Stress Relief and Relaxation: From Stress to Strength

Stress Relief and Relaxation: From Stress to Strength is a wellness retreat in the classical Sivananda yoga tradition, led by Atmajyoti Chaitanya at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm in Grass Valley, California. It is for anyone who wants to understand their own stress and learn practical ways to meet it with steadiness, and no yoga experience is needed beyond a sincere desire to learn.

The program runs for a week, and guests can also come for the weekend only or choose a length that fits their calendar.

What to Expect

The teaching begins with understanding stress itself: how it builds through repeated reactive habits when we sense a threat, and how to recognize your personal "stress profile," meaning your triggers, conditioned reactions and weak points. From there the retreat turns to replacing the habitual defensive reaction with positive self-affirmation, building resilience, and facing life's challenges with fortitude and self-confidence.

Afternoon workshops cover topics such as:

- Recharging your prana for facing challenges
- The three stress responses and relaxation
- Understanding the nervous system
- Converting negative emotions
- Building flexibility and adaptability
- Accepting unavoidable life uncertainties
- Alleviating stress-inducing karmic circumstances

The recommended daily rhythm is that of ashram life:

- 6:00 to 7:30am: satsang (meditation, chanting, lecture)
- 8:00 to 9:45am: asana class
- 10:00am: vegetarian brunch
- 11:00am: karma yoga
- 12:00pm: nature walks
- 1:00 to 2:30pm: workshop on stress relief and relaxation
- 2:30 to 4:00pm: free time
- 4:00 to 5:45pm: second asana class
- 6:00pm: vegetarian dinner
- 7:30 to 9:00pm: evening satsang

On the arrival day, the asana class is at 4:00pm, dinner at 6:00pm, a welcoming orientation at 7:00pm and satsang at 7:30pm.

About Atmajyoti Chaitanya

Atmajyoti Chaitanya is a graduate of the Sivananda Yoga Teachers' Training Course (2017), the Advanced Teachers' Training Course (2019) and the Sivananda Yoga Health Educator Training. A devoted Hatha yogini, she shares the classical teachings of yoga with enthusiasm, depth and authenticity.

The Setting

The retreat takes place at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm in Grass Valley, California, where the program is hosted through the Siva Wellness Center. Guests choose their lodging: bring your own tent (separate options for women and men), or stay in the Om, Siva, Krishna or Deluxe Shanti cabins. Rooms are private, shared with a friend, or shared dorm style with another guest, with twin beds in most; the Deluxe Shanti also offers a queen bed with a futon for private stays or married couples. Meals are vegetarian.

Before You Go

Check-in is at 2:00pm, and arriving by 4:00pm lets you join the first asana class. Check-out is at 12:00pm, though you are welcome to stay on the ashram grounds for the rest of the afternoon.

Tuition is charged per day plus accommodation. Every option includes two vegetarian meals, two yoga classes and two satsangs.

Bring slip-on shoes, loose comfortable clothing, writing materials, a meditation shawl or blanket, a yoga mat, a sitting cushion, a water bottle and a flashlight. Books and other materials are available in the ashram boutique. Course books can also be ordered at check-out, including Yoga Sadhana for Self-Healing by Swami Sitaramananda, the Positive Thinking Manual, and How to Cultivate Virtues and Eradicate Vices by Swami Sivananda.