Hosting a movement retreat in the Midwest, especially in Michigan, is a magical experience. People want to flock to destination areas like Costa Rica, Mexico, Sedona, but the reality is these places are out of reach for many in the Midwest. For the reasons of cost, distance and perhaps time. Us Midwesterners like our homes and the comfort that driving can bring. I like to call Michigan the “out west” of the Midwest due to the beauty and nature variety it provides. It’s one of the reasons I chose it for the R3 retreat.
Krystal and I are in our 5th year of hosting this retreat and it is selling out every. single. time. I say that not to brag, but to bring up the discussion of how. What makes it so special? Where did the idea come from? Why should you consider attending? LET ME ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS FOR YOU.
Where did the idea come from?
The R3 retreat came as an idea to me to bring people together over a common goal of relaxation, community and body education. My friend Krystal at the time was an incredible vegan chef and I knew she could bring the skills to the table that I lacked in the food department. Thus, we took a chance and found the most incredible home to host our vision, and yes I chose it based on the dining room table.
What does the movement look like? I barely move in my daily life and don’t really know yoga.
We begin and end our days with an all level movement class. I call this movement instead of yoga because sometimes people put a stigma to yoga and might turn people away thinking yoga isn’t for them. We move everyday to go somewhere. These classes work with ALL LEVELS of human movers that are able to go up and down stairs. - A side tangent is I am hoping to find a place that is accessible to wheelchairs-
In the morning we do a more upbeat class and the evenings are for a slower, wind down practice.
The movement focuses on:
Centering
Firing our deep core muscles at the beginning to create a more optimal practice
Functional movements to strengthen the body
Functional movements to improve your everyday movement
Stretching
Mobility
Mindfulness
Incorporating it in to our nervous system
We end our morning practice with meditation and breathwork that are equally important to daily life.
What happens in a day?
Practice and Meditation
Breakfast
Lunch + Downtime
Evening Practice
Dinner
Community Conversations and sunset watching
Workshops
That is the general outline. Some may be used to having a day packed with activities, but I seem to find that people actually are coming to HAVE A BREAK and retreat into themselves while also building relationships with each other. I leave this up to the attendee and everyone loves the fact they can do a puzzle or read a book they’ve been dying to finish.
What food do you provide?
We accommodate most diets. Krystal creates a beautiful menu each year that hardly repeats. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner is provided + dessert in case you have a sweet tooth like me. Our meals have a vegan option and a meat option.
Krystal and I
You mentioned workshops, what can I expect?
We typically offer 2 and they are optional. Krystal provides an educational workshop in her holistic healing realm of knowledge. She just started her own business (Restorative Roots Wellness)! Last year it was about mineral balancing. I like providing an anatomy and education workshop looking at our own movement and brain and how to improve using certain exercises.
This place rests on a dune on the shore of Lake Michigan, where you can hear the sounds of the crashing waves from the home and watch the sunset every night. If you’d like to join us our next dates are:
May you find time to rest on your accord,
B
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