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Solitude Retreats, Tallahassee, FL (850) 893-5211 |
Solitude Retreats offers opportunities for busy, stressed out people to experience rest and renewal in a variety of settings. We encourage self-care and spirituality by supporting each person's interests with a broad range of activities and experiences. We respect all faiths and our programs are non-denominational. We honor each person's independence and encourage everyone to make choices for their own self-care. During each Solitude Retreat event, you'll be encouraged to enjoy a simple approach to satisfy the rest you crave. You'll experience renewal, connection and inspiration. Our residential retreats are held in natural settings - close to the land, the sea, the mountains - and all feature comfortable accommodations, wonderful food, and plenty of fresh air. You'll value your Solitude Retreat experience long after you have returned home. |
Mountain Solitude Retreat April 2010 |
A Woman's Retreat for Self Care and Spirituality The Mountain Retreat Center Highlands, NC April 29-May 2, 2010 |
Dear Friend: Imagine spending three days and nights with about a dozen other women who are also seeking rest, renewal, connection and inspiration? You'll engage in restful and nourishing activities such as... |
Are you craving rest and relaxation? Do you want to learn how to take better care of yourself? Does a weekend spent connecting to nature sound delicious to you? |
- Walk the woods in beautiful mountains of North Carolina at a beautiful retreat center secluded from the "real world" - Surround yourself with environmentally friendly accommodations, simple furnishings to help you clear the "clutter" from your life - Retreat with other women from around the country who are seeking balance and renewal |
Yoga... move and stretch your body Meditation... calm and focus your spirit Journaling...express yourself creatively Collaging... allow images to inspire you Labyrinth Walking...practice mindfulness |
We invite you to join us for a transformational retreat that will refresh your mind, renew your body and restore your spirit... |
The Mountain Retreat Center www.mountaincenters.org A little bit about our location for the Mountain Solitude Retreat weekend... "Surrounded by the Nantahala National Forest, our home is Little Scaly Mountain — four miles southwest of Highlands, North Carolina. At 4200' elevation, perched atop striking granite cliffs and nestled in an ancient dwarf white oak wind forest, our site is spectacular, with dramatic vistas, quiet places and lots to do. |
We embrace the diversity of life, respect the inherent worth and dignity of every individual, and are committed to justice, equity and compassion in human relations. We accept one another and encourage spiritual growth and the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. We respect the interdependent web of all existence, and honor the right of conscience and use of the democratic process with a goal of world community, with peace, liberty and justice for all. During your stay, you’ll enjoy simple but comfortable accommodations, wonderful food, and plenty of fresh air. You'll value your Mountain experience long after you've gone home." |
- from the Mountain Centers website |
All inclusive rates for room (twin beds and shared rooms) and board (8 yummy meals!) *Private rooms are available for an additional fee. Thursday 4/29 6 p.m. through Sunday 5/2 12 noon. Registration is $795 for the full retreat. Yes! I'm ready to go on retreat! |
The Complete Retreat Experience: More than just a Weekend Retreat! |
REGISTRATION INFORMATION |
Once you register, we'll send you follow up information regarding details including travel, meals, payment arrangements, etc. Contact either Geralyn Russell at 850-878-2843 or geralyn@solituderetreats.com OR Elizabeth Barbour at 850-893-5211 or elizabeth@solituderetreats.com with questions and to register. |
Going on retreat takes courage and involves giving yourself permission to step away from every day life. While the retreat weekend itself is going to be worth your time, energy and dollars to attend, we want to add even more value to your experience. We believe that retreat begins the moment you say "YES!" |
In addition to the all-inclusive retreat weekend in April, we are including 2 group coaching calls as part of the package price. This is our special gift to you! |
Call #1 "The Transformative Power of Retreat" (mid April) - We'll help you set the stage for the coming weeks, encouraging you to take a mini-retreat on your own before we gather together on retreat. We'll help you understand why retreats are necessary, powerful and life changing! Call #2 "Living the Retreat at Home" (mid May)- We'll help participants reintegrate retreat concepts into their daily lives and discuss some of the post-retreat experiences including euphoria, creativity, sadness and overwhelm. They are all a natural part of the retreat experience and we'll help you process and integrate. These calls will help prepare retreat registrants physically, emotionally and spiritually for the weekend itself. We hope to inspire all the women who join us to make "retreating" an important part of their daily lives. We plan to support you in making that happen. *Group Coaching Calls will be scheduled once we have all registrants confirmed and we determine availability for the majority of participants. If you miss any of the calls, everything will be recorded for your convenience. |
Most of us go through our days with very little conscious awareness for self-care. We forget how important it is for our continued physical health, mental well-being and spiritual development! The Solitude Retreat will help you create your own personal retreat toolkit, combining nurturing, awareness, and practical tools to embrace solitude in your life well beyond the retreat weekend itself. 1. You’ll be served exquisitely tasty, freshly prepared, nourishing food to energize your body, satisfy your mind and feed your soul. You'll feel so special sitting down to a well-balanced, delicious tasting meal prepared mindfully and lovingly. Each and every delectable entree will be prepared using as many fresh ingredients as possible. Tell us your dietary needs and we'll do our best to accommodate you. Coffee and tea will be served. BYOB for beer, wine or mixed drinks. 2. Journaling is an important activity during the retreat. Record intentions, experiences and dreams with each session. Use your right brain to bring balance to your life! Writing activates the right side of our brain, which will clarify your intentions, record your experiences, and awaken your dreams. Each easy, guided writing session is designed to help everyone record their deepest insights. Never done journaling? Think of it as an “adult diary,” write letters to family or friends during the retreat, record your experiences as a travel journal. Light up the right side of your brain to enhance your overall sense of well being for life. 3. Abundant space and silent time in the North Carolina Mountains. Incredible views, fresh mountain air and gentle forest breezes. We know your lives are busy and the last thing you want is more activity – more to do. That’s not a retreat! Too often we go from one activity to another with no down time to transition and get perspective. Not at this retreat! At the Mountain Solitude Retreat, we have dedicated lots of space for silence and rest and quietude. 4. You’ll begin to enjoy a whole new awareness of your body through Gentle Yoga in the morning and Restorative Yoga in the afternoon. Even if you have never done yoga before or if you regularly practice yoga, these classes can move you to another level of appreciation for your body. The classes are gentle, not difficult, and will be practiced with the intention to increase Awareness, Accept what we Notice, and then choose any Adjustments to be made. Yoga postures are practiced to FREE oneself from the pain and discomfort of the body, so that solitude can be embraced. 5. You'll reconnect with your soul in this incredible mountain scene. Trees, valleys and some of the oldest exposed rocks in the world will support you in this journey. The Mountain Retreat Center sits on acres of beautiful mountains. Hiking trails abound through dappled forests. When we immerse ourselves in Nature, we are embraced by the most direct and absolute force in the universe. Springtime in the mountains is spectacular. Warm, sunny days and crisp, cool evenings. Use this place to embrace solitude! 6. You’ll quiet your mind to experience true peace and quiet through meditation. Have you often thought your monkey mind would never go away? Wonder if everyone has to put up with it? Get physically exhausted from thinking all the time? Or from lack of sleep because your mind is one endless dictation to you? Discover the quiet parts of your Self. They are there – in fact, we only use 4-5% of our brains – the rest is Quiet, believe it or not. Begin to reside in that Space. Find it through meditation. Geralyn will share several techniques and one will be just right for you. Simple and easy meditation techniques to practice anywhere you go. Meditation is not a belief system nor does it represent any religion. There are no prerequisites. You’ll simply discover a new way of being on a daily basis – increase your ability to focus on a topic, your concentration to complete a project, and calmness so you can truly relax. Meditation can easily become a cornerstone for your Solitude Toolkit. 7. You’ll set your dreams in motion using powerful imagery to guide the way! After you've spent time getting clear on your intentions, and recognizing the practical ways you can clear out the obstacles, you’ll have a luxurious quiet creative session making your very own Vision Board. Simply put, there’s no better time to make a Vision Board than when you are truly centered and clear about your vision. You will add your new Vision Board to your Solitude Toolkit so you can take this transformational experience home with you as a reminder of your commitment to Self-care and Spirituality! 8. You’ll receive a deep healing walking the Labyrinth. Walking a Labyrinth can be done for meditation, healing, increasing awareness, focusing on an intention, or just for fun. This is a simple quiet experience that is said to "balance the brain" through the right turn/left turns of the labyrinth walk. Walkers report a feeling of total stillness, peace and joy. |
Here’s what you can look forward to when you make the commitment to join us and other spiritually-connected, highly motivated women for the Mountain Solitude Retreat. |
Labyrinth walking is a global movement of healing and awakening that has attracted millions of people from all spiritual and religious traditions for thousands of years. There will be a guided group meditation walk in the evening with luminaries guiding our way. The labyrinth will be available at all times to support you in your journey to embrace solitude. You don't have to do anything but enjoy! 9. Your Solitude Toolkit will provide real-life hands-on down-to-earth techniques to help you Embrace Solitude every day, actually every moment of your life. Is “Embracing Solitude” as easy as you are making it sound? Yes! It is one thing to talk about solitude, but it’s another thing to actually put your tools to work. And yet, most people don’t realize that practice makes perfect. That is what every spiritual teacher from Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed or Zoroaster has taught. Practice until you become it. The awareness that unfolds with just a little bit of practice can have profound effects. Once you make the connection, you will be drawn to your goals. It is a simple as that. You will change! We want you to leave this retreat poised to embrace solitude everyday – recognizing it, experiencing it, and BEING IT! So, this may well be the most difficult part of the retreat for you. We will share all of the practices we know to move from the distractions of the body/mind, open to a new way of caring for yourself with LOVE, and creating a life of clear intentions fueled by inspired passion, but you must practice. If you’ve struggled with this in the past, then this retreat is for you. You will receive our individual attention as well as group support. You are not alone and the trip is soooooo worth it! 10. You’ll have access to new exciting resources from our complete library of spiritual, financial, entrepreneurial, writing and personal growth books, music and movies. Nothing's better than a good book to read! Check out new authors for inspiration. Here's a chance to do just that. We are avid readers, and we'll bring a whole library to you for your use during the retreat. Take them to your room for quiet time. Or hang out and read inspiring passages as people do their Vision Boards. It's great to discover new books! 11. You’ll experience Noble Silence as a way to embrace solitude while not alone. Noble Silence means quiet time where only very necessary communication takes place. At the New Year Solitude Retreat we will practice Noble Silence in the public areas inside house from bedtime through breakfast the next day. You and your room mate, if you have one, can agree to continue Noble Silence or not in the privacy of your room. Each day will end and begin with Noble Silence. The silence allows you to integrate the highlights from your day, your awakenings, and new realizations, focus on fresh intentions for the new day. 12. You’ll connect with like-minded women who are evolving and expanding into higher levels of awareness through self-care and spirituality. Group energy can fortify any experience. Success gurus have talked about the power of mastermind groups for ages, and we’ve seen this truth made manifest at past retreats. Don’t try to make true and lasting change all on your own. During the retreat days and beyond, you will be engulfed in encouragement and connection with other people who are making big leaps in their lives just like you! 13. You’ll get continued support, encouragement and inspiration from the group long after the retreat ends. You will be provided with the perfect way to stay privately connected to the group for on-going support, encouragement, and accountability. Immediately following the retreat there will be a group conference call. In the months following the retreat we will encourage you to connect with fellow participants through our Facebook Fan Page – you’ll find that the power of the group continues long after the retreat ends. |
“I have built a labyrinth in my back yard I walk regularly– each time is unique. I am immersed in Nature, and an easy Quiet results no matter how I entered the process.” says Geralyn. |
Mountain Solitude Retreat April 2010 |