3 Days Package (2 nights)
About this Retreat
Ira Schneider Ohm, EYRT 500, founded Zen Den Yoga Studio in 2008, Zen Den Yoga School in 2009, and Zen Den Retreat Center in 2013. He has always been blessed with an awareness of something larger then himself. As a boy he embraced practicing Pranayama, meditation, and positive thinking. In his first yoga class Ira knew that this practice was like a coming home, three months later he went to Nicaragua and got his 200 hour yoga teacher training certification.
Upon completion of his YTT 200 with School Yoga Institute, Ira immediately started to teach private and large group classes in Boca Raton, Florida. His strong entrepreneurial background made the creation of Zen Den Yoga Studio the next logical step. Within eleven months he returned to Guatemala for his 500 and 800 hour certifications in order to launch Zen Den Yoga School. He fell in love with the culture, the nature and the Mayan people. He decided in 2009, along with a few other inspired yogis, to build a sustainable yoga farm on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. The Yoga Farm is a retreat center and a yoga school. Ira still leads retreats to the magical energy vortex on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.
Much of Ira's training has been deep in the world of shamanism. His skills of astral travel and ability to see into people make a significant difference in people's lives. His teachings bridge the gap between our illusion of maya and true consciousness. Ira loves sharing his deep knowledge and love of the Sivananda tradition of yoga, Ashtanga-inspired Vinyasa, restorative yoga, and shamanic breath-work with his students, retreat guests and the South Florida community.
Valerie Leeds is an ERYT500, and a dynamic wellness entrepreneur teaching people to access their best selves in mind, body and spirit for 28 years.
Valerie is also Certified as a Bodywork & Energy Therapist and a Health Coach. She owns and facilitates Zen Den Yoga School & Wellness Retreat Center with her husband, Ira, in Boca Raton, Florida, where they guide people in disconnecting to reconnect.
Valerie developed her unique ability to connect mentally and emotionally with people on a deeper spiritual level through her first certification in Bodywork & Energy Therapy at the The Academy, (originally located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, now in Stamford, New York and called the Harrison Center for Personal Development). The Academy of Natural Healing has been an alternative education center and school offering diverse natural healing programs run by Director, Lewis Harrison, an internationally respected visionary, author, speaker, trainer and coach. Here she found like minds and developed an understanding of how managing our mindsets can be life altering, and our bio-magnetic fields intersect with and impact our physical and mental bodies.
She continued expanding her expertise in healing and transformation training through multiple disciplines: Access Consciousness and Energy Transformation coursework; Summit Education; The Gratitude Training; Masterful Living; and Compass Coaching. She was a student turned coach during this decade of work, which gave her many hours with clients one on one, both on the massage table and off, and later as President of Kevin Heaphy Fitness Studio. This boutique studio, in Soho, New York City, offered personal training, yoga, pilates, bodywork and energy therapy, personal development coaching, along with a juice bar and cafe in a gorgeous 5,000 square foot store front. Valerie cultivated a set of tools based on the premise that human potential is limited by our belief systems to bring a fresh look at how your mind and consciousness can be adapted on a moment to moment basis to live life in greater mastery, and she teaches how to deepen our connection to what she calls our “internal barometer.”
During this time she also went through a number of years of sales training and psychology working with Equinox International and Advanced Marketing Seminars; Staten Island Boat Sales; and AOL Time Warner, and others, which gave Valerie a diverse foundation to teach, train and educate people how to shift their belief systems and behavior. She realized that there are many barriers people form to resist change and personal growth, one of them is being out of alignment in our physical health. She spent a year living in Colorado deepening her own practice while she got Certified as a Dr. Sears Health Coach in order to give people a system to follow a simple healthy lifestyle.
Over the last two decades Valerie Leeds has created many programs that give people tools to step into their “next level,” whatever the category of life their desire may be: relationships, career, spiritual growth, physical fitness-- all of her creations will give people a vehicle to create greater ease, joy and greatness in their lives– Language of Energy, Energy of Language Course; Invigorate U: A.R.C. Angel Coaching Program; Extreme Concepts for Golf Mind Coaching; Be The Blossom Workshop; and My Voice Matters Worldwide Workshops for children.
These days she can be found teaching at Zen Den Yoga School & Wellness Retreat, and being a loving wife to Ira and step-mom to their fifteen year old Hali. Testimonials and references available upon request.
Details of this retreat
Zen Den Yoga School & Quantum Leap Retreat in Florida Program
Zen Den Yoga School Owners Ira Ohm and Valerie Leeds believe in offering a safe and nurturing environment for everybody of all levels. They have built an incredible experience by offering multiple enlightening Retreat programs, workshops and events for your body, mind and spirit. Zen Den also offers ytt200 and ytt300 hour certifications at their yoga school.
Daily Schedule
7:15am Start day with lemon water & learn to prepare a nutritionally balanced, energizing smoothie for breakfast
8:30am Meditation - Monday, Wednesday, Thursday
SUNRISE Beach Meditation is Tuesday & Friday mornings weather permitting
9:00am – 10:30am Sivananda Hatha Flow, or Gentle Chakra Hatha Flow
9:00am Saturdays & Sundays Meditation followed by Yin or Restorative Yoga
-or- Special Saturday Option to visit Downtown to enjoy outdoor Vinyasa in Sanborn Square Park (unless it's raining)
10:30am Breakfast morning smoothie
11:30am - 4:30pm Coaching & Spa Services
1:00 - 2:00pm Suggested Lunch Smoothie time
3:30pm Ashtanga-inspired Vinyasa Flow Daily, EXCEPT SATURDAYS
7:30 or 8:00pm Additional classes or events when offered.
(Tai Chi; Breath-work; Restorative Yoga; Self Care Massage; Sound Healing; other lectures)
9:00pm Quiet time EXCEPT Friday or Saturday nights when we have an Event
10:00pm Suggested Lights Out EXCEPT Friday or Saturday nights when we have an Event
Retreat Overview
Upon arrival, you will be greeted by one of our Retreat Facilitators or Owners and be given a tour.
During your disconnect to reconnect time with us you will be taught how to make your own nutritionally packed smoothies for breakfast and lunch this will allow you to become empowered to learn how to take the skills of eating healthy home with you.
You can look forward to sunrise meditation twice a week on the beach, walks on the beach, bike rides around town, daily meditation, two yoga classes a day (except Saturday), and a variety of classes, lectures, movies, or events scattered throughout the week in the evenings.
In your free time you will get to choose to lounge around one of the two pools, hot tubs, or hang out in one of our hammocks under the 600 sq ft Seminole Indian chickee hut. You can look forward to receiving 2 spa services included in your package: a stress melting massage, and hot - cold plunge spa therapy, in our state of the art infrared sauna and cold plunge.
Prior to your arrival, we will schedule your Spa appointments for your healing and relaxing. We offer upgrades for spa services, such as added massage; acupuncture; cupping; facials; reflexology; tarot reading; astrology chart; IV infusions; body wrap or scrub treatments; colonics; nutritional health/life coaching; energy clearing therapy; regenerative stem cell therapy; Plant Medicine Immersions- all of which can be added to your retreat upon request (all by availability/ added fees apply).
In the evening many of our guests will go out to eat for dinner at our hand-picked restaurants here in the downtown Boca area. Some of the Favorite Restaurant List Options include: Farm to table, Thai, Asian-fusion, Indian, Sushi, Mexican - all options give you the choice of being healthy to more decadent! Many of our guests enjoy eating outside at our Living Green Cafe, which is a European style cafe.
To Venture Out We Recommend Visiting (some have add’l fees):
Nationally recognized Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens, 188.5 acres of zen and beautiful grounds for relaxing walks in south Florida’s flora and fauna.
Gumbo Limbo Nature Center - The center includes an indoor museum with exhibits, small aquariums, and a gift shop, plus more major outdoor facilities including several large aquariums featuring ecosystems for fish, turtles, and other sea life, a boardwalk trail through the adjacent woods, and a garden designed for observing butterflies.
Yamato Scrub Natural Area - A 217-acre natural area atop the Atlantic Coastal Ridge in Boca Raton, Yamato Scrub protects the largest chunk of native scrub habitat found this far south in Florida. Walking the northernmost trails in this preserve, you forget you’re in Boca Raton, especially when you keep spotting wildlife.
Boca Art Museum
Downtown Mizner Park & Royal Palm Plaza
Delray Beach
Deerfield Beach
The Everglades Park
Stand Up Paddle Boarding; Snorkeling; Scuba; and More!
Retreat stays can be 2 nights up to one month long, as long as we have availability. Arrival and check in is on Monday, Thursday and Fridays between 2pm and 6pm.
Best airports are West Palm Beach or Fort Lauderdale airports, both are equi-distant about 30 mins from us. Check out on departure day is 11am, (if your flight is later in the day, you are able to keep your luggage on premises and partake in activities). We recommend taking a Lyft or Uber from the airport. If you have to fly into Miami - it is an hour+ away from us, you can take the Tri Rail Train to Boca Raton. The Brightline Train is faster then Tri-Rail and there are shuttles servicing two airports: Miami through the MIA Connector and Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood through the FLL Airport Connector, both of which run every day.
Location
Boca Raton is one of the most fun and active cities in South Florida. Boca Raton is a tropical destination, where beautiful homes line the streets around long stretches of white beaches. With tons of waterfront on the Intra-coastal and Atlantic Ocean, you will find lots of biking paths, themed restaurants, shopping areas, and a great night life. All within a 10-15 minute bike ride, guests will discover beaches, nature trails, galleries, boutiques and shopping areas, art and marine life museums, libraries, grocery shops, and of course lots of cafes and restaurants. It is ideally located in between an international hot spot to the north, Delray Beach, and to the south, Deerfield Beach, both wonderful spots to visit as well.
Accommodations
Located in East Boca Raton, Florida, the Zen Den Yoga Wellness Center is a zen place. The private property consists of a retreat house in a tropical setting with 500 sq. ft. Seminole Tiki hut for yoga, meditation and events. You can enjoy sitting in our crystal garden, outdoor lounge areas, hammocks, or hanging from our inversion table. We have a salt water pool and a hot tub; there are lots of spaces to enjoy the sunny weather. Our Infrared Sauna and Cold Plunge tub are part of all packages, as they are very beneficial. Inside, there are plenty of welcoming spaces to meditate, study, leisurely read, or socialize with other guests, including a library space and state of the art kitchen. Guests can walk or bike to explore nearby attractions.
You will enjoy a rejuvenating experience in a private or shared room, with an option to have an en suite bathroom for an added fee. Our rooms are decorated in a minimalistic way with 1 or 2 beds in each room, and closets and dressers for your belongings. The house has central air conditioning and we do have fans for those in need. Wi Fi is available throughout the property.
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