May 19-21, 2017

Hello Friends, below you will find the information from last May 2016.

Email Laura to be put on the email list for updates on the May 2017 retreat.

Laura:  matchettlaura@gmail.com

Sponsor: Grocer's Daughter Chocolate!

A great big thank you to Grocer's Daughter Chocolate in Empire, MI for sponsoring our 2016 Yoga Retreat at White Birch Lodge!

https://www.grocersdaughter.com

We are a small, family-owned business with a love for craft chocolate. Our bright green shop is located at the gateway to the quaint, picturesque village of Empire.

Our small staff is part of our family and we are committed to providing wages above industry standards and a fun, supportive work environment. Relationships are important to us and each year we travel to meet with  the farmers who grow our chocolate. 

Like any crafts-person, we spend inordinate amounts of time honing our skill. Instead of trying to master all ends of our supply chain, we focus on what we do best - making fabulous chocolate confections. We partner with some of the most talented cacao growers and couverture makers in Ecuador and Venezuela  to bring you chocolate that is truly world-class, artisan chocolate.

Our love for rich, dark chocolate and a passion for local foods inspires our truffle recipes and other chocolate creations. We use fruits, edible flowers and herbs from our garden and we source larger quantities of ingredients from local farms. On occasion we use wild-harvested foods from the rich soils and pristine forests of our Northern Michigan home. Travels and studies of chocolate through Latin American and Europe inspire us and many of our recipes.

We strive to minimize our impact on the natural environment. Our chocolates are all-natural and contain many organic and other naturally grown ingredients. We package the chocolates in compostable bags and recyclable/recycled materials when possible.

We hope you will enjoy these handcrafted, artisan chocolates for their quality and uniqueness!

Our confections include:

• Fresh handcrafted Truffles & Honey Caramels
• Chocolate Bars with local area fruits and nuts
• Bark that is incredibly thin topped with a Smoked Sea Salt and Hazelnuts
• Chocolate Nut Spreads
• Hot Chocolate
• Chocolate Nut Mixes
• Clusters

Nourish in Traverse City - Sponsor!

Thank you to Nourish in Traverse City for sponsoring our 2016 Yoga Retreat at White Birch Lodge!

NOURiSH is a Herbalife nutrition club located at the Kid's Creek Market Place in Traverse City near Meijer. 








Nourish offers delicious, healthy shakes, weight loss coaching, and fitness classes - like Cardio Drumming!

Press On Juice - Sponsor

Thank you to Press On Juice in Traverse City (now 2 locations!) for sponsoring our 2016 Yoga Retreat at White Birch Lodge!

Your Go-To Drink! 

Press On Juice is your go-to drink for any and every kind of day! Each bottle is made with at least two pounds of fresh, raw fruits and veggies, which contain lots of essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and living enzymes. 



These little guys replenish and restore balance to your body, getting rid of toxins and impurities. 



We deliver juice right to your doorstep or office, and offer subscriptions and juice cleanses for your lifestyle.  Be sure to check out our new DOWNTOWN Traverse City location!

Read More at:

http://www.pressonjuice.com

Stephanie Shepard, 500 CYT, Level III Reiki Master

Stephanie began practicing yoga as a teenager nearly 30 years ago, in Southern California. Yoga has transformed her life many times and in many ways, and the purpose of her practice has evolved over the years. When she began practicing in her teens, it was for the sole purpose of physical fitness. 

A serious, life-threatening injury in her early twenties brought her back to yoga as a means of physical therapy, pain management and rehabilitation. In her late twenties, when her adult life took on new responsibilities, and with them new pressures, Stephanie found yoga to be a boundless source of renewal and stress relief. 

Most recently, when her family faced great tragedy and difficulty, yoga became her saving grace. The strength and serenity she found on the mat carried her throughout her day and the arduous journey she faced; and her practice finally reached a spiritual level. Stephanie has found this to be the greatest gift of her practice.

Realizing the tangible benefits of yoga, Stephanie understood that she was ready to give back and help others to realize the benefits of this age-old method of self discovery and transformation. Her background in hatha yoga includes Vinyasa, Anusara, and Hot Yoga. 

She also has a great passion for Yoga Nidra and has studied it intensely since her first teacher training with Sandra Carden in 2009. In summer of 2015, Stephanie released her first Yoga Nidra CD, Bathing in the Sunrise: New Beginnings. She has been to India twice to deepen her studies and to offer her students to a deeper and more comprehensive level. In January of 2016, Stephanie joined Raghunath Cappo, Gopi Kinnicutt, Gaura Vani, Radhanath Swami and other very gifted teachers to study in India and obtain the 500 level of certification.

Having gained so much from yoga throughout her life, Stephanie is a firm believer that there is no “wrong” reason for coming to the mat. She sees yoga as a method for personal transformation in body, mind, and spirit; and she is excited to share it with her students in a positive, open, and energetic atmosphere.

Stephanie will be guiding us through the Opening and Closing of our weekend together.  She will grace us with her beautiful Kirtan music; she will sing and play the harmonium.  Stephanie will take us through a slow and calming Yin practice and into our Closing on Sunday.  We are truly blessed and grateful to have her with us!

Dr. Matthew Jackson, DO

Dr. Jackson will be our wellness presenter on Saturday of the retreat.  His presentation is, "Exercise is Medicine."

Dr. Jackson recently took a position with Central Michigan University as the Medical Director and Head Team Physician.  He will coordinate the overall care of CMU student-athletes.

He earned his Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine from Tuoro University College of Osteopathic Medicine in California in 2009. He holds bachelor’s degrees from Michigan State in both physiology and psychology.

Dr. Jackson is board certified in family medicine, neuromusculoskeletal medicine, and sports medicine.

While attending Michigan State University, Dr. Jackson competed as a varsity cross country and track and field student-athlete.

He is a member of the American Osteopathic Association, the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP), and the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine (AOASM).

Dr. Jackson has extensive experience serving as an athletic-event physician at NCAA Division I games, high schools athletic contests and professional sporting events.

His post-graduate training includes a primary care sports medicine fellowship at Promedica/The Toledo Hospital, resident integrated family medicine and neuromuscular medicine at the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Integrated Family Medicine and Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine at MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at Botsford Hospital in Farmington Hills.

Mary Ann Thibodeau, RYT

Golden Lotus Yoga Teacher Certification

Center for Spiritual Awareness (CSA) minister

YogaEd certified (kids and teens)

Meets requirements for RYT

Teacher trainer for GLYTA (Golden Lotus Yoga Teachers Association)

Mary Ann Thibodeau has been a practitioner and teacher of Yoga since 1975, when she received her Golden Lotus Yoga Teacher Certification at Song of the Morning, an 800 acre yoga retreat in Vanderbilt, MI.  She met her spiritual teacher there, J. Oliver Black, a direct disciple of Parmahansa Yogananda and founder of Song of the Morning, receiving her initiation into the SRF (Self Realization Fellowship) Kriya Yoga Technique from him in 1975.  In 2011 she received her ordination from Roy Eugene Davis allowing her to initiate others into Kriya Yoga. This tradition has inspired her meditative style of yoga that is suited to all ages and abilities.  Mary Ann teaches gentle, slow flow, yin, and chair yoga. In addition she and her husband, Roy, hold weekly meditations and a Sunday Service at their home in Grosse Pointe Woods.

                 

A Peaceful Practice Gentle Yoga and Meditation
This gentle class will incorporate breath, meditation, and gentle asana practice interspersed with short excerpts on peace from the teachings of Parmahansa Yogananda.  The class is suitable for all ability levels to participate and find a deeper sense of peace residing within.