Pranayama Advanced Breath Practices

Pranayama: Advanced Breath Practices

Yoga Alliance-Approved Advanced Yoga Studies and
Continuing-Education Yoga Teacher Training

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Dates: Dates coming soon
CEC: 18 Hours (16 Contact, 2 Non-Contact)
Location: Mendota Heights

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This activity has been designed to meet the Minnesota Board of Nursing continuing education requirements. However, the nurse is responsible for determining whether this activity meets the requirements for acceptable continuing education.

Breath, the Great Teacher and the First Pose of Yoga

The study of pranayama, the breathing techniques unique and integral to yoga, is essential for teaching this ancient system of well-being to students of all ages and all levels. As yoga teachers, we place high value on these breath techniques, which improve the overall health and function of the body’s vital organs and every one of its 100 trillion cells. Led by Sarah Zuber, a skilled and deeply committed teacher of pranayama, this 20-hour intensive study teaches the powerful healing ways of the breath, the first pose of yoga.

Green Lotus' weekend breath intensive offers a rare opportunity to enhance your skills in this new way: Not only will you learn and practice simple to complex techniques, but you also will gain insight into how to develop sequenced pranayama practices to offer to your students, patients, and clients. This point-of-view, to learn the individual breathing techniques and how to string them together in different sequences to offer group or individual sessions, will enhance your skills and help you to deliver well-being in more ways and settings.

The Breath of Life Is for Everyone

Breathing techniques calm the nervous system and the mind. They help tame anxiety and depression. They ease women through child-birth. They aid those who are actively dying and the friends and family offering support to the dying. They make it easier for us to practice asana – the poses of yoga – and other forms of exercise, from hiking to dance to golf to horseback-riding. And so much more.

Whether you teach yoga, are a psychotherapist, a fitness trainer, a midwife, a coach, minister, physician, nurse, or a physical therapist – or simply want to deepen your personal understanding and practice of yoga and the role of breath in it – you will benefit from this training. 

Master Breath Philosophies, Techniques, and Their Applications

• Diaphragmatic breath

• Ujjai (victorious breath)

• Kapalabhati (skull shining breath)

• Bhastrika (bellows breath)

• Nadi shodhana (alternate nostril breath)

• Anuloma viloma (alternate nostril variation)

• Surya (solar piercing)

• Chandra bhedana (lunar piercing

• Sitali/sitkari (cooling breath)

• Kumbhaka (simple retention)

• Learning to observe our breath through the physical body, five traditional senses, and qualities of breath

• Placement in the yoga practice and benefits and contraindications of individual pranayama techniques

• Bandhas (internal locks) and their relationship to pranayama

• Pranayama practice (30-minutes) and how to sequence a pranayama practice so you can offer breath-only group classes and private sessions

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Pranayama Advanced Practices Faculty

Required Books and Materials

• Please bring a notebook or journal to capture notes, questions, and observations.

• There is no required text for this training, study materials will be provided.

Schedule

This training is held at our Mendota Heights Center.  Hours are as follows:

• Friday: 6 - 9 p.m.

• Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

• Sunday: 10:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

*No make-up sessions will be available. If students cannot attend for the entire weekend schedule, they will be able to complete the requirements the next time the training is held.

Fee $352

Green Lotus Alumni receive a 10% discount.

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Because our training sessions frequently develop a wait list, refunds will be made to your personal Green Lotus account with less than two weeks' advance notice when you cancel.  Cancellations made with less than a 48-hour notice will not receive a refund. 

Mat Pilates & Barre Yoga

Mat Pilates & Barre Yoga

Yoga Alliance-Approved Advanced Yoga Studies & Continuing Education Yoga Teacher Training

Dates: September 12 - 13, 2025
CEC: 10 Hour (9 Contact, 1 Non-Contact)
Location: Lakeville or Virtual

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Nearly 100 years ago, Joseph H. Pilates developed a unique and revolutionary approach to physical fitness. Used as a method for rehabilitating injured soldiers during World War I, this new form of exercise developed a strong and faithful following among the New York City dance community during the 1920s. Today, the Pilates method is widely accepted as an excellent core conditioning system, with a mind-body connection. Barre is a hot trend right now, with exercises focused on creating strong, lean muscles like those of classical ballet dancers. 

This training is ideal for yoga and group exercise instructors looking for new ways to add core conditioning to their classes, students wanting to delve more deeply into the benefits and proper alignment of mat Pilates exercises, and teachers wishing to teach a Mat Pilates or Barre Yoga class format. The training will be divided into two parts:

I loved the attention to detail and the instructor’s patience and care when teaching – a very positive experience!
~ Julia

Pilates Mat Teacher Training: 6 hours

• Students will take a 60-minute Pilates class

• History and philosophy of Pilates mat work

• Benefits, breathing, cueing, and modifications for approximately 20 mat exercises

• Sequencing for a beginning level Mat Pilates class

Barre Teacher Training: 3 hours

• Students will take a 60-minute Barre Yoga class

• Philosophy and goals of the barre exercise routine

• Benefits, cueing and modifications for approximately ten standing exercises

• Sequence combining yoga, standing exercises at the barre, and mat Pilates for an energizing and strengthening class

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Mat Pilates & Barre Training Faculty

Required Books and Materials

• Pilates, Second Edition by Rael Isacowitz (available used on Amazon)

• Please bring a notebook or journal to capture notes, questions, and observations.

Schedule

Attend this training at the Lakeville center or virtually via Zoom. Hours are as follows: 

• Friday: 5 - 9 p.m.

• Saturday: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

*No make-up sessions will be available. If students cannot attend for the entire weekend schedule, they will be able to complete the requirements the next time the training is held.

Fee:  $198

Green Lotus Alumni receive a 10% discount.

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Because our trainings tend to develop a wait list, refunds will be made to your personal Green Lotus account with less than two weeks notice.  Cancellations made with less than 48 hour notice will not receive a refund. 

Chair Yoga Training

Chair Yoga Training

Yoga Alliance-Approved Advanced Yoga Studies and
Continuing-Education Yoga Teacher Training

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Dates: February 16, 2025
CEC: 3 Hours (3 Contact)
Location: Mendota Heights

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This training covers how to sequence and modify a gentle yoga class for students to "come as they are" from work, errands, or daily life. Designed for people who spend a lot of time driving, active seniors, office workers, or anyone looking to relieve tension that collects in necks, shoulders and backs, this class style allows students to practice in comfortable street clothes using chairs and props.

Sequencing & Transitioning Practicum Faculty

Schedule

This training is held at our Mendota Heights center.

• Sunday, 12 - 3 p.m.

No make-up sessions will be available.

Fee $66

Green Lotus alumni receive a 10% discount.

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Because our training sessions frequently develop a wait list, refunds will be made to your personal Green Lotus account with less than two weeks' advance notice when you cancel.  Cancellations made with less than a 48-hour notice will not receive a refund. 

Power Vinyasa

Power Vinyasa

Yoga Alliance-Approved Advanced Yoga Studies and
Continuing-Education Yoga Teacher Training

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Dates: Saturday, October 12, 2024
CEC: 12 Hours (10 Contact, 2 Non-Contact)
Location: Mendota Heights

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Re-imagining How and Who You Teach

Students who see others flowing in a power vinyasa class often think: "I could never do that." They create roadblocks that inhibit them from stepping onto the mat and trusting that their bodies can - and want to - experience both dynamic flowing movement and long-held stationery poses. They stop themselves from walking across the threshold of a power vinyasa class and learning the techniques, modifications, and assists that allow each of them to practice power vinyasa in their unique ways. Teachers often do the same, thinking, "I could never teach that."

Rewire Your Mind, Transform Your Body

For yoga teachers and students alike, power vinyasa provides another path to evolve mentally and physically, to grow strong in mind and body. Whether students are beginners or advanced practitioners, led by a skillful power vinyasa teacher they can unleash hidden strength, find fluidity, nurture focus and clarity. In Baron Baptiste's sequence of 53 poses, linked by movement to breath, you will learn to help your students unleash their own perfect process. What is the "power" behind power vinyasa yoga? Where does the "fire" of the practice come from and how is it maintained with ease? How do you teach students of many levels? Based on the teachings of Baron Baptiste and other master teachers, students will learn the use of the dynamic ujjayi breath, alignment in moving and stationery poses, and how to confidently teach students power vinyasa with serenity and clear direction. 

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Power Vinyasa Intensive Faculty

Required Texts & Materials

Only one text is required. Please purchase it and read through page 72 before the training session.

• Journey into Power by Baron Baptiste

• Bring a notebook or journal, plus a phone/camera to take photos of certain poses if you wish.

• Bring a towel.

Schedule

This training will be held at our Mendota Heights center. Hours are as follows:

• Saturday: 8:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.

No make-up sessions will be available. If students cannot attend for the entire weekend schedule, they will be able to complete the requirements the next time the training is held.

Fee:  $220

Green Lotus alumni receive a 10% discount.

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Because our training sessions tend to develop a wait list, refunds will be made to your personal Green Lotus account with less than two weeks' advance notice when you cancel.  Cancellations made with less than a 48-hour notice will not receive a refund. 

Yin Yoga

Yin Yoga

Yoga Alliance-Approved Advanced  Studies and
Continuing-Education Yoga Teacher Training

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Dates: March 7 - 9, 2025
CEC: 18 Hours (16 Contact, 2 Non-Contact)
Location: Mendota Heights

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Yin yoga is a quiet practice that focuses on creating space in the muscles, joints, and connective tissues while enhancing the mind-body connection. It encourages students to go deeply into each pose with all levels of their being.  Yin yoga also provides balance to more active yang yoga practices like power vinyasa and hatha and sports like running and aerobics. The body's well-being requires at least as much "muscle release" as "muscle engagement" for balance.  Yin yoga is an intensely deep form of yoga and requires specialized study to teach or to deepen your personal yin practice.

A Unique Approach to Yin Training

Our 18-hour Yin Yoga Teacher Training and Advanced Studies Program allows yoga teachers and students to delve deeply into the practice during one intensive weekend.  You will:

• Study through reading and engaging lecture

• Participate in multiple practices so that the principles of yin yoga can be felt in your own body and mind

• Learn anatomy, alignment, Chinese medicine, and philosophy from a yin perspective

• Learn each yin pose in depth, with modifications, variations, and attention to alignment

• Learn about energy meridians, the five elements, and acupressure points to enhance a yin practice

• Have ample opportunities to ask questions and discuss theories and ideas

If you feel a strong need for balance in your practice, teaching, and life in general, yin is the way to go. I feel 100% ready to teach yin classes after this training and empowered to develop a personal yin practice too! Thank you Maureen for your brilliance and energy. Namaste!
~ Sara

Yin Yoga Training Faculty

I have very much enjoyed dropping into a few virtual yin classes over the past month and plan to do so in the future. It grounds me to witness your teaching and reflect and learn as both a student and a new teacher of Yin Yoga. I started teaching a couple of yin classes in my community since completing your training in the fall. I am loving sharing the Yin practice with my community of Decorah. The response has been very positive. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and love for Yin. For me, it has opened a welcomed new avenue to teaching and practicing beyond my Iyengar foundation. Educators know good teaching and learning from you has been a gift.
~ Lea

Required Books and Materials

• The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga, The Philosophy and Practice of Yin Yoga by Bernie Clark

• Please bring a notebook or journal to capture notes, questions, and observations

Optional but recommended:

• Insight Yoga by Sarah Powers

• Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine by Harriet Beinfield and Efrem Korngold

• Liberation: The Perfect Holistic Antidote to Stress, Depression, and Other Unhealthy States of Mind by Stephen Russell

Schedule

This training is held at our Mendota Heights center.  

• Friday: 6 - 9 p.m.

• Saturday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

• Sunday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

*No make-up sessions will be available. If students cannot attend for the entire weekend schedule, they will be able to complete the requirements the next time the training is held.

Fee $352

Green Lotus alumni receive a 10% discount.

I really appreciated the broad context of the training - really connected the theories of Taoism and Chinese medicine to the yin yoga practice very well.
~ Denise, Acupuncturist & Yoga Teacher

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Because our training sessions frequently develop a wait list, refunds will be made to your personal Green Lotus account with less than two weeks' advance notice if you cancel.  Cancellations made with less than a 48-hour notice will not receive a refund. 

Restorative Yoga

Restorative Yoga

Yoga Alliance-Approved Advanced Yoga Studies and
Continuing-Education Yoga Teacher Training

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Dates: April, 5 - 6, 2025
CEC: 20 Hours (18 Contact, 2 Non-Contact)
Location: Mendota Heights

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The Art of Healing by Letting Go

Restorative yoga is a practice of letting go, of healing the body and mind. Research shows that practicing restorative yoga can aid in combating stress and PTSD, sleeplessness and fatigue, "monkey mind", emotional issues such as grief, fear, and anxiety, and many other symptoms. It is the foundation of therapeutic yoga. Using props such as blankets, bolsters, chairs, and blocks, yoga poses are fully supported, allowing the body and mind to let go and heal. A restorative yoga class is a great option for people who have structural concerns, those new to yoga, or those recovering from injury or illness. With an abundance of modifications, restorative yoga allows every body to reach of state of active relaxation, bringing rest to body and mind, engendering peace and calm, and enhancing receptivity.

Expand Your Skills and Your State of Well-Being - and of Others, Too

Green Lotus's Restorative Training, based on the principles of Judith Lasater's Relax and Renew®, is designed for three audiences:

• Yoga students wishing to expand and deepen their personal practice or become more familiar with this style physically and energetically and apply it to their personal lives

• Yoga teachers seeking to teach restorative yoga and/or earn continuing education credits

• Other professionals - such as therapists, medical personnel, school teachers, physical therapists - who may wish to integrate restorative techniques into the practices they offer

With Green Lotus's training, you show up ready to learn. We provide all props - bolsters, blankets, blocks, straps, cushions, eye pillows, towels - so there is no need to pack and haul in your own. You will experience the practice in your body to better understand the challenges and releases your students may experience. And our manual will support you for years to come.

Instructor Randi Henning is a Judith Lasater-certified Relax and Renew® trainer and has worked with hundreds of yoga students and teachers-in-training. With her you will explore restorative poses in-depth with an abundance of modifications and adjustments.  You will learn to sequence a relaxing, meditative, and thoughtful class and to tailor a private session for a wide range of unique needs. You will gain tools to broaden your yoga repertoire, and you will learn to guide your students, and yourself, in the practice of letting go: restorative yoga. 

A Unique Restorative Yoga Point-of-View

Instructor Randi Henning is a Judith Lasater-certified Relax and Renew® trainer and has worked with hundreds of yoga students and teachers-in-training in group and private settings. She brings her unique point of view so you can learn:

• To teach restorative yoga in a group-class setting, which requires deft skills to meet so many needs

• To quickly assess the students directly in front of you and determine how to ease them into relaxation and rest

• To determine which props to use and why

• To take care of yourself: Teaching a group class requires stamina, keen observation and listening skills, and compassion

• To sequence classes for different issues from grief to tight hips

• How to conduct an in-take session for a private client

• How to use the in-take information to prepare and conduct an effective private restorative yoga session

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Restorative Yoga Teacher Training Faculty

Required Texts and Materials

Only one text is required. Please purchase it and read it before the training session.

• Relax and Renew by Judith Hanson Lasater

• Please bring notebook or journal to capture observations, questions, and inspirations

Schedule

This training is held at our Mendota Heights center. There is a 30-minute lunch break each day. Hours are as follows:

• Saturday and Sunday: 11 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.

*No make-up sessions will be available. If students cannot attend for the entire weekend schedule, they will be able to complete the requirements the next time the training is held.

Fee:  $396

Green Lotus alumni receive a 10% discount.

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Because our training sessions frequently develop a wait list, refunds will be made to your personal Green Lotus account with less than two weeks' advance notice when you cancel.  Cancellations made with less than a 48-hour notice will not receive a refund. 

Assisting & Adjusting

The Art of Assisting & Adjusting

Yoga Alliance-Approved Advanced Yoga Studies and
Continuing-Education Yoga Teacher Training

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Dates: February 7 - 9, 2025
CEC: 22 Hours (19 Contact, 3 Non-Contact)
Location: Lakeville

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How This Training Will Hone Your Skills

Offering assists and adjustments to yoga students is an art. It requires highly developed observation skills, awareness of body mechanics and movement, intimate familiarity of the poses, and strong communications skills. The goal is to assist and adjust so that students find their ultimate expression of poses  without becoming teacher-dependent. This carefully designed immersion into the art of assisting and adjusting, based on the observation of and work with thousands of students, will deepen your teaching skills to help your students to find an openness and mind/body connection that advances their practice. This training will differentiate you as a teacher.

The Foundation of the Training Rests on Proper Alignment

• The understanding that more is less when it comes to safe hands-on adjustments

• How to use the various forms of assisting and adjusting from verbal cues to directional signals to physical manipulation

• The role of props as tools in adjusting and assisting

• How to empower students to find personal levels of self-adjusting

• Assisting safely without developing dependency

• We will cover dozens of key foundational poses and their modifications in the following families of poses in this training:

1. Sun salutations

2. Standing poses

3. Backbends

4. Twists

5. Forward folds

6. Core connection

7. Inversions

8. Surrender to gravity

Hands-on Practice: Our 22-hour assisting and adjusting teacher training and advanced yoga studies is offered in an intensive weekend of total immersion. As with all its training offerings, the cornerstone of the Green Lotus approach is to study assisting and adjusting not only by reading and engaging lecture and discussion, but also by practicing the adjustments over and over again.

Boundaries and Ethics: Our training includes a segment on ethics and boundaries so we as teachers can better understand our roles and impact and also to develop awareness of the different emotions that can be observed in the classroom - such as anxiety - and how assisting and adjusting can affect those emotions and feelings.

Wonderful course for newer yoga teachers and those looking for a course exclusive to assisting and adjusting. This was exactly the training I was hoping for and I'm so happy to have taken it.
~ Andrea

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Assisting & Adjusting Teacher Training Faculty

Required Books & Materials

• Students will be required to read portions of Journey into Power by Baron Baptiste

• Please bring a notebook or journal to capture notes, questions, and observations

• Other materials, including a handbook and schedule for the weekend, will be provided

Optional but recommended:

• Yoga Posture Adjustments and Assisting by Stephanie Pappas

Schedule

Green Lotus’ Art of Assisting and Adjusting held at our Lakeville center hours are as follows:

• Friday: 5:30 - 9 p.m.

• Saturday: 10 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

• Sunday: 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

*No make-up sessions will be available. If students cannot attend for the entire weekend schedule, they will be able to complete the requirements the next time the training is held.

Fee $418

Green Lotus Alumni receive a 10% discount.

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Because our training sessions frequently develop a wait list, refunds will be made to your personal Green Lotus account with less than two-weeks advance notice when you cancel.  Cancellations made with less than a 48-hour notice will not receive a refund. 

Hot Fusion Yoga Training

Hot Fusion Yoga Teacher Training

Yoga Alliance-Approved Advanced Yoga Studies and
Continuing-Education Yoga Teacher Training

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Dates: June 6 - 8, 2025
CEC: 20-Hours (16 Contact)
Location: Mendota Heights

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Hot Fusion Yoga Is a Powerful, Life-Changing Practice
Yoga is known to restore vitality, heal, and help prevent a range of common chronic aliments. Add heat to the environment, and along with the sweat, breath, and the development of a foundation in the asanas, you find the elixir of life within yourself.

The Essence of Hot Fusion Yoga

Hot fusion yoga captures the essence of the traditional 26 poses of a hot yoga class.  The asanas are linked together by connective momentum, a flow that embodies power and strength and is shoulder-and-wrist friendly.  Set to a slow tempo, breath and postures are cued to a consistent rhythm throughout the class.  Heat aids the lengthening process, challenges the mind's focus, and  heightens the ability to transform through the experience of yoga.  When you combine the standard poses and flow with heat, you get one of the most dynamic, life-changing forms of physical and spiritual fitness. 

Green Lotus Has a Unique Approach to Hot Fusion Teacher Training.
Our hot fusion yoga teacher training allows students to delve deeply into the practice during one intensive weekend. The cornerstone of the Green Lotus approach is to study the practice not only by reading and through engaging lectures, but also by participating in multiple practices so the principles of anatomy and philosophy can be felt in students' own bodies and minds.  Teachers will learn how to narrate the progression of the postures and use active cues to communicate to their students how to move deeper in the posture. Students will also have ample opportunities to practice teaching in small groups or to the class as a whole.

Hot Fusion Yoga Training at Green Lotus Is Designed Specifically for Two Audiences:

• Yoga teachers who have completed RYT-200 training and are seeking to teach hot fusion yoga and/or to earn continuing education credits with Yoga Alliance. Upon successful completion of Green Lotus' Hot Fusion Yoga Training, teachers will be prepared to begin teaching hot fusion yoga.

• Yoga students who want to advance and deepen their personal hot fusion yoga practice or become familiar with this particular style of yoga physically and energetically.

I've really enjoyed taking my practice to a much deeper level. I think the teachers are knowledgeable and capable. I enjoy having the opportunity to learn and grow with people from different backgrounds and experiences, but who have a love of yoga in common.
- 2010 Graduate

Hot Fusion Yoga Training Faculty

Required Books and Materials

• Hot Yoga by Marilyn Barnett

• Please bring a notebook or journal to capture notes, questions, and observations.

Optional but Recommended:

• Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class by Bikram Choudhury

• DVD from Paul Grilley: Anatomy for Yoga

Schedule:

Hot Fusion Training is held at our Lakeville. Hours are as follows:   

• Friday: 6 - 9 p.m.

• Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

• Sunday: 10 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Fee:  $352

Green Lotus Alumni receive a 10% discount.

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Because our training sessions tend to develop a wait list, refunds will be made to your personal Green Lotus account with less than two-weeks notice.  Cancellations made with less than 72 hours notice will not receive a refund.