First Class Free

February 26, 2011.  I am so excited to lead another Yoga Retreat February 26 through March 5th at Xinalani in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  To be with a small group sharing and growing and relaxing together on our own private island is like a dream come true!  Some of my teaching themes next week will include:

Themes for this upcoming week Feb 26 – March 5

M*Engagement, Observation, Participation:  How to apply for the best life ever!

M*Staying Curious – Telling our story

T*The Art of Enjoying Life: Hanging out as an art form in Italy "il bel fai niente"

W*What does MATURITY mean?(Physical, Mental, Emotional, Spiritual)

W*The Healing Cycle: How to get out of victim mode/hurt mode and move on

TH*Your true nature is happiness! How to elevate the grumbling mind Pratipaksha Bhavana

TH*The 4^th Agreement: Do your Best to Enjoy life

F*Doing Our Best – Full responsibility in becoming our best selves: Shedding the old, becoming something new from the inside

F*Simple but Amazing: Using this as life philosophy

S*Sustaining a Life of Beauty

PS Join me on retreat in 2011 www.alchemytours.com

JOIN ME IN PARADISE FEB 26-MAR 5, 2011: YOGA RETREAT IN MEXICO!

"When anxious, uneasy and bad thoughts come, I go to the sea, and the sea drowns them out with its great wide sounds, cleanses me with its noise, and imposes a rhythm upon everything in me that is bewildered and confused." - Rainer Maria Rilke

Xinalani is a brand new resort center accessed only by boat. It is in Banderas Bay, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on 10 acres of unspoiled jungle with a beautiful pristine beach, only 12 miles south of Puerto Vallarta International Airport. Xinalani Retreat is about discovery, admiration, love for nature, magic, conscious travel, eco-adventure, wellness, serenity and mindful living. Come enjoy the 1,302 square foot yoga deck set uphill amidst the deep jungle vegetation that can comfortable fit 40 students. With a panoramic view to the jungle and ocean, group practices here are a fascinating experience. Accomodations are ALL beach front with a choices of various private suites and a shared house if you are looking to save money. Xinalani Retreat features its own beach club where you will enjoy a relaxing break between your classes. Where you want to go swimming, snorkeling, or just sunbathe while sipping a natural fruit smoothie, this is the place to be. Take a walk in the soft sand, discover the hidden secrets of the naturally sculpted rocks scattered along the shore and explore the small private coves as you explore yourself. 

DETAILS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

ABOUT XINALANI
We have chosen for this retreat to stay at a one of its kind eco-resort named Xinalani because we fully believe Xinalani supports our guests on their search for mind-body balance better allows us to facilitate the setting of intentions so each person leaves more focused and open hearted to realize their full human potential. The name Xinalani comes from the Nauatl Xinaloani that means «seed». It is pronounced shee-nah-lah-nee. It embodies the shared vision that this world could be better if everybody planted and grew a seed inside themselves and let love blossom around it. We look forward to your registration! You are in excellent hands!

INVESTMENT:

OCCUPANCY                 SINGLE    DOUBLE
Eco-chic Suites           $2500     $1,999.00
Eco-Premium Suites $2100      $1,699.00
Petite Suite                 $1800      $1,399.00
Big Palapa                    $1,100      NA

PAYMENT POLICIES: 
Deposit: A $500 dollar deposit will reserve your space.

Register by December 31, 2010 Get $250 OFF
Register by January 15, 2011 Get $200 OFF
Register by January 31, 2011 Get $150 OFF

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE TRIP PRICE?

• 7 nights of accommodation at Xinalani Retreat
• 3 complete gourmet vegetarian meals per day. Chef is expert in ayurveda cuisine and macrobiotics.
• A social hour on select evenings
• All transportation during the trip, including to and from the airport to Xinalani Retreat
• 14 Yoga classes with Silvia Mordini
• Yoga clinics and mini workshops with Silvia Mordini
• Sunset Yoga Ceremonies
• Guided Jungle Hiking
• Private Dharma talks facilitated by your Guides
• All gratuities for special events, transfers, lodging and group meals.
• A special goodie bag with loving gifts

NOT INCLUDED?

Airfare to and from the trip, gratuities for your guides

WWW.ALCHEMYTOURS.COM

WAKE UP AND TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE!
Join us for a rejuvenating retreat in paradise. The experience will be grounded, playful, and fortifying as we refine our intentions for the best year ever! Our journey will include two energizing yoga classes each day, as well as open air accommodations and vibrant local cuisine. There will be ample space for rest, reflection, adventure and community connection. Explore the land and culture through surfing, watersports, jungle hikes, horseback riding, bird/whale watching and much, much more. The name Xinalani comes from the Nahuatl Xinaloani that means seed. It is pronounced shee-nah-lah-nee. It embodies the vision of transformation from the experiences and teachings from our past into the great potential of our future. 

Xinalani Retreat Center is an eco-chic spa hotel, hidden on a pristine beach surrounded by a luxuriant jungle on the south shore of Banderas Bay, near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Conceived as a tropical haven to host group wellness retreats, Xinalani is a place filled with serenity that shelters individuals in their search for a more balanced life style. It is a small private all suites hotel where each guest can feel the intimate closeness to the natural elements, and receive a well-deserved personal attention.

Join us in paradise for experience of awakening a renewal of the body, mind and soul.

DURING THIS 6-DAY YOGA RETREAT YOU WILL: 
• Integrate Spirit and Nature as you practice yoga, and experience truly stunning eco-discoveries, play and meditate with a group dedicated to doing the same. 
• Fully discover (or rediscover!) the Joy of Yoga. 
• Experience a place filled with serenity that shelters individuals looking to establish a more balanced lifestyle.
• Enjoy becoming an active conscious traveler.
• Enjoy exceptional yoga, hiking, eco-adventures and camaraderie, connecting with pristine beaches, organic food, relaxing jungle spa treatments, all designed to help you spiritualize every aspect of your life!
• Recharge, refresh and renew, leaving totally more inspired about your life! 

INVESTMENT: 
OCCUPANCY SINGLE DOUBLE
Eco-chic Suites $2500 $1,999.00
Eco-Premium Suites $2100 $1,699.00
Petite Suite $1800 $1,399.00
Big Palapa $1,100 NA

PAYMENT POLICIES: 
Deposit: A $500 dollar deposit will reserve your space. 
egister by November 30, 2010 Get $400 OFF
Register by December 15, 2010 Get $350 OFF
Register by December 31, 2010 Get $250 OFF
Register by January 15, 2011 Get $150 OFF

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE TRIP PRICE?
• 6 nights of accommodation at Xinalani Retreat 
• 3 complete gourmet vegetarian meals per day. Chef is expert in ayurveda cuisine and macrobiotics.
• A social hour on select evenings
• All transportation during the trip, including to and from the airport to Xinalani Retreat 
• Full transportation by water taxi from Puerto Vallarta to our cliff-side beach paradise
• 9 Yoga classes with Silvia Mordini
• Yoga clinics and mini workshops with Silvia Mordini
• Sunset Yoga Ceremonies
• Guided Jungle Hiking 
• Private Dharma talks facilitated by your Guides 
• All gratuities for special events, transfers, lodging and group meals. 
• A special goodie bag with loving gifts

NOT INCLUDED?
Airfare to and from the trip, gratuities for your guides, spa services, other activities not listed such as whale watching, surfing, bird watching.

TIPS AND GRATUITIES
Gratuities for your guides may be given at your discretion in response to their leadership and professionalism throughout the trip. We suggest 5-10% of the trip price per individual to be divided between the guiding team as an industry standard. Gratuities for all restaurants, hotels, transportation and local events are paid for by the retreat organizers.

TO REGISTER AND SAVE YOUR SPOT: 
You can pay with check, direct bank deposit, or credit card or Paypal on line but we most prefer checks. Please send checks to Alchemy Tours c/o Total Body Yoga, 210 Terrace Drive, Mundelein, IL 60061. Contact us at info@alchemytours.com or call if we can answer any questions.


WHERE IS XINALANI, PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO? 

Xinalani is a brand new resort center accessed only by boat. It is in Banderas Bay, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on 10 acres of unspoiled jungle with a beautiful pristine beach, only 12 miles south of Puerto Vallarta International Airport. Xinalani Retreat is about discovery, admiration, love for nature, magic, conscious travel, eco-adventure, wellness, serenity and mindful living. Come enjoy the 1,302 square foot yoga deck set uphill amidst the deep jungle vegetation that can comfortable fit 40 students. With a panoramic view to the jungle and ocean, group practices here are a fascinating experience. Accomodations are ALL beach front with a choices of various private suites and a shared house if you are looking to save money. Xinalani Retreat features its own beach club where you will enjoy a relaxing break between your classes. Where you want to go swimming, snorkeling, or just sunbathe while sipping a natural fruit smoothie, this is the place to be. Take a walk in the soft sand, discover the hidden secrets of the naturally sculpted rocks scattered along the shore and explore the small private coves as you explore yourself. Visit http://www.xinalaniretreat.com/ and fall in love!

DETAILS YOU SHOULD KNOW: 
LIVING XINALANI
We have chosen for this retreat to stay at a one of its kind eco-resort named Xinalani because we fully believe Xinalani supports our guests on their search for mind-body balance better allows us to facilitate the setting of intentions so each person leaves more focused and open hearted to realize their full human potential. The name Xinalani comes from the Nauatl Xinaloani that means «seed». It is pronounced shee-nah-lah-nee. It embodies the shared vision that this world could be better if everybody planted and grew a seed inside themselves and let love blossom around it. We look forward to your registration! You are in excellent hands!

LOW IMPACT LIVING
All guests accomodations have low consumption lights (LEDS) and are equipped with two outlets to reload cell phones and camera batteries. Our construction method was extremely organic. No concrete, no land modification. We never cut a single tree and hardly pruned any branches. We promote an intelligent use of resources. All guests are provided with high-end eco-friendly soaps and shampoo. Toilets are low-flow, and all water is recycled and used to irrigate our gardens. We use natural and biodegradable cleaning products, we recycle and compost wherever possible in an attempt to minimize our environmental impact. 

YOGA STUDIO
Come and enjoy our unique 1,302 sq ft (121 m2) yoga deck set uphill amidst the deep jungle vegetation. It can comfortably hold up to 40 students. Practicing and learning in Xinalani Retreat is a truly enriching experience, the awe-inspiring Yoga Center was tastefully designed to infuse peace and serenity. With a panoramic view to the jungle and ocean, ideal for group practices.

HEALTHY NATURAL CUISINE
Xinalani cuisine is gourmet vegetarian and may or may not include fresh fish and seafood. The chef is well versed into principles of raw food, ayurveda cuisine and macrobiotics if you need special adaptations. You will be served 3 complete meals per day in the dining room following this schedule:

Breakfast: 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM - Buffet Style 
Lunch: 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM - Buffet Style
Dinner: 7:00PM - 9:30 PM – Chic

SPA
An array of treatments, massages and facials will help you relax, detox, heal, and reach a greater sense of mind- body balance through your stay. 

TYPES OF ACCOMODATION
All the accommodations are beachfront, spacious, palm-thatched cabins floating on stilts. They were designed with refined elegance and built and furnished by local artisans. Their cozy interiors inspire feelings of calm and serenity. You will enjoy the closeness of the natural elements, the stimulation of the open-air private showers and the stunning views of the Pacific Ocean from your terrace.

Xinalani offers 2 different types of accommodation: private suites or a shared house. All suites have private bathrooms. The suites are classified into 3 categories depending on their size, location and view. Also offered is a collective accommodation in a big palapa with up to 8 single beds and 2 complete bathrooms.

TRIP ITINERARY:
XINALANI PUERTO VALLARTA DAILY AGENDA
8:00am - 9:00am Breakfast
9:30am - 11am Vinyasa flow yoga
11am – 12pm Yoga clinics, mini workshops
12:00pm - 1:00pm Lunch
1:30pm - 5:30pm Daytime Fun (Beach, Spa, Hiking, & More)
6:00pm - 7:00pm Vinyasa flow yoga and meditation
8:00pm Dinner
9:00pm Dharma talks

Happy Day Friends!

So thankful for all of you who shared your practice with me this morning and can't wait to see you Friday 9:15am Level 1-2 and 6pm Level 1; Saturday 9:15am Basics or Sunday 7:45a Level 1-2 before my flow takes me to Europe and back.  

The meditation in my heart is about why some pull or push in life when the experience of just "being" is so much easier.  And so I went back to the source, before I learned about the yoga sutras, I learned really great rules about not pushing or pulling in Kindergarten.  I share these inspiring words from Robert Fulghum and hope you can join me for loving, easeful practices where we do it together because really "when we go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together."  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia   (Hey don't forget to friend me on facebook, like me under Alchemy Tours or Alchemy of Yoga)

ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN

All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.

These are the things I learned:

• Share everything.
• Play fair.
• Don't hit people.
• Put things back where you found them.
• Clean up your own mess.
• Don't take things that aren't yours.
• Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
• Wash your hands before you eat.
• Flush.
• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
• Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
• Take a nap every afternoon.
• When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
• Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
• Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
• And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.

And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

[Source: "ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN" by Robert Fulghum.  See his web site at http://www.robertfulghum.com/  ]

www.silviamordini.com

www.alchemytours.com and www.alchemyofyoga.com

OCTOBER 20, 2010.   Our hearts are like a safe in the energy bank of our bodies.  We each have our own personal energy field that protects us and determines how we feel, think and function and oversees this safe of our hearts.  And since there is energy everywhere we have to be aware of how to keep making deposits into our bank and not just withdrawals.  Everything is energy!

And there is both good energy and bad energy.

The first time I was introduced to the work of Dr. Judith Orloff something just clicked!  I had never heard the term "Energy Vampire" prior to working with an energy healer.  But throughout my life I remember how sometimes just talking to a particular person would drain me so severely I'd need to rest and recover while interacting with most other people had an energizing effect.  Why would one person deplete me and 25 other people in the same day would fire me up and inspire me?  The volume of interaction wasn't making intellectual sense.  Then I began to study and learn about the Alchemy of Yoga: the energy we have as people exists on physical, emotional and spiritual levels.  

Even today I have two primary energy vampires: one a person who by email, voice, person or even just thinking about them causes my breath to shorten my chest to get heavy and an immediate anxiety come over me and the other main energy  vampire in my life is technology.  It sucks me in and if I'm not careful can push me to the other side of energizing to draining.  I have to be careful with both and this practice has helped find ways to restore my own energy and set stronger, healthier boundaries.  My heart is too valuable to allow to be influenced by even a single moment of negative energy.  I love myself too much to let this happen.  And I hope you see your heart as this precious jewel in a beautiful safe in the bank of your body and you too learn from yoga how to set energy boundaries, recharge and make at least as many deposits as withdrawals for a happier more balanced life!  Love yourself, love your day, love your life! Silvia  (See below some excerpts from various articles you can find on the internet searching Energy Vampires, especially the works, writings, books by Dr Orloff are highly recommended)

"The real harm in a psychic attack is that is not a fair exchange of energy in that the vampire (predator) gets energized and the victim (host) gets depleted of their energy....

..Another way vampires operate is to always play the victim and voice complaints. You will play right into their hands when you give an optimistic response time and time again. The vampire uses this positive energy you are giving them as an energy source. The person giving the sound resourceful advice may think they are just being a good friend but if this person makes it a habit to complain they are using you as their victim and getting the energy boost leaving you not only emotionally drained but physically as well.

..Many people are not consciously aware of what they are doing but it does not render the attack any less harmless to the victim. You are actually creating an energetic opening and have made yourself vulnerable to the vampire attack once they get you to release some sort of energy by means of rage or sympathy. 

..There are some key things that most vampires have in common. The vampire is unbalanced (1) emotionally, (2) physically and (3) spiritually. They have to use others to derive strength and energy from. Their system is highly deficient in all three areas. If you do not limit or discontinue contact with these energy reducers you could become imbalanced as well.  You could find yourself drained of physical and emotional energy you need to thrive.

POSITIVE ENERGY BOOSTS- Dr Judith Orloff (she's the best!)

Clear your energy. Positive energy is the most powerful antidote to negativity. 

"When dealing with energy vampires, your positivity, certainty, and vision have to be greater than their doubt," says Gordon. 

Create a mantra that tunes out negativity, and repeat it to yourself during an attack. 

Or take a cue from The Sound of Music: Remember your favorite things, particularly times of triumph or joy. 

"Thinking about a great moment in your life builds a force field around you and blocks out negative energy," adds Gordon. Picturing your energy can offer protection, too. "Visualize your energy as a beautiful, golden light, and send that light through your body," suggests Reiki master Carolyn Agosta. "Tell yourself, 'My energy is only valuable to me,' and disconnect your energy from the other person's."