Rest Retreat Recap
“You are worthy of rest. We don’t have to earn rest. Rest is not a luxury, or a privilege, or a bonus we must wait for once we are burned out.” - Tricia Hersey
February 6-8 was a winter weekend of rest indeed. We incorporated concepts from Kari Leibowitz’s book, How to Winter all weekend long.
One of these main takeaways is that during the winter season, we seek to celebrate the unique aspects of the dark. An example of this is Leibowitz’s “BIG LIGHT OFF” concept: embrace the cozy comforts of candlelight and firelight.
Our yoga sessions were set in scene of glowing light, and warmth from the fireplace.
We kicked off the weekend with a Mocktail Bar, including fresh ingredients from Jami’s Just Juice out of Nisswa, MN.
Jami always mixes up the most delicious and appealing creations. This is a fun, relaxing, and healthy way to start the weekend.
Jami always provides an optional order of fresh cold-pressed juices and wellness shots that many really look forward to as a part of their retreat experience.
Some retreaters hopped right on the opportunity to add specialty appointments to their weekends. Where it was Thai Yoga Bodywork with Alison (pictured above), traditional massage with Jill, or Reiki with Cindy, these sessions were well-loved and needed for a weekend of rest and peace.
The fresh theme continued throughout the weekend, with phenomenal meals catered by the Green Scene. Their menu is always droolworthy. And the ingredients are of such quality, my stomach basically jumps for joy every time. :)
After we were well-fed, we dreamily walked down to the Great Hall for our traditional Welcome Circle, and first yoga class of the weekend.
Our welcome circle & yoga class were focused on embracing winter, and this season of darkness.
“Adapting to winter is also a practice of adjusting to whatever is in front of us. There are seasons of the year - and seasons of life - for putting ourselves out there, for pushing ourselves, for striving forward and learning and growing.
And there are seasons for going inward, for slowing down, for healing and taking stock. There will be months and years of great joy and bounty and months and years hardship and sadness.
Learning to accept, even embrace wherever we are, whenever we are, is the practice of a lifetime.
Knowing when to slow down and when to speed up is wisdom.
The ability to listen to ourselves, to match the natural world, to work with circumstances rather than fight against them are skills that will aid us in every venture as we undertake.
And winter gives us the chance to rehearse every year.”
Yet, we are finding ourselves firmly entering the phase of “spring-winter” where the days are longer, and everything in nature (including us) is beginning to feel a sense of renewal.
From the book How to Winter, Leibowitz shared about the culture of the Sami, and how they had eight seasons: “in addition to winter, spring, summer, and fall, the Sami have four bridge seasons: spring-summer, autumn - summer, autumn - winter, spring -winter. Rather than dates on the calendar, these seasons were heralded by events in nature.”
“Autumn - winter, or early winter, just after the end of daylight savings time, is about slowing down and reacquainting ourselves with activities that shine in the dark.”
Mid-winter - mid-December to mid-January: “this is the heart of winter, when the days are at their shortest, and I most need to turn inward. It includes the solstice and the New Year, and feels like a time for contemplation and rest.”
“Spring-winter, or late winter, however, is more about reemerging from our chrysalises, welcoming back the sun and looking forward to longer days.”
Furthermore, Feb. 1 marks the halfway point between winter solstice and spring equinox, signaling the first stirrings of spring, renewal, and the return of light. We are firmly in Spring-Winter phase right now during this time of year.
Before we completed our first evening, we invited retreaters to join us for a Despacho Ceremony. This is a tradition we learned from our friend, Shaman, and author Sarah Seidelmann. She calls this practice: “a care package for the universe.”
A Despacho Ceremony is an intentional and tangible way to practice gratitude, restore balance and harmony, and send personal peace requests or prayers out into the world.
While this sacred practice used to be secret, the Laika (high shamans or wisdomkeepers of the Q’ero lineage of Peru) decided to share this practice with the world as they believe the world is in a time of need for great healing.
Ultimately the purpose is to create harmony, ask for blessings, give thanks, or make amends, functioning as a spiritual "dispatch" or communication.
On Saturday morning, retreaters had the option to sleep, join Stacy for meditation, or join Bryana for a sunrise hike to the tower.
This tower view always impresses. Gazing out over 6,000 acres of pristine preserved wilderness? The coolest. Also one of my fun facts that I shared with this group is that in 2022 a staff member took a video of a black bear and her cub climbing up this tower?! Absolutely wild! I went and dug up the photos from their instagram, and it turns out there were actually THREE yearling cubs with mama black bear. Check it out here. Read the story on why the gate was open with the link.
From the tower, many headed back to the main building for morning yoga session options with Alison and/or Stacy.
While a handful joined me for a snowshoe adventure to the new Mindfulness Trail. One of my favorite memories is laughing my way through taking them off the trail for 5 minutes accidentally. The best part was that everyone was enjoying themselves so much they didn’t even mind!
We wandered through giant pine trees, and soaked in the wintry bog views. Upon return to the building we were all rosy-cheeked and happily alert. What a wonderful start to the day!
In the afternoon, retreaters got to choose: active or chill time. We had arts, crafts, and puzzles in the Great Hall. Everyone brought their own project to relax into by the fire, or purchased one of our watercolor workbooks and watercolor sets. I personally loved engaging in relaxing watercolors. This workbook gave me just enough direction, yet always allowed me to soften into the quiet.
Others choose to indoor rock climb and/or cross country ski. The cross country skiers enjoyed a guided journey across Bass Pond and Big Deep Lake. They went to view the eagle’s nest on the lakeshore and were delighted to see the eagle nearby. They took their skis off for a beat to go see all the bones underneath the nest, laying on the ground. One of our retreaters said the Deep Portage guides did SUCH a great job leading this experience. This is always wonderful for us (and them) to hear!
By the time the afternoon rolled around, we were all really in our groove. The Well Rooted tea was hopping, Stacy’s essential oils bar was rolling, and everyone cozied into the Great Hall happily ready for Cindy and Stacy’s Heart Chakra Workshop.
All weekend-long, Silver Creek Sauna Co. treated us so well. This mobile wood-fired sauna really does the relaxation trick.
Fun fact, our retreat co-leader Stacy trailers this puppy herself. And she looks darn cool doing it. Thank you Stace!
After another wonderful dinner by the Green Scene, we snuggled into the Great Hall for a restorative yoga, yoga nidra, and sound bath session. Many felt completely relaxed and ready for a great night’s sleep after this fulfilling day.
And yet, an adventurous few wandered out to the campfire. We breathed in the fresh winter night air, found ourselves mesmerized by the fire, completed our Despacho Ceremony together, and shared silly stories.
On Sunday morning, we came full circle. An early meditation, followed by final yoga class, and then completing our time together with a closing circle. In our closing circle we practiced savoring, and tiny tweaks to bring home and apply to daily life. A full morning all before our final breakfast together.
“Fostering a constructive winter mindset can also lead to broader shift toward seeing seasonal change as natural and valuable.
I let summer be a time for eating dinner late, after the sun has set, and going to bed later; a time for swimming and picnics and high energy; ripe tomatoes and grilled corn.
I enjoy these seasonal delights while they last; I say goodbye to these with sadness even as I eagerly anticipate the crispness of autumn and the quiet of winter. It’s more useful for me to change with the seasons, to allow myself to be a human animal affected by light and temperature, than to try to maintain a consistent routine year-round.
Winter has been an entryway to greater season living. This has helped me view the season not as lacking what I love about summer, but as a time for special winter qualities: quiet, coziness, slowness; a time of year for recuperation, and practicing listening to my body and saying no to the outside world so I can say yes to my inner world.”
Thank you, thank you, thank you. To all retreaters, and our team, for creating a magically restful weekend retreat in the northwoods. It was sincerely special.
Want to join us for our last Winter Retreat in 2026? We will be at it again, but this time in a celebratory fashion. It’s officially been 10 years of retreat at Deep Portage!
Registration will be closing February 20th! We hope you can join us for another specialty weekend. This time there will be live music sessions, along with specialty workshops!
