rates: $2995 per person, double occupancy. $3495 single occupancy. includes: international airfare, all meals, 4 nights jungle lodging + 3 nights island lodging, all transfers, adventures and yoga. click here for retreat details on lodging, meals, adventures, etc.

 

Join Leigh Ann and Brooke for a week of unforgettable yoga and adventures!

Leigh Ann Mertens, E-RYT 500. After taking her first yoga class with Cindy Dollar in 1997, Leigh Ann Mertens was “hooked!” At the time, she was Artistic Director for add dance, a professional, contemporary dance company based in Asheville, North Carolina and teaching modern dance to all ages at the Asheville Center of Performing Arts. Having danced all her life, Leigh Ann minored in dance at Appalachian State University and upon graduation she went to New York City to study with and work for the esteemed Martha Graham Dance Company. She moved to Asheville in 1990 to dance with Ann Dunn & Dancers and to teach at the Asheville Academy of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. She also taught at the New Studio of Dance and for the Brevard College SGSA Summer Program.

After the birth of her first child in 2000, Leigh Ann stopped performing and teaching dance and decided to focus on learning and teaching yoga. In 2002, she opened Brightwater Yoga at a studio in her home and in February of 2005, she moved the studio to downtown Hendersonville where she currently teaches. As a teacher, her enthusiasm and passion are infectious and her knowledge and clarity are reassuring to students of all ages and levels. Leigh Ann believes that yoga is a personal journey that cannot be adequately described in  words, but rather has to be experienced to be understood. Leigh Ann is certified as an E-RYT 500 (Experienced - Registered Yoga Teacher at the 500 hour level) through the Yoga Alliance ®.

Brooke McDade is a native of Hendersonville.  First coming to Brightwater Yoga in 2004 as a student to take a Restorative Yoga Class, she remains at Brightwater Yoga today; now as a yoga teacher and massage therapist.   She completed her Yoga Teacher Training in 2005 at the Asheville Yoga Center with Stephanie Keach, and began teaching immediately.  This time in her life was a turning point for Brooke as she began to genuinely understand and connect with the deep intuition that she has always felt.  Her personal practice serves as a conduit of inspiration for Brooke, while the responsibility of teaching allows her the opportunity to be that conduit for others.  It was yoga that led her to massage.  She graduated from the Asheville School of Massage and Yoga, which she consciously chose because it incorporated yoga into its curriculum.  She believes the synergy between the modalities enhances her ability as a massage therapist.  Giving a massage to Brooke is like practicing yoga.  “It’s me consciously breathing and positioning my body, not only for myself, but also for the person I am massaging.”