A Weekend in Community | Fall
ATTEND ONE OFFERING OR ALL—MOVE, BREATHE, CONNECT
Join us for a weekend in community: a multi-day experience rooted in joy, presence, and connection. Whether you are called to movement, stillness, sound, or simply wish to spend time in community, this weekend allows you to participate in the ways that feel right to you.
You may choose to arrive on Friday afternoon for a restorative yoga class, dinner, arati (ritual of light), and an evening around the campfire with the Mount Madonna community. On Saturday, participate in two yoga classes, shared meals, forest bathing (see below for details), morning and evening arati, as well as other optional activities. Finally, on Sunday, stay to participate in morning arati, an all-levels yoga class, breakfast and lunch, and time to spend in community on the mountain.
An Evening around the Campfire
Join us for a welcoming evening in the Conference Center courtyard. We will share stories and songs (all are invited to contribute), roast marshmallows, and savor s’mores together. Bring a blanket or bundle up in cozy clothes, and enjoy the warmth of community beneath the stars.
Forest Bathing
Called shinrin-yoku in Japan, forest bathing is an ecotherapy practice that supports health and wellness through a sensory experience in natural environments. During this nature immersion with Maria Best, you will be guided on a safe, gentle walk through the majestic redwoods with a clearly defined sequence of invitations to slow down and encourage your senses to open and experience the environment around you. Through care and attention, the practice promotes the well-being of both people and the land. All you will need to do is accept the invitation, and Mother Nature will do the rest.
You are welcome to come for a one-night, two-night (or more) Personal Retreat; or simply join us for a Mountain Experience day visit on Saturday, and fully immerse yourself in community, practice, and nature.
Arrive as you are and stay for the unfolding.
To Participate:
- Book a Personal Retreat for Friday, November 14 through Sunday, November 16 — with the option to come for part of the weekend or extend your stay before or after the program. Enjoy special offerings including an evening around the campfire with the community, forest bathing, and scheduled yoga classes. Your stay also includes shared meals, evening and morning arati, and access to the facilities and miles of hiking and walking trails.
Cost: Based on lodging selection and number of nights
- Register for a Mountain Experience on Saturday, November 15, 2025. Check in at 10:00 a.m., depart at 7:00 p.m.; includes brunch and dinner, forest bathing, an afternoon yoga class, and personal time.
Cost: $105 for adults and children 13+; $50 for children 5 – 12 years old; free for children 4 years & under
Weekend Yoga Classes
Please note that all yoga classes are appropriate for young adults ages 13+.
Gentle Movement & Restorative Yoga | Friday, November 14, 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
An all-levels class offering a blend of gentle movement and restorative yoga asana (postures), thoughtfully designed to help you wind down from the week’s activities. Taught by Sara Williams, RYT 500 and a resident community member.
Classical Ashtanga Yoga | Saturday, November 15, 7:30 – 9:45 a.m.
An all-levels class offering breathing practices, meditation, and movement methods to quiet the mind and develop concentration. The practice includes one hour of pranayama (breathing techniques) and meditation, followed by a brief break and then 70 minutes of asana. Taught by various teachers trained in Classical Ashtanga Yoga (eight-limbed path) in the lineage of Baba Hari Dass.
Babaji’s Asana Series | Saturday, November 15, 3:30 – 4:45 p.m.
Join Shantam Galuten for a unique yoga asana class inspired by the teachings of Baba Hari Dass (Babaji). This class reflects the way Babaji led asana in the early days, based on a sequence he once described as “a good daily routine.” Movements are slow and controlled, concentration is on the three energies of mind, body, and breath, and the series includes a brief resting pose after every few postures. Beginners will appreciate the clear, simple methods, while experienced students are invited to extend the breath and experiment with retention.
All-Levels Yoga | Sunday, November 16, 2025, 7:00 – 8:30 a.m.
Join Emily Crotty for a moderately paced, all-levels yoga class that combines breath, meditation, and poses to balance the physical and subtle body. Expect a short seated portion of class with guided breath and meditation, and a yummy asana sequence that balances flow and holds, challenge and restoration.
Additional offerings on the mountain include:
- Personal time to relax in community spaces, including Anjaneya’s World Cafe and Oceanview Books & Gifts
- Option to visit the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple
- Option to book a wellness treatment at Kaya Kalpa Wellness Center (additional fees apply, advance reservations recommended)
Schedule for Weekend in Community
| Friday, November 14 | |
| 3:00 – 5:00pm | Personal Retreat Arrival & Check-in |
| 4:00 – 5:30pm | Gentle Movement & Restorative Asana |
| 5:15 – 6:15pm | Dinner |
| 6:00 – 7:00pm | Evening arati |
| 7:15 – 9:00pm | Evening around the Campfire |
| Saturday, November 15 | |
| 6:30 – 7:30am | Arati |
| 7:30 – 9:45am | Classical Ashtanga Yoga |
| 10:00am | Mountain Experience arrival & check-in |
| 10:00 – 11:00am | Brunch |
| 11:30am – 1:30pm | Forest bathing (weather permitting) |
| 1:30 – 3:30pm | Personal time |
| 3:30 – 4:45pm | Yoga Asana |
| 5:15 – 6:15pm | Dinner |
| 6:00 – 7:00pm | Arati |
| 7:00pm | Mountain Experience program concludes |
| Sunday, November 16 | |
| 6:30 – 7:30am | Arati |
| 7:00 – 8:30am | All-Levels Yoga |
| 8:30 – 9:00am | Breakfast |
| 9:00 – 11:00am | Personal time |
| 11:00am | Check out of accommodations |
| 12:30 – 1:30pm | Lunch |
| 3:00pm | Program concludes |
Please note: Saturday overnight guests are welcome to stay for lunch on Sunday; however, dinner is not included.
Schedule subject to change. Registrants will be notified.
Presenters
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Maria BestMaria Best is a Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide, as well as a Board Certified Professional Organizer and Feng Shui Practitioner specializing in Biophilic Design. She lives in Salinas, California, an abundant agricultural town nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Coastal Redwoods and spends countless hours visiting the forests and the seashore. Maria is committed to her partnership with nature to enhance the well-being for both people and our land.
Passionate about volunteering in her local community, Maria works with high school students in the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) program, a multi-disciplinary approach to architectural design that empowers students in creating harmonious spaces on their campuses. Maria also volunteers as a Purpose Workshop Facilitator with the Blue Zones Project Monterey County.
Maria recently published her first book, Come to Me Called the Sea.
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Sara WilliamsRYT 500Sara is originally from the great Northwest. She has studied art, loves travel, and has worked in hospitality for many moons. She has over 10 years of experience practicing Asana, with a special focus on Hot Yoga. During the pandemic, she began to rely heavily on her yoga practice and this experience sparked a desire to expand her knowledge and delve deeper into the history and philosophy of yoga—a passion she couldn’t live without. In 2022, Sara received her 500 HR YTT certification from Yogpeeth in Rishikesh, India. Today, she is honored to be teaching at Mount Madonna, where she continues to grow and learn as both a teacher and a student.
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Emily CrottyYoga teacher of 10 years and Ayurvedic Practitioner, Emily is passionate about wellness across all the layers of human experience, from physical body to subtle body to spirit. Her training started in 2014 at the White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara, CA. Since completing her 500-hour YTT at Mount Madonna Institute in 2021, her yoga classes combine the traditional teachings of Baba Hari Dass with her experience in many styles of yoga including vinyasa, restorative, and yin.
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Shantam GalutenShantam has been teaching yoga for more than 25 years, offering instruction in asana (postures), pranayama (breathing techniques), and meditation. A lifelong member of the Mount Madonna community, he received the name “Shantam” from Babaji at age seven. His father first met Babaji at the Homestead retreat in 1974, and Shantam grew up visiting Mount Madonna many times—camping, playing, and even spending an extended period here with his family while his father taught music to the children.
Today, Shantam serves as a pujari (officiant) at the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple. A multi-instrumentalist, he supports and leads kirtan (devotional singing) and occasionally performs piano in jazz ensembles around the world. Having completed Yoga Teacher Training at Mount Madonna and elsewhere, he now teaches in Mount Madonna’s YTT programs, continuing the tradition that shaped his own practice from an early age.
