“I have been working with Carly one-on-one and through some of her online classes over the past 3 years. Through this time I have developed my own home-based meditation practice and I have also worked through some difficult times with Carly’s support. Carly is a wonderful person to work with. She listens deeply and offers meaningful and insightful reflections and guidance to help navigate life in a mindful way.”
Spring Retreat: Cultivating courage, stability and magic in uncertain times.
May 2-5, 2025
Earthspring, Victoria BC
Spring is stirring, the light is returning, and we're starting to feel the slow thaw from a long winter. Our upcoming silent retreat will occur during the height of spring, Beltane, the midpoint between spring equinox and summer solstice. Given the intensity of the times we live in, it will be a beautiful opportunity to practice strengthening our stability and cultivating our magic. We'll train in refining and rehabilitating our senses through meditation, yin yoga and nature-based connection practices. When our senses are refined, we can attune to the natural, more-than-human, and unseen worlds, remembering our intrinsic belonging to the multiplicity of Life.
Our retreat will focus on cultivating courage, stability, and magic and finding enchantment through an ancient remembering of our animistic roots.
Gifted chef and nutritionist Heidi Macaulay will prepare nourishing meals with love, surrounded by the flora and fauna of Earthspring Sanctuary in the Highlands on Southern Vancouver Island. You can read more about Heidi here. https://sophrosynewellness.ca/
There is something magical about getting quiet and turning inward. Creating a sacred space where we can turn away from our worldly roles and remember who we are beyond our busyness and to-do lists. Getting quiet and still enough to hear the inner voice and feel the body's sensations speaking to us. We move our bodies slowly, yield to the earth, walk in the trees, sit next to the fire, practice with our community, and remember what is ancient and trustworthy: our innate wisdom and compassion. To ask the more profound questions, what needs more care, inclusion, and love? Retreating allows us to return to our lives with fresh eyes and a renewed commitment to live from our depths, a bit more inner space, and the capacity to meet human complexity and precarity.
We will emerge from our time together with more capacity to meet the inevitable uncertainties and predicaments we find ourselves in with stronger roots and braver hearts.
Join us for a residential silent retreat in the Highlands outside Victoria, BC. Through meditation, yin yoga, writing, and earth-based connection practices, we will explore deep inner listening, opening to the mystery, and remembering our innate stability, courage, and care.
Location
Earthspring Sanctuary Retreat Center
405 Hazlitt Creek Rd
Victoria BC
https://www.earthspringsanctuary.org/
"The Earthspring Retreat Centre is located within a large nature sanctuary in the Highlands, near Victoria, BC. In this quiet area of forests, streams, and open hilltops, groups and individuals can find refuge from worldly stresses and opportunities supporting the experience of returning home to ourselves."
Dates and times
Friday, May 2
Arrive at the retreat center anytime after 3 pm
Dinner 5:30 pm
Evening session 7-9 pm
Saturday, May 3
7 am meditation (optional)
7:30 breakfast
9:30-12:30 practice session
12:30 lunch
3 pm practice session
5:30 dinner
7 - 8:30 pm evening session
Sunday, May 4
7 am meditation (optional)
7:30 breakfast
9:30-12:30 practice session
12:30 lunch
3 pm practice session
5:30 dinner
7 pm meditation
7:30-9 pm evening session
Monday, May 5
7 am meditation
Breakfast 7:30 am
Closing session 9-11 am
The retreat ends at 11 am
Cost: For retreat and meals (not including accommodation)
$1203.50
A nonrefundable $250 deposit is due at registration; payment plans are welcome.
*Payment for accommodation is separate and is due April 2.
Accommodation options and pricing
Accommodation options include private rooms with ensuite in-house, cabins, a treehouse, a dormitory, and camping. You can view the accommodations on Earthspring's website.
Please note that the accommodation options/pricing listed are directly from Earthspring Sanctuary.
https://www.earthspringsanctuary.org/
Lodge
Dormitory - (6 single beds) —$65 per person per night
Cabins
New Dawn - $105 per night (queen bed sleeps 2 with kitchenette, composting toilet)
Tree House - $80 per night (sleeps up to 2 in single bunks)
Camping
Tent Camping: $50 per tent per night (one forested campground and one open meadow, up to 7 tents in each area).
R.V. Camping - $60 per vehicle per night
Former students who have practiced with Carly are welcome to attend. If you are new to Carly's work, please get in touch with her at info@carlyforest.com. She will schedule a phone call to ensure this retreat is the right fit for your needs.
Refunds : We cannot issue a refund unless someone on the waitlist can take your place.
Register & Payment: To register for the retreat, please contact info@carlyforest.com.
*Please do not send payment without contacting registration first. Thank you.
Please get in touch if you have any questions or if you'd like to register. I'll be capping the retreat for 13 people so our indoor time together can be spacious and the experience can be intimate.
I'll also ask everyone to do a COVID test before arrival to keep our more vulnerable community members safe.
"Everything you see has its roots
in the unseen world.
The forms may change,
yet the essence remains the same."
-Rumi
