Creative joy – sounds nice, even fun, but is it necessary? Not when I have bills to pay, kids to raise, parents to care for, thighs to love… Thanks but I’ve got no time for that. Maybe in a few years… maybe in a few decades.
Hold the phone and the email and please, consider this: what if the key to all of the above (+ more energy, passion, focus) was creative joy?
Think about the people you most admire. Do they exude creative joy? Do they roll with the so-called learning experiences of life with a little more bounce? Do they find a way to find joy into everything – the daily commute, the angry customer, the dog peeing on the rug yet again? Do they like their life more?
Here’s our theory: Reclaiming and nourishing your creative joy gives your life meaning. It puts you in touch with your why - your reason for being, and it does it through experience rather than a complicated seven-step plan. It helps you develop resiliency – the super vital skill we all need. It infuses the repetitive stuff of life with a rosy glow that isn’t new age hackneyed positive thinking but rather the knowing that this is your life and you are making it matter. And it makes your brain and body feel – and function - a whole lot better.
Still think you don’t have time for it?
“I’ve been yoga-phobic my entire life. Marianne Elliott changed that (and my life in the process). She’s one of the best teachers I’ve ever experienced (and I’ve been a teacher for many years). She customizes your class to meet your physical and emotional needs while staying totally mindful of your available time. If you want to do something extraordinary for yourself, I can’t think of a better teacher!” – Dr. Brené Brown
“Jen, bless you. Bless your expansive, all encompassing smile that wraps itself around everyone like a comfortable blanket that never ends. You opened doors to desires in my heart I have never given voice to. You brought me full circle back to my being. I hope to be part of your wonderful magic again soon!” – Dianne Bonny
Here’s what you will experience:
The retreat will flow through yoga, meditation, writing and photography each day with all sorts of small surprises and a community of like-minded people and love love love. For a more exact retreat schedule go here but please know the days will be a lovely balance of learning, hanging out, connecting, resting, and reflecting
Writing is both a way to notice joy, a way to remove the obstacles to joy, and yes, it’s possible to write with joy. Everyday we will play with writing, with words, for the sheer joy of self-expression – not product! We are also going to use writing to help us understand our personal style of joy, our limits and edges and fears, and how to love ourselves into more self-love.
Yoga sometimes gets the reputation of being terribly earnest and serious, and there is a serious side to yoga. But for this retreat our focus will be on JOY. Can yoga help us reconnect JOYfully to our bodies? Can it help us play more freely and joyfully with our writing, and our photography? And can it support our meditation practice? The practices at the JOY retreat will be designed to do just that. Marianne will lead a series of joyful yoga practices suitable for all levels of experience and all bodies. You don’t need to have any previous experience of yoga; if you are an experienced yogi, come along and play with us as we rediscover the joy of the fundamentals.
Amid the memories of the past and the uncertainty of the future, true JOY is found right here in the present. We’ll be using our cameras as tools that bring our attention squarely back into the moment, exploring the woods and grounds of the Garrison Institute, and working together to tap into our capacity for kindness as we explore portraiture and share our stories. You’ll come away with a new way to mindfully access your creativity and intuition, all through the simple magic of the camera lens. No previous photography experience is necessary. DSLR, compacts and iPhones are ideal for this work. Bring your laptop if you have one.
This retreat is for you if:
This retreat is not for you if:
If you are nervous or uncertain about attending:
We totally get it. We all get afraid when we sign up for stuff like this – but only every single time. So many questions arise – will I like the food? What if the other participants are weird or what if they think I am? Will I have to talk about personal stuff? What if everybody else can do ________ and I suck? What if I don’t belong? What about the money? What about my room? How do I get there? What if I get lost?
So if you want to come but you’re afraid, try this: make a list of all your fears. Do not judge these fears, just get them on paper, fast. Then take a walk. After a bit of walking and breathing, ask your heart, “What do you really want?” and if you hear nothing (many of us have no idea what we want which is a core aspect of creative joy and something we will play with on this retreat) then ask yourself, “Will I regret not attending?”
Trust us when we say: we will make this experience as safe, fun, and rejuvenating as we know how. It will probably be the only time we lead this retreat given we live on 3 continents. Money issues, we offer a two-pay option right and we can talk about payment plans. Email jen at Jenniferlouden (dot) com with your proposal.
This retreat will buoy your heart, inspire your dreams, and shine up your glow.
If not now, when? And if not with us, then who?
When: June 28 – July 2, 2012
Where: The Garrison Institute, Garrison, NY, USA
Price: $700 for tuition (accommodation NOT included — see below)
First, you must register with us and pay for tuition. You have two options: pay the full amount now, or pay in two instalments of $350 (Your next payment will be due in 30 days. If you need a different arrangment, please email jen at jenniferlouden[dot] com. We can work with you!)
Second, and equally important, you need to book your accommodation direct with the Garrison Institute. This is not included in the tuition you have paid, and must be done separately.
You have several options for your accommodation at Garrison:
• A single room costs $120 per night
• A double room costs $105 per night
• A triple or dorm room costs $90 per night
These prices are per person per night and include three meals per day, tea/coffee and fruit throughout the day. Once you register for the retreat with us, you will receive an email describing in more detail how to book your accommodation with Garrison.
Check-in between 3-6pm on June 28, then check-out will be before 3pm on July 2
Jennifer Louden is a personal growth pioneer who help launch the self-care movement with her first book The Woman’s Comfort Book. She’s the author of five more books on well-being and personal wisdom that have inspired more than a million women in 9 languages. She helps creative people who want to change the world get to it, and that includes herself. She believes self-love + world-love = wholeness for all.
Marianne Elliot is a writer, human rights advocate and yoga teacher. She created 30 Days of Yoga to help people take care of themselves so they can do their good work in the world. She’s the author of Zen Under Fire (forthcoming March 2012) about her work with the UN in Afghanistan, where she found joy in yoga even in the midst of war. She is RYT 200 with the Yoga Alliance, and Regional Leader for
Off the Mat, Into the World.
Susannah Conway is a photographer, writer and the creator of the Unravelling
e-courses. A Polaroid addict and very proud aunt, her first book, This I Know: Notes on Unraveling the Heart (Globe Pequot Press), launches in June 2012. Co-author of Instant Love: How to Make Magic and Memories with Polaroids (Chronicle Books, 2012), she’s passionate about helping women reconnect to their true selves,
using photography as the key to open the door.
The home of the Garrison Institute is a former Capuchin Franciscan monastery of 77,000 square feet that was restored and renovated in 2002. Originally built in 1932, it overlooks the Hudson River just over an hour north of New York City.
Set in a beautiful environment ideal for walking, the Institute has two enclosed courtyards for use as meditation gardens and a large walled rear garden. Located in the rear garden they have a beautiful labyrinth available for walking meditation, which was built in the summer of 2010.
"I just wanted to thank you, Susannah, for the best treat I’ve ever given myself. I have never felt such a creative awakening as I have taking this class. It’s such a great environment that you’ve created – this amazing tribe of women sharing their stories, their beautiful photos and felt safe in the space to tell their most personal stories. I still have a lot of work to do in terms of my own confidence, but you have set me on the most beautiful path towards it." – Kelly Williams
"Jen, your retreat was the most wonderful, needed, joyful, mindful and juicy ‘event’ I have been to in 5 years. I felt the most taken care of and supported then I ever came close to feeling at others’ retreats and events. I am so grateful to you, to your work and to your spirit. Just in the short time I have known you, you have impacted me in profound ways and I feel lucky to have crossed your path." – Melani Ward
CANCELLATION POLICY: If you need to cancel your spot before May 1st, we will refund everything except $100 of your tuition. After May 1st, we are unable to issue any refunds BUT you can give or sell your spot to someone else.