Deep in the Forest
a retreat for women
Thursday, October 9 — Sunday, October 12, 2025
in Meadows of Dan, Virginia
A soul-nourishing retreat to pause, connect, and root into your wild, wise self.
You are lovingly invited into nature for 3 nights, 4 days of restoration—an intentional space to slow down, breathe deeply, and remember the quiet strength that lives within you.
In the midst of a chaotic, fast-moving world, it's easy to lose touch with your inner compass—to feel untethered, weary, or overwhelmed. Deep in the Forest offers a gentle return to yourself. Here, surrounded by the beauty of a Blue Ridge Mountain old-growth forest, you’ll be held in a healing space that invites stillness, reflection, and reconnection.
This isn’t just time away—it’s a journey inward. Through guided forest bathing sessions, mindful movement, creative expression, inspiring teachings, and soulful rituals, you’ll soften the edges of stress and rediscover the steady ground beneath your feet.
Come as you are. Leave feeling more rooted, more whole, and more deeply attuned to the wild wisdom that’s always been within you.
Designed to nourish your body, mind, and spirit, this retreat offers seven soul invitations.
Seven—the number of wholeness, fullness, and spiritual redirection—guides the rhythm of our time together. Each invitation has been lovingly curated and thoughtfully woven into every layer of Deep In The Forest, offering space for a return to your authentic self.
Throughout the weekend, we invite you to:
GROUND: Open yourself to deeper meaning. The forest invites us out of our heads and into the grounding presence of the earth—into our bodies, into the now. It re-anchors us to the foundation that holds and supports us, reminding us who we are and where we belong.
ALIGN: Come into harmony with your authentic self—your values, intentions, and beliefs—and with the rhythms of the natural world. Let the forest help you remember what truly matters.
REST: Let the hush of the forest soothe your nervous system. Slowing down activates the parasympathetic nervous system—our body’s natural “brake” amidst the overstimulation of daily life. Rest is the sacred pause that allows us to listen inward. It is the conversation between what we love to do and how we love to be. Here, you’re invited to rediscover that conversation for yourself.
CONNECT: Deepen your awareness and attunement—to nature, to others, and to yourself. The burdens of modern life and past experiences can dull our capacity for connection. Deep In The Forest offers the spaciousness needed to reconnect in meaningful ways.
EMBODY: Let your truth take form. Embodiment is the practice of listening to sensation and honoring the deep link between body and emotion. As you become more embodied, you strengthen your inner compass—one that helps you navigate life with more clarity and presence.
REFLECT: Make space to contemplate your experience—your longings, your insights, and the impact of each invitation. Let what arises integrate gently. Meaning-making is a soulful act; reflection gives it breath.
RITUAL: Come home to your deepest truth. Ritual is the language of the body and heart. It expresses what words cannot fully hold. Ritual offers us a sacred way to tend to our wounds, give thanks, and move through life’s thresholds. Before we had words, we had ritual. Here, you are invited to remember your own ritual language.
At the end of this journey, you may find that you are not so much changed as remembered—more deeply in tune with yourself, more rooted in the earth, more open to beauty and belonging.
Deep In The Forest is not just a retreat—it’s a return. A homecoming to the sacred within and around you.
YOUR EXPERIENCE INCLUDES:
Over the course of four days, you’ll be gently guided through a rich tapestry of practices and experiences:
Guided Forest Bathing Sessions with a certified forest therapy guide to help you slow down and reconnect with the natural world.
Mindful Movement to ground your energy and gently return to your center.
Circle Time with teachings that inspire deeper reflection, clarity, and growth.
Celebration of Self & Sisterhood—a chance to honor your journey and build meaningful connection with other women.
Expressive Arts to explore your inner world through creativity (no experience needed.)
Journaling and Group Discussion to deepen your experience and bring personal insights to life.
Cacao Ceremony—a sacred, heart-opening ritual to connect more deeply with yourself, others and the Earth.
Shamanic Energy Healing Session (Optional) for clearing blockages and restoring balance
Campfire Evenings (with s’mores!) for storytelling, laughter, and heartfelt sharing under the stars.
Free Time to rest, wander, or simply be in the beauty of the forest.
All Meals—healthy, vegetarian dishes prepared with love.
The Details
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Arrive on Thursday, October 9th between 3 PM - 4 PM EST
Depart on Sunday, October 12th by 11:30 AM EST
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Where you will spend your days:
Magic Tree Sanctuary is a 53-acre outdoor retreat space in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Located in the small town of Meadows of Dan, the private land borders the Blue Ridge Parkway and features a forest of white pine, oak, locust, and poplar trees, rhododendron-lined nature trails, wildflower meadows, and meandering creeks.
The property has a cabin, camping space, an outdoor eating area, covered yoga platform, ceremony studio, fire circles, and an off-grid bath house.
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Where you will spend your nights:
Lodging options:
Choose between a private room with a shared bath or a shared room with a shared bath in a spacious country home nestled in the trees surrounding the OldeMill Golf Resort, only five miles down the road from Magic Tree Sanctuary.
Bring your own camping gear and sleep under the stars at Magic Tree Sanctuary.
Commute from home each day.
Local housing recommendations for commuters:
Search for an Airbnb in the towns of Meadows of Dan, Floyd, or Fancy Gap
Book a hotel room at Tuggle’s Gap Roadside Inn, Hotel Floyd, or Hampton Inn Mount Airy (All within 30 minutes away.)
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Enjoy healthy vegetarian meals, prepared with love, to fuel your body and delight your taste buds.
Dinner on Thursday
All meals Friday & Saturday
Breakfast on Sunday
Snacks, water, coffee & tea available through the day.
To create an intimate space for connection and community, this experience will be limited to 10 attendees.
Your Investment
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Private Room
$1195 USD
(3 spaces available)
(includes program and activities, 3-nights accommodations in a private room with a shared bath, all meals, snacks and beverages)
Your private room is clean, comfortable, and furnished with a queen bed. Sheets, pillow and a towel are provided. There are 3.5 shared bathrooms in the home as well as an open living room, and fully-equipped kitchen.
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Shared Room
$895 USD
(5 spaces available)
(includes program and activities, 3-nights accommodations in a shared room with a shared bath, all meals, snacks and beverages)
Your shared room is clean, comfortable, and furnished with twin beds. Each room will be shared with up to 2 people. Sheets, pillow and a towel are provided. There are 3.5 shared bathrooms in the home as well as an open living room, and fully-equipped kitchen.
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Camping/Commuting
$695 USD
(2 spaces available)
(includes program and activities, primitive campsite, all meals, snacks and beverages)
Bring your own camping gear and sleep under the stars at Magic Tree Sanctuary (or book an Airbnb and commute in each day.)
Primitive campsite includes shared off-grid bathhouse equipped with composting toilet and spring-fed shower.
Retreat Cancellation Policy:
You may cancel 90 Days before the retreat for a full refund (minus payment processor fees).
Unforeseen Circumstances: Please note, Magic Tree Sanctuary is not responsible for any of the following, and there will be no refunds nor discounts for arriving late, leaving early, flight cancellations, travel delays, injury, or illness. For additional protection due to any unforeseen circumstances, it is highly recommended that all participants purchase travel insurance (Travel Safe, Insuremytrip, Travel Guard) at the time of booking the retreat.
Meet the Team
Your retreat will be guided by two seasoned facilitators who bring years of experience in holding safe, transformative spaces. With deep roots in nature-based practices and heart-centered leadership, they are here to support your journey with wisdom, presence, and care.
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Human being, mother, therapist, lover of trees and dogs and bird song. “I am not learning to be bigger. I am unlearning the fear of being myself.”With over 30 years of experience as a psychotherapist specializing in healing complex trauma, Lenora brings a rare depth of presence and gentle wisdom to her work. She is a licensed psychologist, Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner, NARM® Master Therapist, Certified Forest Therapy Guide, retreat facilitator, and grief ritual leader. Her work is rooted in the healing rhythms of nature and a profound trust in each person’s inner knowing.
One of Lenora’s greatest joys is guiding others back to their own authentic souls. She holds space with warmth and steadiness, inviting you into a deeper relationship with yourself and the more-than-human world. Forest Therapy has been a sacred companion on her own journey—offering a vast, wild container for sorrow and celebration alike.
She lives among the trees in Mt. Airy, Maryland, where her days are shared with her beloved family, a joyful menagerie of dogs, cats, goats, and a few regal Texas Longhorns. Her private psychotherapy practice is deeply informed by her connection with nature and the land she calls home.
You're met by the strength and steadiness of the earth itself. You can rest on her. –Jack Kornfield
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Julie is a guide, retreat facilitator, and steward of a 42-acre old-forest in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
Since 2016, she has been guiding individuals and groups on journeys of deep nature connection. Her approach blends nature immersion, mindfulness, and earth-based spirituality, grounded in the belief that nature is our wisest teacher.
As the co-founder of The Forest Therapy School, Julie has trained hundreds of aspiring forest therapy guides in the art of forest bathing as part of a movement to bring people back home to nature. Her greatest joy is witnessing the transformation that happens when people slow down, reconnect, and listen to the wisdom of the land.
In addition to her work, Julie is a member of Friends of the Blue Ridge and a proud supporter of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. She splits her time between Davidson, North Carolina and Meadows of Dan, Virginia.
When she’s not wandering in the woods, talking to the trees, she loves spending time with her family and hiking with her dog, Ink.
I return thanks for the gifts of this lifetime and for its challenges. I seek to walk in balance between earth and sky, affirming. –Robert Moss
