Like a phoenix, our more luxurious retreat offering, Lake Life State of Mind, reemerged this year. We brought back this lovely retreat and hope to keep the tradition going. Bryana and I were thrilled to host a retreat together, and we took a cool 21 pages of notes in preparation for the retreat!

Upon arrival, we were so thrilled by our accommodations. Everything immediately exceeded our expectations. Throughout the planning process, Abby, Brittany, and the staff at Sugar Lake were so kind, accommodating, and helpful. Abby shared that the room I was staying in with my family was actually the apartment she grew up in with her siblings while their parents built and grew the resort. Abby now owns and operates Sugar Lake Lodge, and disclosed to us with admiration that her dad is still around dailly and will likely never actually retire.

We love to work with family-owned businesses in Minnesota, and working with a female entrepreneur is our favorite.

Abby passionately shared information with us about the most special feature about Sugar Lake Lodge- the lake itself. Ziinzibaakwad-zaaga`igan (Ojibwe) is the lake’s original name, or Siseebakwet Lake (roughly translated to Sweet Water or Sugar Lake). Due to all the maple trees surrounding the lake, there is a high concentration of calcium carbonate in the water that offers natural protection from acid rain. Sugar Lake provides 26 feet of water clarity, making it one of the cleanest, clearest lakes in all of Minnesota. The lake’s high calcium carbonate content also helps sediment settle and scatters light in a way that intensifies its Mediterranean-blue appearance.

Throughout the weekend we all had our own personal experiences with the wonder of such a clear lake. From paddleboards, kayaks and canoes, we were able to observe the goings-on of the critters of Sugar Lake. Little clam trails were visible on the bottom of the lake (none of us knew clams made little trails like that?), and we marveled at the interplay of light and shadow on the bottom of the lake bed, several feet below. We enjoyed watching the many types of waterfowl as they scattered, scurried, and paddled around; or coming across a snapping turtle moseying across a trail in all their ancient glory.

In morning meditation, birdsong filled our ears and hearts as we watched the trees sway in the breeze and the sun come up over the water. During yoga we watched a giant formation of geese fly overhead. We watched small birds pester larger birds, like Eagles and Crows.

The themes for the weekend were pulled from the book Stress Resets by Dr. Jennifer Taitz. Stress Resets offers 75 quick, science-backed techniques to help manage stress effectively.

We loved this book! The author offers several quick resets for when you are in need or “urgent care” or a quick strategy to reset your nervous system. These are practices to try when you are stuck in rumination, a shame or anxiety spiral, feeling extremely overwhelmed/down/anxious, etc. These have been really fun to practice. Bryana and I cried laughing making a reel about one of our favorite strategies where you sing Haddaway’s “What is Love?” but replace the words with:

What are thoughts?

Thoughts they can’t hurt me…

Can’t hurt me…

No more.

This is a simple, easy one to remember and I’ve been using it regularly. Even though I’ve been in this field since 2012, I still appreciate new, easy-to-use tools to implement in my life. I’m also excited to use the stress resets card decks with my children.

She then offers behavior resets which are more like your ongoing care with your primary care physician. These are practices to try when you are not in crisis. These practices encourage long-term wellness, like evaluating your negative thoughts and evaluating your urges to self-soothe with things like chocolate, alcohol, shopping, social media, etc. I am sure we will continue weaving these stress resets into our lives and retreats, and we encourage you to consider this book as well!

The food for the weekend was spectacular. The accommodations were a 10/10. The scenic views left us all feeling easy-breezy-lemon-squeezy. There was a bit of music, from Bryana’s sound bowls and Amanda’s ukelele in class, and a few of Amanda’s “family songs” at the campfire (to mixed reviews and laughter).

All in all, a perfect weekend to reset, recharge, and rejuvenate.

We hope to retreat with you again! We loved our time at Sugar Lake Lodge so much, we did in fact reserve a weekend for 2026. We told many of you that we did not (because we didn’t!), but then we inquired and were able to come up with a weekend that would work! Yahoo! See our upcoming schedule below!

Upcoming Schedule includes:

Sept. 18-21, 2025: Flow Yoga Retreat at Camp Olson YMCA in Longville, MN
Nov 21 or Nov 22, 2025: Fall Day Retreat at YMCA Camp St Croix in Hudson, WI
Jan 8-11, 2026: Friluftsliv Yoga Retreat at Camp du Nord in Ely, MN
Feb 6-8, 2026: Rest Yoga Retreat at Deep Portage in Hackensack, MN
March 6-8, 2026: Jubilee Yoga Retreat at Deep Portage in Hackensack, MN
April 17-19, 2026: Family Yoga, Nature, Fly Fishing Retreat at Whitewater State Park in Altura, MN
May 15-17, 2026: Renewal Yoga Retreat at Sugar Lake Lodge in Cohasset, MN
May 28-31, 2026: Lake Life Yoga Retreat at Kona Kona Resort on Kabekona Lake in Laporte, MN
August 2026: Adventure Awaits at Birchwood Wilderness Camp on the edge of the BWCAW

Learn more about our upcoming retreats here: www.borealblissyogaretreats.com/events

To close, we are sharing a few of the nature-themed poetry we weaved into the weekend.

668 by Emily Dickinson

“Nature” is what we see-

The Hill–the Afternoon–

Squirrel–Eclipse–the Bumble bee–

Nay– Nature is Heaven–

Nature is what we hear–

The Bobolink–the Sea–

Thunder–the Cricket–

Nay–Nature is Harmony–

Nature is what we know–

Yet we have no art to say–

So impotent Our Wisdom is

To her Simplicity

Lost by David Wagoner

Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you

Are not lost. Wherever you are is called

Here,

And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,

Must ask permission to know it and be known.

The forest breathes. Listen, it answers.

I have made this place around you.

If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.

No two trees are the same to Raven.

No two branches are the same to Wren.

If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you

You are surely lost.

Stand still. The forest knows

Where you are. You must let it find you.

How to love a rock by Jennifer Huang

Notice the maroon cirrus clouds against

the gray of her landscape, then each white spot—

stars that propel you into space. Express

what you see in her, how you love the way

she smells like grass and salt. Ask about her

properties, history, how she was picked

from the glacial waters of Lake Crescent

and brought across the land to be placed

in your palms. Ask to feel her smooth. Caress

till your thumb can find a home in her brook.

Be with her and share your day, how you jumped

into a river, came out ice. How you

worry now, let it go. Give her space to

say not words; then, when she’s ready, many.

Lake Life State of Mind Retreat Recap: a return to a bit of luxury!

Mental Fitness is just as important as Physical Fitness (maybe more so)