de•li•cious – being at home in your body; without restrictions; living without ‘should’; freedom to just be; content; joyful; present

Melanie Elkin, Yoga’licious™ Founder

We live in a world where A LOT of our value as women is determined by how much we do, achieve, workout, succeed, perfect our body, perfect our yoga…and the list goes on.

We see it in the media, in our culture, on the magazines, all over social media, and even in the personal growth and yoga industry.

This feeds into a generation of women who are burnt to a crisp, dried out, disconnected from their juiciness, and out of touch with their own inner wisdom.

Maybe you can relate to this scenario?


You wake up tired only to launch into another long day of mindless moving from one task or event to the next creating no space for yourself.

You over-commit, and saying NO has become the new dirty-little-word in your vocabulary.

Your yoga practice and relationship with your body is either an afterthought that is put on the back burner for another day, OR you feel so driven to stick to “the plan” that you notice yourself often going on autopilot just to check everything off your to-do list.

Your fixer, perfectionist, and not enougher are secretly undercover and are still running your self-love and self-care party (they are just dressed in different outfits, lol).

You secretly think to yourself, “I do not know if I will ever be able to love the parts of myself and my body that I hate”.

No matter how “hard” you try, you feel like you are in a constant battle with your body and yourself.

At the end of the day you feel empty, contracted, exhausted, and all you want to do is put on your over-sized sweat pants and eat a pint of ice cream (I am all for that, but you get my point).

If any part of you can relate to this please know that I get it, as that was my life for years!

I invested A LOT of energy choosing the next popular trend to transform my life, and I was convinced my beauty and value was defined by a something outside myself. I felt exhausted, stuck, and was in a constant shame cycle; constantly putting off until tomorrow what I really WANTED.

Over the past 15 years the ONE powerful act of investing in caring for myself and choosing myself FIRST daily, has been one of the most profound shifts I have ever made…

and I WANT THIS FOR YOU! 

I want you to wake up each day feeling more fulfilled, nourished, connected, and ready to make choices that support your aliveness and expression as the juicy woman you are!

This is my deep why behind creating Yoga’licious and this unique overnight Yoga’licious Retreat. It will not be your average Yoga Retreat with just yoga asana/movement, but rather a weekend of discovery, play, exploration and a space to open back up to the juicy, essentially beautiful woman you are.

This retreat is especially for you if there a part of you that ever feels like no matter how many different programs, workshops, or yoga classes you attend, that there is still something missing or that you do not quite fit the “formula”.

This is also especially for you if you already hear yourself saying, “I do not have the time or resources to take this sacred time for myself”, or if you are saying “I will just wait until next year.”

Since participating in Melanie Elkin’s Yoga’licious 2016 Retreat, I’ve found myself vastly more accepting of others. My capacity for the honoring of my own space and respecting others choices has finally been embodied in my life.

Melanie surrounds herself with a high caliber team. The weekends’ program flowed seamlessly, the meals were gorgeous. Melanie has a generous quality of listening that allows others to hear themselves: to be energized to listen and hear their own sacred truths. Yes, she is a gifted mentor, workshop organizer and facilitator. Yet it is her grounded and unique Presence that is a priceless gift. This is the extraordinary one that she offers to us all.

Antoinette

What I have learned along my journey is that…


  • “Next time” often does not come, but rather accumulates in a piggy bank of broken agreements with yourself
  • When you invest in caring for yourself in deeply healing ways it can open up a whole new conversation around abundance in all forms.

The Theme of the Weekend will be about NOURISHMENT and nourishing your self-expression


We live in a day and age where there is so much stimuli. Within any given day, no matter how connected we are to our self-care practices and our center, there are multiple distractions that can easily pull us away from our authentic expression and the capacity to respond to our life instead of reacting.

In times like we are experiencing globally right now, now more than ever it is so important to choose to be in containers (spaces) where we are surrounded by like-hearted women, and where we can fill up our inner well of nourishment so we can keep leading our lives from a sense of integrity and honoring our authentic experiences.

We need a space to learn how to deeply tend to our needs and nourish our self-expression, which in return gives us new possibilities to create that which we most desire.

This weekend is going to be an opportunity to deeply integrate what nourishment is for you, and to deepen and reconnect to practices that feed you physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally.

These practices of self-expression, nourishment, self-care, and sisterhood are not luxuries or hobbies, they are essential to our wellbeing and the deepening of our connection with our truth and our aliveness.

The best way to shift out of the hamster wheel of doing and into flowing and connecting with your own essence is to step out of your day-to-day life. You need a sacred space away from everything else, an extended weekend to learn how to nourish and fill up your own cup first, so that you can better respond to your day-to-day responsibilities. Immersing yourself in an extended weekend designed for nourishing self-care has proven to be powerful for the women I have hosted through the years, and I feel excited you are here now.

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The weekend will be a powerful and healing combination of…


  • yoga asana, meditation, and breath-work
  • self-exploration and personal development practices that are playful and designed to connect you back to the wisdom that is already inside of you
  • SISTERHOOD and community
  • targeted self-care
  • renewal
  • practices for self-loves
  • Bhakti yoga: chanting and mantra designed to help focus your mind and bring your whole state of being into a higher vibration, where you feel more ease, flow, and grace
  • playful opportunities to shift old stories of limitation that do not serve your highest evolution moving forward
  • being seen and welcomed as the uniquely brilliant woman you are.

Note: this is not your typical yoga retreat, and if you are solely looking for a physical yoga retreat this is probably not the best fit. During our time together you will have the safe space to explore, vision, open up a dialogue of appreciation and curiosity around your relationship with yourself, be playful, feel vibrant again, and be part of a community of amazing women!

I’ve been working with Melanie for 2 years and the change is awesome, not just from my noticing, but also from others around me. I’m softer now with myself. That inner voice that used to judge me and those around me so harshly, has become more of an ally where there is no longer a judge but a question as to what is the real motivation behind the judging – which in turn has shifted into a wonderment. We are all on a journey. I have learned to take the time to listen to what my body and being are telling me. That connected truth with always be truth.

This will be my third trip to Ojai for Melanie’s retreat and I can’t wait. Taking that time, a few days, to really spend with myself and other amazing/interesting/strong women is one of the most rewarding experiences I can do for myself. The setting is so beautiful, hiking trails are nearby, there is time for yourself, and it’s not jam-packed with things to do. Taking the time to really look at yourself and your relationship to self, it’s hard work. Having an environment that is loving, healing and supportive is a wonderful way to do it.

I can recommend taking this time for you. YOU deserve this.

Tracey Strobel

Let’s Get to the Logistics… what you need to know:


Date: Thursday July 27th- Sunday July 30th

Timing:
Thursday: check-in begins at 1:30 pm and we will begin promptly with opening circle at 3:30 pm.
Friday and Saturday: workshopped time to more deeply explore your relationship with yourself and the theme of the weekend, yoga, and free time.
Sunday: workshopped time to explore more deeply your relationship with yourself, yoga, as well as free time, and we will complete at 4:30 pm.

Location: Our retreat unfolds in the healing Ojai Valley at a unique and spectacular property. Set in the healing vortex of Ojai, the location is stunningly special. This private secluded estate has an incredible saltwater pool, hot tub, yoga house, common areas, quiet spaces and sitting areas. Beautiful and comfortable lodging is all onsite. Lodging offers a variety of shared sleeping arrangements.

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What’s included in your stay:


  • Accommodations in one of the beautiful shared rooms on the property for the 4 days/3 nights. 
  • All your meals starting Thursday night and ending with lunch on Sunday. Most of the food is prepared with locally grown and organic ingredients prepared by guest chef Goyo Fowley. Goyo is such a brother to me, and is a genius in the kitchen! His specialty is Soul nourishment through Ayurveda and conscious cooking.“Ayurveda is a science of life (Ayur=life, Veda=science or knowledge). It offers a body of wisdom designed to help people stay vibrant and healthy while realizing their full human potential.” -Deepak Chopra. You will feel nourished not just through his food but his approach to food, as he shares with us during the retreat the beauty and the benefits of living in tune with Ayurveda, self-care, and the cycles and seasons of life.
  • Full use of the property throughout our 4 days together including salt water pool, hammocks, and lounging areas.
  • Daily yoga practices. Each morning with meditation, breathwork, and time to be in listening mode with yourself. You will have the opportunity through your yoga practices to create a deeper connection to your body, release tension, feel more alive in your practice, and be re-inspired on your mat.
  • Free time each day and the space to nourish, relax, re-center, journal, go in the pool, and discover what it feels like to be at home in your body.
  • Group exploration playshops where you will get to explore a new conversation with yourself that feels friendly, supportive, and loving. During these play shops, you will also have the opportunity to explore more deeply what it feels like to be you, express your authentic voice, and reclaim your own power. I have witnessed so many powerful and transformative shifts for the women each year I lead this retreat.
  • Some of the evenings will include a fun activity, including dancing, ritual, and so much more.
  • Sisterhood and connection with an amazing group of women where you can literally let your hair down and fully be yourself!

BONUS: Your admission also includes a special group kickoff phone call before the retreat with all the participants!

So I want you to take a moment to IMAGINE what would be possible for you if you were to attend the Yoga’licious Yoga Retreat…

  • Imagine a life where you feel fully satisfied, fulfilled, and at home in your body
  • Imagine living your life OUT LOUD, and not holding back on what you truly desire for yourself and your body
  • Imagine feeling alive in your body, and pumped up when you wake in the morning
  • Imagine your body being your ally, moving freely gracefully and uninhibited; and able to express all parts of yourself
  • Imagine experiencing a sense of balance and calm in your life
  • Imagine feeling NOURISHED in every aspect of your life; in your relationship to yourself, in your body, in your personal/professional relationships, and from the food you put in your body
  • Imagine being genuinely able to say and feel at a cellular level “I love myself and I appreciate my body”
  • Imagine your yoga practice being a movement practice that brings a feeling of deep care, connection, strength, support, and fulfillment in your body, and something you can take off your mat with you!

If you are ready to ignite a spark in your life, and wake back up the incredible wisdom you already have inside then I would love to play with you for this deeply transformative weekend.

Imagine what could be possible for you and your body if you were to invest in yourself in this way?

Your time is NOW.

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As a result of the Yoga’licious Program, I communicate better with my partner and he finds it easier to communicate with me. I’ve shared things that never would have been shared with him had it not been for the things I learned on this retreat or how I felt after this retreat. I’ve also let go of so much resentment toward myself and my family and look back on the experience with no negativity or guilt. I’ve even seen a change in my skin, from taking more time to care for myself, but I know it is something else because people have called me, “glowing” which certainly never happened before the Yoga’licious program! The value of investing in myself has taught me that I need to take care of myself before I can help others or even be entirely present.

Anonymous