Hey strong friends! We have been slowly leaking out more details and some amazing additions to the lineup for the Ancestral Wellness Retreat through our newsletters. As both J and I are "wicked good" in the realm of all things wellness, we are not so wonderful in the department of marketing and wanted to utilize this blog as a better place to share more information!
For those who have already signed up for the retreat, we will be launching a private Facebook group with additional information about travel, carpooling, and of course to be able to meet each other before October!
If you are interested but not sure what you're getting yourself into, I hope this page will clear up any questions and get you EXRTA excited about the multitude of offerings we will have for you at the retreat! For more general information or to reserve your spot, click here to get to the event page!
OK! Now for the *FUN* stuff!
Let's start with the Retreat Center! We are lodging at the beautiful Vineyard Arts Project located on Main St. in Edgartown. It's a (very) short walk to downtown, where there are shops, restaurants, the beautiful Harbor Lighthouse, beaches, and a ferry shuttle over to Chappaquiddick.
Our venue has 15 bedrooms of varying accommodations. There are private single rooms, double rooms, and shared rooms with up to 3 beds. Each room comes with it's own bathroom and they are all clean, unique and comfortable (I have stayed here as a guest personally!). If you are planning to attend the retreat with a friend or family member and would like to share a room, just shoot us an email to confirm your roommates once you have signed up!
The venue has a beautiful open floorpan from the giant kitchen to the living room, and opens right up to the patio where there is ample outdoor seating and a huge grass backyard where we will certainly be spending a lot of time! There are two large studios in the venue as well. Upstairs and a short walk from the community space is the barn studio. Downstairs there is another practice studio of about the same size. We will be doing movement and educational seminars in both studios, and you can also expect the piano to make a grand appearance :)
During your stay at the retreat, you will have access to one of the most incredible menu's I have ever seen! Our professional Chef, Nick E. will be preparing all of our meals from regeneratively raised meats, nose to tail, as well as local, seasonal produce. Nick is the owner of The Herbal Creative KiTHCen. If you didn't catch that, he specializes in infused cuisine. While we aren't going to be infusing the food at the retreat, it's quite the experience and I would 10/10 recommend checking it out and he would be happy to tell you more about it at the retreat!
Trust me when I say, his cooking is ABOVE and beyond anything we have ever tasted before. Have food intolerances? No problem, we will customize meals to your needs! However this is an Ancestral Based retreat, so high quality animal products will be incorporated in every meal.
As an example of what to expect for each meal at the retreat, I wanted to share a sneak peak of the menu...
When we arrive to the Island on Thursday, hors d'oeuvres will be served to the tune of:
- Chicken Liver mousse
- Duck Rillette
- Pork Head Terrine
- Smoked Bluefish Pate
- Italian Prosciutto
- Assorted Local, Organic Fruits & Vegetables
AND much more...
We will have a "New England Harvest" dinner, "Surf and Turf Clam Boil", 'Taco party"...
All guests will also leave with a comprehensive primal guide including various recipes from the retreat, a list of local and US-wide farms we know and trust, and much more.
All of the food for the retreat will be sourced from local farms. Two of the main farms we are utilizing are Wild Robbins Farm and Farmer Tim's Vegetables.
Wild Robbin's Farm is a family run farm in Sherborn, MA raising pork, chicken and seasonally turkey and lamb. Laura, Frank and their three sons are the bulk of the operation, with a few other helping hands as needed. They raise all of their meat organically, while living on rotating green pasture with ample water, shade, and a heck of a lot of extra care. I know this because I see it! Laura always welcomes people to see her animals, and ask her any and all questions about the ethical care of the animals. They host an AMAZING seasonal farm dinner event, and also support and carry items from other local farms in their farm store.
Farmer Tim's Vegetables is a fruit & veggie CSA farm in Dudley, MA. It's owned by Tim Carroll and run by Jake Cardoza & a team of hardworking humans (and a few pups!). While they aren't listed as organic, they ARE fully organic. This is a common finding as the process of certifying a farm as organic is lengthy and expensive. I would have passed them up if I had not gotten to know Jake, who is very passionate and transparent about the production of produce on his farm.
Our Itinerary for the retreat is quite dense with information, movement, exploring, connecting and practicing what makes us thrive and come alive!
Our goal for education is to bring you what you need in order incorporate ancestral being into a modern lifestyle. We will also emphasize topics that are most needed based on the state of the world during the time of the retreat. We love to stay relevant with new developments and research and for that reason we will not be able to share the exact topics we will be covering until we get much closer to October! The information provided will be beneficial for a diverse audience, from practitioners to people just starting their wellness journey, everyone will leave with ample new tools to add to their tool-belt.
Meet Jennifer Theriault, RN !!! Jen will be bringing together the experiences of hundreds of people who have benefited from her continual understanding of circadian biology...the therapeutic benefits of light, the hormetic effect of cold therapy and the importance and practical application of stress management. Together, these pieces are often lost in the shuffle with the heavy focus solely on nutrition and exercise in the functional medicine space. We want you to have complete exposure to ALL aspects of health and wellness. You will leave with new pieces of information you were likely unaware of... from the quantum to the ancestral, integrating cutting edge science with ancient wisdom!
Movement will be fun, varied and accessible for all levels. There will be a primal flow class, yoga class, functional movement class, an optional sunrise jog to the beach for some mindfulness and meditation, and opportunities to explore your potential for human movement by yourself or with others.
Our amazing Yoga instructor is Miss Aly Clark!
Aly is a 200HR RYT, as well as a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner! She integrates yoga into her life as a source of grounding, centering and healing. She is a master at connecting breath to movement and her classes leave you feeling refreshed, open, aligned, and grateful for the present moment. Aly's class will take place on Sunday morning, after an evening of dancing (You KNOW we can't do a retreat without a dance party!), and before we feast on a massive send-off brunch.
Mike Peshler of Athletic Strength Training in Ashland, MA will be guiding us through the Functional Movement class!
Mike came from a competitive football career and over time learned what it meant to train to be "fit for life". One of his main goals for all of this athletes, no matter where they are coming from, is to understand how to move correctly and build a body that will be functional and strong for the rest of their days. He emphasizes community, mindset and nutrition as part of a well rounded training plan. Mike's retreat workout will be a special one! We will be working together to tackle a fun and unique beach style workout, using what nature provides in a way that will build our strength, creativity and connection to nature and each other.
Recovery will be a large topic during the retreat. You will have daily access to saunas, red light therapy, and an integrative experience with cold plunges led by Jen Theriault. Feel free to utilize the various spaces for additional meditation, mindfulness, or other restorative practices.
For Island adventures we will have an ample amount of options! Weather dependent, we will all set off on a scenic bike to a beach where we will have a picnic, relax, soak in the sunshine and ocean air, and swim if you so choose! If the weather is less ideal, we will take vans over to Aquinnah Cliffs for a beach walk with magnificent views. You are also welcome to set off downtown or explore on your own, if thats what is calling you!
Our ultimate goal for the retreat is to help empower you with knowledge, skills, resources and a community of aligned new friends to utilize in your day to day life. We want you to leave knowing you can and will take on anything that comes your way, while remaining balanced, at peace and trusting that the intention to nourishment and connection to our ancestral ways of life will be more than enough to create a new level of resilience.
This blog will be continually updated as we solidify even MORE resources, speakers and events to the retreat schedule. You can also follow us at @perpetualhealthco and @wholeisticbykathleen, as well as subscribe to the newsletter to hear first hand when announcements are made!
We look forward to sharing this incredible experience with you!