Wander

October 11-13, 2024

Deep Portage, Hackensack, MN

A Fall Yoga Retreat at Deep Portage

Wander off the beaten path. Find yourself deep in the northwoods in fall. Relish in the colors, crisp air, and cozy yoga by the fireplace.

Wander…

“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul”
―John Muir

Wander

October 11-13, 2024

Deep Portage, Hackensack, MN

Register

Book Club Read

Book of Delights by Ross Gay.

This is an optional add-on to your weekend! Purchase and read Ross Gay’s essays and poetry.

We will weave themes, poems and quotes from the book into our yoga sessions, journaling, and workshops throughout the weekend.

Fall Hiking

Endless outdoor options: Deep Portage has 11+ miles of trails and over 6,000 acres of secluded preserved forest to explore.

Lookout Tower Hike: a stunning 360º view above the trees. Enjoy a sunrise hike to the lookout tower with us.

Silver Creek Sauna Co.

There is absolutely nothing like enjoying a sauna while on retreat.

Our very own Stacy Nightwine has an incredible mobile sauna!

We are bringing the Finnish tradition of sauna to invite relaxation, warmth, and wellness to your weekend. Enjoy the power of hot/cold: opt for a cold plunge in the ice water tub!

Silver Creek Sauna Co. of Two Harbors, MN will be available throughout our weekend.

Indoor Rock Climbing

A highlight of Deep Portage Learning Center is the indoor rock climbing wall in the heart of the giant facility.

This experience is included in your retreat! On Saturday afternoon you will have the opportunity to rock climb with guidance from the Deep Portage educational team!

The Food!

Four meals are included in your weekend: Friday dinner, Saturday brunch & dinner, and Sunday breakfast.

All meals catered by The Green Scene: Eatery & Market. Green Scene does food SO WELL! It’s a whole experience of the senses. For real.

Options available for vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free etc. Tea + coffee will also be available. We send out a survey a month prior to learn about any dietary restrictions/allergies.

Add-ons to Enhance your Weekend!

Massage therapy, Thai yoga bodywork, or Reiki. We have wonderful options for you to round out your retreat experience.

All registered attendees will receive an email 4-6 weeks prior to the event with limited (first come, first serve) specialty appointment reservation opportunities.

Add a private massage appointment to your retreat!
Jill Jacobson grew up in northern Minnesota. She went to college for Horticulture, Floral Design, and Massage Therapy. In 2014, she married into the Jacobson family who owns Hiawatha Beach Resort on Steamboat Bay of Leech Lake, 8 miles north of Walker. She is currently a stay-at-home mom of three little ones. Massage is where she finds peace and relaxation; a way to ground herself and connect with the energy of others. Jill has been doing massage for over 10 years.
She loves to be able to provide a modality where people can begin to heal and restore their mind, body, and spirit.

Add a private reiki appointment with Colleena Bibeau, Master Usui Reiki Practitioner to your retreat!
Reiki energy channels through the practitioner's hands and encourages you to root in your purpose and being on earth. Reiki energy is for the highest good of all. Reiki is a holistic approach to wellness to promote healing, stress reduction, and relaxation. Reiki is healthy healing universe energy, with a touch or no touch as the practice. Reiki is a restorative channel of cyclical energy promoting wholeness in one’s life force energy and inner being.
Colleena is a direct descendent of the Pillager band of Mississippi, White Earth Nation. She enjoys Ayurvedic cooking, superfood chocolate making, meditation, and hosting circles. Her hobbies include: art, travel, photography, and exercising: restorative yoga, kettlebells, pop pilates, reformer, and cycling.
In her professional spheres, she is a Ojibwe language and culture k-12 educator and is employed in statewide support for American Indian education.

Add a private Thai yoga bodywork session to your retreat!
Alison is a yoga teacher, Thai yoga bodyworker, attorney, and had a past life experimenting with all kinds of exercise and sports activities! She completed her yoga teacher training through Devanadi School of Yoga and Wellness, fell in love with Thai yoga bodywork and completed foundational TYB training through Devanadi as well.

Just Juice Pre-Order Packages

All registered retreaters will receive instructions on the option to add juice to their weekend! Pre-order fresh juice, wellnes shots, and kombucha juice (Booch Juice) made by Jami.

recipes of juices based on seasonally available produce
accommodating of most any allergies as the juices are DF and GF
if guests would like larger quantities, option to email directly for even more to take home and enjoy!

Meet the Boreal Bliss Team

Bryana Cook

Retreat Leader, Yoga Teacher
MSW, LICSW, E-RYT 500, YACEP
Bryana is passionate about pursuing outdoor adventure, and loves to celebrate the benefits of yoga, meditation, breathwork, and nature immersion.
She enjoys teaching gentle and fluid vinyasa classes. Yoga philosophy and the subtle benefits of consistent practice are elements that she can never learn enough about.
In addition to co-owning Boreal Bliss, Bryana also owns Northern Yoga and Wellness. She is a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISCW).
Bryana’s husband Dan Ryan is a fishing guide. They live outside of small-town Longville, MN with their two boys (4 & 2 years old), black lab Sunny, and cat Lucy. Entrepreneurial life in the Northwoods suits them!
Stacy Nightwine

Retreat Leader, Yoga Teacher, Sauna Expert
RYT 200, Yin Certified
Stacy lives with her husband 10 miles north of Two Harbors with their fur babies: two pups and two kitties. She also has many “outdoor pets”: deer, birds, frogs, and even a moose! Stacy enjoys the simple life and the great outdoors: fishing in both summer and winter, kayaking, and snowshoeing. Her favorite shows are Dateline 20/20 and Golden Girls. She uses essential oils for anything and everything.
Stacy owns her own yoga business in Two Harbors: Lake Effect Yoga. She also owns Silver Creek Sauna Co. & loves to bring her mobile sauna to retreats!
Stacy traveled to Isla Mujeres, Mexico in 2019 to complete her 200 hour YTT with Marianne Wells Yoga School. This was a transformational experience for her on many levels. This was her first time traveling out of the country, first time on a plane, and a huge leap to pursue the study of yoga, and continue to to work on a deeper understanding of herself.
Jessica Baumhofer Frank

Yoga Teacher
RYT 200, Yin Certified
Jessica teaches gentle, lighthearted and accessible yoga classes. She has a passion for sound bowls and Yoga Nidra and helping people understand yoga is truly for every body.
Jessica lives in the Twin Cities. She often teaches pop-up yoga sessions in the park, and regularly teaches weekly classes through Elk River Community Education. She leads seasonal Boreal Bliss Day Retreats in the metro as well!
She is a graduate of the first 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training with Boreal Bliss.
Jessica has a degree in Social Work. She works in the mental health field as a Warmline Coordinator supervising employees that provide peer support as well as 988 suicide and crisis response.
Jessica Beaty

Retreat Assistant
RYT 200, Doula
Jessica grew up in northern Minnesota and loves spending time with family, exploring nature and traveling. She’s a bit of a foodie and loves cooking with fresh ingredients from her gardens. During the summer you will find her on the lake living on a houseboat most of the time. Professionally Jessica is a doula, birth assistant and a student midwife. Birthwork is her passion. Jessica says, “yoga has enriched my life in every aspect. I especially love implementing restorative poses and Nidras into my work with families and into my own personal practice.”

Reserve Your Fall Getaway

Register

A group rate at this retreat includes 3-4 people (we typically only room 3-4 together unless a larger group of 5-6 is requested).
You can register with a group of your friends, or you can register solo and room with soon-to-be friends. You and your roommates will have an attached bathroom with shower, toilet, and two sinks to yourselves.
A semi-private room is for you and a friend, or opt to bring your partner along. You can also register solo and meet a new soon-to-be friend as your roommate. You and your roommate will have an attached bathroom with shower, toilet, and two sinks to yourselves.
Opt for a private room and attached bathroom all to yourself! Your private bathroom has a private attached shower, toilet, and two sinks.
Enjoy a full weekend retreat experience. Commute to and from your own home/vacation spot in the area. Everything is included except for the lodging.
Enjoy a Saturday day retreat experience. Commute to and from your own home/vacation spot in the area. Everything is included for your Saturday experience except for the lodging.

Register

FAQs

Arrivals at 4pm Friday and departures beginning at 10:30am Sunday. You can typically opt to arrive a little earlier than 4pm as well. More details emailed to registered retreaters.
4 yoga classes (with many options to choose from), lodging for 2 nights/3 days, 4 Green Scene Market & Eatery meals, tea & coffee, workshops, indoor climbing wall, 11 miles of trails, meditation, hiking, lookout tower hike, snowshoe/cross country ski rental, journaling experiences, campfire, sauna, over 6,000 acres of wilderness at Deep Portage Learning Center!
As part of our ongoing commitment to equity and inclusion in the yoga space, we are offering scholarships to Black, Indigenous, people of color for our fall and winter yoga retreats. Please fill out a BIPOC scholarship application here. Thank you!
6+ weeks notice: $40 fee
4-6 weeks notice: $80 fee
6 weeks and less notice : 75% of total amount fee
14 days or less notice: no refunds available
We hope that you can appreciate the amount of time, love, and energy we wholeheartedly put into each retreat. Not just during the event, but the many months leading up to it.
Please note: Our winter venue does not issue refunds due to weather. As such, we are unlikely to cancel the retreat except in a very extreme scenario. In most situations, we hope our guests plan ahead to accommodate Minnesota weather conditions in winter to safely travel to and from the retreat- which may occasionally mean allowing extra travel time.
In the event of widespread extreme weather, including highway closures, the retreat will be rescheduled. If you are unable to attend the rescheduled weekend, you may be able to receive a partial refund or transfer credit to a future retreat. If the retreat is not cancelled/rescheduled, we will be unable to issue refunds on an individual basis due to the weather.
Deep Portage Learning Center is located amongst 6,000 acres of preserved wilderness.
Address: 2197 Nature Drive NW Hackensack, MN 56452
Check your emails! Approximately 5-8 weeks prior to the weekend, we send you an email with important information regarding your weekend retreat including a detailed itinerary, FAQ, pre-retreat survey with roommate requests, dietary needs, and more. Your timely response is important! Thank you!