RETREATS
July 28-31
About the Experience
Summertime in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont is magical. The sky opens, the hills glow green, the raspberries are ripe, and possibilities open up. It is the perfect time to drop into your inner being and explore the world of sacred meditation. Beginning on July 28th and concluding on July 31st, we invite you join us on this beautiful land as we enter the depths of embodied knowledge within the interconnected web of existence.
We have curated every aspect of this retreat experience to create a nurturing and supportive environment that will allow you to unwind, recharge, and connect with your inner self. Our skilled facilitators and guides are dedicated to holding space for you as you embark on this profound exploration.
During your stay, you will have the opportunity to engage in sacred meditations, individual preparation and integration sessions, movement, sound baths, meditation, yoga, swimming, hiking, relaxing, and group sessions. We’ve designed the time to allow space for your personal growth and well-being. We encourage you to embrace this time as an opportunity to let go of stress, worries, and distractions, and to fully immerse yourself in the present moment.
We understand the importance of creating a safe and inclusive space for all our guests. Please know that we are committed to fostering an environment where everyone feels respected, accepted, and supported.
Because this is a deep journey, all participants are invited to meet with Wendy individually to discuss readiness, preparation, intention and motivation. Having this personal connection will provide the container for your experience as well as a place to return to in the integration process. Once you register, Wendy will arrange a Zoom meeting and provide you with the preparation materials.
Meals
All meals are included in the price of the retreat and will be organic and locally sourced. Our menu will be gluten free and focus on plant-based menus accentuated with animal proteins. Everything will be lovingly prepared by Tara with Moriah’s assistance. Snacks, fresh fruit, water, and beverages will be available throughout the retreat. We want you to feel nourished in body, mind, and soul. If you have any special dietary needs, you can let us know once you register and we’ll make sure to take care of you.
Location and Transportation
The retreat will be held in a spacious, newly renovated, light and airy 200 year-old farmhouse where we will be immersed in nature. The setting is very private, situated on 135 acres that includes an antique barn, large open pastures, forest land with a network of trails, brooks, and a large pond for swimming or paddling a kayak.
The house has several large meeting spaces as well as two fireplaces for chilly summer evenings. Outside, there is a generous patio with a hot tub, outdoor shower, and fire pit. In late July, the local farms are exploding with organic produce that will be incorporated into our meals.
Approximately 2.5 hours north of Boston, the Northeast Kingdom is considered “the real Vermont” with many wonderful opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, gravel riding, kayaking, and fishing if you want to extend your stay and explore. You may also want to check out Dog Mountain, Kingdom Trails, Athenaeum, and Fairbanks Museum.
You can fly into Boston (2 hrs. 40 min to Concord) or Burlington, Vt. (1 hr. 40 minutes to Concord) and rent a car or take an Uber. Once you arrive in Concord, you will not need a car until you depart. Please reach out for more details if you are traveling by plane.
Schedule & Flow
Arrival Day (July 28)
- Check in at 11
- Welcome lunch
- Opening Circle
- Intro to the land
- Individual Preparation sessions
- Authentic movement practice
- Dinner
- Group preparation session
Day 2 (July 29)
- Optional Yoga, Hike or Swim
- Breakfast
- Group Community Altar
- Sacred Meditation Journey
- Free Time
- Dinner
- Individual Integration available
- Group Integration circle
- Meditation
Day 3 (July 30)
- Optional Yoga, Hike or Swim
- Breakfast
- Movement and Meditation
- Individual integration & preparation sessions available
- Sacred Meditation Journey
- Free Time
- Dinner
- Individual Integration available
- Group Integration circle
- Meditation
Day 4 (July 31)
- Optional Yoga, Hike, or Swim
- Breakfast
- Integration Circle
- Closing Ceremony
- Departure
Accommodations
Ensuring you are comfortable during your stay is a main priority, and various options for accommodations are included in the price of the retreat. Given the depth of the experience, we would love to have all participants stay on the property or in the area. There are beautiful light filled single and shared bedrooms available as well as “dormitory” style accommodations (4 people in one large space with a bathroom). We also have cabin-style tents with camping cots or air mattresses. If you would like to bring your own tent, RV, or van there is plenty of space on the property for camping as well as outdoor electricity for plug-in.
Pricing
This sacred meditation retreat costs $3,800 and includes:
- Individual preparation session prior to arrival
- Preparation and integration packet
- Housing for four days
- Delicious healthy food
- Four group preparation sessions
- Two sacred meditations
- Individual integration sessions after completing sacred meditations
- Three group integration sessions
- Facilitated authentic movement practice
- Facilitated mindful meditation practice
Your Team
Wendy
Wendy Elliott creates magic and healing by bringing people together to open and connect with creativity, possibility, and love. Wendy lives in Ojai, California where she takes joy in nature, movement, and her work as a somatic depth psychotherapist, teacher at Pacifica Graduate Institute, and somatic psychedelic integration specialist. She loves being in wild places and holding space as a sacred witness and midwife to people on their healing journeys. Wendy believes that real transformation happens when the desire to change is greater than the desire to stay the same. She loves to support people as they take the big leap.
Moriah
Moriah Stapf is a registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and holds certifications in Mind-Body Eating, Somatic Psychotherapy, and Equine-Assisted Therapy. During the retreat, Moriah will act as a co-facilitator during the Sacred Meditations and will support with preparation, intention setting, and integration — helping participants feel safely held throughout their experience. She will also be assisting Tara in preparing deliciously nourishing meals. Moriah finds immense joy and purpose when co-creating intentional and connective healing experiences.
Tara
Tara Elliott is a lover of ritual, beauty, nature, and play. She splits her time between Midcoast Maine where she writes grants and manages events for an environmental education and marine research non-profit with a sustainable island campus (Hurricane Island) and New York City, where she directs and choreographs plays and teaches theater directing at NYU Tisch. She loves making theater for the same reason she loves hosting dinner parties: because it means bringing people together for meaningful shared experiences. She believes deeply in the healing power of food, and finds great joy in chopping vegetables.
FAQ
A sacred meditation retreat is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience breakthroughs and realizations that, if implemented, can significantly improve your quality of life. While these realizations are often described as “ineffable” or impossible to tell, the opportunities/realizations typically fit into one of these three broad categories: opportunities to change how you relate to yourself, to others, and to the world at large. New connections are made in your brain, and old ways of thinking can fade away; addictions can lose their appeal, and greater acceptance and joy become available.
Please email Wendy at info@somaticwendyelliott.com to register.
A deposit of $500 is required to hold your place. This is returned if, after the initial interview, it is clear that it is not the right time for you to go on this retreat.
We take a maximum of 12 people. There will be three facilitators and one chef. All participants will be interviewed for preparation and readiness.
Registration Information
Please email Wendy at info@somaticwendyelliott.com. All registration materials, including health and food questionnaires, requests, payment information, cancellation policies, and initial Zoom meetings, will be emailed to you upon registration.
