Subtle Body Medicine: Healing Your Soul with Flower Essences

While you may not have heard of flower essences before, they are nothing new and a form of medicine modern society re-“discovered.” For centuries aboriginal and other communities that lived in alignment with the higher laws of nature—from all over the world—saw and utilized the dew drops from flowers as a means for healing. For example, in the 15th century, Paracelsus, a Swiss physician wrote that he collected dew drops from plants and diluted them to help his patients with emotional healing. Many prominent healers in different places made note of these powerful yet subtle remedies dating as far back as the Egyptians, over 3,000 years ago.

Flashing forward to the more recent years (the 1900s), Dr. Edward Bach came to revive or share with those who had forgotten, the healing power of this energy medicine through his popular kit of 38 flower remedies in England. Later, in the 1980s, Ian White (Australia) created his own kit and many readily available blends that were being sold in health stores. In the same time frame, in 1979, Richard Katz and Patricia Kaminski founded Flower Essence Society (FES) in California (America).

Now flower essences are used all over the world again with hundreds, maybe thousands of people who are producing and selling their own kits. Flower essences are readily available and used in many health settings, for example, orphanages in South America have claimed that essences have reduced their health care bill by 70%. While still not totally popular or accepted/known by mainstream health communities, for those of us who have found them, they are a safe, life changing ally and do wonders for emotional and spiritual support in these challenging times.

Flower essences became part of my healing journey back in 2010 when I was in the thick of completing my masters degree in holistic health. At the time I had what I would call a mental block. I was spinning with too many ideas as well as holding many emotions about the research process and the politics of graduate level studies. I was frozen in my ability to think and communicate properly, and I needed to finish my thesis. It was the beginning of me understanding the complexity of my mind and mental health, in particular the ADHD brain even though I didn’t have words for it at the time. I was enrolled in an Herbalism course and seeing an herbalist, and she gave me the flower essence Madia from the FES kit. It helped me immediately breakthrough from my block, focus, and move forward with my project.

Since then flower essences have helped me and my family with anxiety, depression, and ADHD, to name a few. In 2014, I started seeing clients after I graduated from my herbalist training, and I worked primarily with flower essences. I’ve helped countless people get off of their medications for things such as sleep, anxiety, and depression, with the use of these simple, yet powerful flower essences.

For purposes of this blog, I cannot possibly share all the wonders and inner working that flower essences gift to us, but I can say that when we take a remedy together in a group, there is a sort of synergy that comes about in the healing. Everyone is a unique vibration and will be impacted differently, but all in all, there is a release that happens that is different when a group of individuals come together with the shared intention to heal ourselves on a deeper level.

You do not need to believe in flower essences for them to work. They are safe for everyone* as they have no physical reactivity to other drugs / they are not contraindicated with medication because they work on the energy level. They simply bind to the parts of you that are not you, and help remove those blocks in your life that prevent your soul from shining.

Every year there are themes that come through with the participants at the Winter Retreat. Sometimes I am able to collect a little data on what people are facing. What challenges they are going through. This year when reading the replies I received the most information I have from years past. People are ready to change. They are more aware than ever before of their psychological shortcomings and patterns.

I will not share all the details of the essence here as it is still being formulated, but I will say themes around breaking through family karma and trauma/patterning is on deck as well as opening up ourselves to more intimacy in our lives, and finding clarity in our soul’s mission/life purpose. Some special stars in the sky have been coming in to help me make this essence as well, namely Chiron (the wounded healer)’s wife—Chariklo. (She is pictured in the image that was created by William Geise in the graphic shared above). I didn’t really know her well until I began formulating this blend.

It continues to be an absolute gift and a pleasure for me to create this bouquet of healing friends for us to sip into our own life form. I liken taking a flower essence to being able to sit against a tree, basking in their aura and energy vibration. Lifting us to a place we can remember our own Soul form and shape.

Whether you join us at the retreat or not, I hope that you learned something new here and maybe feel energized to learn more about flower essences and how they can support our individual and collective evolution.

There are still a few spots left to stay the weekend with us, and we will officially close registration on 1/2. We have an option to join us for the day on 1/7. If you would like information on that, please email me at kali.j.higgins@gmail.com.

Until then, have a blessed close to the year! I wish you the best in 2023!

With love,

Kali

*The remedy is traditionally made with alcohol and then diluted. For people who are alcohol-free, you can have an essence made with vegetable glycerin. Even so there may be trace amounts of alcohol, and in that case you can apply it topically instead of ingesting if you are worried.

Astrology + Sound at the Winter Retreat (plus New Moon in Capricorn Notes at the end)

Each of us, including the planets (as above, so below) have our own vibrations and colors (light) that we emit into the world. Through time, some of us lose touch with our vital force through the stress and traumas of our human existence. Astrology and Sound are wonderful tools to address some of these powerful “invisible” or subtle forces that influence our daily lives that we can’t always reach with traditional therapies and practices. (Flower essences help immensely, too, with our mental/emotional/spiritual bodies, which we will talk about in the final Winter Retreat blog next week!)

For astrology, similar to gravity, whether you believe in it or not, it will still “work” for you and filter your daily experiences. That said, understanding the timing of planetary influences can greatly impact your own life experience. For example, if you choose to go out on a boat on a sunny day versus a windy, cloudy, rainy day, your perspective and time is going to be greatly altered. The same can go for when you set up a surgery, have a birthday party, start or quit a job, end a relationship, or embark on travel or education to give you some ideas. Astrology is not so general, it can be “sunny” for someone and on the same day it could be “hurricane” weather conditions for another.

In general, from the lens of medical astrology, this month of January calls us all to replenish the vital forces in the body and work with the electrical body. Via electricity, the nervous system sends signals throughout the body and to the brain, making it possible for us to move, think, and feel. This is where our holistic healing practices, including sound healing will come into play. Through mantra yoga (utilizing mantra—words that carry intentional vibrations—with movement) we will balance the body, mind, and heart. Our sound “baths,” where participants lie down and rest will also aim to bring the body to it’s balanced state through a sequence of vibrations, notes, and frequencies aimed for healing and relaxation.

Of all the days in the month of January, our weekend’s astrology is the most supportive for cultivating a sense of hominess, nourishment, and heart healing. A portal will open with the full moon in Cancer for us to heal deeply seated karmic patterning and family wounds. We will move into the subconscious realm and work with the current planetary energies to release our own “stuff” that no longer is alive but still hanging on. This lunation calls for enjoying yourself and even singing (we will chant if you wish to participate!). It’s also a good time for family connection. Many of our community are actually celebrating family during this weekend and are unavailable, to which we say, good on you! This moon supports to be home during this weekend (in a non-codependent and conscious way). Otherwise if you can get yourself over the drama of family life, please come and know we are holding space for you to reset and nourish yourself so that you can be a better family member and be in community with your star family.

Unlike other events, we do not generally pick the retreat weekend based on astrology, we have always held the retreat over the first weekend of January because there is also an extra numerological boost we get at the beginning of the New Year. That said, we are very lucky and fortunate that this final retreat happened to magically land on this weekend…or did it? Sometimes events are chosen subconsciously to get the experience our soul and vibration is aligned with at the moment.

We will do our best to honor the nurture nature of this weekend, and on the note of fate and destiny, it would be a missed opportunity to not call out the current New Moon in Capricorn energy (that happened earlier this morning). If you have time today, carve out even 15 minutes to get quiet. Light a candle, grab your journal or notebook and tune into any wishes you hold for your big life goals. Now is the time to feel into what you want to accomplish in your life that will bring you happiness. Where on your path are you supporting this vision? If you do not know what that is, ask for it to be revealed.

Themes that surround this lunation are where do you want/need to work hard in your life? What opportunities are available right now to you that you may have overlooked? How can you take steps and make a plan to accomplish what you want in life? Where do you need to take more responsibility for your life? And most important, what reality do you want to make happen in the upcoming year? Utilize the energy of today to lay down a strong foundation for the year ahead.

And come to our retreat if it is calling to you! Registration will close on Tuesday, 12/27/22. Payment plans are available should that allow for more ease.

With love and until next week~

Kali

Yoga yokes us to nothing but the realization of the union that is already here :)

Yoga and the numerous wellness practices and systems we utilize while on retreat, offer new ways of being in relationship with ourselves. Yoga asana offers guidelines and shapes for us to fill in our own unique ways to better connect us with the present moment. From this place of connection or union, many people come to the realization that they are already whole just the way they are. That we are already one with a higher field of consciousness, with each other, and with ourselves.

Yoga is getting in flow with the life in you that wants to be lived. It’s allowing yourself to take a full inhale and exhale. It’s tuning into the natural rhythms of the eco-system that we are a part of, and it’s finding our place in it. It’s knowing that we are not as separate as we think. We see into the myth of separation, and we see that even the idea that yoga is ‘to yoke or unite,’ is an idea, an approximation and is not quite the whole truth either. Because the reality below all the layers of our human story and mind’s narrative, and compacted trauma, and our conditioning, and, and… is that we are whole on a deeper level. We are already connected to our soul consciousness and beyond. Yoga lets us tap into that knowing.*

In it’s highest form, the practice takes us home to this remembering, not to a new place. Yoga removes the veils of illusion, confusion, and misunderstanding, and shows us how to get in touch with our soul selves. And when we connect to the wisdom of the soul there is a relaxing quality we can let in. There is healing that happens at that level.

At the Winter Retreat, I will be your main guide for the yoga and meditation practices during our time together. You will also have Teresa leading a full morning session that incorporates conscious dance and Christin will offer guidance in some of the classes with me, too. :) You do not require any previous experience to join in these practices. I will guide you through various movements and breathing exercises and meditations and sound to align you with yourself and with the season and the cosmos.

The cosmos, you think? Now maybe I’m laying out too high of expectations here and it’s beginning to get a little fluffy or vague. What I am really saying is I tune into the astrological influences in addition to the energy of the group to co-create practices. (More on astrology and sound on next week’s blog!) The sessions on retreat aim to help us all settle into ourselves a little more by connecting with our body, calming our nervous system, and meeting ourselves with self-love as best we can. Taking a holistic approach, I offer yoga asana sequences that aim to relax and restore, as well as stretch you outside of your ordinary way of being in the world. The meditations often incorporate mantra, mudra (hand positions), guided visualization and energetic breathwork. I will do my best to share more about the history of the practice to set the container so you know what you are doing and can consent to it, as I want you to be able to trust and be with your body as you need to in each practice in your own way.

At the end of the day we can talk about it, around it, through it, but one must really sink into the practice by their own direct experience to understand and learn for themselves. In this place of embodiment, yoga no longer is a debate or a philosophical question or a complex spiritual system. Yoga simply is. And as you begin to develop a practice of your own, or work with a teacher who teaches more in alignment with the original forms of yoga, you will come to know yourself and the deep connection you have to all life on this planet and beyond.

And if your mind or capacity for these kinds of “spiritual” experiences are limited or complicated, you may just get to stretch out your hamstrings and rest your tired bones awhile in community, and this can be holy and serve it’s purpose in it’s own way for you. It is not up to me to decide the experience you will have or to name it, that will be up to you, and the only way to know it is to show up and practice.

A little bit about my background as a yoga teacher—I started out as a prenatal yoga teacher back in 2012, and I taught yoga and mindfulness to the older adult population for 4 years in a hospital from 2013-2016. I’ve taught yoga to teens in schools and to children ages 0-5. I’ve taught students in the womb all the way to end of life. I meet you where you are at, and we will do the work together.

Please reach out to me with any known history/surgery/pregnancy/loss or circumstance you would like me to be aware of so I can be sure to consider it when I outline the sequences for the retreat. For those registered, a survey will arrive to your inbox next week about such questions as I will also be looking at your replies as I prepare the group flower essences. (Stay tuned for our final blog which will announce the essence!)

Until then, I look forward to meeting you on the mat. I have some fun new tools I want to share with you all, including a really cool sound prop to support us in our meditation! We will talk more about the practices as we approach the date and get our final numbers in.

Last, there will be some props that will be helpful for you to bring along with you (the full list will be disclosed next week in our welcome note). I will list some of the basics here for those of you who register last minute (we are less than 2 weeks away from the deadline, you can do it!).

What to bring:

• Yoga mat

• Cozy blanket to cover you while you rest

• Pillows/bolsters to help you get comfortable in a supine position (good to think of one for the head and under the knees at a minimum).

• Some yoga blocks

• A belt or strap

• Eye pillow/cloth covering (scarves work)

If you have trouble with locating these props or would like to borrow some of mine, please email me right away so I can make sure to bring extras for you.

Until then, “see” you next week on the New Moon in Capricorn…where I will share more about the sound experiences and astrology happening during the month of January, in particular the weekend we chose to hold the retreat :)

In love~
Kali

*While yoga can connect us to deeper parts of ourselves that offer us comfort, sometimes we can also uncover unhealed traumas and other points of discomfort that are ready to be held. Please consult your mental health professional or consider your own mental health bandwidth to check in if this retreat space container will be the right space for you. This retreat container and the yoga and other wellness activities complement but do not replace therapy, medical treatment, or offer medical advice. This retreat though it may address the topic of trauma on a topical level, is not a therapeutic support group.

~The Power of Tea as Medicine, as Friend: How Sharing is Caring~

Christin serving tea; Image shared by Christin

What if we paid more attention to what we eat, drink, and breathe?

Instead of looking at the status of what we do as the qualifier of who we are, what if we considered what we are made of, what we take inside our bodies (these moving temples) as our foundation? What are we carrying?

Would the way we live and love life look differently? How would even our thoughts change if we looked at them as guests or inhabitants or expressions of our nature? As shapers of our form? As the messengers they often are?

In many traditions, medicine is anything that puts us in harmony with our highest self and all life on Earth. Tea is one of those simple but potent medicines that bring about great transformation when we drink her in. Tea helps us pay more attention, allows us to steep in our own reflection and slow down. By simply engaging in the practice of drinking tea regularly, we can change ourselves from the inside out. When we look closely at the leaves, we see them in us and us in them. We feel how we are nature taking in and marveling at nature itself. We meet each bowl of tea as a friend, someone who is there for us, who cares. A truly cosmic relationship we have with this leaf. And she gives us so much more than we can ever seem to give back.

Tea has been around for centuries leaving its mark to the point almost every home has some iteration of tea in a cabinet somewhere. Powerful as is, what changes it’s healing potential even more is when we engage with it in a more sacred and ritual manner. When we meet the tea like we would meet a friend. When we gather together and share the experience.

The practice of Chado—the way of tea—can follow tradition and be very formal, involving precise actions by the ceremonialist and the participants, or it could be serving someone out of the only plastic bowl you have in whatever way you can boil water. More often than not, when someone says “tea ceremony” or chado in the formal sense, the imagery of something official and serious comes to mind rather than the latter image. People being quiet and perhaps rigid carrying a sort of judgmental tone or a feeling of “right” doing. While there are similar elements present in the way Christin serves tea at our retreat (the getting quiet and taking respite in the seat of your awareness, the beauty in the unfurling leaves, the appreciation for technique), she will offer you a different, more open experience. While there is ritual and rhythm to the flow of how she shares tea, her practice welcomes you to be who you are in that given moment. No formalities or need to be right are necessary here. Instead, you can let go and notice, while you keep sipping, taking the bowl to your heart, again and again. And you will acquaint yourself with the nectar from inside, that awaits when you visit that quiet space. When you meet yourself like a friend.

The tea ceremony that you will come to know and perhaps love at the Winter Retreat is one that holds space. Space for emotional, mental, and spiritual energies. Space for you to let your body feel what it feels and to cultivate awakened presence, perhaps deepening your meditation practice, perhaps deepening your ability to feel gratitude, joy, and grief, and all inbetween.

To those wondering logistics, there will be a morning and evening session available on Friday and a morning and early evening session held on Saturday. With 4 ceremonies offered during your time, there will be ample opportunity for people to get a chance to sip tea in community, whether you join one or all four. Even in one cermony you may be served between 4-6 bowls of tea on average, so there are a lot of layers you will be able to melt as you meet yourself in this practice.

A big part of the tea ceremony that Christin highlights is that of service and of sharing. A lot of the techniques developed around the practice are not about how to make the tea but how to serve it to others. How to build a culture within the self of giving and connecting to something greater than yourself. In this place, we find it is not from the fancy pot or robes we wear; it is from the heart that we serve from—a perfect reminder and nod to the nature of the community we cultivate during this special weekend.

And with that, we lift the bowl to you and hope to see you soon at our retreat. Registration will close on 12/27 or when it fills.

As the steam rises, in love, written by,

Kali

Sauna: A Ritual of Sight, Sense, and Feel

Photo credit Nomad Sauna

One staple of our Winter retreat is the sauna experience. Originating in Finland and dating back over two thousand years ago, this practice is immensely popular around the world to this day for a number of reasons. Cleansing through perspiration, being good for the nerves and tired muscles, and rejuvenating the mind and body are some of the time tested results people find with regular use of the sauna.

Essentially a communal space, sauna traditionally is meant to be enjoyed in the company of others, whether it is family or friends. The pure enjoyment and relaxing nature from coming together forms much of its benefits to the body and soul as it’s other more well-known health benefits. The power of social connection remains a strong contributing factor to our wellbeing.

Some retreatants from last year’s Winter retreat feeling refreshed after a sauna + snow jump! Photo credit: Lara Huber

While in Finland, sauna is something people do year round. Often there is at least a day dedicated to the practice, usually Saturdays. Going to the sauna is not some exclusive sort of club but an activity that everybody enjoys. I remember from personal experience how this Finnish culture came through at my grandparent’s home. Growing up with a half-Finnish mother, I thought it was interesting how at one point they didn’t have “indoor plumbing,” but they did have a sauna. Many people in Finland prioritize building the sauna on the property before they build the house showing how much of a natural part of life it is.

During the winter time especially, we like to emphasize this warming ritual because of the cold properties present in the Midwest. Whether you are new to the sauna or use one regularly, you will find a very welcoming and nurturing introduction to the sauna at our retreat. Christin, who’s family has built her own sauna and has a regular practice will share some of the traditional aspects of the experience that have often been lost through westernization. In her own word she invites you:

“Get ready to enjoy a sauna experience like you’ve not experienced before as we bring the traditional ritual back to the sauna. We will marry many European traditions of the German and Finnish sauna ritual. Experience the Aufguss ritual of placing ice balls on the hot stones that contain freshly made essential oils from surrounding trees and having the Löyly (sauna steam/spirit of life) directed your way as you breathe in the vapors. There will also be the traditional Vihtas for “whipping” (get ready) to achieve maximum relaxation and fun! This entire ritual will come to a close with a cold burst roll in the snow or soaking in the cold air in the forest. Then, repeat. You will be guided through this experience and allowed to sit by the roaring fire in the woods afterwards in contemplation in the company of others as you take in the natural beauty of this practice and time of year.”

We have the benefit of a larger sauna than usual as we are bringing in one from Nomad Sauna which will be complete with an enclosed area for changing and sitting which we didn’t have in year’s past. There will be a guided sauna session as described above on Friday under the full moon in Cancer that will call forth even more healing. You will learn more about it all when you come to the retreat! For those wanting to have a night cap post the sauna experience, Christin’s favorite night time tea ceremony will take place the evening after our formal sauna practice. (Stay tuned for next week’s blog all about tea!)

Please note we booked the sauna for the entire weekend so there will be plenty of time for you to explore your own meaningful ceremony in this space should you feel drawn to it. There will be set hours the fires are stoked and depending on space available and interest there will be a sign up sheet if necessary to ensure you get the time you would like in there.

Have you signed up yet? We would love to have you there and still have some room!

To book your spot you may pay here, or get in touch with us about payment plans or any other questions you may have via kjh@kali.mn!

Looking forward to meeting you in the sauna and retreating with you soon!

See you next week for tea :)

Kali (written by)

~What to expect if you book a 1:1 session during the Winter Retreat~

When you start tuning into winter, you realize that we live through a thousand winters in our lives—some big, some small. ~Katherine May

For a long time of my existence and still to this day, I can find myself sitting with the question, “when will this be over? When can I expect to get through this time?” From the help of my spiritual practice and continued work with astrology and studying the cycles of nature, I understand that we may get through something…but it does not mean that there won’t be another thing, maybe even greater that we will have to live through and face in the future. Knowing this bit helps (and sometimes doesn’t help).

When I am feeling lost in “it,” I know it’s often time to call in some extra support.

Even though a lot of our soul’s journey is ours alone to meet, we do not have to do it all by ourselves. We can ask for help along the way. We can have someone hold our hand in times of need, and when it’s time to cross the bridge alone, we may feel more safe and ready to walk across. We may feel stronger knowing that there are people on both ends of the path waiting for us, cheering us along, who are there to lend a hand when we are in need. We may feel less alone if we know others are doing the same hard work alongside us.

While you are on retreat with us, we have 1:1 sessions available to people to tend to your needs should you need a little extra support during your time. This year, Elianne, Teresa, and myself (Kali) will be there in the case you want a check-in with another person. Depending on how many people attend the retreat, we may add more support and sessions. Below please find a little more information on the sessions we will have available this year.

MASSAGE THERAPY

Gentle body therapies are a wonderful gift to receive during the winter time. When the body is feeling cold and dry, taking time to hydrate with oil and therapeutic touch can be incredibly grounding. Elianne (pronounced El-ee-eN) started practicing massage in 1999. She has an intuitive approach to massage and uses a variety of techniques. Every massage is tailored to the client’s specific therapeutic needs, while assisting in deep relaxation. You may experience a blend of Swedish massage, stretching, deep tissue, trigger point therapy, acupressure, myofascial release, and Thai bodywork. She also may incorporate herbalism and flower essence therapy to complement the massage therapy depending on the needs of the client. Elianne will offer both paid sessions for massage and some gifted sessions. Depending on need and timing, we will either do a drawing for the gifted times, or we will be open to whatever guidance comes through on how to best share her gift. Please let us know when you are booking if you are in a time of financial need. She will offer a special retreat rate of $75 for a 60 minute session.

SOUL-BASED COACHING

Clarify your inner knowing + empower your dreams! Unlike other coaching modalities that value cognitive insight, problem solving, and goal setting, Soul Based Coaching attunes to an individual's inner wisdom, feelings and desires as the keys to transformation and change. In each 55-minute session, Teresa will gently guide you toward desired outcomes by enlivening inner landscapes of image, texture, color, and metaphor. Instead of motivating or challenging you, she will reflect back and hold steady to what you’d like to have happen. In this way, the creative wellspring of each client can be amplified, renewed, and brought to life, and innate obstacles and limiting behaviors can be integrated with ease (rather than working against them). If you are ready to invite ease into your life rather than push or pull to produce outcomes, we invite you to give Soul Based Coaching a try! Teresa offers these sessions on a sliding scale basis from $75-$125. For more information on this unique and highly effective form of coaching, check out her website>>

VIBRATIONAL SOUND

New patterns can be introduced through sound and vibration letting us shift from one energy field to another. Deep healing can come from letting ourselves rest. Rest comes from a place of relaxation. Vibrational Sound Therapy (VST) is a restorative healing modality that incorporates a series of therapeutic grade bronze Himalayan bowls placed directly on the (fully clothed) body to create coherence in all physical and energetic systems. Tailored specifically to your needs, Kali will begin the session with an intention and energetic clearing followed by placing the bowls on the body (if you wish) or surrounding the body, to help you relax and receive the waves of energy. Should it further the support of the energetic shift, the use of flower essences and card readings may also be utilized during this time. Retreat sessions are 60 minutes long with usually 40-45 minutes of sound. These sessions are sliding scale $77-$111.

For questions about the offerings and to check in on availability, please email kjh@kali.mn for the information or to book your session. While we cannot guarantee there is availability for all your requests, we hope to at least be able to accommodate one 1:1 session for people should they want one. On average 40% of our retreatants tend to sign up for a session. Depending on demand, there may be an opportunity to do more than one session; if this is the case you will be notified via email. Please send in your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices and we will get back to you as we get closer to the date. Also if you are in a time of financial hardship, please let us know so we can consider you first for one of the gifted massage sessions during Elianne’s Shabbat time.

The winter season is a rich time for reflection, for going inward and resting our way into “the answers.” Please know that attending the retreat alone will be a sacred container enough to support you during this quiet time of year. As I found myself attending my first winter retreat in 2014, what struck me most was the power of doing nothing. How simply having a room to my own was more than enough spaciousness for me to soak in the nurturing I needed—which at the time was rest. Whether you decide to have a 1:1 with another person, with a friend, or with yourself, know that this time we are co-creating will be deeply nourishing.

On taking a rest: Meet Elianne

Above meme / words shared from Sarah Mielke

Sometimes life stops us in our tracks. Our well laid plans seem to have no say in the matter, and we find ourselves stuck. Maybe we can’t handle being stuck, so then we try and move in any direction we can. It’s like being on a highway during traffic…some people may do anything they can to shift gears and move ahead one or two car lengths. Maybe it’s the opposite…have you ever gotten out of line to get into an even slower line? Now that’s fun for the person who is in a rush. Yet at the end of the day it’s not really about who is “ahead” or “behind” though, is it?

We all have heard some take on the saying “life is a journey.” That it’s not about getting from one place to the next; it’s about how we travel. How have you been travelling lately?

The pandemic in many ways was like hitting a wall. And while not all of us were afforded the time to rest, a handful of people did get to experience what rest can be like. And the power of slowing down, of leaning instead of pushing.

As people are trying to resume their “normal” routines, many of us are more aware of the imbalanced nature of the over-culture, how we have glorified the busy and undervalued rest. How it is more systemic and learned than it is in our true nature.

Many of us are working to re-write the story and re-wire generations of trauma. Retreat experiences in their essence are about giving you ample space to take a rest and to heal. To lean into the stopping, and receive the kind of nurture you need. Retreat space allows us to come home to ourselves if we haven’t had a lot of time to be in reflection to center in the self.

Above meme / words shared from Santapan Minda

We have an expert “rester” joining us this year as part of the Winter Retreat support team, and I am so happy to finally introduce her to you. Her name is Elianne, and I am honored to have her with us this year . I randomly received a prenatal massage from her years ago when I was given a gift certificate and since then I see her whether I need a massage or when we are taking a class together as fellow plant medicine practitioners. When we moved the retreat local to Stillwater area this past year, she was the first person to pop into my mind to ask to join us. And we are so lucky she said yes! To have her energy in the mix this year is such a gift, and the rest she gives herself truly radiates out to others in the best of ways.

Elianne is a bodyworker and herbalist that believes in healing the soul on the deepest levels. Part of the journey for her is observing the Sabbath or Shabbat every week. A day set aside to rest from the cares of the world, connect with God and others, and contemplate lessons in nature. It is a time for her to rest and get rejuvenated. It is a day for her to nurture her soul.

To Breathe. Listen. Connect. Reflect. Release.

Much of our retreat will be like an extended Sabbath time. During some of the free time there will be opportunities, should you want to, to sign up for some 1:1 experiences (more to come on those in the next blog post!). Gentle body work is always on the menu, and Elianne will be the primary bodyworker on retreat to support you. In the spirit of Sabbath, she offered to gift her services that would take place during Sabbath time: Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. That means she will not be accepting payment on that day, as it is not a day of work for her. Should you join us on retreat, this year she would love to meet with you on any day. If you are local you can also book with her the week leading up to the retreat or post-retreat as a lovely way to extend your care.

Logistically, depending on needs and interest, we will determine a way for you to set up time with her if you would like.* To honor her own needs for rest, she will open to see a maximum of 5 people on Saturday. There will be times you can set up a massage with her outside of Shabbat for a special retreat rate of $75/hour.

Elianne’s heartfelt and generous response to my invitation was one that touched my heart and opened the door for Christin and myself to renegotiate the whole pricing of the retreat.

As we ourselves prepare to take a rest from offering the Winter Retreat in the near future (2023 will be our last one on the books for a time), we wanted to also make the retreat as financially accessible as we could. We understand how hard times have been for many people. We also have been given so much in our lives and through the pleasure of leading this retreat together through the last 7 years, we look forward to giving back as much as we can this year.

If you have any questions about our time together or need a link for a payment plan, please email kjh@kali.mn for the links to register.

We look forward to resting with you soon, and cannot wait to be with you.

In love and rest~
Kali (written by), Christin, Teresa + Elianne

“Like a path through the forest, Sabbath creates a marker for ourselves so, if we are lost, we can find our way back to our center.”

— Wayne Muller

Getting to know our Winter Retreat Guest Teacher, Teresa Reid!

“At the intersection of WE and ME is a new kind of human. We are learning to be truly powerful as individuals while opening ourselves and expanding our ego structures to embody the motion of collectivity. We experience freedom in co-creation. In community, we come more alive.”

— Samantha Sweetwater, quote pulled from Teresa's website

Community is a big part of what we co-create and cherish at our Winter Retreat. Each year we like to invite a guest teacher to deepen everyone’s experience. A big part of what makes our offering different than other events out there is the community of people we bring together as facilitators to hold space for our guests. The value of this collaboration is truly invaluable.

This year we are so lucky to have Teresa Reid joining us to lead a Conscious Dance session on Saturday morning. She is a true gift of a human, and I have had a number of opportunities to sit in circle with her as well as dance with her! The first time I met her was at a Dream Retreat we both attended as guests with Toko-pa in 2017, where I was immediately drawn to the way she noticed the Spring ephemerals at the bottom of the forest floor. She is attuned to the subtler forces of nature, a quality not preserved in many. The second thing I noticed about her was her grace and kindness held in her movements and speech, as well as her honesty and self-awareness. The way she shared herself opened something in the people who were present enough to listen.

Teresa and I recently ran into each other this past year over a series of meetings to deepen our work as facilitators who honor and face the crises of our time with open hearts. We sat in circle together with a shared elder, Kaia Svien as we went through her personal Work That Reconnects (WTR) training. The Work that Reconnects helps people discover and experience their innate connections with each other and the self-healing powers of the web of life, transforming despair and overwhelm into inspired, collaborative action. [excerpt from Joanna Macy, the founder of WTR]

Meeting each other on both sides of the pandemic—pre and post, we compared notes, and find ourselves yearning for more in person experiences that awaken ourselves to the basics. So much noise has taken hold of the wellness space, of our head, and heart space. Our shared desire to bring people together to be present to the times and the self, and each other remains true to our purpose. So it was a natural flow that we invite her to join us as our guest facilitator this weekend, as she aligns so much with what Christin and myself aim to embody as practitioners, teachers, and students.

We look forward to you meeting Teresa and experiencing for yourself what she shares with the world at our retreat. Through her teachings we all receive her love of movement in a way that allows ourselves to be more present and embody our own lived experience. Because her teachings come from her life, we all get to touch deeper into ourselves through the depth of her realization of the practice. Movement for Teresa is her sanctuary, and she offers “the joy of aunthentic expression” and the healing experience of the deep peace that results from “BEing in the body” through her classes, workshops, and 1:1 sessions she teaches.

At the retreat Teresa will share a transformative movement practice with us that activates the innate intelligence of our bodies and the season of winter for healing, self expression, and a return to wholeness. Together we will layer dance, music, and breath with intent and a co-creative partnership with the cosmic field of nature and our embodied experience. This offering will inspire, empower, and invite your wholehearted participation with life as an individual and part of a greater collective.

If you are still curious about what conscious dance is or want to learn more about Teresa, read on here or peruse her site to get a feel better for who she is.

Until then, please register soon to save your spot! Payment plans are available.

We cannot wait to see you <3

With love and a bow—until next week’s post~
Kali (written by), Christin + Teresa

It’s been a long…year…or has it?

Hello dear one,

As I sit with all the possible ways to begin this note to you, I am reminded of a recent scene. I was greeted by someone who I haven’t seen in years at this week’s NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month) Write-In at ArtReach St. Croix. The first words that came out of their mouth unfurled with a sigh, “It has been a long month.” They set down their belongings on the table and scanned for the next words they would share to continue the conversation. And then nothing else was shared, and I realized they didn’t need to go into any further details; I had an idea or could at least relate to their general sentiment in my own way. I exhaled alongside her. It’s amazing how our bodies are in constant conversation together.

Her words though lingered in my mind and felt like the perfect writing prompt, inviting in the friendly and sometimes not so friendly marker of time to remind us of the passing by nature of our lives and sometimes the judgment that comes along with it. What makes a day “long”? Doesn’t it have the same amount of minutes in it as the day before it and the day after? And…when…if ever—is this stretched feeling a welcomed experience?

What is the difference in measure between 60 minutes of something we enjoy doing versus 60 minutes engaging in something we are indifferent to? And to what degree is it useful to look at time/our life experience in this “I like” versus “I don’t like/care” way? These questions have the smell of shoulding, pointing out how we think we should spend our time.

What I’ve come to know through my life is I want to experience time differently. I want to be present for more of the time I have so I don’t worry so much about missing out or not having enough. I want to awaken to the tasks before me as they are and not how I think they should be. This way showing up to what is and being okay with where I am is my practice. It is not easy, but it is simple.

Part of why I love retreats so much, is because when they are set up in such a way, they can be excellent conductors of calling us to the present moment and letting go of the shoulds. We can return to real time—the time that requires no counting or judging. Here on retreat, we can start healing our standard relationship we have to time and reveal how to flow with time and ourselves in new ways.

It is in this place where we join our actions and thoughts, and bodies and words, and it doesn’t matter how long it’s been. We are here. Where time simply is, and we are, and it’s nothing more than that.

And when we can arrive to this place of surrender—knowing there is no place to be other than where you are--the mind gets to relax. The body softens. We breathe a little more deeply.

For those who need a plan, of course, there is still form and structure provided so you don’t get lost… indeed a “schedule” exists. Yet it is drawn out only as an invitation to come home to yourself. The items on the “agenda” are set up as support. You can pick and choose your own adventure. You can take in as little or as much as you feel you need.

There are also other people on the journey with you, similar to your daily life but in this space of the pause between the inhale and the exhale, we have time to acknowledge one another with our own presence, which is a gift not afforded to many. Being in community, alone, yet together with shared presencing is a deeply held and insightful experience, and each year we are grateful for those who come together in the woods of the winter to retreat.

Whether it’s been a long day, month, or year for you, whether you have already cracked the code to how you experience time—we would love to have you join us for our 7th annual Winter Retreat. We are thrilled to offer this experience for the first time in the St. Croix Valley, and we would love to help you plan how you can be there with us.

If you have any questions about what we will be doing or who will be holding space for you, in the mean time, please check out the webpage for more details and watch out for our weekly Friday blog posts that will share more about what goes on with our Winter retreat.

This blog was written by Kali, and sent with love from all of us