Open Sky Retreat Video!
Posted on Oct 18th, 2007
by 
Julian
Julian
Integrating Flow and Deep Stretch Yoga, Meditation Instruction, Ecstatic Dance, and down-to-earth Community - The Open Sky Retreat at the Ojai Eco Sanctuary - watch my new video here...
OK - so after about 3 days of non-stop uploading, editing, scoring and learning all the necessary iMovie tools to do what i had in mind - here is the promo video for my Open Sky Retreats!
It uses footage shot over the course of our adventure together last week. I hope you enjoy.
Integrating flow and deep stretch yoga, meditation instruction, ecstatic dance, bodywork and down to earth community in an extraordinarily beautiful setting, the Open Sky Retreats are entering their 5th year at the Ojai Eco Sanctuary.
Mark your calendars - the next retreat is Thursday afternoon/evening April 10 - Sunday afternoon April 13 2008! Plan for it….
I'll see you there!
Please leave me any comments or questions and feel free to link anyone who you think might be interested in my work to this blogpost…
Thanks
~Julian
renewal
OK - so after about 3 days of non-stop uploading, editing, scoring and learning all the necessary iMovie tools to do what i had in mind - here is the promo video for my Open Sky Retreats!
It uses footage shot over the course of our adventure together last week. I hope you enjoy.
Integrating flow and deep stretch yoga, meditation instruction, ecstatic dance, bodywork and down to earth community in an extraordinarily beautiful setting, the Open Sky Retreats are entering their 5th year at the Ojai Eco Sanctuary.
Mark your calendars - the next retreat is Thursday afternoon/evening April 10 - Sunday afternoon April 13 2008! Plan for it….
I'll see you there!
Please leave me any comments or questions and feel free to link anyone who you think might be interested in my work to this blogpost…
Thanks
~Julian
open sky retreats with julian walker
morningmist
anticipation
friendship
Access: PublicTagged with: julian walker, open sky retreats, yoga, meditation, ecstatic dance, ojai, eco, sanctuary, bodywork, energy, psychology, the secret, pan's labyrinth, ken wilber, eco gift expo
bodywork
August 2008 
Well done, Julian!!
I can only imagine the hours spent putting this wonderful piece together. You've captured the natural beauty of Ojai and the community, as well as the integrative quality of the practice.
I'm filled with gratitude each time I return from one of your retreats.
Save me a sacred spot in April. Wouldn't miss it!
Annie
thanks annie! it's a little long but i wanted the tribe from this retreat to be able to have a photo/video album before i cut it down even more…
any favorite moments that should make it into the two minute version?
Great piece, Julian! Without having been there I can really feel what it was like. What a beautiful and powerful healing space you all created.
thanks sasha - and congratulations on your first comment posted on zaadz!
it was really fun to get into the creative buzz of learning new tools and figuring out how to tell some kind of story that was reflective of the experience we just had using the hour or so of footage i randomly shot during spare moments…
this video literally took about 20 hrs to create.
i will make a shorter version and hopefully next time around i will have an even shorter route from vision to utilitarian completion! :O)
god bless those brutal creative processes ;0)
ok so i am throwing this open - the feedback i am getting is to try and cut it down by about 1/2.
i am open to creative input and suggestions for key moments that should be saved…
right now i am thinking to:
* cut some of the later part of the meditative intro
* put the deep stretch clips before the flow yoga
* make the flow section shorter and transition right into the dance stuff - so it's a steady build from stretch to flow to dance
* then go to the community stuff before bringing it back around to the meditative ending.
what say you all?
Great video Julian…wish I coulda been there…
yea barry - that will be a great day - perhaps you'll have to bring along child care by the time we get to the next one!
any feedback on the editing proposal above?
finally a chance to get back to you…
your idea for editing it further is spot on. the transitions from meditation to deep stretch, flow, then dance and community are what we experienced in that sequence. a brief taste of each is enough.
my favorite scene is your walking meditation, the foot contrasting against the cherry wood. i love the poetry piece as well.
are the dates correct for april? is it the 10th-13th, thursday to sunday or 11-14, friday to monday? planning my sub days already =0)
Great video! Love how you tight it all together.. the images, the backgroung music, the poetry…
The transitions were also well done. Since it’s a promo video, cutting it down a little might be a good idea…
Now I’m even more inspired to attent the next retreat…
Video looks great! I agree with the poster above..the walking meditation was beautiful. I've got the April dates on my calendar. FINALLY, my time has come for an Open Sky Retreat. So exciting!
you are right annie- the office up there told me 11 - 14 , but it is thurs thru sun so it must be 10 - 15!
thanks for the other feedback too!
thanks bruna! it will be reallly nice to have you up there.
hey mystery yogaticha…. thanks! and - who are you? the suspense is killing me! :O)
bruna - did u see brasil score 5 goals against ecuador today?
ok i am thinking about round two here - perhaps this is the in-house version for people who either a) were on te retreat and want a memento, or b) people already interested/famliar with what i do - the shorter version will be for people brand new to my work who are less likely to give a video like this so much time…
i'd love to hear feedback from anyone you showed this to who was a complete stranger to me…
sounds right. those of us who were there probably enjoy the lengthy version, i did. to promo your work it should to be shorter.
i've only heard from one person thus far. she was impressed by the beauty of the sanctuary and the peace the work can provide. believe it or not, it was my sister =o0
nice!
I know! I didn’t get to watch the game but I heard. How exciting!!!
they completely dominated the game - so not so exciting really - but beautiful goals from ronaldinho, kaka and others….. nice to see hem finding their form after a disappointing game against colombia..
oh, I wish I had seen…
I finally got to listen to your chat with Ken Wilber… the both of you have so much depth…Listening to him and reading his material always makes me feel so inspired and encouraged to explore the unconscious and the unknown…..It’s mind opening.
The whole conversation was fascinating…there were some points I was able to contemplate more on…very interesting
_ His views on the meaning of narcicism, incapacity to take on another’s role
_shadow element and how crutial it is to look at it …. how we shouldn’t over-dwell on it or deny it by looking away
_Mythology…through stories, myths deal with facing/looking at the scary monsters…(related to shadow element)
_The danger of wishful thinking
_the differences between the pre-rational, rational, and transrational states
Thank you both for great insight!
ah glad you got to listen and took so much away bruna - there's a lot there!
PS: if any readers have not heard the wilber interview, go here!
like the new photos?!
(thanks david!)
hey you! just checking in since i haven't done so in a while…..just finished the last day of the second module of SE training today; I'm exhausted and happy and grounded and amazed and integrating…..not a bad place to be……
about the video, I love it. here's my two cents worth about what i think you should definitely keep for the promo piece: inside shots of folks in downward dog pose; shots of them laying supine and shaking legs in the air; a lot of the outside scenery, just shorten it; the room with the shiva statue would make a nice, peaceful finish; shots of the ecstatic dance, especially when the lady who's doing what looks a bit like african dance is in the middle of the room; and as much of the steadier camera work as possible. is there a way to make it steady if it was recorded unsteady? probably not, but who knows nowadays…..and, maybe some of the more exuberant activating stuff (the dancing and shaking of the legs) could be in the beginning and the calmer stuff toward the end?
it looks like such an incredibly beautiful place……wish i coulda been there too……i'm so glad you had a good time…..
thanks salima - i will absorb your generous feedback…
nice to see you!
love the addition of david's photos. he's got quite an eye.
First off Julian…it’s a very impressive video! Especially for a non-profssional.
As a designer, and to put on my critical hat for a minute, here are a few suggestions on making it even tighter…
1. Put the title that is at the end in the beginning…along with the dates.
2. I love your music and the sequencing you did.
3. Pick one style of edit/transition, and stick to it. It will give your presentation a consistency.
4. I liked the black screen annoucing “community”. Why not use the same style for all your transitions…Yoga Flow, Community, etc. The bkgd need not be black, or even the same color, but always the same treatment…alternately treat the “community” transition like the others.
5. Remove all repeat footage…esp. of the foot stepping, and the koi pond.
6. The short piece of moody music between the pop song “We got to Live Together” and the ecstatic dance sequence is not needed, and it changes the mood from the upbeat music. Why not just a few seconds of silence or let the pop tune fade slowly/overlap into the ecstatic dance part. To keep the energy level up during the whole community/dance portions!
7. You really did an amazing job on this! All my suggestions are just meant to give you some tips on employing a consistent set of design/film elements to give the entire presentation a sense of wholeness…
OK, critical hat off now…
peace!
/barry
beautiful pointers barry - thanks!
yes he does annie - really nice eye!
yea i hear you bazza - i am thinking of making the whole thing build by having the deep stretch before the flow yoga - then the dance, then the community stuff and then come back round to the meditative ending.
Beautiful video! The retreat looks amazing! Where exactly is Ojai? Cali?
Namaste peaceful one!