Creating Space Fall Retreat: Inn at the Rustic Gate

Every year, we head into the holidays with the best intentions. We want to enjoy the people we love. We want to be present. We want the season to feel meaningful.

And then everything starts filling up.

The calendar. The shopping. The cooking. The expectations. The traditions. The people who need things from us. Sometimes we arrive at the holidays already depleted, with very little left to give.

So this year, before all of that begins, we're going to create some space.

For four days and three nights, a small group of no more than nine guests will have the Inn at the Rustic Gate, a beautiful 1910 farmhouse retreat center near Big Rapids, Michigan, entirely to ourselves. Surrounded by 136 acres of woods and countryside, we'll step away from our usual routines and experiment with what happens when we intentionally make room for rest, quiet, attention and our own presence.

We'll begin Thursday evening by settling in over dinner, gathering for an opening circle, and ending our first night with grounding yin. On Friday, we'll begin the day with slow, thoughtful yoga and leave plenty of room around our shared meals and retreat experiences for reading, journaling, creating, napping, conversation, solitude, or wandering the property if November weather invites us outside. We'll return to our mats in the evening for the kind of long yin practice that usually ends with everyone at RealJoy saying, “I wish I could just sleep here.” This time, you can!

And importantly, we are not going to fill every hour of this retreat with programming. The open space is part of the practice. Over four days, we'll explore spaciousness in different ways, including what it feels like to have nowhere else we're supposed to be and nothing we need to accomplish.

On Saturday, we'll take that practice deeper with an intentional day of quiet. Beginning with morning yoga, we'll enter approximately 12 hours of silence and limited talking, continuing through our evening yin practice. We'll also take a break from our phones and other personal technology for the day. We'll still practice, eat, read, rest, create and spend time together, but we'll experiment with putting down some of the things that constantly fill our attention, including our words and our screens. Necessary communication is always welcome; this isn't about perfect silence or getting anything “right.” It's an invitation to experience what happens when we allow even our language to rest for a while.

After Saturday evening yin, we'll gently return to conversation and gather for our closing circle, reflecting on what we've noticed and what we want to carry home. Sunday morning will be deliberately simple: gentle movement, breakfast, packing and a slow return to our lives.

This isn't a weekend we're going to fill with activities in the name of relaxation. It's a chance to actually practice spaciousness and create enough room to feel our own presence again.

Because maybe the best thing we can give the people we love this holiday season isn't another thing.

Maybe it's our wholehearted presence.

And how can we offer that to anyone else if we haven't made room for it in ourselves?

Our daily meal rhythm will include a generous mid-morning brunch, an afternoon snack, and dinner with dessert, along with coffee, tea and other non-alcoholic beverages.

Gluten-free and dairy-free options will be available throughout the retreat, and most other food sensitivities and dietary needs can be accommodated. You'll have an opportunity to share your dietary needs with us in advance so we can plan accordingly.

We'll also have access to a refrigerator for guest use, so you're welcome to bring specific foods, snacks, or other items you'd like to have available between meals or need for dietary reasons.

Creating Space is a sober retreat. Alcohol and other recreational substances will not be part of our time together.

This is an intentional part of the experience: an opportunity to be fully present with ourselves, with one another, and with whatever we notice when we create a little more room in our lives.

Thursday, November 19 | Arrive

Arrival and settling in, followed by dinner, our opening circle, and a grounding evening Yin practice.

Friday, November 20 | Create Space

Morning yoga, shared meals, retreat activities, and plenty of open time for rest, reading, journaling, creativity, conversation, or exploring the property. We'll end the day with a long evening Yin practice.

Saturday, November 21 | Enter the Quiet

Our intentional day of quiet begins with morning yoga and includes approximately 12 hours of silence, limited talking, and a break from personal technology. We'll share meals, rest, create, practice, and simply experience the day with fewer distractions. After evening Yin, we'll return to conversation and gather for our closing circle.

Sunday, November 22 | Return

A slow final morning with gentle yoga and brunch, followed by time to pack, say goodbye, and make our way home.

All participants are required to sign the Creating Space Retreat Agreement as a condition of participation. After registering, you will receive a copy of the agreement by email or may sign a copy in person at RealJoy Yoga. The signed agreement must be returned within three business days of registration.