Living Beauty Celebrates International Day of Yoga!

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June 21st is International Day of Yoga and it also happens to be the Summer Solstice! The Summer Solstice happens every year when one of the Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt towards the sun and it marks the start of summer.  It is the longest day of the year and in many cultures throughout history, it is seen as a day of celebration often marked with festivals and rituals. It is known to represent the transition from action to nourishment and the journey from darkness to light. Because of the extra sunlight, the solstice is associated with nourishment, fertility, and sensuality. This time of year, we are more connected with nature and each other! It is a great time to come together with others, enjoy the local fresh foods that are in season and connect with your body.

 

Considering the International Day of Yoga falls on the Summer Solstice, a yoga practice is the perfect way to celebrate the change in season and get more in tune with your body! The International Day of Yoga was officially recognized by The United Nations in 2014 and was created to raise awareness of the many benefits of practicing yoga. Yoga can increase strength, flexibility and balance which helps reduce pain and inflammation in the body. It reduces stress, improves sleep and increases your energy overall improving your mental resilience. When the proposal to create a day celebrating Yoga was introduced to the United Nations by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, he stated, “Yoga is an invaluable gift from our ancient tradition. Yoga embodies unity of mind and body, thought and action … a holistic approach [that] is valuable to our health and our well-being. Yoga is not just about exercise; it is a way to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature.”

 

 

The Foundation for Living Beauty brings yoga to the women we serve all year round because of its amazing physical and mental health benefits. This year we are celebrating International Yoga Day together with a day retreat! Led by the wonderful Yoga Therapist and Living Beauty Sharon Holly, our International Day of Yoga Day Retreat is bringing together Living Beauties in Santa Monica to spend the day practicing yoga, mindfulness and meditation to help them on their cancer journey. Sharon Holly is certified in yoga4cancer, a yoga practice specifically designed to address the physical and mental side effects of cancer and its treatment on our bodies. This day of yoga will allow Living Beauties to practice self-care, learn tools to heal their bodies and minds, and connect with one another.

 

 

We are so grateful to be able to spend the International Day of Yoga and the Summer Solstice with our Living Beauties! Don’t forget to spend time this summer nourishing your body, enjoying nature and connecting with others!

 

If you are a woman with cancer and would like to participate in programs like our International Day of Yoga Day Retreat click here to become a Living Beauty!

 

Read more about yoga4cancer on our here!

 

 

 

 

Living Beauty Debuts a Brand-New Overnight Retreat!

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Last week, twenty-two Living Beauties gathered at the beautiful UCLA Lake Arrowhead retreat center for our first-ever Elemental Overnight Retreat led by the amazing Kristin Dwan! The retreat was specially designed by Kristin and Indyra, Living Beauty’s program director, to take Living Beauties on a journey through the five elements exploring their healing powers. What is even more special about this collaboration is that Kristin is a Living Beauty herself and while attending a retreat at Lake Arrowhead in 2022, her and Indyra were inspired to create the Elemental Retreat. Six months later the seed of an idea that they planted at that retreat came to fruition and the rest is history!

 

Kristin leading Living Beauties in a workshop about our inner child and how our conscious mind is formed as a child.

 

The retreat was created around the 5 elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit. Each element has specific qualities that can be harnessed to help anyone on their journey through life and more specifically for our Living Beauties their healing journey after cancer. At the retreat, we used Earth to ground our intentions, Water to cleanse and feel them, Air to dream and clear your mind, Fire to activate and Spirit to connect and level up your healing intentions.

 

Each of these candles represents an element. Kristin used them to call in the elements during our practice. The candles surrounding the elements represent a Living Beauty and her intention for the retreat.

 

Everyone Living Beauty created a seed (or intention) for the retreat that they spent the 3 days focusing on bringing into existence. Kristin helped guide them through this process by leading Living Beauties in hypnotic journeys, breath work, reiki, healing time in nature, a bonfire to cut cords with worries and create a clean slate, and deep connection and sharing time with each other.

 

After the retreat one Living Beauty stated, “I have a new sense of self. I feel lighter than I did when I first got here. I am extremely overwhelmed with love and acceptance. This is exactly what my heart needed.”

 

We are so grateful to Kristin for bringing her expertise in Hypnotherapy, Reiki and navigating the elements to The Foundation for Living Beauty! You can learn more about her practice and get in contact with her by visiting www.thehealingwoods.com. As always Indyra created and executed an amazing retreat and we can’t wait for the next one!

 

 

If you are a woman with cancer, click here to learn more about how to become a Living Beauty and participate in retreats like this one! To donate to The Foundation for Living Beauty and help provide more programs like these to women with cancer please visit www.livingbeauty.org/get-involved/donate/.