Winter Wonder Day Retreats Recap
On the third weekend in January, Boreal Bliss brought the “of the north” feelings to the Twin Cities area. We had two lovely day retreats at YMCA Camp St. Croix, just outside of Hudson WI. We gathered in the beautiful woods, in a cozy lodge with a crackling fire and explored the wonders of winter!
Our day began with a circle to share thoughts and feelings about winter- and oh boy did they vary- all the way from “i love it! And embrace it all!” to “I detest everything about it” and lots of sentiments in between. It was fun to hear so many different perspectives.
We then moved our bodies with a little bit higher energy yoga class led by me (Jessica Baumhofer) and then made our way to a delicious lunch in the dining hall.
After lunch, we offered two fun choices:
A workshop with Erin Main based on the book “How to Winter” by Kari Leibowitz, that led retreaters through creative writing exercises, journaling and other activities to help them embrace all that winter has to offer.
Or an opportunity to hike with me, where we took a “noticing nature” walk and took in the beautiful grounds of the camp. It was beautiful and we all stayed warm and toasty.
Well Rooted Tea (a local MN company) was also served throughout the day, the lovely Elizabeth was on her game to make sure it was always available, which everyone appreciated.
In the afternoon, we all gathered together again to enjoy a very gentle movement session led by me (Jessica), combined with a sound healing element led by Elizabeth. She even had us participate in the session by humming with one of her cool instruments. The sound healing was magical and created an energy of calm and cozy.
Throughout the day Cindy Geibe of Inner Harmony Healing offered Reiki appointments and Liza Viktoria of Simple Journeys Massage and Wellness LLC offered massage. The look of pure bliss was evident on the retreater's faces who opted in for these.
We closed out the day with our circle and checked in, a few retreaters even said they felt a little bit more open to winter and would try to make the rest of it more enjoyable. We shared a few closing words and wrapped up with our one-word feeling at the end of the day. Words we heard echoed sentiments of: “relaxed’ “peaceful” and “grateful”.
I am extremely grateful to have hosted this retreat alongside Elizabeth Sorenson and Erin Main. It was a magical experience and I am honored to have been a part of it. As a person who has recently rediscovered her love of Winter, it felt extra fun to host! Thank you to everyone who attended and the fact that we added an extra day made it even more special!
With a full heart and gratitude,
Jessica
