Dear ones—

We survived day three of family vacation.

As I write this, the home exchange house is quiet, my coffee is still warm, and I'm buzzing with the quiet satisfaction of feeling this close to having cracked the code on family vacations that are restorative for the parents too.

If you'd like my highly scientific findings on the matter, shoot me a line. I'm happy to spill the beans.

But that's not actually why I'm writing.

This quiet morning reminded me of something.

Maybe the secret isn't strategy. Maybe it's permission.

Permission to sit with a warm cup of coffee.
Permission to not rush to the next thing.
Permission to let the dishes wait.
Permission to not solve every problem immediately.
Permission to hear yourself.

And it struck me that this might be the real reason I'm hosting this retreat.

Because I think many of us are overdue for a chance to hear ourselves more clearly.

[If retreats aren't your thing but you'd still like to receive my regular letters about bodies, parenting, life, and the strange business of being human, click here.]

Is there something in your life you know is possible, but you are not yet experiencing?

A way you want to feel.
A conversation you keep postponing.
A pattern you keep repeating.
A version of yourself you can sense, but haven't quite stepped into.

Most of us try to solve these things by thinking harder.
We make lists. We analyze. We explain ourselves to ourselves.
We try to become more disciplined, more regulated, more clear.

And sometimes that helps.

But sometimes the next layer of clarity doesn't come from more thinking.

It comes from making enough space for the body to have a vote.

This September, I'm gathering a small group in Missouri Heights, near Glenwood Springs, for Breath & Soma — A Long Weekend of Breath, Body & Inner Knowing. I’ve been planning this for years.

Big sky. Mountain air. Golden September light.

A little space between you and the usual demands of your life.

Space to exhale. Space to hear yourself more clearly.
Space to reconnect with that quieter inner voice that often gets drowned out by schedules, responsibilities, notifications, and the general volume of modern life.

Not as an idea. As a felt sense.

As an inner knowing.

Friday evening we'll arrive slowly.

There will be finger foods waiting.
A hot tub.
Time to settle in.
Intention prompts on your pillow—or not. Your choice.

Saturday and Sunday have a gentle rhythm.
Optional morning movement.
A morning breathwork session.
Good food.
An afternoon breathwork session.
Movement integration.

Time to walk.
Time to nap.
Time to journal.
Time to stare into the mountains.

Optional evening yoga.

And here's something important.

You do not need to attend every optional offering.
You do not need to optimize your retreat experience.

If your body wants rest instead of movement, rest.
If the hot tub sounds wiser than evening yoga, excellent.
If you need to sit quietly with a cup of tea instead of joining a conversation, that's part of the practice too.

Following your own needs is part of the retreat.

This is intentionally a small group. Partly because I literally only have nine breathwork mats.

And partly because I want every two breathers to have a highly trained support human nearby.

You won't be one of forty people having an experience.
You'll be guided. Witnessed.

Supported.

This may be for you if—

You've been trying to think your way forward.
Your nervous system feels a little overstretched.
You know something in you wants attention, but you can't quite name it.
You're craving clarity, softness, movement, emotional breathing room, or simply a reset.
You're curious about breathwork but deeply uninterested in forceful intensity.

This may not be the right fit if you're specifically looking for highly intense catharsis or a retreat centered on pushing your edges.

Some spaces are built for dramatic breakthroughs and high-intensity transformation.
This just isn't that kind of room.
This work is gentle.
Psyche-led.
Deeply supportive.
Surprisingly powerful without needing to be loud.

And because I know some of you are wondering—

"I'm interested… but I'm not really a retreat person."

Fair.

A lot of people who resonate with my work aren't retreat people.
You do not need to be spiritual.
You do not need a yoga practice.
You do not need to love group sharing.
You do not need to be good at self-development.
You don't even need to know exactly why this speaks to you.
You just have to notice that it does.

And if a full weekend feels like too much, I'm also offering a single-day immersion.

Come for a taste.

Early bird pricing is open through July 4.

Reserve your room with a $500 deposit, with the balance due later. Payment plans are available if that helps.

I'd love to have you.

Questions? Just hit reply.

Love,

Vanda