• A: Suzanne Zuber is registered with Yoga Alliance at the highest level (e-RYT 500), certified as an advanced certified Anusara Yoga teacher trainer and is a certified Steel Mace and functional movement coach, also with Yoga Alliance. In her retreats and trainings, which she has been providing for 10+ years, she always provides an inclusive & safe coaching environment. You will be encouraged to stay present at all sessions, and you will be given specific modifications when needed. Suzanne has worked with 80+ year olds, people with injuries, post natal women and everyone in between. Show up, learn and expand your upper limits safely. There are ways to work with and adapt to most injuries as well. 

A: Fly into San Luis Obispo's airport (SBP) if you want to get here fast and don't want to rent a car. It is about 20 minutes via taxi or Uber or Lyft ride from the airport in San Luis Obispo to Sagrada Wellness. If you want to see more of California, fly into Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO) or San Jose (SJC). Flying into any of these three airports will require a car rental. The drive from these airports is beautiful and full of interesting sites along the way.

Check-in is at 2pm on Thursday.

If you are flying in internationally, I always recommend arriving 48 hours before the event starts to acclimate to the time changes, the area and rest up before training day one. San Luis Obispo is a lovely university town with sweet accommodations and great food if you want to arrive earlier and/or leave later!

A: Anusara Yoga is a globally popular form of Hatha Yoga, often described as "Iyengar Yoga with heart." It's known for its safety, strength-building, heart-opening, and life-affirming qualities. Classes have a relaxed, strong, and graceful feel. Depending on the theme, a class can be gentle and flowing or powerful and intense. The intention is to strengthen weaker areas of the body and soften tense areas through joint-centering and movement. Students are not rushed from one pose to the next, but rather the teacher uses verbal cues and demonstrations to guide them slowly into optimal alignment. All manual and verbal adjustments are based on scientifically sound knowledge of biomechanics and functional anatomy. The ultimate goal of an Anusara teacher is to empower students by fostering an understanding and appreciation for their own body, heart, and mind. 

• The Gada, also known as the Indian mace, has a rich history rooted in ancient India, evolving from a weapon to a tool for strength training and even holding symbolic significance in Hindu mythology. It was a favorite among wrestlers and warriors, particularly in the akhadas (wrestling training arenas), for developing functional strength, endurance, and combat readiness. Its modern revival sees it as a popular fitness tool for various disciplines, including circular strength training. Most recently, Summer Huntington developed a style called Steel Mace Vinyasa which combines Steel Mace work with Yoga flows.

• Gada Mace Mysticism: just as the earth moves around the sun, gathering life force from it and storing it, the Gada Mace moves around the body to gather life force to be used by its practitioner. Learning to use the mace was a sign of bravery, physical strength, and radiance like the sun. 

• Nowadays, Steel Mace is rapidly becoming known as the ‘ultimate full body conditioning tool’. 

• It holds its weight in the ball head, which results in uneven weight distribution.

• ==> because of this, steel mace exercises automatically engage smaller stabilizing muscles around our joints. 

• This kind of offset training will increase your core and rotation strength and athletic performance x 10. 

• ==> Steel Mace Workouts are the core of functional training.

Functional training is a type of exercise that focuses on movements used in everyday life, aiming to improve your ability to perform daily tasks more efficiently and safely. It involves exercises that mimic real-world activities, strengthening the body in a way that enhances performance in those activities.

This retreat is non-refundable.

I recommend purchasing travel insurance.

However, if life gets in the way, you have the option of finding someone to take your place. Suzanne will also put out her feelers on your behalf (no guarantees).

If no one is found, your trip will not be re-funded.

A: No, you do not need experience to join. However, familiarity with sun salutation a and b is a plus.

In addition, Suzanne provides you with access to 1 month of fundamentals online classes to prep with, and she also has videos on youtube that you can practice with if you haven’t invested in her programs yet.

Suzanne’s website: suzannezuberyoga.com

A: Bring comfortable breathable shirts and pants/shorts, as well as layers to cover up. We will be training in a covered yoga studio, as well as out by the pool. 

Additional items to bring:

•  a water bottle

• proper footwear for light hiking

• Sunscreen, sunglasses

• Umbrella or rain gear in case it sprinkles

• Bathing suit

 Before you start your trip, I recommend purchasing additional travel insurance coverage.

Day 1 is a short training day 3pm - 6pm 

Day 5 is a short training day 8am -11am

• Please bring a Yoga mat. If you do not own a mat, Suzanne can lend you one (let her know at least 2 weeks in advance).

• Steel Mace & Dowels will be provided. If you own a steel mace and/or a dowel, please bring it.

• A: All guests must be paid registrants and participate in the entire retreat. This keeps the group & team mentality strong, and focused and you will get way more out of it if you stay connected with the group. We love having couples take our retreats, they just both must be registered. 

A: If you decide to stay off site, you are responsible for your own lodging & transport expenses and we do not provide a discount for forfeiting your bed or meals at the retreat center.