Andrea Clark

How Yarrow Can Help Us Set Healthier Boundaries, Herbal Uses, and How It Got its Name

How Yarrow Can Help Us Set Healthier Boundaries, Herbal Uses, and How It Got its Name

As we steward this beautiful 20 acre Bowen Island forest that we gratefully call home here in the Pacific Northwest, we find that this land, along with its trees, streams, and even what we may commonly call weeds, including Yarrow and Dandelion, captivate and enchant us. Plants possess a distinct vitality, each species resonating with its unique energy. As we synchronize with these local plants, we discover a profound connection to our own inner spirits. We can’t wait to welcome you to your next visit to Nectar.

Beyond the Benefits of Stinging Nettle: A Herb with Environmental, Medicinal, and Spiritual Significance

Beyond the Benefits of Stinging Nettle: A Herb with Environmental, Medicinal, and Spiritual Significance

Known for its stinging leaves, Nettle is a herbaceous perennial that offers a myriad of benefits ranging from environmental rewilding to medicinal uses and even spiritual significance. Nectar Yoga Retreat’s wellness blog also includes lesser known fun facts, and three nettle tea recipes that do wonders for our complexions and general vitality.

Oyster Mushrooms on Bowen: Ecological and Spiritual Meanings

Oyster Mushrooms on Bowen: Ecological and Spiritual Meanings

Beyond appreciating them in cooking, what are oyster mushrooms good for? Pleurotus varieties are saprotrophs that are involved in providing nutrition to its ecosystem as a primary decomposer of wood, especially deciduous trees, and beech trees in particular, though here in the Pacific Northwest, oyster mushrooms are also seen growing on dying hardwood trees. Their saprophytic function benefits the forest by returning vital elements and minerals to the environment in forms that are usable to other plants, other organisms, and general soil biology.

Pines on Bowen Island: Guardians of the Forests

Pines on Bowen Island: Guardians of the Forests

Pine trees, belonging to the genus Pinus spp., stand as stalwart guardians in the forest network. These evergreen conifers, characterized by their needle-like leaves and distinctive cones, possess an enduring visual and fragrant allure. Their presence is woven intricately into the fabric of our ecosystem, offering both tangible and intangible gifts to the environment and its inhabitants, including here at Nectar Yoga Retreat on Bowen Island.

To the Mosses: Ecological, Functional, and Spiritual Uses of Moss

To the Mosses: Ecological, Functional, and Spiritual Uses of Moss

Mosses’ diminutive size belies their resilience, tenacity, and ecological significance. Mosses are essential for retaining soil and moisture (as much as 40 times their weight), preventing erosion, and providing homes, insulation, and sustenance for various organisms in their ecosystems, including at Nectar Yoga Retreat on Bowen Island.

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Nectar Yoga Explores Svadhyaya: The Sacred Journey of Self-Study

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Nectar Yoga Explores Svadhyaya: The Sacred Journey of Self-Study

At the core of Svadhyaya lies the act of self-reflection. Through inner reflection, we gain insight into the tapestry of our thoughts and emotions, and how they play a role in our habits and experiences. All over the world, where yoga and mindfulness is practice, including right here at Nectar Yoga Retreat on Bowen Island, BC, we face our vulnerabilities, our joys and our sorrows, with a sense of clarity and acceptance. Encountering ourselves demands courage, a willingness to stay in the present, and with fully open eyes to witness our complexity and paradoxes. 

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Nectar Yoga Explores the Yoga Principle of Tapas: Harnessing Fire to Shine

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Nectar Yoga Explores the Yoga Principle of Tapas: Harnessing Fire to Shine

The practice of Tapas within yogic tradition encompasses various dimensions of our lives. It includes the discipline of our physical bodies, through practices such as asana (yoga postures), pranayama (breath control), what we expose ourselves energetically to, and healthful lifestyle choices. It extends to the habits of our minds, where we cultivate mindfulness, focus, and the ability to observe our thoughts without being consumed or controlled by them. Tapas is something we cultivate as individuals as well as in community, such as on a creative, corporate, or movement retreat at Nectar Yoga on Bowen Island, BC.

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Nectar Yoga Explores Saucha: Cultivating Clarity in Ancient Yogic Philosophy

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Nectar Yoga Explores Saucha: Cultivating Clarity in Ancient Yogic Philosophy

The practice of Saucha extends to our relationship with the land. It means centering and learning from the Indigenous groups, such as the Coast Salish peoples, and traditional earth-relating cultures. It calls for mindful consumption, reducing waste, and living in harmony with animals, plants, air, waterways, and other elements in Nature. It means a return to living and consuming seasonally. By being conscious of our ecological footprint, we acknowledge that humans are here for a reason, and to not waste this opportunity to steward this Earth. Saucha reinvites us back to circular living.

At Nectar, we believe that healing happens in layers, in rhythm with nature, and through the wisdom we share. 🌿 Voices of Nectar is a podcast rooted in meaningful conversations with guides, teachers, and community members who inspire mindful living
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