Shelterwood
Retreat

April 3-5 , 2026 | Whidbey Institute

An invitation to return.

To the body after long seasons of holding.
To the land as a teacher of rhythm and restraint.
To community as something that can hold us, too.

For healers, helpers, keepers of presence and steadiness for others — this weekend is an intentional unfolding back to yourself.

This retreat is an invitation to receive back what has been given away, to reconnect with land, community, and the deep rhythms of your own nervous system, and to restore.

Retreat

The prefix re comes from Latin, meaning back, again, in response, in return.

It speaks to cycles rather than progress,
to remembering what has been fragmented,
to restoration that comes from returning.

This retreat leans into that movement:

  • Receive what has been missing

  • Remember yourself in relationship

  • Restore nervous systems, creativity, and vitality

  • Reciprocate when it feels resourced

Land

We will gather at the Whidbey Institute — stewarded land in an old-growth forest on Whidbey Island.

In forestry, a shelterwood is a canopy system that protects new growth through layers of care over time.

This retreat is an expression of that same ethic: a human shelterwood where practitioners are supported, not depleted; held, not harvested.

What to Expect

A gentle pause from the pace of everyday life. The retreat container is intentionally crafted to create space for you to slow down, reconnect, and return — through collective ritual, embodied practice, restorative space, and integration.

We will begin and end in ceremony — crossing into and out of retreat together. The altar will be built collectively and dismantled collectively. What is invited in will be witnessed. What is released will be honored.

❋ Opening & Closing Thresholds
❋ Land Connection

Forest bathing. Finding a nature ally. Working with earth, water, air, and fire. Listening. Being witnessed.

Yoga. Breath work. Moving meditation. Sound. Vocal toning. Dance. Sauna. Silence.

We will tend to nervous systems intentionally. By day two, we expect many bodies to have landed more fully.

❋ Embodiment

There will be curated offerings, but never so many that decision fatigue takes over. At different points you’ll have 2-3 containers to choose from: immerse and be held; rest and wander; create and experiment. 

❋ Spaciousness & Choice

There will be opportunities for grief, rage, voice, and transformation. Writing what needs to be shed. Burning what no longer serves. Working with fire as an element of alchemy.

❋ Fire & Release

There will be spaces to spontaneously offer gifts — song, ritual, facilitation — if moved. A visible exchange board for those who wish to share. And full permission to not offer anything at all.

❋ Community Reciprocity

This is not hyper-individualized rest. It is shared rest. Restoration amplifies in companionship. Practicing rest as resistance. 

❋ Rest as Collective Practice

Throughout the weekend, there will be curated, held spaces for:

  • Art making

  • Writing & reflection

  • Rage & release

  • Silence

  • Deep rest

❋ Tended Spaces

Flow

Our 3-day container is designed to be intentional, immersive, and invitational. We will be leaning into liminal space as a way of shifting into a posture of receiving and restoration. The retreat will follow an arch of arriving, releasing, reorienting, imagining, alchemizing, and returning. There will be a rhythm to our days together with opportunities to be held in community and unstructured time for rest, solitude, and play woven throughout. 

FRIDAY: Entering the portal

Afternoon Arrival
Settle into rooms, wander the land, add to the communal altar.
Explore tended spaces designed to support you in truly arriving.

Welcome Dinner
Delicious farm-to-table meal and fellowship.

Evening Circle
Intention setting. Breath work. Labyrinth. Communal altar. Fire ceremony.

Night
Music by the campfire. Silent stargazing. Early rest. 

SATURDAY: Experimentation

Morning
Casual breakfast. Tea in the meadow. Gentle movement.

Deepening Circle
Space to drop into liminal space. Sound bath. Invitation to release, reorient, receive.

Tended Spaces
Choiceful offerings to be announced: art, movement, walks, writing
Focused offering: Forest bathing + nature ally practice

Midday
Shared meal. Space for rest or solitude.

Tended Spaces
Choiceful offerings to be announced: art, movement, walks, writing
Focused offering: Sauna pop up

Night
Community feast. Collective singing. Fire ceremony.
Early rest or celebration dance party (pick what aligns! ;) 

Sunday: Alchemy

Morning
Casual breakfast. Tea in the meadow. Gentle movement.

Integration Circle
Collective space to alchemize. Dismantling our altar together. Labyrinth.

Closing Ceremony
Crossing back over the threshold. Blessing the ripple outward.

Departure

What’s Included:

3 days of thoughtful, embodied ritual and practice held by seasoned facilitators and co-created in community. All ceremonies, somatic practices, circles, rituals, and creative spaces are included.

2 nights of lodging in an old-growth forest ecosystem. The entire Whidbey Institute campus is reserved for our community — creating privacy, safety, and continuity throughout the weekend.

5 nourishing, farm-to-table meals, plus coffee, tea, refreshments, and snacks throughout the day. Meals are part of the retreat rhythm — shared tables, slow mornings, lingering conversations. You won’t need to coordinate, drive, or think about food. It’s all tended.

18 CEU units are included in the retreat fee.
These units will be received through experiential, embodied learning — no extra work required. Professional renewal woven into personal restoration.

Exchange

This retreat is offered on a sliding scale, rooted in shared care and reciprocity. Our intention is to cover the cost of the retreat, while making participation accessible across a range of financial realities. All pricing tiers offer the same experience, access, and belonging.

This retreat is not designed for profit. It is designed as a shared ecology — where resources, care, and presence circulate rather than accumulate.

If you are able to choose a higher tier, you are helping make this gathering possible for others. If you need to choose a supported tier, you are still fully welcomed. We trust participants to choose the tier that feels honest and sustainable for them. No explanation is required.

Canopy Tier

$1,111

Supporter Cost
This tier most closely reflects the true cost of the retreat. Choosing this level helps sustain the shared container, support retreat stewards, and subsidize participation for others.

If you are financially resourced and able to help hold the canopy, this tier supports the whole forest.

Root Tier

$999

Core Cost
This tier reflects the core cost of participation and helps us meet retreat expenses. It holds the center of the retreat and keeps the structure stable.

If this feels like a balanced and accessible investment for you, this tier is a strong and welcomed choice.

Mycelial Tier

$888

Supported Cost
This tier is partially subsidized by the community and intended for those who would benefit deeply from attending but need additional support to make it possible.

Choosing this tier is not taking too much — it is part of how we practice shared care.

COMMUNITY REGISTRATION
SHELTERWOOD REGISTRATION

*If cost is a barrier even at the Mycelial tier, please reach out. We may have limited additional support available.

Now Open: Saturday Only Retreat

If a three-day container isn’t possible for you right now, we warmly invite you to join us for a single-day experience on Saturday, April 4th from 9am to 9pm — a full day to reconnect, replenish, and be held in this shared space.

Lunch and Dinner are included, as will 8 hours of CEU’s (3 of which will qualify for Professional Law and Ethics).

Saturday only cost:

Canopy Tier $555

Root Tier $444

Mycelial Tier $333

Learn More & Register