" . . . we were blessed with the opportunity to honor Summer Solstice during our Wise Woman Solstice program - guided by the incredibly gifted healer Sarah Salter-Kelly.  It was a powerful weekend of celebrating our femininity and an opportunity for profound transformation.

This weekend we found ourselves surrounded and assisted by the forces that lie in nature.  In the sacred setting provided within and around the Sheiling Mountain Lodge, we worked closely with the Divine energies within and surrounding us.  As a facilitator, Sarah has a wide range of spiritual skills and tools at her disposal, including (but not limited to) journeying, meditation and sharing circles.  She is also a truly gifted ceremonialist and shared her gift with us through both water and fire ceremonies.

This celebration, this experience, truly captured what Essential Life Series is all about: Awareness, Co-creation and Expansion.  The synchronicity of the water dragon being our theme (or mascot!) and the fact that the weekend revolved so heavily around both the water and fire elements speaks to this connection.  I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Sarah and to each and every one of our Wise Woman participants for creating and holding a space for such amazing healing and transformation to occur!

It's incredible really, even though the base elements for each of the yoga retreats are the same - refreshing atmosphere, beautiful nature, nutritious and yummy food, interesting conversation, and of course, yoga - each weekend is so diverse thanks to the people who come and share.  This was a beautiful weekend of sunshine, peaceful candlelight yoga with live drumming, flow classes, yoga workshop by the creek, guided meditations, pushing boundaries of body, spirit, and mind during a deep and restorative YIN class, and connection with some truly inspiring women!

What some participants had to say:

"I came to this workshop in hopes of going deeper in my yoga practice and was pleased to have my expectations for the weekend not only met, but exceeded.  What a beautiful place of peace and love this weekend has been.  A true blessing."

"Thank-you for sharing your Authentic Selves with us!"

"Maren & Darcie are a wonderful team of facilitators with so much love and acceptance for everyone; take whatever you want from the weekend, it's alllll good!  Thank you both so much!"

In our day-to-day life we strive to embody Yogic Life as the combination of body, mind, and spirit.  We love to share this life with others and appreciate how open, honest, and inquisitive each of the retreatants were during the weekend.  Truly humbled and honored!

Namaste

P.S. We are also grateful to our dear friend, Jody Goodwin-Mills, for the amazing photography! www.jodygoodwinphotography.com