Lectures, Seminars & Workshops
July 30 - August 5, 2009
Delicious Nutrition Wellness Retreat.
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August 21 - 23, 2009
Awaken your Perception for Natural Beauty through Tai Chi.
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International Kundalini Yoga Retreat
Marika Blossfeldt (Estonia/USA)
July 8- 14, 2009
Treat yourself to a week of dynamic and blissful Kundalini Yoga, meditations and massages, delicious vegetarian food and yogi tea. Relax and rejuvenate in the serenity of Western Estonia. Experience white nights, juniper groves and wooded meadows filled with wildflowers and herbs. Explore beautiful sites as we set out on two day trips to visit local museums, medieval castles, bird sanctuaries, bogs and islands.
Kundalini Yoga is based on Yogi Bhajan's teachings. A dynamic form of yoga, combining postures, stretching, movement, meditation, breathing, and chanting, it stimulates the glands, strengthens the nervous system, opens meridians, and balances chakras. The practice of Kundalini yoga brings with it a sense of wellbeing that is immediately tangible. After a yoga session one feels grounded, energized and uplifted. It helps to relax the body and calm the mind, increasing our capacity for concentration, creativity and intuition. Ultimately, it brings us to a deeper understanding of our potentials and ourselves and allows for a harmonious merging of body, mind and soul with the universal energy surrounding us.
Polli Talu Arts Center Artistic Director and Kundalini Yoga instructor Marika Blossfeldt was certified in New York City by 3HO Kundalini Yoga East. She has 13 years of international teaching experience and will teach in English.
A licensed Massage Therapist from Estonia will administer massages.
No previous experience in yoga is required. Beginners are very welcome!
The retreat is open to a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 15 persons. No previous experience in yoga is required. Beginners are very welcome!
Housing is provided in rooms of 1, 2, 4, and 5 beds. Two couples can be accommodated in double-occupancy rooms. You may also bring your own tent.
Meals will be prepared from organic vegetables from Polli Talu's kitchen garden and local produce, including eggs and dairy.
Cost for retreat: Euro 700 (includes transfer from Tallinn airport to Polli Talu, meals and accommodations, classes, 2 massages, and 2 outings per person; international travel is not included)
Please, register by e-mailing the office.
For any further questions, please e-mail Marika Blossfeldt
Marika Blossfeldt has a background in the visual and performing arts. She holds a Master of Arts degree in painting from the Hochschule der Künste, Berlin where she studied with Professor Raimund Girke. In 1980 she moved to New York City to pursue studies in contemporary dance. For 20 years she performed as a featured soloist with renowned downtown choreographers as well as created original multi-media dance works. Her work has been presented by numerous New York City venues and has been performed internationally in Estonia, Australia, Japan, Canada, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Denmark, and Sweden. Marika has been commissioned to create performances for the Estonian National Ballet and Aura Dance Theatre from Kaunas, Lithuania. Marika is a 3HO certified Kundalini Yoga instructor and teaches weekly classes, weekend intensives and yoga retreats. She is the founder and artistic director of Polli Talu Arts Center in Estonia. Read more about Marika.
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Dancing Beauty and Majesty
Cornelia Freise
June 26 - July 02, 2009
As an answer to the question what could change the world, the Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast said:
"If women would regain their power"
Beauty and Majesty are two divine qualities. In the Sufi tradition they represent the feminine and masculine sides of the godhead. We embody them in our male and female aspects: the opening space of the feminine and the piercing sword of the masculine. We can meet both in dance, get to know, express and celebrate them. In essence they are one.
Beauty and Majesty are great attributes. Do we allow ourselves to embody them? Or do we rather hide behind our feelings of inferiority, behind the idea not to be able to change something, of being too small?
To claim our beauty while dancing in dignity and positive pride means to move forward a conscious step and to respond to the situation of the world. The answer is not found in recipes or amendments, but in simply being present. It means to open our female space and to fill it with our presence while trusting our connection to the Whole. Pacing slowly and awake as a cat we can light-footedly occupy our domain.
It seems to be even harder to experience majesty as a quality connected with us. It means to embody might, authority and other queenly attributes like penetrating, deciding, cutting through, standing alone. Majesty shows in our vertical axis, in the connection with heaven and earth.
While dancing we can succeed to dare something seemingly impossible in a playful manner: to connect these two divine qualities in us and to allow them to become more and more one. Dance can change rigid states into fluid forms. We can be aware of our creativity and exercise our flexibility in the movements. This means to go with passion into the dance and to try out something new, allowing our life force and joy to grow and to share it with the universe.
Cornelia Freise, born in 1957, lives in Bremen, Germany. As a lawyer she worked on several scientific projects. Then the direction of her life changed. For 22 years now she has worked with groups in the field of circle dances and dance therapy. She trained in Biodanza - Dance of Life, a technique developed by Rolando Toro from Chile. Since 1992 she has worked exclusively with dance. In 1996 she founded "The Dancing Wild Sow - "Institute for Transformation through Dance, Meditative Dancing and Dance Therapy" in Bremen which offers "Dancing from the Space of the Heart" a 2-year dance education for people from different professional backgrounds. Since 2002 she conducts workshops in Singapore, California and Estonia. Since 1985 she has followed the mystical path of the golden Sufis which inspires and carries her work.
Housing is provided in rooms of 1, 2, 4, and 5 beds. You may also bring your own tent.
Meals will be prepared from organic vegetables from Polli Talu's kitchen garden and local produce, including eggs and dairy.
Participants will be met at Tallinn airport or harbor and brought to the farm by car or minibus.
Cost for workshop: EURO 650 (includes transfer from Tallinn airport to Polli Talu, meals and accommodations, workshop fee; classes, talks, 2 massages, and 1 outing per person; international travel is not included)
Please register by e-mailing the office: office@pollitalu.org
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Delicious Nutrition Wellness Retreat
Marika Blossfeldt (Estonia/USA)
July 30 - August 5, 2009
A week of awareness, relaxation, learning and awakening your taste buds
You are what you eat.
Your life will be very different when you eat well and understand about food.
The food you eat, once digested, gets absorbed into your blood stream and affects the creation of your cells, tissues and organs. It provides you with energy and brain power. It even affects your moods and thoughts.
Food has the power to relieve many ailments, rejuvenate your body, create a focused mind and uplift your spirits. Everybody is unique and there is no one way that fits all. When you pay attention to your bio-individuality and choose your food consciously it will greatly enhance your health and well-being.
The Delicious Nutrition Wellness Retreat will get you started on a path of increasing awareness regarding your eating habits and lifestyle while deeply nurturing your body, mind and spirit.
Whether you are looking to
manage weight
restore energy and vitality
strengthen immunity
alleviate allergies and chronic conditions
balance your moods, or
learn to cook simple delicious wholesome meals
this retreat will offer information and inspiration to address your concerns.
Join us for a life changing week in the serene landscape of rural Estonia and engage in
Kundalini Yoga Morning
Practice
Combining postures,
stretching, movement, meditation, breathing, and chanting, it stimulates the
glands, strengthens the nervous system, opens meridians and balances chakras
Cooking Classes
A hands-on
and fun experience, you will learn how to make delicious and balanced
meals using fresh whole foods
Nutritional Talks
Covering the energetics
of food, the Yin and Yang of food, complex carbohydrates versus simple sugars,
natural versus processed foods, good oils and fats, conscious eating and much
more
Breath Walks
A safe and easy
work-out that keeps your body and heart fit while increasing oxygen levels
in your blood
Massages and/or Reiki
Treatments
Enjoy the therapeutic
and relaxing effects of deep tissue massage or gentle Reiki energy work
Evening Meditations
At the end of the day center yourself and calm your mind in preparation for
restful and deep sleep
Day Trip
Explore beautiful sites in Western Estonia as we set out to visit local
museums, medieval castles, bird sanctuaries and bogs
The retreat is open to a maximum of 15 persons to ensure high quality personal attention.
Marika Blossfeldt, Holistic Health Counselor, Whole Foods Chef and Kundalini Yoga Instructor will lead the retreat in English with Estonian translations.
Housing is provided in rooms of 1, 2, 4, and 5 beds. Two couples can be accommodated in double-occupancy rooms. You may also bring your own tent.
Meals will be prepared from organic vegetables from Polli Talu's kitchen garden and local produce, including eggs and dairy.
Participants will be met at Tallinn airport or harbor and brought to the farm by car or minibus.
Cost for retreat: EURO 780 (includes transfer from Tallinn airport to Polli Talu, meals and accommodations, classes, talks, 2 massages, and 1 outing per person; international travel is not included)
Registration/information: office@pollitalu.org
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Green Aesthetics Workshop
Awaken your Perception for Natural Beauty through Tai Chi.
Leon M. Miller jun. (USA/Estonia)
August 21 - 23, 2009
"One is all there is"
The ancient practice of Tai Chi awakens an awareness of Chi (life force) within our bodies. When practicing Tai Chi, a moving meditation, in a natural setting, the practitioner can experience a deep feeling of being in harmony with nature. Tai Chi also has the power to heighten oneÕs aesthetic perception and creativity. Like an artist who can see and express the inherent beauty in ordinary things, so can the Tai Chi practitioner open up to the beauty of nature and experience nature's essence or Chi.
Tai Chi uses the breath as a basic tool to relax the body and calm the mind, allowing the practitioner to experience harmony and unity of body, mind and heart. Expanding the sense of oneness to include the natural environment becomes as natural as a birdÕs song or the sound of the wind blowing through the pines.
On a philosophical level the Green Aesthetics Workshop explores the affinity of Far Eastern thought to indigenous Estonian nature beliefs.
Workshop activities include:
Friday evening
We begin the workshop at 18.00 with a delicious communal dinner made from natural ingredients, followed by a session of Deep Relaxation and an Introduction to Meditation.
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Experience the flow of life force or Chi within
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Observe how Chi calms nerves, relaxes muscles and stimulates organs
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Learn how to direct Chi to particular points in your body to deepen relaxation and improve health
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Feel a sense of inner peace and harmony with your surroundings
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Deepening Harmony with Far Eastern Relaxation Techniques
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Practice oneness with nature by emanating elements of nature, such as trees, water, clouds, birds
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Move a way from ego identification with its innate sense of separation
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Recognize and focus on the essential force that animates all life
Saturday afternoon
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Comparing Far Eastern and Estonian Green Aesthetics
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Learn about the differences and similarities between Far Eastern and Estonian perspectives on nature and harmony
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Enjoy an excursion into the natural surroundings and discover the stark beauty of Northern land- and seascapes
Saturday evening
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Communing with the Elements of Nature
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Create a ritual to celebrate the elements earth, water, fire and air
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Pay respect to the four directions
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Rejoice in the harmonious connection between humans and natural elements
Sunday morning
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Fostering Wellness and Harmony
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Learn to quiet the mind
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Meditate
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Experience oneness
Sunday afternoon
Practical Applications of Green Aesthetics
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Learn acupressure for deep relaxation and well-being
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Receive guidelines on how to incorporate the weekend's essence into your daily life
The workshop ends with tea and cake around 16.00.
No previous experience in Tai Chi is necessary to participate in the workshop. Beginners are most welcome.
Leon M. Miller (USA/Estonia) is the workshop facilitator and will teach in English. Leon is originally from Philadelphia, has a degree in Social Sciences and has studied Religion and Holistic Human Development at the University of California. He studied Tai Chi with Psychologist Carl Rogers. Leon is living and working in Estonia and regularly teaches Tai Chi in Tallinn in addition to his academic career.
Housing is provided in rooms of 1, 2, 4, and 5 beds. Two couples can be accommodated in double-occupancy rooms. You may also bring your own tent.
Meals will be prepared from organic vegetables from Polli Talu's kitchen garden and local produce, including eggs and dairy.
Participants will be met at Tallinn airport or harbor and brought to the farm by car or minibus.
Cost for retreat: EURO 300 (includes transfer from Tallinn airport to Polli Talu, meals and accommodations, workshop fee; international travel is not included)
The Green Aesthetics Workshop is a collaboration of Leon M. Miller, Polli Talu Arts Center and Estonian Nature Tours. www.naturetours.ee
For more information and to register, please contact Marika Mann at info@naturetours.ee
