Christmas Retreat

Ayurveda in the Appalachia 2023

Christmas Retreat December 24-26

The retreat is included in your stay in the Palace Lodge. Book your accomodation here: https://www.palacelodge.com

About Karuna Diedericks

Karuna Diedericks received certification in 2007 as a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist through the California College of Ayurveda. She is also trained as a PanchaKarma Specialist providing abhyanga massages and other healing modalities. Throughout the twenty years she has been practicing Ayurveda, bhakti yoga, meditation and yoga asana, she has had a passion for cooking and healthy eating. She has first-hand knowledge and experience of how cooking and eating can support one’s health and overall quality of life. Since 2019, Karuna has been a faculty member of the Jung Center's Mind, Body, Spirit Institute, where she devotes much mental energy to didactic teachings to provide students with a foundation of Ayurvedic principles.

Join this group to schedule your appointment: https://chat.whatsapp.com/EH3Y9j7mIkI5D58L7eB4Jl

Our Ayurveda in the Appalachia retreats will not only revitalize you during your days with us, but will also empower you to create the changes you want and deserve in your life 365 days a year.

We offer the following wellness practices*:

Yoga - Originates from the Sanskrit root “yuj” that means “union, to unite or to connect."

Yoga is a collection of physical, mental, and spiritual practices and disciplines which originated in ancient India. These aim to control and to quiet the mind, allowing us to observe a detached witness-consciousness untouched by the mind and mundane suffering.

Ayurvedic Dosha Awareness - A unique combination of the five elements of ether, air, fire, water, and earth, resulting in 3 constitutions — vata, pitta, and kapha.

In Ayurvedic medicine, the distinctive constitution of the person is the starting point for all treatments. Our individual constitution (Sanskrit: prakruti) expresses itself as a manifestation of the three doshas (bioenergies or life forces): vata, pitta, and kapha. For more than 5,000 years, the doshas have been described as biological energies found throughout the human body and mind. These doshas govern our physical and mental processes, providing every living being with a personal blueprint to achieve health and fulfillment. Discover your dosha and start living your most balanced life.

Marma Discovery - Marma points (marmaṇi) are specific locations on the body where our life energies can be accessed and adjusted.

Marma points chikitsa (therapy) is a traditional Ayurvedic massage technique that's believed to help sustain the flow of energy throughout the body. There are 107 marma points located at various locations on the body where muscles, veins, ligaments, bones and joints meet together. Stimulation of these points is said to impact innumerable areas of health, including organ function, food absorption, toxin removal, immunity, sleep regulation, the production of hormones, and more! Discover your secret points to activate your healthiest life.

Wisdom of Sacred Scripture and Rituals - “Ritual is the passageway of the soul into the Infinite.” – Algernon Blackwood

Studying the sacred texts like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, not only reveals the means for becoming free from all material work but also gives us the processes of transcendental knowledge, renunciation, and devotion. It is said that anyone who sincerely aims to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, who properly hears and chants it with devotion, becomes completely liberated.

Rituals are centered around creating sacredness in one’s life, and honoring something greater than ourselves. It is about glorifying the mystery and the bringer of life in all things, from the flowers to the trees, to the birds, to the tiny caterpillar glistening on a fresh leaf, or the waking sun, and the nocturnal moonlight. There is a divine force that moves through all things, like a river, enlivening all of life. It is the same force that moves the plant to flower, the wolf to howl, and lights up a baby’s face. As we become more gratified and aware of this sacred force moving throughout our lives, it expands and colors daily life with radiance and light that connects us to all living things. Discover some simple daily rituals to bring magic into your life.

Sacred Sound and Kirtan Immersion -  Powerful traditional and devotional practice that opens the heart.

Delve deep within your inner being and transform into the truest authentic version of yourself through maha-mantra meditation. Uncover your inner joy, cultivate peace, and achieve genuine harmony. Kirtan is the call and response form of chanting that characterizes the Bhakti movement. Kirtan offers a journey deep within the very heart of our soul. Kirtan is also an essence to yoga that links one with God.

Abhyanga —Healing Ayurvedic Massage

There is no greater expression of self-love than anointing ourselves from head to toe with warm oil—this practice is called Abhyanga. A daily Abhyanga practice restores the balance of the doshas and enhances well-being and longevity. The Sanskrit word Sneha can be translated as both “oil” and “love.” It is believed that the effects of Abhyanga are similar to those received when one is saturated with LOVE. Like the experience of being loved, Abhyanga can give a deep feeling of stability, equanimity, and warmth.

*At an additional cost, you will recieve a custom Abhyanga massage which will restore the balance of the doshas and enhance well-being and longevity.

Chakra Balancing - The Sanskrit word “chakra” means wheel or disc and refers to seven main energy centers from the base of your spine to the crown of your head.

If the idea of “chakra balancing” is new to you, you’re not alone. Although not a new concept – the chakra system originated in India between 1500 and 500 BC in the oldest text called the Vedas – the practice of balancing chakras is new to many in the modern world.

Chakras refer to various energy centers in your body that correspond to specific nerve bundles and internal organs. The seven major chakras run along the spine. If these energy centers get blocked, you may experience physical or emotional symptoms related to a particular chakra. Alternatively, when your chakras are balanced, your flow of energy is aligned and negative emotions, feelings, thoughts, and physical ailments are less likely to manifest.

If you are looking to restore balance, or maintain equilibrium across your chakras, you will need to employ specific chakra rituals. While there are numerous tools you can leverage to facilitate balancing your chakras, in our retreat we will use essential oils, visualization, sound and color therapy.

All seminars are included in the cost of your lodging! All treatments and consultations are offered at an additional cost.

*not all these wellness practices will be offered at both retreats.