Writing draws on our whole being and its demands can both energize and deplete us emotionally and physically. This retreat will engage every layer of our nervous systems from skin to fascia to brain and explore how we can connect more deeply with the energy that is both within and around us.
We will explore mind, body, and spirit replenishing techniques from the teachings of yoga, meditation, and acupressure. We will put these teachings in conversation with current research from the fields of social neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology, as well as with our own writing. Participants will come away with tools for their own somato-spiritual practices, as well as pages from journal prompts, free-writes, and their own unstructured writing time. We will gather for four workshops, and there will also be the option for one-on-one yoga and/or whole body relaxation practices with the facilitator. There will also be ample time for writing, resting, contemplating, and walking Rockvale’s trails.
The Details:
Cost: $450.00 per person (includes 2 nights in a private suite, 5 meals, snacks, 4 workshops, and plenty of private time for writing)
Date: Friday, September 29, 2023 (Check-in: 4:00-6:00 pm) to Sunday, October 1, 2023 (Check-out: 11:00 am)
Place: Rockvale Writers’ Colony, 6994 Giles Hill Road, College Grove, TN
Retreat Schedule (tentative):
Friday, September 29, 2023:
4:00 to 6:00 p.m. – Check-in and settle in. We’ll show you to your assigned room.
6:00 p.m. – Dinner
7:00 p.m. – Welcome and Overview of Retreat
7:15 p.m. – Writing Workshop: What’s Written in Our Social Nervous Systems?
As social beings, our nervous systems calibrate to social environments. As writers and creatives, our sensitivities are our superpowers—and at the same time, all strengths come with challenges. What does the science tell us about caring for our whole selves, including our creative spirits? How can we put the science into practice? We’ll use some journaling prompts to map our own social nervous systems.
9:00 p.m. – Free Time / Bedtime
Saturday, September 30, 2023:
6:30 a.m. – Coffee Ready!
7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Breakfast is available. Come anytime you’re ready.
8:30 a.m. – Writing Workshop: Cultivating Creativity
We’ll explore some somatic practices to start the day strong in our spirit and fully present in our bodies. Then we’ll freewrite about what we notice. Participants will have a range of options and possibilities for movements and postures, and all are invited and encouraged to find what works best in their own bodies.
9:45 a.m. – Free Time for Writing
12:00 p.m. – Lunch
1:00 p.m. – Optional One-on-One Yoga/Whole Body Relaxation Practices with Facilitator
6:00 p.m. – Dinner
7:00 p.m. – Writing Workshop: Deep Relaxation
We’ll begin with some brief, body-focused journal prompts, and we’ll use our reflections to explore some somatic practices for deep, restorative rest. Participants will have a range of options and possibilities for movements and postures, and all are invited and encouraged to find what works best in their own bodies.
8:30 p.m. – Reading/Share Your Writing
Sharing is optional; however, we ask that you attend whether you read or not, in order to support other writers.
10:00 p.m. – Free Time / Bedtime
Sunday, October 1, 2023:
6:30 a.m. – Coffee Ready!
7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Breakfast is available. Come anytime you’re ready.
8:30 a.m. – Writing Workshop: Presence through the Process
We’ll explore some somatic practices for building strength, resilience, and multiple pathways to our wellsprings of creativity. Then we’ll freewrite about what we’ve noticed and how it lands in our bodies and in spirits. Participants will have a range of options and possibilities for movements and postures, and all are invited and encouraged to find what works best in their own bodies.
9:45 a.m. – Free Time for Writing
11:00 a.m. – Checkout and Goodbye
Facilitator: Margaret Smith
Margaret (Meg) Smith, PhD, RYT-500, TCTSY-F works with elite athletes, military service members, and other high performers to deepen the mind-body connections that enable sustained high performance as well as healing from trauma, anxiety, and chronic stress.
Meg is the sport psychology provider for Team USA Wheelchair Rugby (www.usawr.org) among other teams and athletes in Olympic, Paralympic, and collegiate sport. She’s supported USAWR through two Paralympic silver medals and multiple international titles and from 2016-2020, supported the University of Alabama Adapted Athletics toward seven national championships in three sports. She has provided services for Team Navy Wounded Warrior and the Warrior Games since 2016. She has a PhD in social psychology and teaches as an adjunct professor for the Alabama Prison Arts and Education Program at Auburn University and the US Army’s Master Educator Course. She writes fiction and nonfiction for fun and peace and sanity.
Please note the following due dates and refund policy:
• $100.00 non-refundable deposit due upon registering.
• $350.00 balance due one month before retreat start date (September 1, 2023)
• If cancellation by retreater occurs 2 weeks to 1 month before retreat (September 1 to September 15 , 2023)– refund is 50% of the balance owed.
• If cancellation by retreater occurs less than 2 weeks before retreat (September 15 to September 29, 2023) – no refund
• If RWC cancels the retreat for any reason, full refunds will be provided to all retreaters