“Treat yourself well, give yourself a treat by taking a retreat from everyday life”

I recently looked up the etymology of the words ‘treat’ and ‘retreat’, wondering if they are related. In the above sentence, the verb and noun versions of ‘treat’ are related, but from what I can tell, ‘retreat’ has different roots. But despite that, in their modern meaning and usage they are for sure related!

This fall we had two retreats that were both deeply refreshing and rejuvenating treats for mind, body and soul. The first was the Creative Renewal Retreat, led by Elizabeth Dennis, Janet McGillivray and Lindsey Swope. This intent of this weekend was to find out what lights us up, so that we could have ready access to our inner light and inspiration as we head into the dark half of the year.  We used yoga, dance, art, creative writing and shamanic journeying to discover new directions and outlets for our authentic selves.

Decorating orbs under the shade shelter

Decorated orbs, lighting up the night!

Colorful orbs and inspired people!

Two weeks later, Joanna Dunn came from Leavenworth and led a group of 16 women on a replenishing yoga retreat.

“We found
new space and ease
in our bodies and our lives
for joy and light
to flow and fill”

And the good news is that both of these retreats are scheduled to return in 2015!  Joanna will be back again on the first weekend in October, we haven’t yet settled on a date for Creative Renewal but it will be sometime in either September or October.   If you sign up for our newsletter we can keep you posted when it gets decided!