Wellness

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 the Yoga Principle of Santosha: Cultivating Contentment in a Restless World

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Nectar Yoga Explores the Yoga Principle of Santosha: Cultivating Contentment in a Restless World

As we surrender ourselves to the observance of Santosha, we discover that contentment is not a destination to be reached, much like how Saucha is also not an arrival point, but a way of being—a way of embracing the fullness of life with hearts wide open. This practice may not make us immune to undesirable situations in our lives, but it can sweeten our perspectives, inner stories, and how we respond to the insatiable demands of our need for gratification. May contentment be part of what anchors us to ourselves, to each other, and to the divine presence that dwells within us and among us. In many ways, this is both a personal and community practice, something that can be cultivated at home, and also further amplified (or activated) at a nature retreat here at Nectar Yoga on Bowen Island, BC. There is something profoundly powerful when you are witnessed by others, and when you witness others cultivate Santosha with intention.

This month, we celebrate the gentle resilience of ferns—nature's quiet survivors. With origins stretching back over 360 million years, these ancient plants have thrived through time, witnessing the world transform around them. Today, they grace
Looking for a sign to visit Bowen Island and treat yourself to Nectar's tranquil space? This is it! Whether you're seeking deep relaxation, personal growth, or simply a chance to connect with nature and community, we have upcoming events and retrea
This winter, let us care for you with a 4-night restful stay at Nectar. Begin your mornings with yoga and somatic movement in the warmth of our geodesic dome, the soft crackle of the wood-burning fire setting a cozy tone for the day. Evenings invite
A pinch us moment! Ten years into our journey, we are deeply grateful to see our little corner of Nexwlélexwm (Bowen Island) mentioned in the @nytimes travel highlights! Located on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Squamish Nation,
Meet Suhki, our incredible retreat chef and a valued member of our housekeeping team. At Nectar, Suhki wears many hats, bringing her culinary expertise and meticulous care to every aspect of our guests' experience. 🌿 In the kitchen, Suhki crafts de