NC Locals welcome to join us for individual workshops!

If you are local to the Canton/Brevard/Asheville area, you are welcome to join us for one of our workshops! Cost per workshop is $25 and you must contact Wendy Fedan to register for workshops by May 22.

Workshops and schedule are available below.

Optional Yoga on Sunday Morning

On Sunday morning all guests have the option to attend a one and a half hour yoga session with Elizabeth Miller from 9:00-10:30am.

Quilt Show – take a peek!

The Shady Ladies Quilt Guild is having their sixth annual Quilt Show the same weekend as our  retreat, so feel free to pop in and peek at their handiwork. Some pieces for sale. This will be the largest collection of original designs in the area, and the quilters will be on hand to answer questions.  Proceeds benefit Lake Logan youth programs.

SATURDAY WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

WORKSHOP CHOICES for 9:30am – 11:30am:

“Body, Breath and Creativity: Yoga” with Elizabeth Miller

“Signs & Wonders” with Wendy Fedan

WORKSHOP CHOICES for 1:30pm – 3:30pm:

“Memento Beads” with Jenny Barnett Rohrs

“Wordcatching” with Carolyn Koesters

WORKSHOP CHOICES for 4:00pm – 6:00pm:

“Imagination Arts” with Kristen Boyesen

“The Gifts of Poetry” with Carolyn Koesters

“Your One Wild and Precious Life – the Gifts of Poetry” by Carolyn Koesters

Poems can give us some of our most unexpected and deepest moments — especially in the sacred space of a women’s circle. Be open to receive, share, and write poems as you relax into your personal retreat. Even if you have never written one line of poetry before, you will create and take home a 6-word mantra to keep with you as a relaxation technique. The gifts of this class are a hand-selected anthology of poetry that we will move through and the time to really delve into some of your darkest and beautiful corners of your soul. Poets include: Mary Oliver, Linda Pastan, Rumi, and.. you!

3$ additional supply fee for 16-page bound poetry booklet

Carolyn Koesters

Carolyn Koesters, Writing Manager at American Greetings, is a certified poetry therapist and a lifelong journaler, and conducts national workshops to help people become self-aware and expressive through journaling.

“Memento Beads” Workshop by Jenny Barnett Rohrs

Memento Beads example

Do you have dried flowers from a wedding, birth, or memorial service that you’ve lovingly saved? Herbs or plants from your garden that you’ve carefully preserved? Bring a few of these dried “mementos” and make your very own special beads from polymer clay. Will they be for mediation? Prayer? A beautiful bauble to wear? A token of friendship for another? There are many options. Whichever you choose will result in lovely beads that have special, secret meaning just for YOU. Let Jenny show you how….

Bring dried (not green) flowers, herbs, or leaves to make your beads. Jenny will also have some on hand, along with the meanings and healing properties of them- so if you want to make your “memento” a special memory of the retreat, you can do that as well. Optionally, you may also bring charms, small pictures or text (no larger than 2″ square) to add to your piece. Jenny will give you some finishing options, and have all of the tools and materials necessary to help you complete a prayer strand, pendant, or bracelet.
Additional materials fee of $12.00. Class limited to 10 participants.

Jenny Barnett Rohrs

Jenny Barnett Rohrs is a self-taught mixed media artist who likes to work in polymer clay, fabric, and paper. If it can be stamped, foiled, stitched, painted, wired, soldered or beaded, she’s lovin’ it. She also teaches polymer clay jewelry classes in Rocky River and Amherst, and blogs faithfully at www.CraftTestDummies.com and www.CraftTherapy.com.

“Wordcatching” by Carolyn Koesters

Explore journal writing with simple but powerful healing and reflective exercises you can use at any time, anywhere. Through journaling prompts including captured moments, stepping stones, and freewriting, we’ll be looking at what brings you to this retreat, what you will take with you, and what you will release. Techniques covered will strengthen your relationship with your deeper self, your inner wisdom, and perhaps help you to reconnect to what you already know. Bring a strong intention to release what you do not need to carry with you any longer. There will be ample time during the class for self-exploration and application of techniques, and also suggestions for using your journal as you move through the retreat and beyond.

Please bring a stone with you.

Carolyn Koesters

Carolyn Koesters, Writing Manager at American Greetings, is a certified poetry therapist and a lifelong journaler, and conducts national workshops to help people become self-aware and expressive through journaling.

“Signs and Wonders” – Workshop by Wendy Fedan

Is God trying to tell you something? Most likely He is.

In this workshop we will explore what Albert Gaulden (author of Signs and Wonders) calls the “New Language,” a way of recognizing God’s voice — God’s calling (which is NOT “new,” actually). Gaulden’s book, Signs and Wonders, has put into words a concept which I’ve learned, lived and believed since I was a teen. Through prayer and reflection I’ve learned on my own how to recognize God’s special way of speaking to me. Gaulden’s book helps explain it to others.

Remember the burning bush? God’s been speaking to us since biblical times — we have merely forgotten how to listen. In this workshop we will use periods of journaling and discussion to reflect on our own lives, to work on recognizing the special ways God uses to speak to you. Do you feel lost, confused? Do you feel like you need to find the right path in life? It helps a great deal to learn to listen and watch for God’s signs, but it takes effort from each of us to listen properly, without inserting our own selfish desires. It takes faith.The goal of this time together is to come away with a stronger understanding of God’s presence in your life, and through our exercises you will at least catch a glimpse of what God wants for you. We will learn how to open our eyes and ears to recognize God’s message to each of us (each of us are meant to go on our own path — my hope is that you will find yours).

You do not need to read Gaulden’s book in order to take this workshop. We will be going over the main points in the workshop and using it merely as a springboard for discussion and reflection. But feel free to check out his book beforehand if you wish, by all means!

Wendy Fedan

Wendy Fedan currently works as a freelance designer/illustrator and has been an active member of Toastmasters International (TI)  since 2000. She has earned her Advanced Communicator award in Toastmasters as well as several speech awards. Wendy is currently launching this new series of soulful creative retreats for women in Ohio and North Carolina and plans to branch out into Berkeley Springs, WV and Santa Fe, NM.

“Body, Breath and Creativity” – Yoga Workshops by Elizabeth Miller

Our full feminine embodiment is an utterly delightful body of love. And it is within this that we find our own personal well of creativity. Each one of us is uniquely designed to shine in a way that only we can do. This workshop includes asana (physical movements), pranayama (breath practices) and nourishing meditation to help us realign with that deep well of creative expression within. When we are stiff and creaky in our bodies, our minds follow suit. As we open our bodies, our emotions and our creative expression begins to flow as well. We will also use inter-personal reflective exercises to help seal the understanding of our lives as practice. Delve in the depth of yoga practice and be rejuvenated.

Elizabeth Miller

Elizabeth Miller is a certified yoga teacher in the viniyoga tradition through American Viniyoga Institute, registered nationally with the Yoga Alliance at the 500-hour professional level, and a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists. She has been practicing yoga for ten years, and has studied extensively with many renowned teachers including Gary Kraftsow, David Deida, Dinabandhu and Ila Sarley, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Sofia Diaz, and others.

“Imagination Arts” – Meditation Workshop by Kristen Boyesen

Imagination Arts™ is meditation, but different: Do a task. Have a laugh. Feel the peace. In this workshop you will learn how jump out of left-brain stress and “same old, same old” with easy exercises created especially for non-artists to activate the peace and intuition of the right side of the brain. The process is a simple meditative observation transferred to the movement of pen on paper. The laughter comes after the meditation when you take your first peek at what you have drawn. Slide show and talk explains how it works and gives instructions and examples. You will practice with a variety of colorful shapes and objects. Discussion wrap-up to share experiences. Most feel positive physical and emotional changes after one session. Regular practice opens your world with new ways of seeing, and ignites a spark of creativity that will help you to tap into your vast unused brain power.  Some activate a hidden drawing ability!

Kristen Boyesen

Kristen Boyesen has been teaching art for over 25 years. Imagination Arts™ workshops were developed for non-artists to be able to share in the fun without the pressure of having to make something look “right”.  She exhibits in galleries in New York and Ohio, and presents Imagination Arts™ workshops at businesses, wellness centers, facilities, and organizations.  Visit her websites through the links at www.Imagination-Arts.blogspot.com.