Release & Manifest - Welcome Packet

Arrival Instructions

Please visit The Yoga Forest's Getting Here Page with extensive arrival instructions.

The Yoga Forest

If you would like to arrive early or stay late, or have any other questions regarding Room & Board, please contact our host site, The Yoga Forest at this email address... [email protected]

Packing Ideas

Days are generally sunny and warm and nights are COLD, but we'll mostly be in doors or around the fire at night. Bring warm clothes, especially a warm base layer like Smart Wool. Also bring clothes for yoga (optional) a yoga mat and comfortable clothes to hang out in.  Try to buy as little synthetic as possible. Also, make sure all of your toiletries are as non-toxic as possible. Check out the Environmental Working Group's page, Skin Deep, for toxicity ratings on toiletries. And here's the most important one... make sure you have an unexpired passport! 
General Packing List -
Good base-layer (we love Smart Wool)
Journal and/or Notebook (Pens/Pencils)
Comfortable Hang-out clothes
Sandals & Walking Shoes
Organic Sun Protection
Sun Hat
Toiletries (Organic & Biodegradable)
Organic mosquito repellent
Headlamp with batteries 
Any Spiritual Books (Good Book: Plant Spirit Shamanism)

Preparation

As you are going to attend a holistic cleanse which will profoundly affect you on both the physical, mental, and emotional levels, it's important to prepare yourself in each of these three ways. Also, preparation will differ largely based on where you are in your practice. If you already move, eat, and sit in a healthy, balanced way, you may find that there is little more preparation needed. And please remember, while we are going to do very serious work, we can do it with lightness in our hearts. Laugh, play, dance, rejoice... enjoy the journey and we'll see you soon!

Physical

As for diet, if you tend to be underweight or frail try to add a few pounds as we may lose a few pounds during the cleanse. If you are overweight, try eating vegetarian or vegan for a couple of weeks before the cleanse begins. And if you're perfect, keep doing what you're doing.

Please try to avoid excessive amounts of caffeine and alcohol. If you are a daily coffee drinker, see if you can break the habit. If you tend to end your day with a glass of wine, try making that glass more occasional. This cleanse is an amazing opportunity to affect change in your life, to break habits and unlearn what you think you know. See how these changes affect your mood, approach the opportunity with curiosity, investigate where there may be imbalances in your routine and change it up.

If you take any prescription medication, check with your doctor to see if you can minimize or eliminate your dose.  If you use over the counter medication of any kind, see if you can find alternative means to alleviate your symptoms. And if you take any hormones for birth control, consider alternative methods. The less chemicals we put in our body, the stronger this experience will be. So, be cautious, but see how clean you can live in the months ahead.

We may go for at least one strenuous hike during the cleanse. So, if you don't have an exercise routine and a "strenuous hike" sounds daunting,  find somewhere beautiful in your area to hike and go once a week until the cleanse begins. The real journey started the day you signed up, and from here on out discipline matters. So make some realistic goals and stick to it!

If you will be joining us in the mountains, there is a Pranayama technique that you can practice daily that will help you prepare for the altitude. Sit comfortably and inhale deeply counting to 4 as you inhale, then hold your breath for an 8 count, then exhale for a 4 count, then retain your breath at the bottom of your exhale for a 4 count. If that feels easy, try increasing the numbers, inhale for 6, hold for 12, exhale 6, hold 6. Still easy? Keep going until it becomes challenging. If you become light headed, return to your normal breathing. Try to do this exercise for ten minutes once a day. 
 

Mental

While it's important to prepare the body, our cleanses are more focused on the mental and spiritual realms. So, preparing the mind is of the utmost importance. If you have a steady meditation practice, great! Stick with it. If you've sat regularly before, but have had trouble staying disciplined, this is an opportunity to jump start your practice. And, if you've never had a regular meditation routine, no worries, CJ Ananda has created a few Audio Meditations to help you get started. We plan on adding more meditations in the coming months before the cleanse and we'll let you know when we put them up via our newsletter and our Facebook Page.
 

Emotional

There is a common misconception in our culture that we are our emotions. We say things like "I am angry", "I am sad", "I am happy". We are not these things. Instead, we are the observer that is witnessing the ego as it feels the emotion. This is not to discount the importance of your feelings. It's merely to say that you are not your emotions, you are a divine being of light that is observing a human existence. 

So, when we feel emotions, we can respond with interest and curiosity instead of attachment. Instead of "I am angry", try, "hmm, interesting, I can feel heat in my body, I can feel my ego becoming angry, I wonder where this feeling truly comes from". Try journaling your emotions to see if you can find some common threads. Spend 15 minutes each day writing about your feelings. If you can find areas of attachment it'll be easier to let them go.

Also, keep a dream journal. Our subconscious can be far more wise than our conscious mind. In the days leading up to your departure, you may find that many of your fears are beginning to manifest in your dreams. What are you afraid of? What are your ready to let go?

And finally, take some time to figure out your intentions... why are you participating in this cleanse? What do you hope to gain? What do you want to change in your life? Is there anything in your life that is out of balance? What would you like to manifest to bring balance and harmony to your Spirit? What does your Spirit want to manifest in this life time?
If you have any questions, comments, concerns... please email us anytime at [email protected].