Mountain Solitude Retreat April 2010
Mountain Solitude Retreat
A Woman's Retreat for Self Care and Spirituality
The Mountain Retreat Center, Highlands, NC
April 29-May 2, 2010
Register by 3/15 at Earlybird Rates!
Dear Friend:
Are you craving rest and relaxation?
Do you want to learn how to take better care of yourself?
Does a weekend spent connecting to nature sound delicious to you?
Imagine spending three days and nights with about a dozen other women who are also seeking rest, renewal, connection and inspiration? You'll...
- Engage in restful and nourishing activities such as...
Yoga... move and stretch your body
Meditation... calm and focus your spirit
Journaling...express yourself creatively
Collaging... allow images to inspire you
Labyrinth Walking...practice mindfulness
- Walk the woods in beautiful mountains of North Carolina at a beautiful retreat center secluded from the "real world"
- Surround yourself with environmentally friendly accommodations, simple furnishings to help you clear the "clutter" from your life
- Retreat with other women from around the country who are seeking balance and renewal
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We invite you to join us for a transformational retreat that will refresh your mind, renew your body and restore your spirit...
The Mountain Retreat Center
www.mountaincenters.org
A little bit about our location for the Mountain Solitude
Retreat weekend...
--- from the Mountain Centers website
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The Complete Retreat Experience:
More than just a Weekend Retreat!
Going on retreat takes courage and involves giving yourself permission to step away from every day life. While the retreat weekend itself is going to be worth your time, energy and dollars to attend, we want to add even more value to your experience. We believe that retreat begins the moment you say "YES!"
***In addition to the all-inclusive retreat weekend in April, we are including 2 group coaching calls as part of the package price. This is our special gift to you! ***
Call #1 "The Transformative Power of Retreat" (mid April) - We'll help you set the stage for the coming weeks, encouraging you to take a mini-retreat on your own before we gather together on retreat. We'll help you understand why retreats are necessary, powerful and life changing!
Call #2 "Living the Retreat at Home" (mid May)- We'll help participants reintegrate retreat concepts into their daily lives and discuss some of the post-retreat experiences including euphoria, creativity, sadness and overwhelm. They are all a natural part of the retreat experience and we'll help you process and integrate.
These calls will help prepare retreat registrants physically, emotionally and spiritually for the weekend itself. We hope to inspire all the women who join us to make "retreating" an important part of their daily lives. We plan to support you in making that happen.
*** Group Coaching Calls will be scheduled once we have all registrants confirmed and we determine availability for the majority of participants. If you miss any of the calls, everything will be recorded for your convenience. ***
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Here’s what you can look forward to when you make the commitment to join us and other spiritually-connected, highly motivated women for the Mountain Solitude Retreat.
Most of us go through our days with very little conscious awareness for self-care. We forget how important it is for our continued physical health, mental well-being and spiritual development! The Solitude Retreat will help you create your own personal retreat toolkit, combining nurturing, awareness, and practical tools to embrace solitude in your life well beyond the retreat weekend itself.
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You’ll be served exquisitely tasty, freshly prepared, nourishing food to energize your body, satisfy your mind and feed your soul. |
You'll feel so special sitting down to a well-balanced, delicious tasting meal prepared mindfully and lovingly. Each and every delectable entree will be prepared using as many fresh ingredients as possible. Tell us your dietary needs and we'll do our best to accommodate you. Coffee and tea will be served. BYOB for beer, wine or mixed drinks.
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Journaling is an important activity during the retreat. Record intentions, experiences and dreams with each session. |
Use your right brain to bring balance to your life! Writing activates the right side of our brain, which will clarify your intentions, record your experiences, and awaken your dreams. Each easy, guided writing session is designed to help everyone record their deepest insights. Never done journaling? Think of it as an “adult diary,” write letters to family or friends during the retreat, record your experiences as a travel journal. Light up the right side of your brain to enhance your overall sense of well being for life.
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Abundant space and silent time in the North Carolina Mountains. Incredible views, fresh mountain air and gentle forest breezes. |
We know your lives are busy and the last thing you want is more activity – more to do. That’s not a retreat! Too often we go from one activity to another with no down time to transition and get perspective. Not at this retreat!
At the Mountain Solitude Retreat, we have dedicated lots of space for silence and rest and quietude.
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You’ll begin to enjoy a whole new awareness of your body through Gentle Yoga in the morning and Restorative Yoga in the afternoon. |
Even if you have never done yoga before or if you regularly practice yoga, these classes can move you to another level of appreciation for your body. The classes are gentle, not difficult, and will be practiced with the intention to increase Awareness, Accept what we Notice, and then choose any Adjustments to be made. Yoga postures are practiced to FREE oneself from the pain and discomfort of the body, so that solitude can be embraced.
5 You'll reconnect with your soul in this incredible mountain scene. Trees, valleys and some of the oldest exposed rocks in the world will support you in this journey.
The Mountain Retreat Center sits on acres of beautiful mountains. Hiking trails abound through dappled forests. When we immerse ourselves in Nature, we are embraced by the most direct and absolute force in the universe. Springtime in the mountains is spectacular. Warm, sunny days and crisp, cool evenings. Use this place to embrace solitude!|
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You’ll quiet your mind to experience true peace and quiet through meditation. |
Have you often thought your monkey mind would never go away? Wonder if everyone has to put up with it? Get physically exhausted from thinking all the time? Or from lack of sleep because your mind is one endless dictation to you?
Discover the quiet parts of your Self. They are there – in fact, we only use 4-5% of our brains – the rest is Quiet, believe it or not. Begin to reside in that Space. Find it through meditation. Geralyn will share several techniques and one will be just right for you. Simple and easy meditation techniques to practice anywhere you go.
Meditation is not a belief system nor does it represent any religion. There are no prerequisites. You’ll simply discover a new way of being on a daily basis – increase your ability to focus on a topic, your concentration to complete a project, and calmness so you can truly relax. Meditation can easily become a cornerstone for your Solitude Toolkit.
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You’ll set your dreams in motion using powerful imagery to guide the way! |
After you've spent time getting clear on your intentions, and recognizing the practical ways you can clear out the obstacles, you’ll have a luxurious quiet creative session making your very own Vision Board. Simply put, there’s no better time to make a Vision Board than when you are truly centered and clear about your vision. You will add your new Vision Board to your Solitude Toolkit so you can take this transformational experience home with you as a reminder of your commitment to Self-care and Spirituality!
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You’ll receive a deep healing walking the Labyrinth. |
Walking a Labyrinth can be done for meditation, healing, increasing awareness, focusing on an intention, or just for fun. This is a simple quiet experience that is said to "balance the brain" through the right turn/left turns of the labyrinth walk. Walkers report a feeling of total stillness, peace and joy.
“I have built a labyrinth in my back yard I walk regularly – each time is unique. I am immersed in Nature, and an easy Quiet results no matter how I entered the process.” says Geralyn. 
Labyrinth walking is a global movement of healing and awakening that has attracted millions of people from all spiritual and religious traditions for thousands of years. There will be a guided group meditation walk in the evening with luminaries guiding our way. The labyrinth will be available at all times to support you in your journey to embrace solitude. You don't have to do anything but enjoy!
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Your Solitude Toolkit will provide real-life hands-on down-to-earth techniques to help you Embrace Solitude every day, actually every moment of your life. |
Is “Embracing Solitude” as easy as you are making it sound? Yes!
It is one thing to talk about solitude, but it’s another thing to actually put your tools to work. And yet, most people don’t realize that practice makes perfect. That is what every spiritual teacher from Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed or Zoroaster has taught. Practice until you become it. The awareness that unfolds with just a little bit of practice can have profound effects. Once you make the connection, you will be drawn to your goals. It is a simple as that. You will change!
We want you to leave this retreat poised to embrace solitude everyday – recognizing it, experiencing it, and BEING IT! So, this may well be the most difficult part of the retreat for you. We will share all of the practices we know to move from the distractions of the body/mind, open to a new way of caring for yourself with LOVE, and creating a life of clear intentions fueled by inspired passion, but you must practice. If you’ve struggled with this in the past, then this retreat is for you. You will receive our individual attention as well as group support. You are not alone and the trip is soooooo worth it!
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You’ll have access to new exciting resources from our complete library of spiritual, financial, entrepreneurial, writing and personal growth books, music and movies. |
Nothing's better than a good book to read! Check out new authors for inspiration. Here's a chance to do just that. We are avid readers, and we'll bring a whole library to you for your use during the retreat. Take them to your room for quiet time. Or hang out and read inspiring passages as people do their Vision Boards. It's great to discover new books!
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You’ll experience Noble Silence as a way to embrace solitude while not alone. |
Noble Silence means quiet time where only very necessary communication takes place. At the New Year Solitude Retreat we will practice Noble Silence in the public areas inside house from bedtime through breakfast the next day. You and your room mate, if you have one, can agree to continue Noble Silence or not in the privacy of your room.
Each day will end and begin with Noble Silence. The silence allows you to integrate the highlights from your day, your awakenings, and new realizations, focus on fresh intentions for the new day.
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You’ll connect with like-minded women who are evolving and expanding into higher levels of awareness through self-care and spirituality. |
Group energy can fortify any experience. Success gurus have talked about the power of mastermind groups for ages, and we’ve seen this truth made manifest at past retreats.
Don’t try to make true and lasting change all on your own. During the retreat days and beyond, you will be engulfed in encouragement and connection with other people who are making big leaps in their lives just like you!
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You’ll get continued support, encouragement and inspiration from the group long after the retreat ends. |
You will be provided with the perfect way to stay privately connected to the group for on-going support, encouragement, and accountability. Immediately following the retreat there will be a group conference call. In the months following the retreat we will encourage you to connect with fellow participants through our Facebook Fan Page – you’ll find that the power of the group continues long after the retreat ends.
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Schedule for the Mountain Solitude Retreat
Arrival Day and Time: Thursday April 29, 2010 at 6 pm will be the Retreat Official Kick Off - dinner together and then our opening ritual. Participants are invited to arrive as early as 1 pm on Thursday to enjoy a self guided afternoon.
Friday and Saturday will include yoga, journaling, meditation, vision boarding, labyrinth walking and free time. A detailed schedule will be made available to registrants at the retreat.
Departure Day and Time: Sunday May 2, 2010 at 12 noon. We will have a closing ritual that morning and then will all depart from there.
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About your Retreat Leaders
Geralyn Russell, B.S., R.R.T., 500 level RYT, wishes to continue her support of individuals increasing their awareness through yoga. Geralyn began her yoga journey with experiments in meditation to calm the mind while engaged in a stressful sales career. By the time she became a Division Manager for a Fortune 500 company, she was committed to applying the principles of yoga to the daily challenges of corporate life. Since her early retirement she has dedicated herself to living a contemplative life and enjoying time with her family, friends and four-leggeds.
Many teachers have influenced Geralyn, including Bob Smith along with his wife Ki McGraw, and Lilias Folan in particular. Bob and Ki for their focus on core strength and meditation; Lilias for her sharing "the heart of yoga." Geralyn has been teaching yoga for almost 20 years and leads classes and workshops in Yoga Nidra (Deep Relaxation and Meditation), Gentle Yoga with a focus on Breath Awareness, and has developed a Doga Class (yoga with your Dog). She is also a Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapist and offers private sessions.
During this retreat Geralyn will offer an opportunity to experience Restorative Yoga for relaxation and rebalancing; Quieting the mind through Guided Meditation and Breath Awareness; and Labyrinth Building and Walking – build a Labyrinth for your home, use the “traveling labyrinth from Tallahassee.” Geralyn can be reached by email: yogawithgeralyn@yahoo.com or by phone: 850-878-2843.
Elizabeth Barbour, M.Ed., is a small business coaching expert who serves as a catalyst for entrepreneurs to take inspired action and create extraordinary results in business and in life. A professional coach for almost a decade, Elizabeth has worked with thousands of people around the country to clarify their vision, increase their confidence, find balance through self-care and ultimately increase the visibility, credibility and profitability of their business.
“Coach E,” as she is affectionately known by her clients, blends the practical how-to strategies of building a successful business with the spiritual principles of inspired living. Her core values of community, celebration, self-care and spirituality form the foundation of her retreat work with vibrant professionals and organizations.
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Registration Information
Yes! I'm ready to go on retreat!
E-Z Payment Plan
3 payments of $215 each
One you register, we'll send you follow up information regarding details including travel, meals, payment arrangements, etc.
Contact either Geralyn Russell at 850-878-2843 or geralyn@solituderetreats.com OR Elizabeth Barbour at 850-893-5211 or elizabeth@solituderetreats.com with questions and to register.
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Suggested Reading List For Anyone Craving Rest, Renewal and Transformation
Gift from the Sea - Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Sabbath - Wayne Muller
Start Where You Are - Pema Chodron
The Woman's Retreat Book - Jennifer Louden
Yoga for Transformation - Gary Kraftsow
Yoga as Medicine - Tim McCall, M.D.
What this Retreat Experience is Not...
1 - This is not a hang-out-weekend at the beach.
This weekend is planned to provide a quiet space for busy people interested in self-care and spirituality. There will be time for exploration, contemplation, and restoration of your authentic self. It is not meant as an escape or time-out from your life. The patterns of our everyday lives hold us in a certain place. If you wish to change that by growing your awareness, becoming even more conscious, experiencing life more deeply, this is the retreat for you!
2 - This is NOT a “girl’s night out” event.
It’s always great to meet new people and make new friends. Maybe a few of them turn into lasting friendships. We will be happy for you if this happens. In fact, there will be a post retreat conference call and a Private Social Network Group formed with retreat attendees. However, this is NOT simply a social event, but a transformational experience to encourage you to turn your attention inside yourself to find a quiet place, become more contemplative during each day, and experience solitude for yourself.
3 - This is NOT a weekend for digging in your heels to resist change.
There are times when none of us know “the way.” We have a sense of something being off in our lives; a sense of something we have always wanted to do; or a sense of being stuck, feeling as though our backs are against a wall.
Through out the weekend we will support you in your very unique, personal process – whatever unfolds. There may be times for you to take emotions for a nice long walk in the woods or to talk it out, but we will encourage you to “let go.” Surrender to the process of change. If you do not feel as though you can trust us to support you, feel comfortable with this group, or simply do not wish to rest inside yourself, then this retreat is definitely not for you!
4 - This is not a “let’s do lunch” and shopping weekend.
We love to do that too – at times. We will be 15 minutes away from charming Thomasville, GA with great shops and restaurants. But that's not what the retreat is about. This is all about deeper connections and big shifts. We want you to embrace solitude, deeply and lovingly. If this thought concerns you a little, that’s OK! We are here to experience solitude together – yes, that is a possibility. At some point in your life, you must BE HERE NOW (Ram Dass) – not just run out to shop!
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Seriously thinking about it but not quite sure?
1. Call either one of us and simply talk about it! Tell us about your desire to attend. Tell us about your fears or hesitations. We'll help you figure out if this is the best time for you to go on retreat!
2. Listen to our recent teleclass "5 Easy Ways to Take Yourself On Retreat" here.
3. Sign up to join us for our next free teleclass... to be announced soon!
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