Walking the Buffalo Medicine: Healing Retreat
RETREAT OVERVIEW
Join us October 14-16, 2022 at Nectar Yoga with Tina Pashumati James for a unique 2-night offering.
This retreat will take place at Nectar Yoga, a beautiful sanctuary 20 mins off the coast of Vancouver on the ancestral and unceded territory of Nexwlélexwm (Bowen Island, BC). To read more about Nectar Yoga, click here.
Time to press pause. Enjoy a balance of introspection through yoga and relaxation, and connection through community. The Nectar Yoga Experience with Tina Pashumati James is a link back to your inner self and to nature. A space to dream. A womb to deeply relax.
This offering led by Tina, will explore the wisdom of yoga therapy as a tool for healing and supporting mental well-being. This trauma-informed weekend will connect us with the spirit of the Buffalo as medicine to bring perseverance through hardships to move towards transformation and deep healing.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
2-night accommodation of your choice*
*(if you choose a shared accommodation, we suggest booking with a friend)All meals (2 dinners, 1 lunch, 2 breakfasts)
Group Orientation
Welcome Drum Circle
Rest Breaks
Daily Ashtanga Yoga, Pranayama + Meditation (seated + walking)
Trauma-Informed Practice, Yoga for Anxiety + PTSD
Buffalo Practice Animal Journeying with Shamanic Drumming
Smudge Ceremony
Yoga Nidra
Ayurvedic Medicine
Vedic Chanting
Crystal Bowl Sound Bath
Arati-inspired closing ceremony (white clothing encouraged)
THE PRACTICES
Led with great intention in our Geodesic Dome, each practice and ceremony will center around exploring healing trauma, sound healing, earth connections, change, hope + spiritual awakening.
THE FOOD
During your retreat, you will enjoy delicious and nourishing plant-based meals curated by our preferred caterer, Chef Erik. All meals are served in our Onyx Lodge at our long table, Family Style.
Erik creates menus that change with the seasons, so you can expect to enjoy a unique dish with every meal. All dietary needs will be honoured and all dishes can be made with vegan and/or gluten free options. Nectar Yoga’s kitchen is a strictly meat + fish free facility.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Whether you choose our cozy, vintage-inspired A-frames, our well-appointed deluxe cottages, or our simple private rooms, the moment you step into your accommodation, you know you’ve entered a safe place to unwind and relax.
Each space is imbued with its namesake stone’s positive vibrational properties and colour accents for support, grounding and attunement to the natural world.
DELUXE COTTAGES | Amethyst, Jade and Quartz
Shared Accommodation | Sleeps 2 in Twin Beds with attached bath
Scandinavian-inspired deluxe cottages were designed with simplistic coziness in mind. Comfy beds, soft linens, fluffy pillows and a reading window seat offer perfect places to snuggle up to a loved one, or with a good book and a warm mug of tea. Wake up and take a luxurious morning shower in the gorgeous bathroom, or take it outside in the steamy, year-round outdoor shower adjoining the bathroom. A covered porch lined with warm cedar perches you with a perfect view of the property’s centrepiece, our magnificent maple and alder grove trees.
Choice of 2 XL twin beds *close together, so we recommend booking with a friend
Covered front deck with year-round seating
Reading nook with picture window
Writing desk
Mini fridge, kettle, mugs, assorted teas
Ensuite bathroom with indoor and outdoor shower
Natural, locally-made toiletries
Smart TV and in-room Wi-Fi
Clean, non-smoking facility
FOREST COTTAGE | Moonstone
Shared Accommodation | Sleeps 2 in Twin Beds with attached bath
This cottage offers similar amenities as our deluxe cottages with added seclusion. Wake up to sunbeams illuminating the room through the windows before sipping tea on your porch nestled on the edge of our Alder grove. After a day of exploring the Island, a rustic outdoor shower awaits you, stocked with sweet-smelling, natural products to lather on.
Choice of 2 XL twin beds *close together, so we recommend booking with a friend
Private deck
Reading chairs
Mini fridge, kettle, mugs, assorted teas
Ensuite bathroom (toilet and sink, shower outside)
Outdoor shower (located on the deck)
Natural, locally-made toiletries
Wi-Fi
Clean, non-smoking facility
A-FRAMES | Opal, Jasper and Sunstone
Private Accommodation | Sleeps 1 in a Double Bed with detached shared bath
Warm, pine-clad angled walls welcome you at our modernized 60s-throwback A-frames. The comfy beds and luscious linens await your dreams, while the picture window and its lush foliage views await your daydreams. Use the space for creative pursuits, or as a basecamp for a walk in the forest. Rainy day? Sit outside on your covered porch and enjoy the fresh, pine-scented ocean air and the sound of raindrops caressing the old-growth trees.
Private Accommodation, sleeps 1 guest
1 double bed
Covered front deck with year-round seating
Access to 2 shared, detached bathrooms with shower
Natural, locally-made toiletries
Wi-Fi available in the Onyx Lodge
Clean, non-smoking facility
ONYX LODGE ROOMS | Amber + Turquoise
AMBER + TURQUOISE ROOMS
Private Accommodation | Sleeps 1 in a Double Bed with shared, detached bath
These cozy rooms are the perfect space for solo travelers. The window opens to a view of our property and the comfy bed offers a space for restful sleep.
*Please note that these rooms are located upstairs in the Onyx Lodge, so some sound from the kitchen and Onyx Lodge gathering space is to be expected during waking hours.
Double bed
Detached, shared bathroom with shower
Natural, locally-made toiletries
Smart TV
In-room Wi-Fi
Clean, non-smoking facility
THE PRACTICE SPACE - THE GEODESIC DOME
Our geodesic dome is the sacred hub of Nectar. To preserve and respect this energy, we ask that the space is used mindfully.
Usage of the dome includes all props (blocks, bolsters, blankets, straps). We encourage guests to bring their own mats. If props are used, it is asked that they are put away mindfully.
During the cooler months we heat the dome with a wood burning fireplace. Perfect for adding the element of fire in the cooler months.
Guests are advised to dress in layers to maintain their preferred body temperatures.
THE ONYX LODGE | LOUNGE + DINING ROOM
Your arrival at Nectar Yoga is down a long forested driveway, across a bridge over a babbling stream, and at the end will emerge our Onyx Lodge, Nectar Yoga's communal gathering space.
Outside the Onyx Lodge is a parking area and a central check-in boutique, Nectar Goods, that welcomes our arriving guests. The front entry has an enclosed boot room with adjoining bathroom. After removing your outdoor gear, you will enter into the central space. With soaring 25' ceilings overlooking the alder forest, casual sofas and lounge chairs, a long family dining table, double doors that open to a covered outdoor space with a secondary seasonal dining area and relaxing outdoor sofas.
WHAT TO BRING
A smile or two
Your favorite snacks
Layered clothing for the season
Journal and pen
Water bottle
Travel mug
Waterproof footwear
Comfortable clothing (white clothing encouraged for closing ceremony)
A Yoga Mat
Any crystals or tools you generally incorporate into your practices
If you have a meditation pillow that you love to use, please bring it
THIS RETREAT IS FOR YOU IF…
You love the outdoors
You want to learn more about yourself
You like slow, mindful yoga practice
You want some time for introspection, for yourself
THIS RETREAT IS NOT FOR YOU IF…
You have a serious health condition
You cannot sit (in any position) for 30 mins straight
You cannot eat vegetarian food
INVESTMENT & REGISTRATION
$600 - $750 All-inclusive (please view our registration page for room costs)
Payment in full required to secure your space. Non-refundable, non-transferable.
Payment can be made by Credit Card online (with a 4% fee) or via e-transfer.
Taxes applicable – all prices are in Canadian dollars
*Travel to/from Nectar Yoga on Bowen Island is not included
PAYMENT TERMS & CONDITIONS
Once booked, this retreat is non-refundable. In the event of a government ordered closure, your booking will be moved to another date or you will be issued a credit valid for 12 months that you can use towards our Nectar Experience Package. No refunds will be given.
HEALTH + SAFETY:
We continue to take measures to ensure the safety of our guests and staff. We are following all BC Government requirements. To read about the current requirements, click here.
Please click here to read our latest policies. This retreat is non-refundable.
ABOUT TINA
Tina Pashumati James (Pashumati - protector of the animals) Daybreak woman her cree name.
A former mountaineer, marathoner, and competitive equestrian rider, she worked on Whistler ski patrol for 8 years, living life to the fullest, long-term vegan and plant-based advocate, Tina worked to protect Bears in whistler with bear smart 8 years.
Tina owned Loka Yoga serving and building a community for 20 years with her yoga wall and teachings steeped in Bhakti and indigenous ceremony both in England and Canada.
She works with cancer, depression, anxiety, PTSD, she is also A cancer survivor, Tina lives, eats and breathes the essence of what yoga is steeped with indigenous teachings. Ahimsa non harming, vegan, animal activist, She is a true Bhakti practitioner.
Tina is a voice for the voiceless and speaks up to why a plant-based diet is so important within these yoga practices.
Environmentalism and animal activism are why "I became a yoga teacher" to honour the earth with my First Nations elders very much about respect for nature and the sacred ceremonies, and to use it as a platform to share the torture and murder of sentient beings worldwide.
Tina is an authorized Senior Ashtanga yoga teacher by Manju Jois at the European Academy of Ashtanga yoga - 28 years.
Advanced Jivamukti teacher - 15 years.
She teaches a life program every year in India at the eco-village Govardhan, 800-hour mentorships, private retreats, sweat lodge and vision quests with her Elders.
Tina conducts wedding ceremonies here in BC. Tina shares the environmental issues and animal rights with all her heart.
her motto:
"lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu"
May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.