Venice gondolas

Don Orione religios guest houseDon Orione
Religious Guest House

The Cultural Center Don Orione Artigianelli in Venice was once a monastery and later used as an orphanage in addition to being a professional school. It is composed of four cloisters and several factory buildings, one different from the other according to typology and age of construction (XV – XX century). In the last few years the entire unit has been the subject of an extensive renovation and modernization completely converting the space into a conference center complete with A/C and Wifi. Perfect accommodations for modern yogis.

View slide show here.

Venice monastery meditation spaceAccommodation courtyard

Venice typical room Typical monk/nuns/yogi bedroom

Venice Rialto Market
Rialto market fruits and berries.

Venice boat
Boat on a Venice canal.

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Global Yoga Journeys

Venice June 18-22, 2010

Romantic & Enchanting Venice
Price $886 +food and admissions Download registration form here

Venice bridge and canalEnchanting and romantic Venice is made up of over a hundred islands with 400 bridges and 2,000 alleys. It is filled with adventure, culture, art, shopping, eating and history and each day I will guide you through this maze to my favourite spots and then set you free in the late afternoons to wander and discover your Venice.

Included of course will be many exciting vaporetto boat trips along the Grand Canal where we will be able to see the "front doors" of palaces built when Venice was the world's richest city. One trip will end at Piazza San Marco where we will also visit Doge's Palace (the most powerful 1/2 acre in Europe for 400 years) and the Basilica San Marco which has housed St. Marc's relics since A.D. 830. One afternoon can be spent at the Rialto market feasting our eyes on the abundance of vegetables, fruits, meats, fish and everything else one could imagine.

The Peggy Guggenheim Museum collection is a must see as well as a visit to Accademia Gallery filled with the best Venetian paintings AND our tour of La Fenice opera house will astound you with opulence beyond your imagination.

I always tell foks to save Venice for last - but why wait.

Sample Daily Schedule

7:00-8:00am Courtyard meditation
8:00-9:00am Breakfast
10:00am-1:00pm Adventure
1:00-2:30pm Lunch
2:30-5:00pm Adventure/shopping
7:00-8:30pm Dinner
9:00 Sunset walk

Yoga Practice
Venice courtyardI always use what we have at hand to practice Kripalu Yoga. The religious guest house will offer us an oasis of tranquility amid the very busy streets of Venice. The simplicity of the rooms facilitate our going within to dicscover the beauty that we all are. The vibration of centuries of prayer is palpable in these hallways. Reverance for the divine is evident throught the facility.

Each morning in the cloistered courtyard we will practice pranayama, sitting and walking meditation and all day long we will be engaged in a dialogue about being exactly where we are.

Namaste Mary