The Offerings
opportunities to Play, Love, & grow
Nature Discovery
From playful exploration to eye-opening herbal workshops, there are ample opportunities to reconnect with nature. Wander the greenhouse & forage forest, learn how to use herbs and food as medicine, make a nature craft, or simply participate in many of the wonderful outdoor areas of joy & relaxation.
Playground
Become a child by swinging on swings, bouncing on tramplines, “cooking” in the mud kitchen, traversing the ropes course, or playing on one of the sports courts, there is outdoor fun for everyone! Did you say slip-n-slide?
Outdoor Toys & Fun
Swings aren’t enough! Explore the wide range of toyboxes around the property and let your inner child lose! From squirt & nerf guns, to hula hoops & bubbles, to archery & water play, to hoppity hops & sumo suits, the opportunities for outdoor play are never ending!
Nature Exploration
From microscopes to telescopes, nature is calling you to explore! Whether you want to explore the ground beneath your feet or the sky overhead, you’ll have the tools you’ll need.
Gardens
Curious about self-reliance? Wander the outdoor herb gardens, harvest some medicinal herbs, and learn how to prepare therapeutic potions. You may also learn to intuitively use food as medicine, prepare herbal remedies, and understand fermentation & preservation. From cooking dinner as a group, to herbal workshops, to medicinal mushroom seminars, there is always an opportunity to learn!
Creative Expression
Where play meets healing. Offering workshops and free space for expressive art, playing with musical instruments, conscious & intuitve dance, laughter yoga, singing, and more!
Dance
Wide open spaces for freeform & conscious dance events, a main aspect of “healing” at the center. Space for individual exploration or group dance.
Arts & Crafts
From fingerpaints to coloring books, from pottery wheels to string art, from loom knitting to rock carving, the inner artist will be fully activated. Offering expressive art workshops & circles, as well as free space for guests.
Music
Activate your inner musician by playing with intuitive sound-healing instruments like the tongue drum, rattles, rain sticks, pan pipes, hang drums, sound bowls, and drums. Also offering other instruments like ukuleles, piano, xyelephone, guitar, and more for those already skilled.
Toys & Games
Rainy day? No worries! Board games, puzzles, and books abound! Try building something with tinker toys or legos, or perhaps etch-a-sketch to be proud of. Even offering an Anger Room for healthy emotion expressing!
Spiritual Exploration
For those who want to explore their hidden potential, there are ample opportunities to discover our inner child & shadow. Offering individual sessions & group gatherings. There is also simply the option for deep rest.
Journeys & Ceremonies
Where inner journeys are had. The place for sound baths, yoga nidra, breathwork, and plant medicine journeys (including cacao, conscious cannabis, kombo and more as legalization permits, with the goal of offering psilocybin eventually). Through these inner journeys and ceremonies, we welcome awareness & experience profound growth & self-love.
Profound Rest
Escape to the solice of nature & soak in a natural hot spring, the cool pond, or enjoy a massage from a visiting facilitator. Release stress in our wood-fired sauna, by sitting in our butterfly garden, or by retreating to a hidden nature “cubby.” Come home to your body through relaxing sound baths, guided inner journeys and yoga nidra as well!
Therapeutic Sessions
Offering a rotating range of services, including parts work & inner child healing, space holding, faith deconstruction, integration coaching, and holistic wellness guidance. Depending on visiting facilitators, may offer periods of acupuncture, massage, etc. Ideally, 80% of services will be ones that can be learned and practiced for life by the guest themselves.
Community Connection
Where community meets relaxation. A main gathering house will have many spaces for chatting, games, or getting lost in a good book.
Circles
Regular circles will offer you the opportunity to gather with those who’ve been (or are still) in your shoes. Circles centered around healing the inner child, activating the divine feminine, embracing the shadow and more bring people together in love and understanding.
Gathering Spaces
From bonfire pits, to long dining tables, to gazebos and hidden nature forts, there are ample spaces for people to gather. Whether in circle, a workshop, an event, a group dinner, or 1-on-1 space holding or coaching, there is always a perfect space to be held by nature.
Rotating Community
Visiting facilitators & teachers will continue to bring a host of fresh ideas & new faces. One month the focus may be parts work & faith deconstruction, the next could be herbal healing & holistic wellness. Regardless of the services or wisdom shared, 80% will be wisdom that can be learned and practiced for life by the guest themselves.
What makes Heartwood different?
Thank you for asking!
Retreat centers aren’t anything new. However, while other centers are focusing on the wellness obsession, my center focuses self-love & play. My center focuses on reclaiming the inner child through love, awareness, and play.
Dogma Free
At Heartwood, you won’t be told what to believe. While guidance or optional tools will be offered, it is all with an air of detachment & love. All therapeutic experiences are optional, with no assumption or promises of effectiveness. Some things will work for you, others won’t. Nothing will be pushed on you. In fact, at Heartwood, I firmly believe only YOU know what’s best for you. Take what you like, leave what you don’t, no fear.
Dianosis Free
You won’t be labeled here. You won’t be told you need healing, are broken or fragmented, or are sick. I believe we all struggle with certain things, but the only one who can truly get to the heart of what our inner child needs is us. Instead, I will work to help you distance yourself from limiting labels and help you make contact with your own profound inner wisdom.
Guilt Free
Forget the pressure to “be better.” There are no disgusting green smoothies, no uncomfortable yoga poses, and no shaming of emotions. Quite the opposite! Here, self-love, play, and rest is the name of the game! Leave feeling rejuvenated & inspired, with more self-love & compassion, instead of feeling “less than” and pressured to do more to be enough.