Rest, rejuvenate, connect to beloved community and the rhythms of nature in majestic Lake Tahoe. Nestled right on the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe, the retreat Center is a beautiful, secluded, waterfront sanctuary.
Mornings will include a choice of moderate Hatha practice for all levels or a vigorous Vinyasa practice, meditation, discussion, and Haitian Folkloric dance with Portsha Jefferson. Afternoons will include free time to soak in the serenity of nature, take a dip in the lake, or organized excursions to hiking, kayaking, and breathtaking views. Evenings include meditation, Yoga, art therapy, and community building. Private and group therapy sessions are available with Shirley Johnson to support healing and post-traumatic growth.
Embark on a collaborative journey of freeing our hearts, minds, bodies from limitations of white supremacist, hetero-patriarchal, capitalist conditioning. Explore our shared and diverse experience as Black womxn, celebrate our beauty, and connect to ancestral wisdom.
This retreat is reserved for self-identifying Black women and femmes. Black includes those from the African diaspora including multi-racial women. Womxn or women includes Trans womxn, gender non-binary, genderqueer, gender fluid, cis-gendered women, and gender expansive or anyone who has had an experience of feeling marginalized because of the way they move in the world as a woman. Black women and femmes 18+ in age, of all levels of experience including beginners, religions, abilities, immigration statuses, sizes, and sexual orientations are welcome and celebrated.
Arrival: Friday, June 6th 2 pm
Departure: Sunday, June 8th 2pm
***Attending the retreat is an investment in your well-being and means you are committing to the entire experience. Please consider arriving on time and staying the duration as an investment in yourself & building community. Late arrival & early departure are not allowed.***
FAQ:
1. Payment plans available
2. All deposits & payments are NON-REFUNDABLE and NO EXCHANGES. This includes acts of God, Covid-19, or Mother Nature. Purchase of travel insurance is required to cover a cancelled retreat or your personal need to cancel your spot. Make sure to check fine print. Fear of travel isn't the same as not being able to travel.
Travel insurance recommendations: worldnomads.com or www.allianztravelinsurance.com
Click here for Insurance policies where you can cancel for any reason.
3. All meals are included and lovingly prepared by the local chefs at Camp Gallilee. Ingredients are organic with an abundance of vegetables, protein, and fruit. Gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, and other dietary needs are available upon request.
Arisika Razak (Dharma & Meditation)
MPH, Professor Emerita, and former chair of the Women's Spirituality Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), is a core teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center, where she leads workshops and mini-retreats, as well as teaching in the People of Color Sangha, and the Mahasangha for All Beings. For twenty years she provided midwifery care primarily to women of color in inner city Oakland, serving as a healthcare advocate, birthworker, and family planning provider. For another twenty years, she taught at CIIS, focusing on diverse spiritual traditions, women's health and healing, multicultural feminisms, queer theory, and contemporary diversity theory. Arisika has led spiritual and healing workshops, and ritual celebrations, for over three decades, while performing nationally and internationally as a spiritual dancer. Her film credits include: Fire Eyes by Soraya Mire, the first full length feature film by an African woman to explore the issue of female genital cutting; and Who Lives Who Dies a PBS special on health care services to marginalized and underserved populations. Arisika is a contributor to several books and journals, and presents at numerous conferences on the subjects of multiculturalism/diversity, women’s health and healing, and embodied spirituality and movement.
Portsha Jefferson (Haitian Folkloric Dance)
Hailing from a blazed Dance trek, her Dancestory is truly emblazoned by that of Ancestral commission. From Beaumont, Texas to the Bay Area for over 20 years Portsha Terae Jefferson has cultivated a trajectory of Dance excellence, dynamic performance and a cultural legacy of training, education and cultural exchange. Often nurtured by Bay Area Dance luminaries Lynn Coles and Blanche Brown to name a few, to Haitian Dance Masters such as Pioneer Vivianne Gauthier with consistent training at Ecole Nationale de Artes [ENARTS], transcended through the establishment of Rara Tou Limen Haitian Performing Company in 2004, Oakland, California.
Ms. Jefferson's visionary Artistic leadership and RTL Company's unforgettable presentations have garnered her the attention as respected colleague and emerging cultural gatekeeper, forging new trailways through ancient traditions -- staying true to the sojourn carving pathways for many to flourish crossing boundaries and dimensions in the Dance. Take classes with Portsha in the Bay Area and find out more her work at www.raratoulimen.com
Domie Monet is a certified sound healer and spiritual practitioner whose mission is to guide others in healing their mind, body, and spirit. Her path began eight years ago when she was diagnosed with Graves' disease—a turning point that led her to explore holistic healing, energy work, and the power of sound. Through research, lifestyle changes, and a blend of holistic and Western medicine, she reversed her condition, sparking a lifelong passion for healing and transformation.
With the guidance of her aunt, an intuitive coach, Domie deepened her spiritual practice, learning how trauma, emotions, and energy impact overall well-being. She became certified in sound healing and is currently expanding her expertise with a breathwork certification. Through Anointed, her spiritual-based business, she offers transformative one-on-one sessions, including sound healing, spiritual advising, courses, and sacred tools such as anointing oils and spiritual baths.
Beyond her services, Domie believes in lifelong learning and the power of community. Coming from Richmond, CA, she understands the importance of support and mentorship, and her goal is to help as many people as possible find their own path to healing.
Domie’s work is a testament to the belief that healing is possible for everyone. She empowers her clients to reclaim their wellness, embrace their journey, and transform their lives through sound healing, meditation, and holistic practices.
Satya de la Paz August (Yoga, Ritualist, Leadership, Community Advocate)
Satya de la Paz August (she/her) is first and foremost a student of Yoga and life. She is also a a Queer, Multiracial, Black Womxn, trailblazer, healer, and community/joy/radical self-love advocate. Offering 14 years of experience teaching Yoga, dance, and meditation, she infuses dynamic alignment, chanting, storytelling, and community-building into her classes. Satya offers Yoga as a means of collective and personal liberation and decolonization: accessing our innate healing capacity through therapeutics and compassion, meeting media-driven body shame through mindfulness and affirmation, freeing the heart of resentment and blame, and healing the mind of ableist and hierarchical ways of moving and acting. Multiple expressions of poses are offered as students are encouraged to listen to their own body wisdom and access needs. Satya is deeply grateful for her mentor, Abby Tucker, as well as all of her dharma and movement teachers, Sally Kempton, Rob Preece, and Sianna Sherman. Honoring the traditions of Hatha Yoga, Tantra Yoga, and Tibetan Buddhism, she empowers multiracial, multi-gender, and multigenerational groups to awaken their true nature of awareness and bliss.
Satya teaches in a radically inclusive way with a focus on therapeutics, alignment, and preventing injury. She will offer yoga for all bodies This retreat is open to all levels of experience. people of all genders, 18+ in age, religions, abilities, immigration statuses, sizes, and sexual orientations are welcome and celebrated.
Find out more about Satya and her offerings at soulflowoakland.com
Anuja Bhuta (Massage Therapist)
Anuja Bhuta (she/her) is an artist, healer, baker, and musician - who uses her hands to create, relax, and energize. Her massage practice began in 2006 and continues to ebb and flow in concert with her other passions which include pottery, painting, fiber arts, baking, piano, and aerial arts.
Kae (Massage Therapist)
Kae (she/they) Enthused by food, cycling, poetry, and so many things under the sun. A dedicated travel massage therapist originally from Baltimore, MD, whose professional path is a testament to their belief in the profound connection between travel and well-being. Kae specializes in Neuromuscular Therapy, earned through their studies at the National Holistic Institute in Los Angeles, CA. Since 2020, they have practiced in-home and workplace care throughout the Bay Area. Honoring individual comfort levels, massage style can range from incredibly gently, no-touch energy work of Reiki to targeted trigger point release
Alicia Mosley (she/any) is an artist, writer, abuela, yoga teacher, community educator, and soil and plant enthusiast. Much of her creative work explores being Black, queer, and neurodivergent while doing the surreal and magical work of mothering Black children. She began practicing yoga over fifteen years ago while recovering from nervous system burnt out and creative blockage. She was drawn to the ability of the sacred practice to release tension, calm and focus the mind, and strengthen the yogi’s whole self on and off the mat. As a teacher, Alicia has found yoga to be a practice that can open practitioners to the flow of creativity so vital to our personal and collective liberation. She encourages practitioners to listen deeply to their own bodies with curiosity and playfulness and is passionate about providing access for bodies typically excluded from this powerful practice. Alicia is committed to collective healing, growing, and shape shifting towards liberation. Her work supporting others in healing and strengthening their nervous systems through yoga is part of her commitment. Whether on the blank page, the yoga mat, or in the soil, Alicia understands the breath is the bridge to flow and connection. She holds an MEd in Curriculum Development, an MFA in Creative Writing, certification in somatic, energy, and breath work, and is a registered yoga teacher. You can find her offerings on instagram at alicia.myoga or a www.aliciamosley.com
Here are a few testimonies from previous retreats
I had great time, Fall in Love with the mountain’s the tree’s, the creek the accommodation , and I like and love the simplicity, but fresh good healthy delicious food ; breakfast, lunch and dinner. Great teacher’s ; sweet couple Matthew and Satya easy to follow instructions of a variety of fun activities like : Qigong, TM Meditation, chanting meditation, Yoga, and self defense of Ali. And the hiking to the sacred mountains of Mt. Shasta, field trip to the waterfalls & etc. I Never gets bored. Love all the activities. Meet great wonderful, and beautiful people . I am so glad, so happy and so grateful for this trip. 🙏🏼Thank you ! 💖 - Fatima
Amazing retreat with wonderful people In a fantastic location. Satya, our guide, made this a memorable experience. - Silvie
This was undoubtedly one of the most divine experiences that I have ever been blessed to be a part of. Everything was intentionally planned and infused with love. I felt safe in body and spirit. The location was beautiful, the leaders and guides were great. I loved the yoga, dance, and meditation offerings and I loved that additional offerings such as massages or solo/group therapy were available as well. The food was really good and I have absolutely no complaints. There was a clear schedule of events, but no pressure to attend or participate in anything. I look forward to being back. - Dianicia
I had a fabulous time getting to know fellow attendees and spending time relaxing and rejuvenating in nature! I’ve already recommended it to friends and plan on attending again next year! - Liz
There will be full or partial scholarships and work trade positions available. Please apply by March 1st.
The majority of retreat activities including meals will be outside.
Purchase of travel insurance that covers Covid-19 and other emergencies is required. Feel free to reach out with any concerns or questions about safety.
The drive from the Bay Area is about four hours. We organize carpooling and make every effort to support those who need a ride. In 9 years leading retreats we have never had someone who has needed a ride not be able to get one. However, we can't guarantee a ride to the retreat.
For those of you coming from outside of the Bay Area you can fly into Reno, Oakland, or San Francisco. We can arrange airport transportation for $40 each way from Reno Airport. It will be less if there are other people flying in to Reno Airport and coming into the retreat that you can share the cost with. If you fly into San Francisco or Oakland, we will help you connect with carpooling. You may want to fly in the night before or plan to arrive before 9 am June 9th.
Super Early Bird Pricing is as listed and ends February 15th.
Early Bird Pricing ends April 1st.
*Prices increase by 5% on February 16th & April 2nd*
art and talk therapy
lounging, swimming, kayaying are a few steps away
transportation provided back and forth from offsite lodging at Zypher Point.
Haitian Dance with Portsha Jefferson
2:00 pm participants arrive
330 pm - 4:30 pm Gentle Hatha Yoga (Satya)
4:40 pm - 6:00 pm* Welcome, Orientation,
Community Agreements, Ritual
6:10 pm - 6:30 pm meditation (Arisika) Grounding
6:30 pm - 7 pm Dinner
8-8:45 pm** Intentions & journaling
8-9:15 pm Meditation & Art Therapy
7:30-8 am self-massage with tune-up balls (Satya)
7:30-8 am sun salutations
8:30 - 9 am breakfast
9:40 - 11 am** Discussion and meditation Arisika
11 am - 12:25 pm Dance (Portsha)
12:30 - 1 pm lunch
1 pm - 4 pm free time or organized hike or kayaking lesson
4:15 - 5:40 Vinyasa Yoga (Satya)
4:15 - 5:30** Group Art Therapy, pair work, journaling (Sabrina)
5:45 - 6:15 Dinner
7-8:15 Dharma talk, pair work, & meditation (Arisika)
7-8:15 Sound bath (Shirley)
8:30 - 9:15 pm Fire ritual
Sunday
8:30 am breakfast
9:30 am -10:45 am ** discussion, reflection, meditation (Arisika)
10:55 am - 12:10 pm Dance (Portsha) – Participants dress in red OR Hatha Yoga (Satya )
12:15 - 12:45 lunch
1:15 - 2 pm * Closing circle w/all teachers
