Soothe & Restore Retreat Recap
“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”
- Charles Dickens
The first weekend in March, we enjoyed a winter return to Deep Portage Learning Center in Hackensack, MN. Many attended for the first time and were surprised by the beautiful seclusion this environmental learning center tucked into the forest provides. The retreaters who were returning felt the soothing nature escape as a homecoming.
These three pictured above, did a stellar job leading us through an amazing retreat focused on Soothe & Restore: Jessica Baumhofer-Frank, Stacy Nightwine, and Amal Karim!
This retreat had many moving parts, and dare I say the team pulled it off quite seamlessly?! Workshops, yoga, journaling, sound bowls, yoga nidra, outdoor play, climbing wall, campfire, tie-dye, fresh juice, and more! We also had yoga teacher training happening simultaneously.
Friday kicked off with both a traditional Boreal Bliss welcome circle, but also yoga teacher training was moving through their educational hours toward 200hour certification. This cohort of 14 trainees is nearing the end of their program. This was the fourth in-person training session; they will complete there training with one last module at Camp du Nord in Ely in April.
ASL Interpreters
Unique to this retreat, we collaborated with ASL Interpreters for the first time ever! Karen Sheldon and Janine Schug did an outstanding job working with us to provide an inclusive retreat for our group of deaf and hard of hearing retreaters. Special thank you so much to Kathy, Audrey, and Laura for giving this a try and being so patient with us!
Saturday we enjoyed the sunshine!! Wow what a day. Sauna, snowshoeing, sunrise hike, cross country skiing, and beautiful winter sun.
Once again, the custom mobile sauna by Stonegrove Saunas was a hit! We love that hot/cold combo. Also, this kindling cracker adds to fun - easy to use but makes you feel like like a very powerful lumberjill. This photo from Amal smashing logs needs a moment of appreciation. GET IT AMAL!!! Love this photo. haha!
The Juice!
Jami Nelson with Just Juice added immensely to our weekend once again! Jami brought her fresh juice for all to enjoy throughout the weekend. She led a workshop on the wide variety of health benefits that can be achieved when consuming fruits and vegetables in their raw form. She spoke about consuming seasonally available produce, organic vs. conventional produce, what the difference is between smoothies and juices and the health benefits of both. Jami also addressed how much and when to consume juice in order to achieve maximum results and benefits of these powerhouse nature made beverages.
“Tie dye goes with everything!” - Stacy Nightwine
Saturday night we had a Flow-State Tie Dye Workshop with Stacy! This was so much fun and creative. If you know Stacy, you know that anything she is passionate about is sure to be a good time. We have also learned that we thoroughly enjoy rocking tie dye because, as Stacy says: “tie dye goes with everything”. We foresee more tie dye in our future!
Winter campfires are a staple of a Boreal Bliss weekend. Once again we enjoyed hidden talents, fresh air, the starry night sky, and the crackle of a wood fire in the great outdoors.
Green Scene Market & Eatery!
As usual, a big highlight of the weekend is the nourishing and delicious food carefully curated by the Green Scene Market & Eatery. I’m still dreaming about homemade sourdough bread and honey butter. *Cue drooling. THANK YOU GREEN SCENE!
The photos!
Sarah Miller of Whispering Willow Photography - THANK YOU FOR YOUR CAPTURE OF THE WEEKEND! WOW! Your images are always beautiful and I enjoy reliving the weekend all over again when I open your gallery.
