Ancestral Harmony Retreat: November

Immerse yourself in a weekend of profound renewal at our Ancestral Harmony Retreats, where Indigenous cuisines, diverse healing practices, and daily Vipassana meditation converge to create a deeply transformative experience. Nestled in a large, historic home within a vibrant and accessible urban neighborhood, our retreat offers a sanctuary for exploring both ancient traditions and modern approaches to wellness.

Beginning with Friday dinner and concluding with Sunday lunch, this all-inclusive retreat features meals crafted from Indigenous ingredients, designed to nourish the body and soul. Each day starts with a grounding Vipassana meditation practice, fostering inner peace and mindfulness as we move into our embodiment and repatterning sessions.

We’ll gather for storytelling, ritual, and circle time, where participants can engage in authentic relationship-building and cultural exploration. Our healing practices, while often rooted in Indigenous traditions, also incorporate diverse approaches that support holistic well-being. Central to our journey is ancestor work, guiding participants in honoring their lineage and connecting with their roots.

A hands-on bodywork session is included for each participant, facilitated by Alejandra (Tobar Alatriz), an experienced practitioner in somatic and healing arts.

Join us in this unique retreat to reconnect with yourself, your ancestors, and a supportive community, all while cultivating mindfulness through the daily practice of Vipassana meditation.

1. 1. Cultural Nourishment: Experience the richness of Indigenous cuisines and practices that feed both body and soul. Reach into your own lineage to make meaning of the moment in time.
   2. Mindful Grounding: Develop inner peace and clarity through daily Vipassana meditation.
   3. Holistic Healing: Engage in diverse healing practices, including hands-on bodywork, to restore balance and well-being.
   4. Ancestral Connection: Deepen your relationship with your heritage through guided ancestor work.
   5. Embodiment & Repatterning: Reconnect with your natural body through movement and somatic practices.
   6. Community & Ritual: Build authentic relationships and participate in storytelling and circle time, fostering a sense of belonging.
   7. Urban Sanctuary: Retreat in a historic, vibrant neighborhood that provides a nourishing and accessible setting for renewal.

1. 1. Cultural Immersion: Our retreats offer a deep dive into Indigenous cuisines, embodiment practices, and ancestor work, creating a rich cultural experience that connects participants with ancient wisdom.
   2. Urban Sanctuary: Set in a historic, vibrant neighborhood, our retreat provides an accessible yet serene environment, combining the benefits of urban convenience with the tranquility of a retreat.
   3. Wide Array of Healing Practices: Participants experience a wide range of healing modalities, including embodiment work, Vipassana meditation, group movement practices, and somatic bodywork, offering a comprehensive approach to well-being.
   4. Authentic Community Building: The retreat fosters genuine relationships through circle time, rituals, and shared meals, emphasizing connection and community as core components of the experience.
   5. Personalized and Inclusive: The retreat accommodates various levels of experience, welcoming everyone from seasoned practitioners to those new to these practices, ensuring that each participant feels supported and included.
   6. Holistic Integration: By combining traditional practices with modern techniques, the retreat offers a holistic path to wellness that honors the body, mind, and spirit in a balanced way.

These elements create a retreat experience that is not only restorative but also deeply enriching and transformative.

Our retreat space is located just under two hours from the Denver International Airport and the Denver metro area.

All activities are optional*.

FRIDAY

Check-In: 3:00pm

Bodywork sessions: 4:45pm-6:15pm

Dinner: 6:30pm-7:30pm

Storytelling circle+ ceremony: 8:00pm-9:30pm

SATURDAY

Meditation: 7:30am-8:00am

Gentle movement: 8:30am-9:00am

Breakfast: 9:00am-10:00am

Bodywork time slots: 9:30am-12:15pm

Lunch prep activity: 12:00pm-1:00pm (group activity for four (4) grounding in pre-colonial ingredients and prep)

Lunch: 1:00pm-2:00pm

Bodyworktime slot: 1:45pm-2:15pm

Group movement+play: 3:30pm-5:00pm

Bodywork time slot: 5:30pm-6:00pm

Dinner: 6:30pm-7:30pm

Group session/ Embodiment Activity: 7:30pm-8:30pm

Evening Circle: 8:45pm

Snack table: available throughout the day for a quick recharge or energy boost including designated shelf in the refrigerator for items requiring refrigeration.

SUNDAY

Meditation: 7:30am-8:00am

Gentle movement: 8:30am-9:00am

Breakfast: 9:00am-10:00am

Closing circle+ritual: 10:00am-12:00pm

Lunch + until next time: 12:30pm

Checkout: 2:00pm

• • We warmly encourage carpooling or sharing rental cars if you’re flying in. This isn’t just a practical choice—it’s an opportunity to honor the connection between our individual health and the well-being of our planet, environment, and neighborhood. To help you connect, I’ll be sending out a shared contact list to all retreat participants. If you feel called to offer or join a carpool, let us know, and we’ll include that in our contact list so we can begin building community from the moment you arrive. Please feel free to reach out to your fellow retreaters to coordinate ride-sharing.
  • This retreat is set in a format that you can pick and choose offerings that call to you. You are not required to join us for all scheduled offerings. If you think you might want to opt out of all circles, including opening and closing, we would love to talk to you about other offerings of ours that might align best with your needs.
  • Ceremony will be a through line in our time together. We welcome questions and conversations around it.
  • To cultivate a clear and focused retreat experience, we encourage all attendees to engage in scheduled activities with a sober mind, emphasizing connection, reflection, and the strength found in vulnerability. If you choose to use cannabis, we ask that it be done privately and outdoors after scheduled activities, out of respect for others who walk the path of sobriety. Your understanding and support help create a safe and inclusive space for everyone.
  • To foster a truly mindful and immersive experience, we kindly ask that participants refrain from using cell phones and laptops during the weekend’s activities. This digital detox allows us to fully engage in transformative practices and connect authentically with ourselves and each other. Your cooperation in maintaining this intentional space is deeply appreciated. And, no one will be shamed or judged for any needed use.

1. 1. Tobacco
   2. Palo Santo
   3. Sage (CA and prairie, mostly)
   4. Navajo tea (not recommended if you are pregnant or think you may be pregnant)

• • A Specially curated local and Indigenous menu is a central aspect of our retreat. All meals and snacks will be prepared by Chef Andrea Condes (Murdoch) throughout the retreat experience. Menus are predominantly plant-based.
  • Feel free to bring along any snacks, beverages, or favorite foods you might want during the retreat. Sharing is always welcome, so if you have something you’d like to offer, we’d love that too. You’re also welcome to bring any non-vegetarian foods for your weekend if that’s your preference. There’s a natural/organic grocery store nearby in Pueblo you can visit before the retreat if you need to pick anything up.
  • We’re here to accommodate most food allergies with a little notice. Just reach out and let us know your needs once you’ve secured your spot.

• • Breakfast - fruit and protein rich smoothies, shakshouka, tofu scramble, blue corn biscuits, pumpkin corn cakes...
  • Lunch - marinated grilled vegetable arepas with avocado spread, garden salad with elderberry balsamic vinaigrette
  • Dinner - braised cabbage with tomatoes and wild rice, grilled carrots with red curry coconut sauce, Ute Mountain Ute corn cake
  • Snacks - fresh fruit, "Meso Bars" (pre-colonial protein bars), maple sumac popcorn, hard boiled eggs

• • Dairy-free
  • Gluten Free
  • Nut-allergy-friendly
  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian

$449.00 covers hard costs. This means that materials such as food, utilities etc… have been covered by this payment amount.

$599.00 covers hard costs plus an honorarium. This means that the above costs are covered plus a little something to help compensate practitioners for their time and programing.

$899.00 covers hard costs plus a livable wage for the practitioners’ time and programming.

• 100% refund, 30+ days before retreat start date
• 50% refund, 15-29 days before retreat start date,
• 0% refund, 0-14 days before retreat start date

The Condor’s Nest (Upper Back Bedroom):

This is our corner bedroom featuring a row of windows that wrap around the entire far corner of the room. Enjoy the cooing of our resident doves that nest on the land while overlooking the inherited Callery pear tree (native to China and Vietnam) and back lounging nook.

Rest easy in this full sized bedroom and benefit from access to the full bathroom with a spacious shower right next door to this room.

Three Sisters+Friends (Upper Middle Bedroom):

A community full of loving, chosen friends and family helps us to ground. Enjoy sharing space with your community members in our largest center room. With both twin and full bunk beds plus a private half bath, shared space is also comfortable space.

Access to full bathroom with shower just down the hall. Keep your community tight knit all retreat long in this bedroom that sleeps four (4) to six (6). Admire and utilize the original built-in wardrobe cabinets from 1913.

Pueblo Sunrise (Main Front Bedroom):

This east facing room features four large windows perfect for those who love a good series of sun salutations. Full blinds are installed on all windows if midday movement is more your style.

Enjoy this naturally lit room in one (1) of two (2) queen sized beds. Admire and utilize the original built-in drawers and cabinets from 1913. Access to the full bathroom with a shower just down the hall.

The Bear Den I (Lower Front Bedroom):

Sometimes we need a cozy space to hold us that also allows us to stretch our minds. This below ground level room gives the nervous system a sense of safety. Enjoy the comfort and benefit of a shared breakfast nook with a full kitchen during your stay.

This is a single room with a comfortable twin bed. Full bathroom on this floor is shared.

Convertible Room (Lower Center):

Sometimes it’s hard to trim the guest list. This center room goes from gathering space during the day to bedroom at night.

Enjoy a restful night on this full sized bed. Enjoy the comfort and benefit of a shared breakfast nook with a full kitchen during your stay. Full bathroom on this floor is shared.

The Bear Den II (Lower Back Bedroom):

Sometimes we need a cozy space to hold us that also allows us to stretch our minds. This below ground level room gives the nervous system a sense of safety. Enjoy the comfort and benefit of a shared breakfast nook with a full kitchen during your stay.

This is a single room with a comfortable twin bed and recliner. Full bathroom on this floor is shared.

Room Assignments

Rooms are assigned by the organizers however we want to hear about any personalized needs that will make everyone’s stay more enjoyable. For example, if you are someone who sleeps with a CPAP machine or are prone to nightmares when traveling and sleeping in unfamiliar spaces, you might be more comfortable in one of the single occupancy rooms than the Three Sisters+Friends.

Host or Publisher Four Directions Cuisine, LLC