The Warrior® Journey to Retreat (and Beyond)
You just have to get started. Let the journey begin.
The Warrior® Journey
The Warrior® Retreat is quickly approaching, and we could not be more excited. You may be starting at different points on your Warrior® retreat path: some of you have been working this practice for years now, and some of you have never tried or even seen a Warrior® Workout! The good news is: YOU CAN’T GET IT WRONG! But for those of you who have never attended a retreat and who are new to the Warrior® practice, we wanted to give you an overview of the various Warrior® Workouts and programs that we offer so you have an idea of what to expect. There is no need whatsoever to “know” these workouts or even to watch all of the videos, but if it is helpful for you to see a sample beforehand, we want you to have the best experience possible.
The Warrior® program consists of three main parts: Warrior® Workouts (fitness classes) to improve physical and mental well-being, Moving Meditations to enhance and improve emotional well-being, and inspirational conversations to create meaningful thoughts and promote positive self-talk. Learn how to be present in the moment, quiet your mind, and become mindfully aware of your inner strength. This combination of body-mind practice challenges you to overcome self-imposed limitations and realize your potential physically and mentally.
The Warrior® Workout fuses martial arts and fitness, enabling you to channel your inner power, shift your perceptions and change your reality. It is a PRACTICE (like martial arts or yoga), so the movement does not change; what changes is your understanding of the movement. You’ll see an example of this in the videos below. No matter how long (or short) you have been working this practice, there is always room to learn and there is no previous experience required.
The Warrior® Workouts that we will do over the course of the Retreat include:
Warrior® Workout (original)
Warrior® Toning (using a weight)
Warrior® Tai Chi Yoga
Warrior® RIDE (indoor cycle)
Warrior® Band
Warrior® Alignment & Stretch (muscle activation and stretch)
You will find examples of these formats below, with descriptions of each. We will be doing a Moving Meditations introductory workshop and practicing Moving Meditations throughout the Retreat as well. We’ll also be doing activities at the ranch like horseback riding, hiking, animal therapy, and so much more.
We hope you are as excited as we are to see you and be on this journey together. Much love, Warriors. See you at the ranch!
Warrior® Toning (using a weight)
Warrior® Tai Chi Yoga
Warrior® RIDE (indoor cycle)
Warrior® Band
Warrior® Alignment & Stretch (muscle activation and stretch)
The Warrior® Workouts
These are the various Warrior® Workout formats we will be doing and descriptions of each. Further down the page, you will find some video clips and examples to try.
Warrior® Workout
The Warrior® Workout is a PRACTICE. Taught in rounds followed by short periods of active recovery, the workout challenges both the mind and body simultaneously. Each round is 5 minutes long, and is based on either martial arts movement or functional fitness/military training, followed by a 2-minute active recovery.
In each round, you will see different options (“States of Mind”) to choose from. One of these is not harder than another; they are simply different options working different skill sets. YOU decide which you want to do. You can’t get it wrong!
The Warrior® RIDE
The Warrior® RIDE is one of our newest formats. Other than a few charity rides we have done, this Retreat Experience is the official LIVE launch of the Warrior® RIDE! This is an indoor cycle class designed for men and women of all ages and fitness levels. Taught in rounds followed by short periods of active recovery, the RIDE is designed to challenge the mind and the body. Empowerment cueing and inspirational music are huge motivating forces, as they are in all of the Warrior® Workouts.
We are proud – and thrilled – to partner with Schwinn Indoor Cycling for the Warrior® RIDE. While you do not need a Schwinn bike to stream this workout, we proudly represent and ride Schwinn indoor bikes in our videos and at our Retreats.
Warrior® Toning
The Warrior® Toning Workout is designed to assist participants in achieving full mind-body connection. Through a unique combination of slow and controlled movement using a single “heavy” weight, you will be able to achieve increased total body strength as well as improve balance and agility. This practice uses repetition in patterns of movement, leading to increased cognitive function and general improvement in your understanding of safe and effective exercise. Empowerment cueing and inspirational music are huge motivating forces, as they are in all of the Warrior Workouts.
*We recommend using a single 8-pound weight.
Warrior® Tai Chi Yoga
Warrior® Tai Chi Yoga is a unique fusion of Tai Chi and Hatha Yoga. Through a combination of powerful music and disciplined movement, this practice strengthens the mind-body connection and results in a new appreciation for life. This is not just a workout, it’s a journey.
Warrior® Band
Warrior® Band is another one of the new formats being launched at this year’s Retreats. Similar to Toning, Warrior® Band uses many of the songs and rounds from the original Warrior® Workout but incorporates resistance bands into this practice to give you a different experience and work your muscles in a different way. Resistance bands are great for working your whole body, and you can take your workouts to the next level, increasing the intensity on certain muscles that may be harder to feel using bodyweight alone, while protecting your joints and muscles.
Warrior® Alignment & Stretch
Warrior® Alignment & Stretch is another new format being launched this year at Retreat! This class will involve muscle activation, gentle stretching, and more to help you stay in alignment… which is of course what we are all about! We have partnered with Rollga for their amazing products. This class will be a relaxing way to really let go (physically and mentally) and release tension.
Moving Meditations
Moving Meditations™ were created to allow you to enhance or improve your emotional well-being. We go through life experiencing a myriad of emotions, some that serve us well and others that distract us from achieving happiness. Moving Meditations™ use music and movement in short bursts to realign or amplify your energy. They are meant to be used as everyday tools to help you find alignment.
We will be doing a Moving Meditations introductory workshop and practicing MMs throughout the course of the Retreat. These are available virtually to use at anytime. Through this practice, learn to shift your emotional energy with ease throughout the day, and experience more joy on a regular basis.
For each emotion in the video library, you will have access to (1) a brief “introductory video” to that emotion; (2) a breakdown video explaining and teaching the movement used in that particular Moving Meditation, and (3) a link to the Moving Meditation video itself. For some emotions, there are also bonus GROUP videos from various live events and workshops. In fact, you will have an opportunity to be in one filmed at Retreat if you would like.
One Moving Meditation we like to start with, especially if you are new to this practice, is the MM for APPRECIATION. Check out these videos and give it a try. We challenge you to do this Moving Meditation *at least once each day* from now until the Retreat begins. It is important to think of something (ANYTHING, remember it could be small) that you actually appreciate before doing this Moving Meditation, and really think about it, so that you are in a true state of appreciation when doing the movement. This will make a big difference in how quickly the practice begins to work for you.
Below are a few examples of other Moving Meditations you may see during the Retreat. We don’t want to say we have “favorites,” but these are some MMs that we love and use regularly. Check out the “official” videos for each and then the bonus group videos. The energy when we come together and do these Moving Meditations with a group of like-minded people truly can’t be described in words. We can’t wait for you to experience it. There are over 30 more Moving Meditations covering a wide range of emotions and feelings. We hope to expose you to as many of them as possible next week, but once you have seen and used a few and understand how to work this practice, you’ll have the tools to explore them all and use them as you need to.
This group video of the Moving Meditation for DOUBT was filmed at the Warrior® Retreat 2018, on the “official” Moving Meditations hill. You’ll all get to go there this year!
This group video of the Moving Meditation for SELF-CONFIDENCE was filmed at a Warrior® Experience event at The MOVE Studio in Newmarket, Ontario (Canada).
This group video of the Moving Meditation for DISAPPOINTMENT was filmed at the Warrior® Retreat 2017.
Warrior® Workouts
Now that you’ve had a little taste of Moving Meditations, let’s move on to some of the Warrior® Workouts. Remember, this is a practice, so don’t feel like you have to learn this all right away. You really CAN’T get this wrong!
Check out a 3-minute video to see a sample of what the original Warrior® Workout looks like. Click the link below the photo to view.
Warrior® Workout Round by Round
The Warrior® Workout is taught in rounds followed by short periods of active recovery. Each round is 5 minutes long, and is based on either martial arts movement or functional fitness/military training, followed by a 2-minute active recovery.
In each round, you will see different options (“States of Mind”) to choose from. One of these is not harder than another; they are simply different options working different skill sets. YOU decide which you want to do. You can’t get it wrong! In our full video library there are Round by Round videos for each round that is offered in the Warrior® Workouts, plus an Active Recovery. There are also breakdown videos for each round.
Here are just a few examples. You will see two links to click below each photo. The first link below each photo (the “round”) is the full martial arts or military round plus active recovery (you’ll recognize these rounds if you do the “full workout” video further down on this page because they are the actual rounds from the Warrior® Workout). There are more rounds than this available on the website, but we just wanted to give you a sample, so there are three Martial Arts rounds and three Military rounds here. You can choose to watch only one or watch them all!
The second link below each photo (the “breakdown”) is key to working the Warrior® practice. This is where we break down the martial art and/or functional movement, so that you have a deeper understanding of the movement in the workout. You will learn the purpose behind the movement, proper form and alignment, understand your options in the workout, and more. This empowers YOU to make the best choices for yourself, and to take ownership of what you are doing when you actually do the workout!
Martial Arts Rounds (plus Active Recoveries) and BREAKDOWNS
Military Rounds (plus Active Recoveries) and BREAKDOWNS
Warrior® Workout – Complete Workout
Now that you have previewed what the Warrior® Workout is all about (and maybe tried a few individual rounds and breakdowns), you are ready to try a full-length class. Click the link below the photo to view.
This class is “Warrior® Workout #1”. It is about 55 minutes long and includes the following rounds:
Warmup
Martial Arts Round 1 – Muay Thai
Military Round 1
Martial Arts Round 2 – Capoeira
Military Round 2
Martial Arts Round 3 – Kung Fu
Military Round 3
Cool down
If you tried the rounds and breakdowns of these rounds above, you’ll recognize all of this. It’s just put together now in one complete class. Enjoy the workout!
Martial Arts Round 1 – Muay Thai
Military Round 1
Martial Arts Round 2 – Capoeira
Military Round 2
Martial Arts Round 3 – Kung Fu
Military Round 3
Cool down
