Frequently Asked
Questions

Contact Us

NTN Board

Cabin Rentals/
Camping

Photo Gallery

Resources

Recent and Upcoming workshops and presentations of The Work as facilitated by Jen Deraspe:
Retreat evening for parents of young children
Standish, Maine, March 2007

Unity Church
Windham, Maine
Speaker and Presenter
~Unleashing Stress…Releasing Pain…Finding Peace~
The Work of Byron Katie as facilitated by Jen Deraspe

Maine School Site Health Promotion Conference
22nd Annual Wellness Conference
"Step up to Wellness"
for Maine school administrators, staff and faculty
Kingfield, Maine
Presenter, June 2007

Institute of the Muskie School of Public Service within the University of Southern Maine
Institute for Public Sector Innovation
Presenter for staff training on workplace wellness & the
power of choices that sustain, January 2007

University of Southern Maine
Professional Staff Wellness Day
Presenter/Trainer, October 2006

True North of Falmouth-evening and Saturday morning workshops in 2008
Details on calendar page


Friends Retreat ~ Save up to 20%

Now, you and your circle can share the experience of a custom retreat getaway with Nurture Through Nature and a savings of up to 20% off mid-week Full Getaway Package Options. NTN provides a great opportunity for friends, family, colleagues, moms’ groups, mothers & daughters, co-ed gatherings and more to celebrate birthdays, graduations, upcoming weddings, or life in general! Enjoy yoga classes, guided meditations, canoeing, hiking, biking, snowshoeing, all natural cooking, body work, and much more!

Groups of 4, save 15%; groups of 5-12 save 20% on custom weekday retreats.

Contact for availability.

Testimonial
"My experience this weekend was both a challenge and a great blessing. There was much that re-awakened parts of myself that I have not felt since I was a young girl...I also feel that this time has given me the closure I was seeking around unrealized potentialities (from my past)...I really feel like I can let that all go now.

I know more change is coming, but what's new is now I have a stronger sense of purpose about what is emerging. Thank you so very much for helping me as I find my way."

With love and gratitude,

Sheila Kennedy

Graduate: Byron Katie's 9 Day School of The Work-March 2006
Facilitator of The Work of Byron Katie

Staff selection for Byron Katie's 9 Day School of The Work-June and Oct 2007

Licensed Recreational Maine Guide-1999-present

Founder: Nurture Through Nature, providing holistic canoe trips and
wellness retreats for women
~Holistic Retreat Facilitator since 1999

e-mail: ntnretreat@yahoo.com

My Eight Session Personalized Wellness Plan:
I am interested in working with people who are
ready and serious about their health and happiness. I want to work
with those ready to come back to loving themselves, to their inherent
wholeness, happiness, gratitude and health~their True Nature.
What is it that you are truly wanting, truly hungry for?
What is it that you deeply crave? Who are you beyond your body?
Isn't what we all really want is happiness and freedom?

In invite you to allow me to guide you to help yourself,
and to see that what you want is what you already have.

Realistic Lifestyle Plan
Free Consultations for remainder of year
Referrals to complimentary practitioners

Recommended Reading:

Loving What Is, Byron Katie

The Schwarzbein Principle II and/or
The Program
losing weight the healthy way
Diana Schwarzbein
(The Schwarzbein Program is also recommended by Women to Women and True North)

Sugar Blues,
William Dufty

 

I personally guarantee you that if you follow the individualized recommendations that we both put in place  for your wellness lifestyle plan during our 8 sessions together,  you will experience a new sense of energy, clarity, power, and fitness that you may not have considered possible. Upon completion of the program, I will be available to consult with you by email for the remainder of that year, free of charge, to  make adjustments to your plan as needed and to help keep you invested in your own holistic health. With your commitment to a healthy lifestyle plan, I will stand beside you fully as a testimony to my belief in both you and the power of this whole-person program.

TESTIMONIALS FOR TEACHING AND PERSONAL TRAINING:

"Jen was an excellent instructor. She kept us interested and challenged us everyday to do things a lot of us had never thought about or experienced before.
She has a great attitude towards teaching and connected very well with all of us. She was my favorite teacher all semester and did very well introducing topics
and explained them thoroughly. She was very clear and straightforward." Lifetime Physical Fitness and Wellness student at USM, fall 2007

"This instructor was very fun, open and likable. She was very easy to get to know and her style of teaching was easy to learn from." Lifetime Physical Fitness and Wellness student at USM, fall 2007

"This class dealt with many things that I was ready to encounter and the awareness that was brought to mind was great. I got more out of it than I earlier anticipated. Jen is great at making you aware of things you might now have been aware of on your own." Wanda Plante

"Great class, great teacher...I feel this course will have positive lifelong benefits. Very good class and worth attending. It was very informative."

"I just wanted to tell you I had a very enjoyable experience in this class. I came in wanting to know how I could lose 30 pounds and feel good about myself. Coming out, I now realize what is important in feeling good about yourself is first, my health. You exposed me to beliefs that I knew nothing about and opened my eyes to the idea of "alternatives." Thank you for an enjoyable semester. I think this will be a class that  I incorporate into my life long journey!

" This class has been a huge awakening to everything around me and in my life that is negative. It is amazing that one small change you make can substantially change your life. I just want to say thanks for caring so much to enthusiastically try to instill good, healthy values in our lives."

"The class was very interesting and helpful for my all-round well-being. Jen was enthusiastic about the material which helped me to become enthusiastic also."

"I thought you had true enthusiasm for the subject...you are a good teacher and person. Thank you."

"This class should be a required class for all students in any major. Jen did a great job instructing the class and explaining it's relevance."

"I enjoyed this course. I feel like I learned a lot about health and have made some healthy changes in my life. Excellent teacher!"

"Enjoyed every moment...Awesome, we could use more of this stuff...Jen helped create a safe environment...Relaxing, introspective, comforting in a non-threatening way...Thank you! I hope I have started down a

"This instructor is excellent. Jen is a spiritually aware teacher who is open to the process of learning through a multi-sensory approach that I find refreshing."

"Thanks to Jen, I have a clearer insight in becoming aware of how to live life to the fullest."

"It was wonderful! I learned so many things and way to apply them to my life!"

"Jen Deraspe and her subject were very inspiring. She always showed enthusiasm and great knowledge and most important she "walked the talk". She is a very positive and genuine person and I enjoyed her class very much. I hope to continue using the class information for years to come." USM, spring 2006

"This class gave me opportunity to participate actively. Learning was done by practicing and thinking at the same time. I enjoyed having discussions and trying to use the skills of ideas in our daily life. It also gave me different perspectives on the things that I was not familiar with."

She made it fun to learn and taught lots of essential information everyday. Jen is stellar. She is a very excellent teacher with a good sense of humor.
I loved the class. John C, USM, fall 2007

The instructor was amazing. She is one of the best teachers I had. She made the class worth attending, fun and most importantly, real. She was always straightforward
to what she wanted done and always was upfront and honest with the class. She is so passionate about the subject that it made others (me) really want to listen and learn. Th course really opened my eyes and made me realize so much about myself and my body. It also made me look harder at what I was eating and how it effects my body and
emotions. I really loved the class. It was actually worth taking. Stacie Jones, USM, fall 2007

Jen's way of teaching was very enthusiastic and entertaining. The way she presented the information was excellent. If every course had a teacher like her it would be
taught very well.  USM, fall 2007

Jen is an enthusiastic, exciting teacher. She is very good at getting people to listen and understand the subject matter as well as intriguing the students enough
to get them to care about the material they are learning about. Anon., USM, fall 2007

The instructor was very fun, open and likable. She was very easy to get to know and her style of teaching was easy to learn from.   Anon, USM, fall 2007

"I enjoyed the course a lot, because it gave me a lot of information that I didn't know about that I will be able to take away with me for the rest of my life. It was fun
and open."  USM, fall, 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Canoe Fee includes canoe, life jacket, paddle, lunch, drinking water, instruction and tour.
In some cases, transportation is also included.
Kayak Fee does not include kayak rental. Contact the Complete Paddler @ http://www.completepaddler.com/contactus.htm  for your custom kayak rental.
 Contact us  for full package getaways including private camping, cabin stay and tours!

FOR RESERVATIONS: Contact us  to arrange date and general logistics.

Custom & Hatha Yoga Offerings

Nurture Through Nature offers Hatha vinyasa style yoga classes in the Lakes Region aimed for beginners or regular yoga practitioners, alike. Jen offers customized and gentle yoga instruction in the convenience of your home, cottage, camp site, beach, dock or lakeside rental. 

Also, if you prefer, Jen's sweet retreat studio space is centrally located near the town centers of Denmark (5 miles), Brownfield (5 miles), Fryeburg (6 miles) and Bridgton (11 miles).  Contact us for directions, information and to book an appointment.

Rates for 90 minute customized and personalized yoga session at your location: $120
Price is for any group size. Share the base price with your group--the larger the circle, the less each person pays.
Fee includes travel time for up to 30 minute radius (Denmark)
and 8 yoga mats. Price adjusted for longer travel.

Rates for 90 minute customized yoga in our studio in Denmark: $75
Yoga mats provided for up to 8.

 Contact us to make reservations.

Yoga Philosophy and Approach

The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root "yuj", i.e "to yoke" [to the spirit] meaning "union of the individual soul with the universal soul . Yoga’s ultimate goal is the joining of body, mind and spirit, in a conscious unification into Oneness. In the Western world, the most popular form of yoga is Hatha Yoga, a form that stresses mastery of the physical body as a gateway to attaining spiritual perfection. Hatha Yoga, or sun / moon yoga - is defined as self-realization through discipline in yoga. Its particular appeal for health-conscious Westerners is that it approaches self-transformation through the physical body by means of practicing postures while regulating the breath. Generally, Hatha yoga classes involve close attention to the breath and moving from one pose to another at a slower pace than Ashtanga or other power yoga styles.

When incorporated into our daily lives, even in miniscule doses, yoga offers us multiple benefits. In our task-filled, busy days, yoga provides us a respite to energize our bodies and calm our minds. In fact, most people begin to see and feel improvements in their flexibility, strength and stress levels after only a few classes.

Abandon the competitive mind-set
Yoga is absolutely non-competitive. It is not just a "work out," it is not just "cross-training," it is a spiritual practice which makes the body stronger, more flexible, and generally much healthier. The aim is to calm the mind, open the heart, and accelerate our spiritual evolution.

Rest and return to balance is an important part of each yoga class. We will offer you a space to honor and accept where you are presently at in relation to your health and wellness, create opportunity for you to do what you can to enhance that level, and find safe haven during that process.

Wherever or whenever we begin yoga is perfect. No experience or flexibility is required. Our aim is help students to remember how to “inhabit” their bodies in a mindful, conscious and gentle way. Practicing radical self-acceptance at the same time as reaching deeply inside to raise our capacity to live fully awakened and energized through yoga is what the Pleasant Mountain Yoga Studio offers. Our approach is gentle and student-centered. We accommodate to many experience and fitness levels. We offer 2 class levels that are connected and interrelated. Feel free to try both to see where you feel most at home. Contact by phone for specific details about each class at 207.452.2929.

The benefits of a gentle approach to yoga may be just as profound with consistency and intention. If you are curious about yoga, here’s an ideal way to get started. Interested in an experience of yoga that feels fabulous without causing undo strain? Jen will teach you how to finesse your way safely and easily into a refined series of deep stretches. In Beginner I class, yoga becomes satisfying and accessible as you are compassionately guided through simple and extensive warm-up series and postures (asana) including modifications to meet you where you are at. Whether you are new to yoga, a longtime practitioner, or simply wanting to experience a gentle approach, what you gain from this program can become a valuable part of a new or lifelong practice. For deeply relaxing, opening, and rejuvenating please try our Yoga I class. If you have physical limitations, this class will accommodate as best as is possible.
Discover the posture or asana basics, learn breathing techniques (pranayam), and find out about your body’s needs. Explore gentle stretching, breathing, and relaxation to bring ease and balance into your life.

Your instructor:
Jen Deraspe received her Hatha Yoga Teacher Certification from Aura Yoga in North Providence, RI and has been teaching in the lakes region community through private lessons and community education on and off for 8 years. . Jen is owner of Nurture Through Nature which provides holistic canoe trips and meditation retreats for women as well as custom retreats. She is on adjunct faculty at the University of Southern Maine’s (USM) College of Nursing and Health Professions, having taught a variety of wellness and sports medicine courses since 1990. With her Masters Degree from Indiana State University in Sports Medicine, Jen served as the Head Athletic Trainer at USM from 1989-1999.

Having a passion for holistic health and teaching, Jen offers an interdisciplinary approach to wellness, both studying and teaching in areas related to nutrition, fitness, sports medicine, healing techniques, breath work, meditation, energetic anatomy, Reiki, spirituality and yoga. Combining these skills and knowledge, Jen offers a holistic approach to personal wellness and development, guiding you down your own path to vitality and to your inner source of power and presence.