Salutations to the Sun Workshop. Sunday, June 21st 2009.

Heliotropes unite! Join Laura in her annual celebration of the longest day of the year. Honor the life-giving energy of the sun in this ancient form of body prayer. Surrender to the rhythm of 12 sets of 9 Sun Salutations and leave feeling cleansed, clear and ready for some sunshine. This is a form of Bhakti Yoga or the yoga of devotion. Your intention and dedication in this practice is much more important than the number of sun salutations you complete. Do as little or as much of the movement as you feel right for your body and spirit. Modify, sit, breath, be present.

Details: Sunday, June 21st from 9:30am - 12pm.

Location: Taj Yoga in the Crown Hill neighborhood of Seattle.  

Cost: $35 Space is limited to 20 participants.  Pre-pay online with Pay Pal and contact Laura at yogini@lauranidra.com prior to June 14th 2009 to register for this workshop and reserve your space.

Whitewater Rafting & Yoga Retreat on the Salmon River, Idaho.

Whitewater Rafting & Yoga Retreat on the Salmon River, Idaho.

August 16th - 21st 2009.

Join Winding Waters Rafting & Laura DeFreitas in a very special opportunity to practice yoga on the beautiful white sand beaches of the Salmon River, Idaho. The Salmon River offers a perfect setting for reconnecting with Self, Mother Nature, friends and family. Experience the calm pools, exhilarating rapids, magnificent Pacific Northwest scenery and the rich cultural history of this incredible river canyon. Daily yoga classes on this retreat will bring balance and relief to key areas involved in this outdoor adventure while cultivating the mindfulness needed to successfully and safely negotiate the river. No previous yoga or rafting experience required.

Retreat Cost: Space is limited to 12 people. $1100 if paid prior to June 1st 2009. $1250 adults/$1086 youth thereafter.

Retreat Includes: 1st night lodging in Clarkston, WA at Quality Inn, all food (vegetarian option available) beginning with breakfast at hotel and ending with lunch on last day, experienced river guides, all river equipment, tents, sleeping pads, dry bags, ground transport to and from the river, 1 or 2 yoga sessions daily.

Space is limited to 12 participants. Email Paul Arensten to register and reserve your space - paul@windwatersrafting.com. Visit Winding Waters Rafting For More Information.

Yoga & Balinese Culture Retreat in Bali, Indonesia. March 4th - 17th, 2010.

Yoga & Balinese Culture Retreat in Bali, Indonesia. March 4th - 17th, 2010.

Join Danu Tours & Laura DeFreitas in an excursion into the Balinese culture through the eyes of the Balinese. This retreat is designed for those who wish to observe and appreciate such an experience while enhancing their own well being with nurturing and invigorating daily yoga classes with Laura. We begin on the coast in Candi Dasa where you will have time to relax, get your bearings, stretch out and revitalize. The trip proceeds to Ubud, the cultural and artistic heart of Bali, where you have a taste of traditional performances, local arts, crafts and shopping. This retreat encompasses one of the most important holidays on the Bali-Hindu calendar year, Nyepi, the New Year, when the entire island celebrates a ritual purification. The festivities involved with Neypi include performance, procession, meditation, and in some cases, trance dance.

Retreat Includes: *Two yoga & meditation classes most days with Laura. *A traditional massage and a body revitalization experience. *Attendance at 2 traditional dance performances. *Island tours include visits to Tenganan aboriginal village,Tampaksiring Temple, Tirtagangga Water Palace, Royal Palace of Amlapura, Kerta Gosa Hall of Justice, Petulu village heron preserve. *Visit to artists and craftspeople in their home-studios. *Volcano climb (optional). *Purification ritual at sacred springs. *Two snorkeling excursions. *Breakfast each day, lunch at Gandi Ashram Candi Dasa, dinner at Surya's family home and happy hour at the home of your guides (Note not all meals included). *Seminars on rites of passage, bargaining, history and politics, trance and sacred masks, local customs and culture, language, Hindu religion & caste system, rites of passage. *Special excursion to attned the Melasti ceremony in Sanur and the Mercaru procession in Denpasar. *Airport transfers. *Services of Madé Surya or Judy Slattum, professional guides. *5 nights at Candi Dasa Beach. *7 nights in Ubud. *Round-trip airfare via Seattle, SFO, LAX, or NYC.

Retreat Cost: $3,100 US.

Space is limited to 15 participants. $350 non-refundable deposit due by September 1st 2009 to reserve your space for this retreat. 

Contact LauraNidra at yogini@lauranidra.com or visit Danu Tours for more information. To view photographs and daily descriptions of the 2008 Bali Retreat visit Cameron Karsten Photography Travel Blog.