“Activated Asana” with Barbara Leah Meyer

All-Inclusive, 4-Day Transformative Yoga Retreat at

REO Rafting, Glamping & Yoga Resort

July 14 -18, 2024 & July 28 – August 1

A transformative yoga and wellness retreat for people of all levels at the gorgeous REO Rafting, Glamping and Yoga Resort in beautiful BC. This totally unique retreat includes an “educational” component – 3 morning slideshow presentations explaining the philosophy and science behind activating muscles and fascial lines in your yoga practice. With a focus on stability, strength and mobility, we will explore the concept of “Skillful Movement” and how to set ourselves on the path towards “High Performance Aging”, making our body more injury proof through our entire movement life. Enjoy learning, sharing, nutritious movement, meditation, music, forest and canyon hikes, delicious meals and desserts, unlimited yoga, evening social hours, dark sky stargazing, nightly campfires & much more during our amazing 5-day, 4-night retreat. Add-on an extra activity such as rafting, paddleboarding, lake kayaking or massage. Expect to learn, expect to make progress, and expect to relax and rejuvenate during this one-of-a kind yoga and wellness experience as you move and sleep to the sound of the beautiful, jade-green Nahatlatch River.

Activated Asana is a Skillful Movement Practice – the sweet spot where modern movement science and yoga meet. Through a movement system called “organization & activation” we maximize healthy movement mechanics and develop skillful movement with a long term goal of High Performance Aging. Postures are very accessible and meet your body where it’s at. We will learn how to build stability and strength, increase our range of motion over time, prevent injury, achieve greater body and breath awareness, enjoy improved mental health and life balance and, perhaps, discover yoga and meditation as a personal place of sanctuary. 

RESERVE YOUR SPOT!

Retreat Details: Activated Asana is where modern movement science meets yoga. It is a new style and concept of yoga suitable for both beginners and experienced students. You’ll learn an intuitive movement system called “Organization & Activation” which can be taken into all other yoga classes (and physical activities). There is a strong focus on building stability and strength, which is used to safely increase range of motion over time. Postures are very accessible and the intensity can be dialed up or down to meet your body where it’s at. Over the retreat we will explore three Frameworks (see below).  Expect to work, learn, and make progress during this transformative yoga and wellness experience overlooking the beautiful, jade-green Nahatlatch River. Framework #1: Skillful Movement & High Performance Aging  A look into the vast world of Movement Science, delivered in a context that makes sense to yogis. What’s the difference between skillful movement and exercise? What decisions can you make today that will set up your later years for a life of independence and High Performance Aging? Framework #2: The Law of Stress & Rest – Injury-free Yoga!  Believe it or not, yoga can lead to injury! This workshop will cover everything you need to know about the types of injuries yogis get, why they get them, and most importantly – how to stay out of the injury hole in the first place! Framework #3: The Law of Priority – Stability First! The Law of Priority is a basic guiding principle of Activated Asana that is like getting the keys to the kingdom! Find out why applying this law will make you better at yoga and any other activity you do!

Testimonials:

“Barbara introduced us to the amazing world of Activated Asana yoga, which we were completely new to. We realized the incredible significance of this restorative and safe practice as it provides a positive and healthy guide to our movements. The combination of her voice, diverse instruments she played for us, poetry readings, chanting, and spiritual insights was engaging and joyful. The experience was enriching. The perfect blend of meditation, movement and learning was beautifully orchestrated by her, and she took excellent care of us throughout the entire experience. Thank you.” Tzafi, Guy and Dr. Eytan Weinberg – July, 2023 – REO Rafting Resort

“Barbara’s Activated Asana retreat was simply amazing.  It is a great experience for anyone interested in understanding how muscles work in our bodies and how we can activate them and protect ourselves from injury when exercising.  The retreat is a mixture of workshop learning as well as active practice.  This knowledge has improved the way I move throughout the day as well as how to practice my yoga and other activities without injuring myself.  Barbara’s music was a special addition to the course.  

Participants don’t have to be practicing a lot of yoga to learn and benefit from this retreat.  You just need a desire to improve your body strength in a healthy way to make your life the best it can be.  I highly recommend this retreat.” Naomi Erickson – July, 2023 – REO Rafting Resort

“I met Barbara at a yoga retreat in a beautiful forest setting (at REO Resort) at a time when I was struggling to recover from an injury. Her style of teaching, warm personality, and focus on “activated asanas” had a profound influence on every facet of how I thought about yoga. After 20 years of doing yoga, mixed with pilates and fitness classes, I was really struck by how much I needed to unlearn. I personally really benefited from Barbara’s micro-focus on how joints and muscles underpin the postures. After the in-person retreat, I signed up for two sets of her 6-week Zoom sessions and found her to be incredibly effective in that format as well. She is an excellent communicator and her verbal cues helped me make micro-corrections that re-balanced my yoga practice – which is now stronger than ever. Barbara approaches yoga almost from a physiotherapy perspective and her science-based knowledge is embedded in her teachings. I now use her techniques and lessons about Activated Asana in every thing I do – from sports to walking to desk stretches. I highly recommend signing up for any of Barbara’s retreats or sessions – you will not be disappointed. ” Kristin Foster – December, 2023

“I have been doing yoga daily for 6+ years and felt that if I didn’t stretch daily my arthritic hips and my tight hamstrings would not be happy. However, with time, I was not seeing improvement and, in fact, my hips and hamstrings were aching more and more. Sleep was becoming a problem and I was using a massage gun and A535 regularly. Then I signed up for a workshop on Activated Asana by Barbara Leah Meyer and my world changed. After this course, plus participating in some of her Saturday morning classes, I have learned that pushing myself to get deeper into the pose, and really stretching out my hips was what was hurting me. Now having the understanding learned from Barbara, I need to activate my muscles in the asanas and build up my strength in these poses so that I am not stressing out my joints. I would highly recommend taking a course from Barbara on Activated Asana. She was very thorough in her explanations and demonstrations, making it all very easy to understand. It was a game-changer.”  Leona Cook (yogi) – November 2022

“Attending this workshop provided me with a new way to look at movement. This is for anyone who wants to learn more about how everyday movements can become more intentional and prevent injury for the future. Barbara is a great facilitator and shares her passion and knowledge in a way that makes the experience welcoming and engaging.” Larissa Paul (Yoga Instructor) – February, 2023

I had to walk across icy parking lots this week, and I was amazed by how confident my body was when I activated those legs and feet! Also, when I’ve been standing in my usual bad posture at school and my back starts to ache, I know how to turn on a much safer and comfortable posture… That is the key that I absolutely needed.” Kelly Collins (elementary school teacher) – November 2022

“A wonderful course for everybody who practices yoga or teaches yoga. Barbara is just so wonderful and so knowledgeable and I really enjoyed today. I will definitely be taking this into my teaching and my practice.” Michele Isaac (Yoga Instructor) – November 2022

“I attended Barbara’s  Activated Asana – Skillful Movement and High Performance Aging Workshop in February. Barbara is so inviting and provides a beautiful experience to share and learn. The information was valuable and something I could take away and apply to my yoga practice and my daily activities including housework, gardening, walking and hiking. Leading with compassion and acceptance, Barbara was open to sharing and listening to personal experience and took the time to address me and others individually during our learning and practise. Barbara passionately shares her knowledge to guide her students in achieving an active health span for many years to come.” Susan Brooks (Yoga Instructor) – April, 2023

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Yoga, Nature, Music and Culture in CUBA November 9-16, 2024

An incredible adventure full of delicious food, exceptional yoga, beautiful accommodations, and a deep dive into Cuban culture. Travel Cuba’s unique perspective and close community ties offer guests intimate insights into the country’s complex layers. This is an exceptional cultural-immersion yoga retreat that opens your mind, renews the spirit, and directly supports the Cuban people.

Canadians will fly to Varadero (American guests to Havana), spend one night there and then travel on to the beautiful, colonial town of Trinidad in central Cuba. We will practice nourishing yoga together and enjoy delicious, locally grown food. We will explore the old town of Trinidad, sample the city’s music and culture, commune with nature in the nearby Escambray mountains (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), enjoy a rigorous hike with the group to Vegas Grande waterfall to take in the incredible view and swim in its pristine water. We will spend a day exploring the outskirts of Trinidad as a group, visiting Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills), and a traditional pottery collective. There will even be a beach day with options to sun, snorkel or swim. Accommodation is in boutique hotels or independent, private “casitas”. A focus of this retreat is supporting local, Cuban entrepreneurs.

Please click below for full information, a detailed itinerary and a link to reserve your spot.

https://www.cubayogaretreats.com/november-9-16-2024

$3,300/person (USD – single occupancy)

$2,400/person (USD – double occupancy)

And …. I have a few FRIEND AND FAMILY DISCOUNTS available! Email me for details:))

Interested in extending your trip with a weekend in Havana? We are working on adding this option November 16/17. More details coming soon!

in partnership with ‘Travel Cuba with Us’ and ‘Cuba Yoga Retreats’

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Soulful Awakening: a YogaVoice Retreat to Release & Restore

with Barbara Leah Meyer and Anna Beaumont

March 22 – 29, 2025

Mar de Jade Resort – Nayarit, Mexico

Join us, Barbara and Anna for a transformational and fun week of movement, music and meditation. We have designed a beautiful and varied program of nutritious yoga, healing voice work, song circles, sound healing, beach jam sessions, and mindful meditation just for you. There will be beach time, sun time, and lots of YOU time to totally unwind and reconnect with your true, authentic self. This is a week designed for YOU and you get to choose what feels best and most nourishing during each precious moment. Join us at Mar de Jade’s beach paradise to relax, release and restore.

Barbara Leah Meyer and Anna Beaumont have been friends for four decades. Their life and artistic journeys have taken both of them around the globe and into areas of deep learning and discovery. Their musical paths have intertwined many times over the years in numerous ways, in different countries and on many performance stages. YogaVoice represents the ultimate blending of their many and varied skill sets, experiences and combined creativity.

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AMAZING PRIVATE CRUISING OPPORTUNITY

YOGA RETREAT IN THE BAHAMAS!

Enjoy your own, customized, tropical yoga retreat aboard the “Oh!” 40′ catamaran in Exhuma, Bahamas while exploring gorgeous, private and pristine coves and beaches. Enjoy sailing, yoga on deck, yoga on the beach, snorkelling, paddleboarding, hiking, swimming with sea turtles, fabulous food (vegan, vegetarian or gluten free options available) and so much more!

Join us for our next sailing/ yoga adventure – TBA

I will customize your yoga experience and we will spend evenings star gazing, singing, meditating … however you wish. A week in paradise. See you on board!

Activated Asana is a Skillful Movement Practice maximizing safety, strength and stability through “organization & activation” and healthy movement mechanics with a long term goal of High Performance Aging. Postures are very accessible and meet your body where it’s at. My goal is that students achieve deeper body and breath awareness, build strength and stability, increase their range of motion over time, prevent injury, enjoy improved mental health and life balance and, perhaps, discover yoga and meditation as a personal place of sanctuary. 

INVESTMENT: All-inclusive cost of the retreat (NOT INCLUDING AIRFARE)

• 1 week adventure: $3850.00 per couple (shared cabin) SALE PRICE: $3000.00 per couple (Prices include all taxes and fees)

Contact

TESTIMONIALS:

Over the past 9 years of sailing Oh! I have enjoyed the company and shared experiences of many guests and clients. High on that list was the yoga retreat week that was taught by Barbara Leah Meyer of www.soulandsong.ca.   For many years I have contemplated the idea of running yoga retreats for couples or a small group guided by a top  notch professional yoga instructor. In January 2023 this finally came about and culminated in one of the best weeks I have ever had upon Oh!. My yoga practice will never be the same and I am looking forward to hosting more sessions with Barbara in the future. 

Our week included 7 yoga sessions and one clinic where Barbara invited the cruising community to join us to learn how to “activate your asana”. The feedback from participants was all fabulous. We had private sessions onboard Oh! learning to “activate our asana”, relaxed with restorative yoga and experienced the tranquility of Yoga Nidra under a canopy of stars. There were also group sessions at Chat’nChill beach, as well as many impromptu sessions while exploring the beach’s and hiking trails of Stocking Island. 

But it wasn’t just “bend and stretch, reach for the sky”, we also got to interact with turtles, sting rays, beautiful coral reefs and the cruising community…plus enjoy a smorgasbord of tasty vegan dishes, baking and the warm clear waters of the Bahamas. I am really looking forward to our next yoga retreat on board Oh! Rodney Morris – owner and captain of “Oh!” January, 2023

My husband and I just returned from a yoga retreat in the beautiful Bahamas aboard a 40 ft catamaran.  It was an amazing and unique experience. Barbara led yoga sessions on the deck of the boat and on stunning beaches.  The sessions were perfect for people new to yoga and those who practice regularly.  Barbara’s generous spirit and vitality were uplifting. At the beach sessions we met people from around the world who live the cruising life full time and it was so interesting to hear their stories.  Besides enjoying snorkelling, paddle boarding and other water activities in the crystal-clear water, we sat in on music jam sessions on the beach and on deck where Barbara led us in song with her guitar and beautiful voice.  Thank you, Barbara, for helping me to check another item off my bucket list of things to do! Leanne LaRocque (St. Albert, AB) April, 2023

Andree Abbass <[email protected]>	Jan 29, 2024, 8:26 PM (6 days ago)
to me

Just wanted to touch base with you and tell you how much I enjoyed doing yoga under your guidance.  I was with Lisa on sailboat Dover Run.  You are marvelous, warm and welcoming. Andree Abbass (Halifax, N.S.) January, 2024

Andree Abbass
1546 Barrington St.

Halifax

B3J 3X7
902-293-1526