The crackling fire sent a rush of sparks upwards to the moonlit sky after Emily (our little Aires) threw on several more logs. The heat felt so cozy after our recent sunset soundbath escapade on the lake. Enthusiastic conversations continued in small pockets as our musician started his set, dreamy guitar notes encircling us like a warm embrace. More guests emerged from their tents and joined up, wrapped in warm blankets and fresh dry clothes. Our nervous systems were all mellowed by a full day of healing, restoration, and the gift of beautiful late September weather. Two of our guest astronomers finished setting up their telescope off in the distance, focusing on the vibrant full moon that lit up our camp site like a celestial spotlight. And around the moon was a bright rainbow circle (something I had never before seen). I was observing all of these wonderful things from under the pavilion, packing up the last of the food (some of the best Indian food I’ve had) with the crew. And as I was looking over at all of the retreat goers and taking in all of the sounds, sights, and collective atmosphere, I had an overwhelmingly magical feeling emanating from my soul. I took a deep breath in and smiled. We DID it.
Planning our first retreat was an enormous endeavor and labor of love. We always had the end goal of hosting retreats when we started the Dayton Wellness Collective in 2024. The deep healing that can take place when immersed in nature and community is unlike anything we could recreate in our day jobs as health clinicians. But we wanted to start small so as to provide the best possible experience for those who felt aligned enough with our budding collective to give us a chance. And so, we started doing 3 hour wellness workshops in my studio. From creating your own herbalism gardens and tinctures to seasonal Ayurvedic cooking classes, breath work and yoga to somatic transformation practices, we had a wide berth of topics that focused on one single element – connection. Connection to our mind, body, our food, the earth, and each other. And in an outdoor weekend retreat? We could easily check ALL of those boxes.
We had several workshops available on Saturday and Sunday including guided meditation, breath work, writing, and a 2 hour somatic practice. Retreat goers pulled out blankets and sleeping bags to do sunshine yoga classes in the afternoons. We tie dyed t-shirts on Friday, rinsed & dried them on Saturday, and stenciled them on Sunday. Paddleboards (rented from surf dayton) were available to paddle around the beautiful lake. Community breakfast sentiment centered around hot french press coffee and community dinners were offered from local Dayton restaurant staples, taquera mixteca and Jyot India (as well as from our girl Alex’s family recipes!) We had a massage therapist and a reiki practitioner available to provide break out sessions. There were hammocks available for rest and respite. It felt perfect.
To say we are beyond thrilled to offer more workshops in the future is an understatement. It’s more than a big passion project for us. It’s our calling. The thing that we have been working towards for years. Our way of offering a healing space in a natural setting in this wild unhinged digitalized world. If you are interested in booking us for your company or organization’s next retreat, please reach out to us at dytwellnesscollective@gmail.com to see how we can help your vision come to life!
-Carolyn
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