Śiva Stories
Rocky Mountain Retreat
Canmore, Alberta · April 30 – May 3, 2026
This intimate retreat in the mountain landscape of Banff offers a deep immersion into the living traditions of yoga through story, practice, and ritual.
At the heart of the experience are the stories behind the poses—ancient narratives that illuminate the symbolic and spiritual dimensions of practice. Each āsana becomes a gateway into mythic insight: from Śiva’s stillness in the mountains and the meditative power of the sages, to the churning of the cosmic ocean, the defiance of death, and the fierce, transformative expressions of the divine through Vīrabhadra and Bhairava. These stories are not merely told, but explored as living teachings that reveal how grounding, transformation, and integration unfold within one’s own life.
The retreat weaves together embodied practice, contemplative study, and traditional ritual, creating a space where physical, intellectual, and spiritual dimensions are integrated. Through guided meditation, visualization, and reflective dialogue, participants are invited to examine their own relationship to stability and change, destruction and renewal, stillness and movement—engaging teachings that illuminate the inner architecture of yoga and cultivate clarity, steadiness, and insight.
Traditional Vedic rituals form a central thread of the retreat, including the consecration of a Śiva altar, offerings, abhiṣeka, and Sanskrit chanting. These practices create a sacred container that supports both inner inquiry and collective experience. Alongside these, lectures, live storytelling sessions, group discussions, and opportunities for personal consultation offer multiple entry points into the material.
Day 1 ARRIVAL DAY
Thursday, April 30, 2026
- Arrival, Settling In
- Meet and Greet
- Dinner
- Live Storytelling / Community Time
Day 2 MAHĀDEVA: The Power of Grounding
Friday, May 1, 2026
- Breakfast
- Vedic ritual
- Consecration of the Śiva Altar
- Sanskrit chanting, Intention setting
- Guided meditation and visualization
- Group discussion: relationship to destruction and transformation
- Excursion to Banff Springs and afternoon tea
- Lecture: The Great God — Who is Śiva?
- Live storytelling: The Power of Grounding
- Group discussion and integration
- Private consultations / integration time
- Dinner
- Community time
Day 3 NAṬARĀJA: The Power of Transformation
Saturday, May 2, 2026
- Breakfast
- Vedic ritual
- Abhiṣeka, Offerings
- Sanskrit chanting
- Integration meditation and visualization
- Group discussion: the dance of creation and dissolution
- Lecture: Śiva as Naṭarāja — The Cosmic Dance
- Lunch in Canmore
- Live storytelling: The Power of Transformation
- Group discussion and integration
- Private consultations / integration time
- Dinner
- Kīrtan
Day 4 DEPARTURE DAY
Sunday, May 3, 2026
- Breakfast
- Closing ceremony
- Storytelling
- Reflections, thanksgiving
- Sanskrit chanting
- Private blessings and individual check-ins
- Departure
Stories Featured in the Retreat
The Power of Grounding (Mahādeva)
- Siddhāsana — The Power of Yogic Meditation
- Tāḍāsana — Śiva’s Mountain Abode
- Bhujaṅgāsana — The Churning of the Cosmic Ocean
- Pāśāsana — Mārkaṇḍeya’s Meditation (Śiva Defeats Yama)
The Power of Transformation (Naṭarāja)
- Eka-Hasta-Bhujāsana — Gaṇeśa, Son of Śiva
- Vīrabhadrāsana — Śiva’s Composed Wrath
- Bhairavāsana — Bhairava, Śiva’s Fierce Form
- Tāṇḍavāsana — Śiva’s Cosmic Dance of Bliss
Integration
- Śavāsana — Śiva and the Power of Inertia
The Property
