24

Days

12

Hours

06

Mins

Softening Into Ourselves: Nourishing Spirit, Deepening Connection

November 09 - November 12, 2026

Sue Lembeck-Edens

Rachel Mefferd

Much of our lives ask us to lean forward—to respond, manage, and care for others. This retreat offers a different rhythm. Together, we will practice leaning back into support, cultivating receptivity and trusting stillness. We will explore what becomes possible when we shift from effort to presence, from yang to yin, and from holding ourselves up to allowing ourselves to be softly held.Mindful movement, dance and art will be the central pathways into this exploration. As we dance, we will notice the gestures, patterns, and rhythmic qualities of expression that naturally draw us. What actions feel familiar? Which ones feel dynamic and enlivening? We will also gently explore aspects of ourselves that may have been hidden, neglected, or pushed aside in service of who we felt we needed to be. With curiosity rather than judgment, we will welcome these forgotten parts back into relationship.Through guided inquiry, we will begin to recognize the stories our bodies have been telling and the possibilities they have yet to express. Together, we will discover “our dance not done”—the impulses, and expressions that may have been interrupted or left waiting for a more welcoming moment. We will create space for these unfinished dances to emerge and unfold. Written reflections and art explorations will help us anchor our discoveries, weaving embodied experience into awareness and insight.Our Women’s Circle will provide a sacred space for witnessing and being witnessed. A place for stories, dreams, longings, and discoveries to be shared as we practice deep listening, remembering the healing that emerges when we gather in community and speak from the heart.
Schedule:Monday, November 9
  • 3 - 6 pm Arrive & Check-in
  • 6 - 7 pm Dinner
  • 7:30 - 9 pm Welcome, The Art of Softening; Bon Fire
Tuesday, November 10
  • 7:30 am “Greet the Day” Labyrinth Walking Meditation
  • 8 - 9 am Breakfast
  • 9:30 am - 12 pm Meeting Ourselves with Curiosity, Qi Motion, Art & Writing Explorations
  • 12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
  • 2 - 5 pm Weaving Connection; Somatic Movement, Yoga and Reflections
  • 6 - 7 pm Dinner
  • 7:30 - 9 pm Making Sacred Objects That Hold Our Stories
Wednesday, November 11
  • 7:30 am “Greet the Day” Cycadean Rhythms
  • 8 - 9 am Breakfast
  • 9:30 - 12 pm Listening within; finding the rhythms that move us
  • 12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
  • 2 pm Discovering the Dance Not Yet Done and Journaling
  • 4 - 6 pm Sharing Our Voices Listening Circle
  • 6 - 7 pm Dinner
  • 7:30 - 9 pm Healing Sound Bath
Thursday, November 12
  • 7 - 11 am Check out of rooms
  • 7:30 am Closing Circle
  • 8 - 9 am Breakfast
  • 12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch & Departure
*Please note this schedule is subject to change.

ABOUT THE TEACHERs

Sue Lembeck-Edens

Sue Lembeck-Edens brings warmth, wisdom, and more than three decades of experience to her work as an educator, facilitator, and guide in body-mind practices. A Licensed Massage Therapist, Dance/Movement Therapist, and yoga instructor, Sue’s teaching is grounded, imaginative, an...

Rachel Mefferd

Rachel Mefferd is an acupuncturist, dance-movement therapist, and lifelong student of the body’s wisdom. For more than two and a half decades, she has guided people toward greater balance, resilience, and connection through the practices of Chinese medicine, therapeutic movemen...

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