Family Yoga Camp Retreat

Name: Family Yoga Camp Retreat
Start: 2025-07-09
End: 2025-07-13
Location: Expanding Light Retreat

July 9 - 13, 2025

About this Retreat

Your Guides

Matthew

Irene

David

Matthew Fredrickson

Matthew has worked with children of all ages for almost 3 decades. He is thoughtful, creative, musical, and tunes into each child’s qualities to help them learn and shine in exactly the ways they need. He is part of the team that hosts Family retreats at The Expanding Light Retreat. Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, Matthew attended Weber State University in Utah, and has a BA in Education and Creative Writing from Ananda College of Living Wisdom in California. He has traveled extensively, traversing the United States multiple times and touring South America, Europe-and India. A disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda and a teacher at Living Wisdom Schools since 2005 Matthew most enjoys sharing music, literature and creative writing; history, and outdoor adventures with his students.

Irene Schulman

Irene has long been involved in, and has much experience with educating children through the Ananda system of Education for Life. She presently works for Education for Life International (EFL), mentoring teachers, and visiting and supporting EFL schools everywhere. She has served as a teacher at Ananda Village Living Wisdom School (Grades 4-12), helped develop a teen camp (Inner Adventure Camp for Teens), and helps with online teacher training for parents and teachers. Her sunny disposition, creativity, quick mind, and spontaneous sense of humor are a joy to be around. She is a wonderful retreat leader that children and adults alike are drawn to be with.

David Kletter

Raised in Bozeman, Montana, David is an outdoor enthusiast and nature lover. He grew up skiing, rock climbing, mountaineering, and backpacking. He has a special fondness for being in the garden, the forest, and wild nature. A desire to dynamically live the teachings of Paramhansa brought David to Ananda Village in the summer of 2022. He relates naturally with young people and finds deep joy in attuning to the magic of “the now” by sharing the beauty of Divine Presence with others. David is part of the team that hosts Family Retreat programs. His childlike joy, creativity, and natural affinity for children make him a natural teacher. He feels that learning comes through the “doing” of direct experience and children respond to his way of teaching with absorbed interest.

Details of this retreat

Join our 5-day retreat for families seeking an uplifting summer experience!
Come play, learn, and relax with other conscious, yoga-loving parents and families

Our annual Family Yoga Retreat at Ananda Village, for families with children ages 5 to 12, will be hosted at The Expanding Light Retreat! Led by Education for Life teachers and community residents: Matthew Fredrickson, Irene Schulman, and Tim Tschantz. This fun and inspiring week is a wonderful opportunity to connect with other families while enjoying the beauty of nature and the uplifted environment of our intentional spiritual community.

Our week includes:

Morning circle for the whole family with music, yoga postures, meditation, and more
Healthy, child-friendly, vegetarian meals together (plus snacks!)
Stories, singing, games, art, and more to inspire and share universal spiritual values
Mornings include classes for parents about Education for Life
Fun, engaging activities for children including arts and crafts, music, visits around Ananda Village, and more!
Sharing Nature activities and cooperative games
Morning and evening sadhanas for parents with childcare provided
Evening activities for quality family connections

Register soon. The Family Yoga Retreat program has room for about 10 families (30 to 40 people.) If you have children who are younger than 5, or older than 12, please call for information (800-346-5350) on how they can come also. Older children can be part of an assistantship aspect of the Family Yoga Camp Retreat. Parents would need to stay with and be responsible for children under 5 years old.

Schedule

Morning
6:30 – 8:00 am Community Meditation (Join us for all or part of this silent meditation)
6:30 – 8:15 am Sadhana (spiritual practices) which consists of: Energization Exercises (20 – 25 min), Ananda Yoga Postures * (45 – 50 min), Chanting (5 min), Meditation (15 min – 30 min)
8:15 – 9:00 am Breakfast (in silence Monday-Saturday)
9:00 – 9:30 am Host check-in
10:00 – 11:30 am Scheduled program, class, group activity, or free time
Afternoon
Noon – 12:30 pm Meditation (5 min chanting, 25 min meditation)
12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch
2:00 – 4:00 pm Scheduled program, class, group activity, or free time
4:45 – 6:30 pm Sadhana (spiritual practices)
Evening
6:30 – 7:30 pm Dinner
7:30 – 9:00 pm Scheduled program, class, group activity, or free time

Note: Schedule is approximate and may change

Getting Here

Expanding Light Retreat

Directions

Yes, our retreat is a little out of the way. And once you get here, you’ll be glad it is!

Our address is 13930 Expanding Light Drive, Nevada City, CA. If using Google Maps. We are located 1.5 hours away from the Sacramento International Airport, as well as the Reno/Tahoe International Airport. If you need a ride to or from the bus, train, or plane, please contact us and we can share contact information for a drivers who have helped our guests in the past.

Accommodation

FAMILY PRIVATE ENSUITE

This is a good fit for a family - the third person will be in a cot. An ensuite private room can provide the peace and solitude you crave. These charming rooms have two twin beds with a private, ensuite bathroom. An inviting outdoor space awaits you outside your front door, surrounded by a serene, forest setting.

FAMILY PRIVATE STANDARD

Enjoy your own peaceful room with two twin beds and a shared bathroom down the hall. Each room is simply and tastefully decorated, with windows opening toward the surrounding forest. A bright and airy communal lounge and kitchenette is available 24 hours a day, perfect for relaxing with a book or sharing a cup of tea with friends.

FAMILY PRIVATE CABIN

Note: This space is doable for 3 people, but will be quite tight. The third person will be in a cot. Your private cabin is tucked into a gentle hillside, bright and airy inside, with expansive windows that connect your room to the surrounding forest. Each cabin has two twin beds, with a communal shower house that is centrally located and shared by other cabin guests, campers, and our karma yogis.

CAMPING

Fourteen campsites scatter across a gentle, forested hillside, with level areas for pitching your tent. A centrally located shower house is close by, shared by other campers, cabin guests, and our karma yogis. Please bring your own camping gear and towels. We do live amidst bears and other wildlife, so avoid storing any food or scented toiletries in your tent.