The Mindful Maven Retreat:

FAQS

Why did you choose Willow Vermont?

A friend and fellow queer also hosted a yoga retreat at Willow, and informed me of their positive feedback, and acknowledgement of its queer-owned status. In fact, Tom (he/him) and Ravi (he/him), the owners, and some additional staff will also be on site and part of the retreat experience. Because of our two-fold affinity, Willow seemed like a safe-space to encourage women and non-binary to stay and truly “retreat”, and a wonderful business to support.

Why just women and non-binary?

The magic of felt experience! It’s the experience of looking at someone and without saying anything, deeply understanding their struggle because you’ve been through it. It’s feeling safe to be authentic without the gaze of well-meaning and curious onlookers or “saviors”. It’s an automatic increase of baseline trust, and then connecting without the reminders about your negative lived experiences within your shared identity

Who is considered a woman?

This retreat does not engage in TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) thinking. We welcome all who consider themselves intrinsically aligned with and living the values of inclusionary feminism.

Do I need to be an experienced yoga practitioner?

Kiera’s approach to instruction considers the range of experiences in the room. Modifications will be offered to accommodate various abilities, including use of props, skillful cueing, and opt-in hands-on assists and/or personalized suggestions. Additionally, all practices during the weekend are optional and you will be given a schedule with details about the level of physical or mental effort to expect. 

This retreat will be a great opportunity to become familiar with the practice.

What’s the big deal about ‘Caring for Self as an Instrument for Change?

While it’s a privilege to be able to spend time in self-improvement, as leaders and individuals who care about others, it’s crucial to reflect inwardly and tend to our disruptive patterns so we stay humble, honest, and adaptable. If we face the hidden or suppressed parts of ourselves, we are more likely to leave the spaces we hold better than when we entered them, and leave a positive, values-aligned influence in even the difficult interactions we have with others.

What makes the facilitators qualified to hold space for personal development?

Kiera facilitator is not a licensed therapist, and true Shadow Work should always be done with a professional. Instead, she will use the knowledge gained from their certifications, academic work, and personal experiences to facilitate personal reflections, somatic experiences, and discussions that might lead to new insights that encourage guests to move into a deeper exploration with a professional.

Facilitators of personal development should never be assumed to be perfect themselves. The most effective facilitators see introspection and a life-long work and ongoing work

What’s not included?

Transportation, though there will be intention around creating opportunities to carpool, free to the person in need of a lift.

How are you striving to keep this retreat financially accessible?

The Mindful Maven retreat was visioned with quality and value in mind, and that is reflected in the price. To keep the costs as low as possible:

I’ve chosen a retreat location in New England to reduce the need for expensive transportation. Guests who are driving and volunteer to use their vehicle to carpool others will receive $100 off the cost of the retreat.

I’ve chosen to host this retreat during a holiday weekend in hopes that some attendees who would have otherwise had to use one PTO day would not have to spend it.

I’ve also chosen to default all rooms to double-occupancy so that there are more lower-priced accommodations than typical of a yoga retreat.

I’ve taken responsibility for payment card transaction fees.

Further, there is no additional markup to the cost of the retreat beyond the cost of labor and accommodations.

Will there be alcohol?

This is a dry event so alcohol will not be served or accepted within the retreat setting.

What about plant medicine?

Plant medicine in smokeless form is accepted in moderation and with mindful use within the presence of other attendees.

What should I bring?

• Clothes you feel comfortable wearing for rigorous and restorative practices

• Clothes to sleep in shared rooms

• Warm socks or slippers (this is a shoeless household)

• Snuggie, throw blanket, onesie, or footie pajamas ;)

• A good book, art supplies, headphones, etc. for lounging time

• Hiking shoes and warm clothes

Can you say more about cancellation and refunds?

A lot of time, energy, planning and money go into bringing these experiences to life way before you arrive. This cancellation policy is a reflection of us honoring and respecting our mutual commitment to creating this experience. When you make a payment, your funds are already being dispersed to support our venue costs, retreat facilitators, and eventually, food and beverage costs, and gratuity for all staff on-site. There are also the intangible’s to consider, like mindful intention around the choices made to provide this experience. Thanks for your effort to understand and respect this policy and only book once certain you can attend.

Booking is fully refundable or any reason within 7 days of booking. Otherwise, payments are non-refundable or not applicable to future retreats.