Mindful Living, Soulful Aging Retreat

“The gold of age is a rich harvest, one that’s born in darkness and brought to light. Mining the gold of the inner life is a living practice with a guiding seam and a deepening to forge. And what will you spend your gold on? Your time, your life? Every person’s inner gold accrues interest when shared.” –Colleen Redman

The inner life regularly calls for our attention, but it takes a real commitment to bring our focus within when so much grabs our attention in the routines of daily living. Whether or not you have been able to do your inner work along the way, we are inviting elders and adults of all ages who are motivated now for prioritizing their inner work to come together in a co-creative community. This retreat will provide opportunities for silent meditation and reflection, along with stimulating presentations and workshops on the processes of living with awareness and aging with grace.

Participants will be supported to explore and express your inner life through poetry, creative writing, guided imagery and music, dance,small group discussions and mandala art. There will be a featured poetry reading on the theme of soulful aging titled: Mining the Gold / Spending the Treasure with Colleen Redman and Katherine Chantal. Their original poems blend memoir, dream work, mythology and contemplative reflection on meeting the challenge of “apprenticing ourselves to our own disappearance,” as coined by poet David Whyte.

Each day will offer a balance of guided offerings and free time for inner exploration inside the Bermed Lodge and out in the forest and trails surrounding the Floyd EcoVillage. You will have time for tuning in, and renewing and deepening your skills in the practices of soulful aging and mindful living. Delicious meals, snacks and beverages provided throughout the retreat.

Retreat is open to adults of all ages. All levels of experience welcome!

Presenter Bios:

Joe Klein, LPC, is the founder of Be Well Now and a lead teacher for Instill Mindfulness & Inward Bound Mindfulness. Joe has been teaching mindfulness since 2010, including a graduate course at Radford University, and previously led Recovery Dojo, a mindfulness-based addiction treatment program. He brings playfulness, Earth connection, and whole-person engagement to his retreats, creating a deeply immersive and transformative experience.

Colleen Redman is a Floyd County writer/blogger who contracted and freelanced news stories, features and photographs for The Floyd Press from 2006 – 2021. Her poetry has most recently been published in Artemis Journal and Floyd County Moonshine. She is the author of several books of poetry and has been a featured reader at Floyd’s Little River Poetry Festival.

Katherine Chantal has been navigating her life through relationship and transitions. Being Mother, herbalist, healer, creator of life passage ceremonies and evolutionary workshops for decades, she comes to her elder years as an author of five books. She is a philosopher poet inclusive of depth psychology, spirituality and neuroscience. Her poems have appeared in Artemis Journal and other regional publications. She is the author of several books, including two poetry collections.

Jessica Talley-Haynes, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), FAMI, CNIT, FMCHC

Jess owns a holistically-based counseling practice in Floyd, specializing in the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery & Music (GIM), Circles of the Self Assessment, Polyvagal psychoeducation, support for High Sensory Intelligence, outdoor and walk & talk therapy, and mindfulness backpacking experiences. She developed and runs a Functional Medicine health coaching group for the Recovery Dojo, supporting clients in understanding the mind-body connection through food and lifestyle choices. Jess provides psychoeducation and experiential therapies that highlight and strengthen connections between physical, emotional, environmental, relational, and spiritual health and has been working with non-ordinary states of consciousness through music for over 10 years. Jess brings curiosity, compassion, and zest to her work helping others find comfort with their authentic selves and nurture deeper connections with Nature.