PDC – November 2-16, 2014

2-Week Intensive Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) Course at The Yoga Forest

San Marcos la Laguna, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.

Cost: US$1595 staying in shared cabañas or US$1445 for camping facility. Both prices included certification, three vegetarian meals daily and morning yoga classes.

10% discount if booked and paid in full by August 31st!!!

FAQ’s

What language will it be taught in?

English

How do I book the course?

To secure your booking, a non-refundable deposit of US$200 is required to secure your place. Please make your deposit via bank transfer or via PayPal to [email protected].

Once your deposit has been made, we will email you notification that your place on the course is secure. Full payment must be received for the PDC via bank transfer at least 14 days before the course.

Do I need insurance?

We recommend course participants obtain travel insurance to protect their investment. We take no liability for missed/ cancelled flights or lost/ stolen property on your way to or at The Yoga Forest.

What will I take from the course?

You will be a certified Permaculture designer, a certification that is internationally recognized by the Permaculture community. You will also have the knowledge and practical skills required to immediately begin designing and creating Permaculture projects and sustainable landscapes. You will be provided with links and sources to help you proceed further on your chosen path.

You will be able to form land assessments and designs, and will be equipped with skills to start you off in natural building. You will also be able to implement basic grey water and composting systems necessary for a sustainable dwelling. In addition, you will have an understanding of aquaculture, vegetable production, integrated livestock management and food preservation to begin producing your own food and designing systems for yourself and others.

 What does the course cover?

The course covers the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia’s PDC curriculum, following Bill Mollison’s Designers Manual. 

Introduction to Permaculture - Definition, History and Ethics

The Permaculture Principles

Design Process Theory and Techniques for Sustainable Settlements, Communities, and Gardens

Earthworks and Keyline Landscape - Design and Techniques

Natural Building - Traditional Guatemalan Techniques and Theory

Animal Systems - Bee Keeping, Chickens, Rabbits, and Vermiculture

Design Strategies for the Tropics - Housing and Landscape Design

Temperate Climate Strategies - Housing and Landscape Design

Drylands Design Strategies - Housing and Landscape Design

Social Permaculture

Economics & Financial Permaculture

Climate Factors

Pattern Understanding - Patterns in Nature Applied to Design

Food Fermentation and Preservation

Water Design Solutions - Catchment, Conservation, Grey Water Solutions, Swales, and Ponds

Soils - Composition, Biology, Food Web, Fertility, and Human Health

Aquaculture - Food Webs, Techniques and Fish Production

Practicals

Design Projects: You will perform a land assessment, including client interview, Permaculture design and presentation for a project in a small team to a landowner from around the lake.

Designing Intensive Annual Systems and Guilds: this module will include seed saving, germination and plant grouping for annual vegetable systems.

Designing and Implementing a Forest Garden: this module will include propagation and planting techniques.

Compost Making

Plant Identification

Night Walks and Forest Explorations

Natural Building using Mayan Earthen Building Techniques

Day trips

IMAP – Mesoamerican Institute of Permaculture in San Lucas Toliman

Atitlán Organics farm in Tzununá

Bee Keeping Cooperative in San Pablo la Laguna

Who are the facilitators?

Jeremy Fellows, (B.S. Sustainable Food and Farming) Jeremy grew up with a fascination for the workings of nature. Enchanted by plants and their relationships with the soil, Jeremy took many classes on horticulture and plant identification in the Northeast US. Beginning work in landscaping, he soon learned about the great Permaculture gurus like Bill Mollison, Geoff Lawton, Sepp Holzer, and David Holmgren. This revelation created a new dimension in his love of botany; function and plant relationships, mycoculture, animal husbandry, agriculture and a study of natural and sustainable building. At The Yoga Forest, Jeremy is our Permaculture Designer, Consultant, and Farm Manager. Jeremy's focus is in perennial food systems, mycology, botany, aquaculture, terraforming, landscape construction, resource management and passive energy.

Nicholas Burtner (Founder, Working With Nature), Nicholas is a Permaculture practitioner, advocate, consultant, teacher and speaker. After a greater calling in 2011, Permaculture found Nicholas and since has filled him with an endless passion that has led him to many travels, learning, spreading, and practicing Permaculture and natural living ever since. Apart from consulting and designing properties across a large arena of different climates and bio-regions, Nicholas has attended internships at the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia under the leadership of Geoff and Nadia Lawton. He also obtained a Permaculture Design Certification from Geoff Lawton and Bill Mollison. Nicholas has also attended the Earthship Academy for natural and recycled building construction in Toas, NM under the guidance of Michael Reynolds. After very worthwhile learning, and on the ground experiences, Nicholas opened Working With Nature Permaculture in late 2012. The learning center has both an urban and a rural demonstration / educational site which offer hands on experience as well as class room learning. Working With Nature's website offers Permaculture related tips, videos, and articles on a mostly daily basis. Aside from Permaculture, sustainability, and ecology related activity, Nicholas - a Nidan (2nd degree black belt) - teaches Aikido at the Flowing Circle Aikido Center, which currently is only taking private sessions. He is also a lover of Jesus and major proponent of peace. He also believes through the application of Permaculture people can find their existence more purposeful and meaningful.

Shad Qudsi (Co-Founder Atitlán Organics) Shad has 14 years experience in organic and commercial gardening and farming. He is certified in Permaculture Design and has over 4 years experience in holistic site development and homesteading. After graduating from Johns Hopkins University with a double major in Applied Mathematics and Pscyhology, Shad and his now-wife, Colleen, moved to Central America with only vague goals of farming at some point in the near future. In January of 2010, Shad and Colleen moved onto a very small piece of land located in the traditional Mayan village of Tzununa, which is on the north shore of Lake Atitlan, in Guatemala. Shad has since developed the land into a small but profitable farming enterprise focused on salad and cooking greens, goat dairy products, and agrotourism. Recently, Shad has been hired as an Agriculture Consultant for a development project being carried out in the Tzununa Valley. Now, he oversees four community gardens and is implementing two sustainable locally-run businesses based on the production and local marketing of clean organic food. Aside from all of this, Shad is an enthusiastic teacher who truly believes in the work he is doing. Human resiliency cannot be erased from the landscape and now, it is coming back with a vengeance. Shad teams up with IMAP (Instituto Mesoamericano de Permacultura) to run yearly Permaculture Design Certificate Courses in Guatemala.

Charlie Rendall, (M.A. Social Anthropology) Project Manager of The Yoga Forest, Charlie has been building sustainable houses and landscaping in San Marcos La Laguna, Guatemala for since 2004. He has tried just about every natural building method he could before settling on bamboo and earth as his favorites. He gave his first Bamboo Building Course in 2008 and loves helping others build.

Hayley Tennyson, Founder and Director of The Yoga Forest. Hayley studied Permaculture with Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton of The Permaculture Research Institute of Australia and yoga in Rishikesh, India with her mentor Yogrishi Vishveketu. Hayley’s passion lies in deep green yoga, finding inner balance through yoga and Permaculture practice. The Yoga Forest was founded through a desire to live in simple harmony with nature, developing sustainable environments, and working towards creating a seed to plate food philosophy; encouraging people to step back into the cycle of food production of which they naturally belong.

What is location like?

San Marcos la Laguna is a small indigenous village in the western highlands of Guatemala, located on Lake Atitlán. Surrounded by volcanoes San Pedro, Toliman and Atitlán, the lake is a wonder to behold and many consider it to be the most beautiful lake in the world.

The surrounding mountains and cloud forests provide amazing hiking experiences, and amazing weather throughout the dry season.

What type of yoga is taught?

The Yoga Forest offers holistic yoga classes each morning before the PDC course workshops begin incorporating asana, pranayama, mantra, meditation and relaxation.

What is the food like?

The Yoga Forest serves fresh vegetarian meals prepared with love and intention. We grow as much of the produce as we can and purchase from local markets whenever possible. We strive to use organic ingredients whenever possible. A professional chef prepares the menus and our lovely local ladies prepare them in our kitchen.

Accommodation

We provide shared accommodation in our beautiful traditionally built cabanas constructed from bamboo, adobe, clay and wood from sustainable Guatemalan plantations. With palm roofs to match the natural setting that surrounds us and windows that overlook one of the most stunning views in Guatemala; Lake Atitlán and its volcanoes.

We have also been told our compost toilets and outdoor solar shower have the best views of any in the world! Please be aware that we use natural water filtering systems, and therefore ask that you bring only organic soaps and shampoos with you.

The accommodation or the course is included from Nov 2nd, 2014 through to Nov 16th, 2014. Please make arrangements to arrive on Nov 2nd, so you can settle in to the forest environment, and be ready for classes starting early on Monday morning Nov 3rd! If you would like to arrive early and/or stay later than the course dates, please check our availability online or by emailing [email protected].

How do I get there?

Flights can be found online via sites such as www.expedia.com, www.travelocity.com and www.ebookers.com - Airlines flying to Guatemala include Aeroméxico, American Airlines, Continental, Copa, Delta, Iberia, Spirit, Taca and United.

Immigration is usually hassle-free and most visitors are issued with a 90-day tourist visa, which you can extend for a further 90 days if needed. We recommend you find a flight that arrives in the morning so you won't have to spend a night in a hotel near the airport.

Driving to San Marcos La Laguna from Guatemala's international airport takes about four hours - we recommend a pre-booked minibus service, either private ($110 per trip - up to eight people), or shared/ collective ($28 per person). We will be happy to arrange a private shuttle for you with our trusted drivers, please let us know and forward us your flight details.

The latest collective shuttle from Guatemala City or Antigua to Lake Atitlán/ San Marcos la Laguna leaves around 2-3pm each day from Antigua. There are direct shuttles from the airport to Antigua leaving every hour. It takes 45mins to 1 hour to get to Antigua from the airport. If you arrive later than this during the day, you may need to spend a night in the city or in Antigua. We recommend staying in Antigua at Hostel Holistico, and they can arrange a collective shuttle for you for the following morning. Please use the following link to book a night at Hostel Holistico in Antigua.

http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Holistico-Hostal/Antigua/49490?source=adwordsdynamic&kid=569286&AID=2&gclid=COWI8sa05LkCFQto7AodCz4AYg

 What other attractions are in the area and in Guatemala?

At first sight San Marcos La Laguna is a sleepy village with a few simple hotels and restaurants, but it has much to offer hidden between its winding paths. Massage and therapy centers offering treatments and short courses, Meditation centers, Mayan spiritual centers, traditional ceremonies, Mayan saunas, yoga classes, chocolate ceremonies, a gym, walking tours, lake tours, Spanish schools, salsa classes, a variety of excellent restaurants and bars, waterfront activities such as kayaking, paddle boarding, swimming, Internet cafés, shops selling imported food, various humanitarian and ecological volunteer projects, and a diverse community of residents and tourists.

We will gladly help you arrange tours to other towns either on the lake or further afield. Popular destinations on the lake include Panajachel, Santiago and San Pedro, all of which have fun local markets and a wide selection of restaurants. Panajachel and San Pedro also offer a more active nightlife for anyone seeking live music or a dance party. We can also arrange Spanish lessons.

Beyond the lake's sanctuary there are many more attractions: the colorful artisans' market in Chichicastenango, the former colonial capital of Antigua (from where you can climb the live volcano Pacaya and get up close to real lava), the Mayan ruins of Iximche, bird watching and canopy tours in San Felipe, Monterrico on the Pacific coast for big waves and black sand beaches, and Quetzaltenango (Xela) for trekking, hot springs and city culture.

Further afield, you can explore the lost Mayan jungle cities of Tikal, Yax'ha and El Mirador, swim in the paradisiacal pools and caves of Semuc Champay and Lanquin, trek in the remote Cuchumatan mountains and boat down the Rio Dulce from Lake Izabal to the Caribbean coast.

If you would like us to arrange tours or transport before or after the course, then we will be happy to help - just let us know what you're looking for.

 The Yoga Forest, Green Living and Transformational Learning Center

San Marcos la Laguna, Lake Atitlán, Guatemala

www.theyogaforest.org email [email protected] phone +502 330 118 35