Bowen Island Yoga Retreat - June 9th - 13th, 2025
Step away from the city. Leave the screens, the noise, the sense of urgency behind. Find yourself at ease – in the beauty of unspoiled nature with Shelley Hoffos at Nectar Yoga on Bowen Island for June 2025.
Time to press pause. Enjoy a balance of introspection through yoga, sound therapy, relaxation and connection with friends on this Bowen Island retreat. This experience will be a link back to your inner self and nature – a space to dream. A humble ground for you to deeply relax. Explore, read, write, draw, rest – do whatever lights your fire. This is your retreat to enjoy as you please.
Schedule
Below is a general outline of how the retreat schedule will run (exact details will be given at orientation when you arrive)
- 3pm : Check-In
- 3:30pm : Arrival Snack
- 3:45pm : Group Orientation
- 4:30pm-5:45pm : Welcome Circle + Practice in the Dome
- 6:15pm – Dinner
- 7:30pm – Evening Practice
- 8-9:30am : Practice in the Dome
- 9:45am : Breakfast
- 10:30am-1pm : Workshop and Free Time
- 1:15pm : Lunch
- 2pm-4:30pm: Beach time
- 6:15pm : Dinner
- 7:30pm – Evening Practice
- 8-9:30am : Practice in the Dome
- 9:45am : Breakfast
- 10:30am-1pm : Workshop/Activity – TBD and Free Time
- 1:15pm : Lunch
- 2pm-4:30pm: Activity – TBD
- 6:15pm : Dinner
- 7:30pm – Evening Practice
- 8-9:30am : Practice in the Dome
- 9:45am : Breakfast
- 10:30am-1pm : Workshop and Free Time
- 1:15pm : Lunch
- 2pm-4:30pm: Activity TBD
- 6:15pm : Dinner
- 7:30pm – Evening Practice
Accommodation
Our modern, Scandinavian-inspired deluxe cottages were designed with simplistic coziness in mind. Comfy beds, soft linens, fluffy pillows and a reading window seat offer perfect places to snuggle up to a loved one, or with a good book. Wake up and take a morning shower in the gorgeous bathroom, or take it outside in the steamy, outdoor shower adjoining the bathroom. A covered porch lined with warm cedar perches you with a perfect view of the property’s centerpiece, our magnificent maple and alder trees.
- Sleeps 2 guests (we suggest booking with a loved one as the beds are close together)
- 2 XL twin beds or 1 king bed
- Covered front deck with year-round seating
- Reading nook with picture window
- Writing desk
- Mini fridge
- Ensuite bathroom with indoor and outdoor shower
- Natural, locally-made toiletries
- Smart TV and in-room Wi-Fi
Warm, pine-clad angled walls welcome you at our modernized 60s-throwback A-frames. The comfy beds and cozy linens await your dreams, while the picture window and its lush foliage views await your daydreams. Use the space for creative pursuits, or as a basecamp for a walk in the forest. Rainy day? Sit outside on your covered porch and enjoy the fresh, pine-scented ocean air and the sound of raindrops caressing the old-growth trees.
- Sleeps 1 guest
- 1 double bed
- Covered front deck with year-round seating
- 3 A-Frames share 2 detached bathrooms (10 meter outside walk away), with showers
- Natural, locally-made toiletries
- Wi-Fi available in the Onyx Lodge
This cottage offers similar amenities as our deluxe cottages with added seclusion. Wake up to sunbeams illuminating the room through the windows before sipping tea on your porch nestled on the edge of our Alder grove. A rustic outdoor shower awaits you with sweet-smelling natural products to lather on.
- Sleeps 2 guests (we suggest booking with a loved one as the beds are close together)
- 2 twin beds or 1 king bed
- Private deck
- Reading chairs
- Mini fridge
- Ensuite bathroom (toilet and sink inside, shower outside)
- Outdoor shower (located on the deck, maximum 7 minutes of hot water)
- Natural, locally-made toiletries
- Wi-Fi
- Smart TV
Large windows capturing the forested views of the property await you. With a spacious closet for storage, soft linens and warmly-lit bedside lamps, these small, simple rooms are perfect for our solo travelers. The shared full bathroom next door includes two sinks and a walk-in shower. *Located upstairs in the Onyx Lodge, our main gathering space, this room can have some noise from below.
- 1 Double Bed
- Smart TV
- Shared bathroom between Amber & turquoise Rooms
- Natural, locally-made toiletries
- Wi-Fi
** You will share a bathroom with the Amber room.
Cost: $1600 per person (1 person/room)
Whitewashed walls and a warm, pine-clad angled ceiling await you in this cozy bedroom. With skylights in both the bedroom and attached ensuite bathroom, as well as a large window overlooking our A-Frame Cottages, nature is at your fingertips from this simple room. *Located upstairs in the Onyx Lodge, our main gathering space, this room can have some noise from below.
- Sleeps 1-2 guests
- 2 twins or 1 king bed
- Smart TV
- Ensuite bathroom
- Natural, locally-made toiletries
- Wi-Fi
Food
During your retreat, delicious and nourishing plant-based meals will be created and served by our preferred caterer. All meals are served in our Onyx Lodge at our long table.
Our menus change with the seasons, so you can expect to enjoy delicious, enticing plant-based foods that reflect the bounty of the land. Most allergies can be accommodated, although we cannot cater to special diets like “Keto or Smoothies only”. All dishes can be made with vegan and/or gluten-free options. Nectar Yoga’s kitchen is a strictly meat and fish free facility. Please specify your dietary restrictions before arrival.
Getting Here
Nectar sits on 20 acres of forested land, the ancestral and unceded territory of Nexwlélexwm (Bowen Island) at 720 Gardner Lane. For detailed driving and public transportation directions, click here. If you are driving, complimentary parking is available on-site.
Arrival
Check-in time is 3:00pm. When you arrive, please come to the check-in office (inside the Nectar Goods Boutique) as all guests are required to sign a waiver. We will then show you to your room to unpack before guest orientation in Onyx Lodge at 3:45pm, followed by the evening session. If you need to arrive later than 3:00pm, please email me prior to your arrival.
FAQs
Each bathroom includes:
- Natural soap
- Natural shampoo
- Natural conditioner
- Septic safe toilet paper
- Filtered drinking water from the tap
- Hair elastics
- Bandaids
- Hair Dryer
Each room includes:
- 2x towels per guest (please refrain from taking off-site)
- All bedding
- Down filled pillows
- Duvets
- Bedside lighting
- Clothes storage
- Slippers
- Umbrellas
Please note that Deluxe Cottages offer in-room Wi-Fi, while A-Frame cottages do not have this amenity. If guests staying in an A-Frame require Wi-Fi, the Onyx Lodge offers a reliable connection. Kindly ensure your guests are aware of their accommodation details and any shared arrangements in their specific cottage.
- Yoga mat/accessories for your practice (i.e. props) if you prefer to use your own. We also have sanitized mats and props available to use.
- Pack light/a small bag
- Warm clothing and socks for the yoga dome
- Natural mosquito repellent
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Swim suit
- Beach towel (Nectar does not provide towels for off-site use)
- Walking shoes
- Flashlight
- Books (we have a book exchange, take a book/leave a book) should they want to leave a book behind for another guest to use
- Water bottle (we have an aquifer and a filtration system on all taps)
- Waterproof outdoor gear (all rooms have umbrellas as well)
Soap/shampoo/conditioner (unless you use a specific kind). Our premises require toiletries that are septic safe.
Tampons (they are not flushable and must be put in the bins next to the toilets if you use them)
Shoes are not permitted indoors, please ensure you remove your shoes in rooms, the Dome and in the Onyx Lodge. To conserve energy, we encourage you to turn off lights when leaving rooms as well as lowering the temperature a few degrees when rooms are unoccupied.
All cottages are equipped with bedding, towels and natural toiletries. While the Deluxe Cottages have in-room Wi-Fi, the A-Frames do not. Should you be staying in an A-Frame and require Wi-Fi, Onyx Lodge has a strong connection. If possible, we recommend using this opportunity to disconnect during your stay.
