Massanutten Resort - Wellness Retreat

June 1 - 4, 2023

Sometimes, resetting your mental and physical health requires more than your usual coping methods. Massanutten Resort is offering your refuge from all the stresses relating to everyday life. Introducing our very first Wellness Retreat which will shift your mindset and restore your sense of balance. Stepping away from the grind of everyday life can result in a rebirth through physical, psychological, and spiritual offerings.

Our Wellness Retreat is designed to do just that. Offering daily morning yoga, exciting workshops such as art therapy, ayurvedic principals, dance therapy and sound baths, we provide the chance to bond with your soul. This retreat is designed to aid in transformation — be it body or soul — through a combination of unique amenities, expert staff, and beautiful locales.

Immerse yourself in beautiful Massanutten Mountain and experience 2 full days of making new friends, trying things you never took the time for and carving out time to start your journey.

Booking for this event is now closed. An announcement of the fall/winter wellness retreat date coming soon!

Retreat Schedule

Check-in Day – Thursday, June 1

Day 1 – Friday, June 2

Day 2 – Saturday, June 3

Day 3 – Sunday, June 4

*Schedule subject to change due to availability or inclement weather.

To get the most out of this experience, we do recommend participation in all activities and experiences however, we completely understand that you may need a break or would just like to step back for a minute. While that is totally fine and completely up to you, please know in advance that the package price cannot be prorated.

Workshops

Yoga & Ayurveda Workshop Connecting with the Rhythms of Nature

Instructor: Leticia “Padmasri” Marques
In today’s fast-paced world, we can easily get in the habit of skipping meals, flying from task to task, multi-tasking, dodging deadlines, etc. We lose balance and become out of touch with our natural rhythms, resulting in the manifestation of symptoms such as aches and pains, bad digestion, low energy, and lack of sleep. In this 3-hour workshop, we will discuss all about summer and internal heat management through the lens of Ayurveda, the sister science of Yoga. There is so much you can easily do at home to support the body to rid excess heat and reduce inflammation through food and drink, daily rhythms, home remedy recipes, and home therapies. You will also have an opportunity to taste food and do ancient practices that align with the current season – Summer. Modern medicine focuses on reducing the symptoms so we no longer feel pain or discomfort, which can be valuable, of course (not feeling pain). However, it puts us out of touch with our own bodies, masking the source of the discomfort. Ayurveda focuses on imbalances occurring long before we get into the disease state (this disease state is where modern medicine largely focuses). Ayurveda is the art and science of understanding the natural world, which allows us to live in sync with the natural rhythms and manage our own unique body-mind type as well. Through a combination of appropriate seasonal diet and lifestyle we create a solid foundation for optimal health.

Nia Workshop

Instructor: Susan Tate
A delightful mixture of dance arts, martial arts, and mindfulness, Nia is a holistic movement and wellness practice for your body, mind, and soul. Practiced barefoot, (but you can wear shoes!) Nia is non-impact and adaptable to individual needs and abilities. Nia encourages people of all shapes, sizes, and abilities to dance at their own pace, listen to their bodies, and to welcome in pleasure and to move in joy.

Paper Bead Workshop

Instructor: Juliana Haug
Making paper beads is a mindful way to set intentions and invite in affirmations. In this workshop, an art therapist will guide and support you through the process using specialty paper that you will then use to create your paper beaded jewelry. Your jewelry can then be worn as a way to actively ground throughout each day. No art experience is necessary and all materials will be provided.

Sound Bath Meditation

Instructor: Greg Burns
For this class, Greg Burns will lead a Sound Bath Meditation, using various instruments including Singing Bowls, Gongs, and more. This experience is designed to provide deep relaxation of both the mind and body. And attending a Sound Bath can offer a wide range of additional benefits beyond the relaxation, such as stress relief, improved sleep, and enhanced creativity to mention just a few. After beginning with a brief guided relaxation Greg will begin filling the atmosphere with sounds. This will last about an hour before Greg helps bring us back to a waking state. Time to ask questions and reflect on the experience are offered before departing. No experience necessary, this class is great for those new to meditation as well as experienced meditators.

Art Therapy

Instructor: Sigrid Eilertson
Art Therapy is a great way to express your emotions to help you on the path to healing. No art experience is needed - just a desire to create. There is no right or wrong way to make art!! I provide a wide array of art materials such as collage, drawing materials, chalk/oil pastels, watercolors, and much much more! #glitter!! The session is one hour and is structured by a brief meditation/breath work followed by the art making and ended with processing the art created.

Instructor Bios

Michael Okusa

In addition to teaching yoga at Salute the Sun, Michael also coaches strength, conditioning, mobility, and nutrition. His yoga classes often feature sneaky strength elements, creative mobility sequences, and a balance between feel good flow and long fiery holds. Outside the studio, you might find him doing other sporty activities like running around town, doing errands on bike, or dancing for no particular reason.

Shannon Burns

Shannon Burns, E-RYT 500/E-RYT 200, is the founder of Salute The Sun Yoga. The studio is located at 2216 Ivy Road, Suite 206 in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Previously, Shannon was the Lead Vinyasa Yoga Teacher at FlyDog Studio in Charlottesville, Virginia and taught for 5+ years at the studio. Shannon is a double graduate from the University of Virginia (BSN & MSN/FNP), and has lived in Charlottesville for 20+ years. She has practiced yoga since 1996, and completed 200 & 300 hour yoga teacher training at FlyDog Yoga. Shannon is a Tier 1 Certified Baptiste Yoga Leader. She takes special interest in self myofascial release, and enjoys seeing the calming effects of this release in her students at her workshops.

Shannon worked in the field of medicine as a nurse, then nurse practitioner for over 25 years. She delivers alignment focused classes with a deep understanding of the human body, and how different each body truly is. She has knowledge and understanding of the anatomy of a body, and how most injuries and ergonomics can impact movement during the yoga practice.

Leticia “Padmasri” Marques

Padmasri is an Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant, a certified Advanced Integral Yoga® Hatha teacher, and a certified Raja Yoga teacher. Her passion is helping people live Yoga and Ayurveda in everyday life, and she does this through her online library and advanced trainings. She also offers specialty workshops and seminars in both the US and Brazil (English and Portuguese). You can learn more about her on her website: padmasri.yoga

Juliana Haug

Juliana Haug, BS received a Bachelor of Science in December 2021 with a Creative Art Therapy major and Psychology minor from West Liberty University. Currently she is a graduate student at West Liberty University studying for a Masters of Art in Art Therapy and Counseling and an art therapy intern at Shenandoah Art Therapy, LLC. She has experience working with a range of clients of all ages who have been diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities, PTSD, anxiety, dementia, ADHD, autism, and/or other presenting factors.

Juliana fosters the idea that each of us is designed to naturally create, express, and communicate. Through the therapeutic process, she strives to serve as both guide and witness to each client’s journey for healing.

Susan Tate

Susan discovered Nia in 1997 while she was the Director of Health Promotion and assistant professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Virginia. A licensed black belt Nia teacher, Susan has been teaching across the U.S. and internationally since 1999. She currently teaches Nia Moving to Heal classes for the University of Virginia’s Cancer Center. Susan is the author of several health-related books including: Wellness Wisdom: 31 Ways to Nourish Your Mind, Body, & Spirit. A well-respected health educator for over 50 years, she is passionate about creating and inspiring individual, community, and global wellness. Learn more: www.susantate.org

Greg Burns

Greg Burns is a practitioner in the Healing Art of Sound and owner of Metta Vibrations. He provides various Sound and Meditation events and classes, all focused on helping the individual. Greg has been leading these types of classes for over 8 years now after working for 15 years in a therapy hospital, helping him to develop a broad understanding of how we heal and feel better. Over the last 8 years he has led hundreds of public events and private sessions in a wide range of settings, such as yoga studios, schools, retirement centers, festivals, and more. Greg offers public events and classes throughout the mid-Atlantic region and beyond. He can also be booked for private classes or for your public events. Greg can be reached directly at metta.vibrations@gmail.com, and you can learn more at his website www.mettavibrations.com.

Sigrid Eilertson

I became an art therapist over 20 years ago - and for the first 10 years of my practice I worked on a locked inpatient psychiatric unit helping folks of all ages with chronic and acute mental health struggles. The patients would often comment that coming to art therapy was the highlight of their day because the art studio was their “safe place.” This is what Art Therapy is all about- a safe non verbal way to express one’s emotions. In my opinion- there is no wrong or right way to make art! It’s all about self expression. Clients seem to really enjoy exploring the art materials and getting messy. Life is messy! Embrace it!

As an art therapist, I provide a safe comfortable space for healing to happen. Making art is all about letting go of protocol and taking emotional chances which is crucial to a path of healing new and old wounds. One specific activity that I like to do with clients is journal making. This is where one can make from scratch their very own private journal to help them at home once they leave the studio. Another special activity I like to do with clients is mask making. This art directive can be very effective in self reflection.