2,525 (Book after July 31, 2011)

Garden Room: Single Occupancy

• $2300 (Book by July 31, 2011)
• $2600 (Book after July 31, 2011)

Special Cottage: Single Occupancy

• $2500 (Book by July 31, 2011)
• $2800 (Book after July 31, 2011)

Kerala House Deluxe (A/C): Single Occupancy

• $3025 (Book by July 31, 2011)
• $3325 (Book after July 31, 2011)

Registration & Information: yogarasayana@gmail.com

The Yoga

Arun Deva, DASc, AYT, E-RYT(500) is a Senior Ayurvedic Practitioner, an Ayur*yoga Therapist and a Vinyasa Krama certified yoga teacher. He is the founder of Arunachala Yoga & Ayurveda and teaches workshops and classes internationally, is the author of numerous articles and has also appeared on TV and radio shows. He also currently serves as Secretary for CAAM (California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine) & is on the Standards Committee of NAMA (National Ayurvedic Medicine Association). Arun has a clinical practice in West Hollywood, CA and can also be found teaching classes at Liberation Yoga and Dancing Shiva Yoga & Ayurveda when in LA! He also teaches the Ayurveda and Yoga modules for many Teacher Training Programs around the world.
Arun started his studies of both Yoga & Ayurveda as a child growing up in India and has made his home in Los Angeles for over 30 years now. His work and his teaching/travel schedule can be found at: http://www.yogarasayana.wordpress.com and he can be reached at yogarasayana@gmail.com

Vinyasa Krama Yoga comes from the tradition of Shri TKV Krishnamacharya whose well known students include BKS Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, Desikachar and Indra Devi.

Arun’s teacher, Srivatsa Ramaswami, spent over 33 years studying privately with Shri Krishnamacharya and it is from this deep well of knowledge that Arun draws his inspiration and love for the practice. In addition, the Ayur*yoga Teacher Trainings have given Arun a great sense of respect for the dynamics of Ayurvedic principles in teaching and therapeutics.

We will have a morning practice daily that will include asana, pranayama, chanting and meditation.

Megan McCarver, E-RYT-500 is a YogaWorks Certified Instructor teaching yoga since 1994. She is a student of Arun Deva for over ten years. She excels in teaching beginners and mentoring yoga teachers/students into healthier yoga lifestyles. Megan co-founded Santa Monica Yoga in 1993 and is founder/author of http://www.YogaEverywhere.com, http://www.iVillage.com’s Key Board Yoga and Print and Go Yoga. Megan teaches from the Krishnamacharya lineage with the emphasis on balance, strength, alignment, breath and great compassion.

Megan will present Gentle Yoga and meditation in the early evenings.

Ayurvedic Immersion:
Ayurveda for Daily Living

Ayurveda for Daily Living is a 5 afternoon lecture and practicum series taught by Arun and the Somatheeram Staff with the goal of bringing an understanding of this ancient healing art into practical perspective.  Learn to fashion your own diet, exercise and lifestyle skills. Included will be a guided tour of the herb gardens and medicine making facilities.

Arun Deva is a Diplomate in Ayurveda (DASc) who serves on the Board of CAAM (California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine) as well as on the Standards Committee of NAMA
(National Ayurvedic Medicine Association).

Ayurvedic Treatments

Kerala is well known as preserving the ancient arts of Ayurveda in their traditional forms. It is famous for its massages and treatments, such as abhyanga (full body oil massage) and shirodhara (warm oil poured in a continuous stream across your forehead to induce deep release and relaxation).

From a menu of over 20 treatments, you and the staff doctors will design a plan that fits you personally. A set amount of time (around 2 hours!) and certain treatments including above-mentioned, are included in your costs. You are always welcome to add to this to deepen your experience, such as by turning it into a Pancha Karma Program!

The Cuisine

Based on an Ayurvedic diet, many dishes are labeled according to dosha (ayurvedic constitutional types). The meals are always freshly prepared with seasonal vegetables and include the more well known Southern as well as Northern cuisines of India.

Additionally, western and other dishes are often included in the mouth-watering array that greets you at every meal! Please note that Ayurvedic doctors, quite often wondrous chefs themselves, have created most of the dishes!

Shopping, Sightseeing & Excursions

Right outside the Retreat Center is a quaint street chock full of exotic shops. There are tailor shops with excellent materials on the streets and in the retreat center. Please bring your favorite fashion magazine to show them just what you want made from the fabrics they have! Some great gift shops are strewn across this meandering path! Along the way down to the beach be prepared to be met by street vendors who have excellent wraps and shawls for cheap…bargaining is a tradition, so enjoy it! 

Included with the Retreat is an excursion to:

• Kanyakumari Temples – On the southernmost point of peninsular India, it is the meeting point of three oceans: The Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. Besides its importance for its temples, it is famous for its beautiful views of both the sunrise and sunset over the waters. The multicolored sand is a unique feature of the beach here. There are many legends associated with this sacred place. We will also visit the Padmanabhapuram Palace close by.

Your choice of a ½ day excursion to:

• Trivandrum – a picturesque 45-minute drive away. Great shopping, museums and wonderful sites to see!

Or:

• Backwater Boat Tour – enjoy a peaceful float along the river, catching glimpses of beautiful birds and Indian life.

Registration & Information: yogarasayana@gmail.com

 A deposit of $500 will secure a space on a first come, first served basis.

LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE!

Arun Deva &  Megan McCarver,

yogarasayana@gmail.com
310-358-9555/310-435-4197

yogaeverywhere@cox.net
949-280-9968