Deep Ecology & Yoga Retreat
Reconnect and Find Your Purpose
Earthaven Ecovillage
Near Asheville, NC
Dive deep into The Work That Reconnects to explore your ecological identity. Engage the practice of yoga to integrate the work into your body. Become more interconnected, creative, and tuned into your passionate purpose.
Everyone is welcome. No previous experience necessary.
If you are interested in this workshop, please contact us.
About the Retreat
We find ourselves alive in an extraordinary time; a time of uncertainty and disconnection, but also a time of great possibility where cooperation, courageous action, and collective movement can cultivate the world we’re longing to live in. In these times of ecological, political, and social catastrophe looming on the horizon, it is essential that we dig deep to find our creative will and power to help life jump up and live.
Join us for a weekend of reconnecting with self, other, sacred purpose, and earth. Opening up our hearts and minds to the love, joy, and deep grief we feel for life on our planet allows us to find the strength and wisdom to act on behalf of Earth as catalysts for positive change.
In this retreat, we will draw on the work of Deep Ecology and The Work That Reconnects to ground into our ecological identities, and the practice of yoga to integrate the work into our bodies. We will spiral through the 4 stages of The Work: Coming from Gratitude, Honoring our Pain for the World, Seeing with New Eyes, and Going Forth. We will leave with a re-nourished connection to our bodies, our planet, and our sacred purpose as leaders, changers, and activists.
Earthaven Ecovillage in the woodlands of the ancient Appalachian mountains with streams, vital forests, and naturally built infrastructure will serve as our container, mentor, and classroom for this work to unfold within.
Program
Thursday
3:30pm Arrive. Set-up camp. Settle into the land.
6:45pm Dinner
7:45pm Evening Activity
Friday – Saturday
7:00-8:00 Morning Yoga
8:15-9:15 Breakfast
9:30-12:00 Morning Session
12:00-2:00 Lunch
2:00-3:30 Afternoon Session
3:45-4:45 Afternoon Yoga
4:45-6:45 Independent Integration Time/Free Play
6:45-7:45 Dinner
8:00-9:30 Evening Activities
Sunday
7:00-8:00 Morning Yoga
8:15-9:15 Breakfast
9:30-12:00 Morning Session
12:00-1:30 Lunch
Sliding Scale Tuition
Because some people have more financial means than others, we have created a sliding scale fee system to accommodate a range of economic realities. The high-end of the scale reflects the value we believe the program holds, and the low-end offers a more accessible entry point.
By choosing a higher price point, you are helping make the program more accessible to others for whom the low-end may be cost-prohibitive. Please consider your needs and resources to determine what might be a stretch, but not a strain.
Cost
General
Tuition Sliding Scale: TBD
What’s Included
Tuition includes 3 nights camping, meals, instruction, and all materials. Shared and private indoor lodging as well as transportation are available for an additional cost.
Scholarships
We offer partial scholarships (50% of the middle of the sliding scale) to black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) with financial needs who otherwise would not be able to afford to attend. We understand that BIPOC experience more financial and institutional barriers to participation, and this is one way we are able to create more access. If you identify as BIPOC with financial needs and would like to receive a scholarship, please contact us.
More Info
Deep Ecology & the Work that Reconnects
Deep Ecology is a holistic, experiential, and embodied approach to moving beyond the Western expression of individualism toward a more integrated way of belonging to the world. It is based in Systems Theory, Eco-philosophy and spiritual views from around the world that can help us graduate from the strictly scientific approach to ecology to embodying our powerful role as an integrated part of the natural world.
Joanna Macy, John Seed and others have developed this body of work over the last 4 decades to help guide us towards a more holistic world view and heal broken relationships with our life-sustaining planet. As we lean into our deep connection with life, we connect to our own unique, true nature, to our larger human community, and the web of life; coming to understand ourselves as having a role to play in the collective wellbeing.
Yoga Practice With Garrell
Garrell’s yoga sessions are described as Hatha yoga. The sessions are designed for all levels of ability and focus on the harmony of body, breath and mind. Through a series of asanas (poses), relaxed self-awareness and movement with the breath the yoga practice can help promote physical and spiritual well-being, relieving some of the stresses and distractions of everyday life as well as prepare the participant for a meditation practice.
Logistics
Food
Delicious, omnivorous meals are prepared by talented culinary artists from the Earthaven community. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options available. Snacks and beverages (tea, coffee) are provided. Participants are invited to help with meal clean-up. Many hands make light work.
As much food as possible is sourced from Earthaven and its surrounding farms and gardens, with some ingredients sourced from local grocery stores. Our meals are created with seasonal, local, fresh, wildcrafted, humanely-raised, and organic ingredients.
***If you have dietary needs beyond the ones listed here, please be prepared to bring supplemental food to support your nourishment and well-being. Our kitchen simply cannot accommodate all diets.
Program Specific Info
Nine meals are included: Thursday dinner through Sunday lunch.