Join us for a transformational and invigorating retreat experience for four nights and five days in the healing nature of Mount Shasta. Hestia Retreat Center is a 10-acre sanctuary surrounded by a flowing creek and forest. Explore and ground in the awe-inspiring sites of Shasta, a majestic mountain known for its powerful healing energies and sacred waters. Hestia is a peaceful gathering place to relax, soak up the healing power of nature, and enliven what’s most important in our lives.  Attendees will align all aspects of wellness to invigorate their spirit and awaken their potential. Each day will include meditation for clarity, martial arts for empowerment, stretching for flexibility, qi-gong for centeredness, physioball exercises for strength, and breathing exercises for balance. Afternoons will include free time and organized excursions to epic hiking, swimming, and breathtaking views. Evenings will include meditation, restorative yoga, and community building. Opportunities for cold-water therapy by plunging in the river will be available.

Matthew teaches in a radically inclusive way with an emphasis on alignment and preventing injury. He creates a challenging, nourishing, light-hearted, and non-judgmental environment.

This retreat is open to all levels of experience including beginners! Must be 16+ years of age (under 18 accompanied by an adult) People of all religions, ethnicities, races, abilities, genders, immigration statuses, sizes, and sexual orientation are welcome.  

Matthew is a certified teacher in Transcendental Meditation. For those who have previously been trained in TM, we will offer a TM meditation session in the morning and evening. For all participants regardless of meditation experience, we will offer a powerful breathing and awareness-based meditation that’s beginner-friendly.

For those interested in learning Transcendental Meditation prior to the retreat please contact Matthew if you live in the Bay area. For those outside the bay please refer to TM.org to find your nearest certified TM instructor.

Arrival: 4 pm Thursday, May 26th

Departure: 12 pm Monday, May 30th

Attending the retreat means you are committing to the entire experience. We strongly discourage arriving late or leaving early.

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. Please make sure you purchase travel insurance that would cover a canceled retreat or your personal need or emergency to cancel your retreat. As times become more turbulent, it's important to be prepared. Make sure to check the fine print. Worldnomads.com is recommended. 

3. Carpooling will be made available but is not guaranteed.

4.  All meals are included and lovingly prepared by a local chef. Ingredients are organic with an abundance of vegetables, protein, and fruit. Gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, and other dietary needs are available upon request.

5. Wifi will not be available on site. Cell service is limited. We encourage this retreat as an opportunity to unplug from devices and detox from screens.

Matthew August is your lead teacher. He discovered martial arts and meditation in his early twenties and the course of his life changed forever. Martial arts instilled confidence and taught him how to generate power while meditation re-enlivened his childhood bliss, cured his speech impediment, and gave him hope. It has been his life’s purpose and passion to share these tools with people in order to enrich their lives and steward a journey of uncovering one's full potential. He has taught thousands of people meditation from all walks of life. Matthew is a certified instructor in the Transcendental Meditation tradition founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and an instructor in the Fut Sao Buddha Hand Wing Chun Kung Fu system under the tutelage of Sifu James Cama. 

Guest Teacher for evening restorative yoga:

Satya de la Paz August (she/her) is first and foremost a student of Yoga and life. She is also 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. Off the mat, Satya is active in social justice movements, gardens, and cooking.

For more information about Satya visit soulflowoakland.com

Please note that this retreat will go on regardless of the state of Covid-19. Purchase of travel insurance that covers Covid-19 and other emergencies is required. Covid-19 test is required for all participants regardless of vaccination status within three days of the retreat start. Feel free to reach out with any concerns or questions about safety.