Curiosity as a Choice: Yoga, Meditation, Curiosity, and the Practice of Choosing Presence and Openness
A Yoga and Meditation retreat that will take place in the greater St. Augustine, Florida area. Accommodations at: Hilton’s Double Tree, 116 San Marco Avenue.
Thursday, February 25 - Sunday, February 28, 2027
Led by:
Katie Beene, E-RYT, YACEP, owner of Lotus Pond and Director of Yoga Teacher Training
Roger Mallory, E-RYT, YACEP, Lotus Pond yoga and meditation teacher and teacher trainer
Open to all curious practitioners.
Offers 17 credits for YTT at Lotus Pond
Katie and Roger warmly invite you to enroll in our yoga and meditation retreat. We chose the St. Augustine venue for many reasons, including it is only a 3 hour drive from Tampa area, allows attendees a low cost means of transportation (your car), and the freedom to arrive, choose where and when you might wish to explore all the many sites and attractions during unscheduled activity, and to depart when you wish.
St. Augustine is a rare and beautiful Florida flower that perennially blooms in our backyard among perhaps overly familiar and common attractions. It’s a beautiful voice distinguishable in a large chorus if we simply choose to direct our awareness there.
Our curiosity is easily aroused in foreign, unexplored and attractive places and phenomena but we have the agency to invite and encourage curiosity to arise in what is familiar, local, pedestrian and plain.
This includes the microscopic; yet observable. But this is only the “tip of the iceberg” as what lies below the water surface, our “inner life” benefits greatly from simply noticing what is occurring; the felt, sensed, and gratefully, our sweet imagination.
Thursday, February 25 - Sunday, February 28, 2027
Led by:
Katie Beene, E-RYT, YACEP, owner of Lotus Pond and Director of Yoga Teacher Training
Roger Mallory, E-RYT, YACEP, Lotus Pond yoga and meditation teacher and teacher trainer
Open to all curious practitioners.
Offers 17 credits for YTT at Lotus Pond
Katie and Roger warmly invite you to enroll in our yoga and meditation retreat. We chose the St. Augustine venue for many reasons, including it is only a 3 hour drive from Tampa area, allows attendees a low cost means of transportation (your car), and the freedom to arrive, choose where and when you might wish to explore all the many sites and attractions during unscheduled activity, and to depart when you wish.
St. Augustine is a rare and beautiful Florida flower that perennially blooms in our backyard among perhaps overly familiar and common attractions. It’s a beautiful voice distinguishable in a large chorus if we simply choose to direct our awareness there.
Our curiosity is easily aroused in foreign, unexplored and attractive places and phenomena but we have the agency to invite and encourage curiosity to arise in what is familiar, local, pedestrian and plain.
This includes the microscopic; yet observable. But this is only the “tip of the iceberg” as what lies below the water surface, our “inner life” benefits greatly from simply noticing what is occurring; the felt, sensed, and gratefully, our sweet imagination.
During the retreat experience, curiosity may be directed outward toward the history, architecture, various bodies of water, and beautiful coastal landscapes of St. Augustine. It may also be directed inward toward physical sensations, thought patterns, emotions, memories, intuition, creativity, and imagination.
Choosing curiosity does not mean that every experience will feel exciting or even comfortable. Curiosity invites us to remain present with what is here. When we encounter feelings of uncertainty, resistance, discomfort, or boredom, curiosity can offer an alternative to withdrawing, judging, or trying to change the experience right away.
The practices of yoga, pranayama, meditation, mindful movement, reflection, and time in nature can help create the necessary conditions for curiosity to arise. By slowing down and becoming more connected with what's happening in the moment, we may notice more details and parts of ourselves that can be hidden under the familiar rhythm of daily life.
Choosing curiosity does not mean that every experience will feel exciting or even comfortable. Curiosity invites us to remain present with what is here. When we encounter feelings of uncertainty, resistance, discomfort, or boredom, curiosity can offer an alternative to withdrawing, judging, or trying to change the experience right away.
The practices of yoga, pranayama, meditation, mindful movement, reflection, and time in nature can help create the necessary conditions for curiosity to arise. By slowing down and becoming more connected with what's happening in the moment, we may notice more details and parts of ourselves that can be hidden under the familiar rhythm of daily life.
Our “inner life” includes that which is intimate to us, often undifferentiated, even unconscious. Curiosity can breathe life into these and allow them to rise and play in the open field of possibility and creativity. But to engage in this process we must first be present and open.
This retreat is intended to repeatedly guide you in sessions of accessible yoga postures, pranayama, and sitting, reclined, and walking meditation in a variety of inspiring settings; both indoors and outdoors. These are the preeminent experiences and portals to guide us into the necessary states of presence and openness from which we can cultivate our curiosity and personal spiritual growth.
We cannot arrive into that exquisite realm blinded by our prejudgments, expectations and fear of the unknown. We may begin with the challenge of repeatedly making the conscious choice to animate our curiosity until it becomes a beneficial habit; our new way of living. Such a life is a life of abundance, liveliness, and a richness of experience that is deeply engaging and vastly enriches our lives.
This retreat is intended to repeatedly guide you in sessions of accessible yoga postures, pranayama, and sitting, reclined, and walking meditation in a variety of inspiring settings; both indoors and outdoors. These are the preeminent experiences and portals to guide us into the necessary states of presence and openness from which we can cultivate our curiosity and personal spiritual growth.
We cannot arrive into that exquisite realm blinded by our prejudgments, expectations and fear of the unknown. We may begin with the challenge of repeatedly making the conscious choice to animate our curiosity until it becomes a beneficial habit; our new way of living. Such a life is a life of abundance, liveliness, and a richness of experience that is deeply engaging and vastly enriches our lives.
Curiosity as a Choice is a yoga and meditation retreat intended to offer multi- dimensional and repeated opportunities to clear away, to detangle our overly busy minds and unhelpful habits to allow us to re-familiarize ourselves with a gentle and open
way of being. A way of being that allows us to notice without prejudgment and filters, and immerse ourselves in the ordinary magic all around us. We have designed a retreat in St. Augustine to help jumpstart this process by offering experiences of the non-ordinary to usher us onto the path toward attuning ourselves to the magic in the ordinary.
We chose the experience of curiosity as an aspiration as it may be more familiar to some than “openness” but
they are the same experience.
Instead of assuming we already know something, we can ask:
What am I noticing?
What else might be here?
Is there another way of seeing or experiencing this moment?
way of being. A way of being that allows us to notice without prejudgment and filters, and immerse ourselves in the ordinary magic all around us. We have designed a retreat in St. Augustine to help jumpstart this process by offering experiences of the non-ordinary to usher us onto the path toward attuning ourselves to the magic in the ordinary.
We chose the experience of curiosity as an aspiration as it may be more familiar to some than “openness” but
they are the same experience.
Instead of assuming we already know something, we can ask:
What am I noticing?
What else might be here?
Is there another way of seeing or experiencing this moment?
This retreat was designed to offer opportunities for guided practice, quiet reflection, journaling, conversation, personal exploration, and time to experience St. Augustine.
Optional group activities include a tour of the historic fort on Friday and a sunset tall ship schooner sailboat ride on Saturday. There will also be options for group dinners for anyone who wants to enjoy sharing a meal and spend additional time together. Participants are welcome to join these activities or use the time to explore and rest at their own pace.
We may not always be able to make curiosity arise on a whim, however, we can consciously choose to welcome it in. This retreat may pique your curiosity if you'd like to practice softening assumptions, becoming more comfortable with not knowing, and allowing our questions to remain open long enough for something new to be revealed. With consistent practice, choosing curiosity may become a new way of living with increased creativity, connection, flexibility, and deep appreciation for both the ordinary as well as the unexpected.
We hope you join us!
Optional group activities include a tour of the historic fort on Friday and a sunset tall ship schooner sailboat ride on Saturday. There will also be options for group dinners for anyone who wants to enjoy sharing a meal and spend additional time together. Participants are welcome to join these activities or use the time to explore and rest at their own pace.
We may not always be able to make curiosity arise on a whim, however, we can consciously choose to welcome it in. This retreat may pique your curiosity if you'd like to practice softening assumptions, becoming more comfortable with not knowing, and allowing our questions to remain open long enough for something new to be revealed. With consistent practice, choosing curiosity may become a new way of living with increased creativity, connection, flexibility, and deep appreciation for both the ordinary as well as the unexpected.
We hope you join us!
Cost for Guided Retreat Experience led by Roger & Katie paid directly to Lotus Pond
$590 Early Bird Deal through October 1
$675 after October 1
Payment plans are available, contact [email protected]
This retreat can count towards 17 credits of Techniques, Training and Practice for YTT students at Lotus Pond.
Hotel Accommodations and Food are not included. This covers the sessions Roger and Katie facilitate throughout the 4 day retreat.
$590 Early Bird Deal through October 1
$675 after October 1
Payment plans are available, contact [email protected]
This retreat can count towards 17 credits of Techniques, Training and Practice for YTT students at Lotus Pond.
Hotel Accommodations and Food are not included. This covers the sessions Roger and Katie facilitate throughout the 4 day retreat.
Hotel Room Accommodations have been arranged for your convenience at the Hilton’s Double Tree, 116 San Marco Avenue.
We will be holding some indoor retreat sessions in this hotel in the Anastasia Ballroom. Hotel rooms can be reserved at a special rate of $158 per night with complimentary parking included at the hotel. You can book your room through the special link below.
Please Note: We have a limited number of rooms in our room block, so we advise that you sign up at your earliest convenience if you plan to stay with us on site at this hotel. If you choose to stay at another location in St Augustine, we were advised that there could be additional parking across the street at the Mission available so that you can still join us for our retreat sessions that will take place in the Anastasia Ballroom. Other options might include paying for parking in a nearby parking garage and walking to the hotel or taking the trolley. The timing of the trolley might not align with our retreat session times at the hotel, so please plan accordingly.
Hotel Room Accommodations have been arranged for your convenience at the Hilton’s Double Tree, 116 San Marco Avenue.
We will be holding some indoor retreat sessions in this hotel in the Anastasia Ballroom. Hotel rooms can be reserved at a special rate of $158 per night with complimentary parking included at the hotel. You can book your room through the special link below.
Please Note: We have a limited number of rooms in our room block, so we advise that you sign up at your earliest convenience if you plan to stay with us on site at this hotel. If you choose to stay at another location in St Augustine, we were advised that there could be additional parking across the street at the Mission available so that you can still join us for our retreat sessions that will take place in the Anastasia Ballroom. Other options might include paying for parking in a nearby parking garage and walking to the hotel or taking the trolley. The timing of the trolley might not align with our retreat session times at the hotel, so please plan accordingly.
Optional Add ons for Retreat
Planned Group Dinners:
If you'd like to participate in a group dinner on Thursday night Feb 25 and/or Saturday evening Feb 27, please let us know by December 29 so we can include you in our plans when securing reservations for our group size.
Tall Ship Schooner Sailboat Ride:
this will take place on Saturday, February 27 at sunset. You'll need to confirm your participation by December 29 so we can include you in our plans when reserving tickets. Tickets are $70
Group Experience at Castillo de San Marcus National Monument
this will take place Friday afternoon, February 26. Since we can secure entry tickets easily for this you don't have to decide until during the retreat whether you'd like to join for this group activity. Tickets are $15
Other planned activities included within retreat price are optional sunrise mindfulness and meditation practices, nature walk, indoor and outdoor yoga and meditation classes, and inspiring retreat sessions. If you have any questions about the retreat or group activities, please reach out to [email protected]
Planned Group Dinners:
If you'd like to participate in a group dinner on Thursday night Feb 25 and/or Saturday evening Feb 27, please let us know by December 29 so we can include you in our plans when securing reservations for our group size.
Tall Ship Schooner Sailboat Ride:
this will take place on Saturday, February 27 at sunset. You'll need to confirm your participation by December 29 so we can include you in our plans when reserving tickets. Tickets are $70
Group Experience at Castillo de San Marcus National Monument
this will take place Friday afternoon, February 26. Since we can secure entry tickets easily for this you don't have to decide until during the retreat whether you'd like to join for this group activity. Tickets are $15
Other planned activities included within retreat price are optional sunrise mindfulness and meditation practices, nature walk, indoor and outdoor yoga and meditation classes, and inspiring retreat sessions. If you have any questions about the retreat or group activities, please reach out to [email protected]
