Retreats
“Grief does not heal in time.
Grief heals through paying attention.”
Frank Ostaseski
reverence & reconnection retreat
tending our grief – deepening into presence
March 27 – 30 2025
Reverence & Reconnection is a grief retreat, inspired by my personal journey with grief, illumined by the soulful teachings of Francis Weller and the wisdom teachings of Joanna Macy. Exploring Joanna’s spiral of The Work that Reconnects, our time together will integrate movement practices, silence, conscious connected breath and wisdom circles, held in the sacred sanctuary at Xenia.
The spiral begins by cultivating gratitude. In the fertile field of gratitude, we delve into our pain, our personal and planetary grief, together. By honouring our grief and pain, we water the seeds of self compassion and reconnect with what is most important.
Death, divorce and diagnosis are powerful initiators; these human experiences are universal, yet our modern ways have not well prepared us. Grief conveys some of the most profound teachings on becoming human: the reality of impermanence and the essence of interconnectivity, the soul’s inclination toward vulnerability and the cultivation of courage, the inevitable humility as we come face to face with ourselves.
Ripening into robust adults, capable of becoming elders, takes courage and requires community. We need each other in this maturation process. Our drive for progress has championed profit and productivity and spawned a culture of disconnection and disease. We were never meant to tend our grief alone. Relationship is the ground substance of life; evolution is not an individual endeavour.
Be held by our communal circle, nurtured in nature’s haven at Xenia, and supported to more fully embrace life and see anew. Take time for your deepest well being. Nourishing your body, mind and soul fosters wholehearted living and deepens presence. Your presence is the biggest gift you could offer your loved ones and the world.
Facilitated by Sharon Abbondanza, Yogita Bouchard, Maureen Jack-LaCroix and Derek LaCroix
Private & Shared Accommodations ($1,675 – $1,375)
Deposit $500 ($250 non-refundable)
E-transfer to sharonabbondanza@telus.net
Balance due February 10th
For more information please email me
Yogita Bouchard
YOGITA BOUCHARD is passionate in supporting others in the Embodiment of their best Self and in moving through what may be in the way of that process. She works as a Somatic Trauma Therapist in private practice and has been in the health field for over 30 years now. She co-facilitated retreats at Mountain Waters Retreats in Nelson BC for many years. She is a mother of 5, grandmother of 9. She brings insight, deep listening and care to her work with others.
Maureen Jack-LaCroix, PhD (cand.)
MAUREEN JACK-LACROIX, PhD (cand.) brings a deep love and reverence for the living world and twenty years experience as a senior facilitator of Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects. As the co-founder and Creative Director of Be the Change Earth Alliance, Maureen’s doctoral research integrates transformative experiential processes into eco-social education practices.
Derek LaCroix, JD, KC
DEREK LACROIX, JD, KC, has a Masters and PhD in Therapeutic Counselling and has provided counselling to thousands of clients suffering from stress, addiction or trauma for the past twenty-eight years. Derek has trained in a variety of counseling and healing modalities with particular interest in body centred psychotherapies. With extensive training under mentors Dr. Wong and Dr. McKeen, Derek has also led numerous Come Alive residential workshops at Haven PD Seminars on Gabriola Island.
Sharon Abbondanza, C-IAYT
SHARON ABBONDANZA draws on over three decades of study and training in yoga therapy, meditation, breath facilitation and grief work. She has a private practice in Vancouver, teaches an extensive online program, and has offered retreats, workshops and trainings internationally for fifteen years. An intuitive and dynamic teacher, Sharon cultivates a soulful learning environment that honours the body as a profound portal to our multidimensionality.
Tending Transitions
September 11-14 2024
Join us to nourish your body and soul through gentle somatic practices, yoga, morning meditation and conscious breath. Let Sharon & Tanya weave a tapestry of restorative practices to unwind from the speed of modernity and vitalize your inner life. Be warmed from the inside out and nurtured by grounding rhythms of nature to rejuvenate your body, steady your mind and deepen into listening.
In the heart of an old growth forest, the sanctuary of Xenia Retreat Centre provides profound healing ground. Reawaken your senses through silence and stillness, mindful movement and inquiry; transform your practice through ease and rest into yourself.
Nestle into cozy cabins and yurts, connect to nature and enjoy the nourishment of wholesome food, and soulful company. Collectively, we are in much need of a reset. September begins a movement inward, beginning the season that guides our letting go. Tending this transition cultivates a spaciousness within, and we return to the flow of life refreshed, more able to envision our highest expression and take delight in presence.
We have dreamed of collaborating for some time now and look so very forward to welcoming you to our inaugural retreat.
XENIA RETREAT CENTRE on Bowen Island
September 11-14 (Wednesday Opening Circle 5pm ~ Saturday completes with Lunch)
Co-Facilitated by Sharon Abbondanza & Tanya Harmon
Shared Accommodation: $1250. Private Accommodation: $1475.
Deposit $200. Full payment appreciated by June 30th.
Refunds less deposit considered only for extenuating circumstances after August 1st.
Testimonials
“My experience of Sharon is that she shares with joy and effervescence her deep understanding of the practice and teachings of yoga. I have yet to experience a teacher who exudes as much genuine care and compassion for students as does Sharon. It is truly a gift to participate in her classes.”
“What did I love about Sharon’s teaching? The concise considered approach to the delivery of the information; the fun, playful but carefully choreographed approach to get our attention focused inwards. The visual props and the wonderfully creative way that you tied it all in and the poetry and the wisdom insights naturally inter-dispersed throughout.”
“Sharon sparked my excitement about the body’s structure and how it intersects with yoga and breath. Her teaching made me more conscious and hungry to learn more!”
“Such a comprehensive learning experience; I learn more each retreat. Amazing synergy in the teaching with both Brigitte and Sharon – masterful! Thank you.”
“Yoga, I understand now, is really about life, not just the body. Yes, it helps the body – I was amazed at the physical strength and look of the women teaching but also the strength of their hearts and minds. I learned about try letting go with the example of these women and why I would want to do that.”
“My experience of Sharon is that she shares with joy and effervescence her deep understanding of the practice and teachings of yoga. I have yet to experience a teacher who exudes as much genuine care and compassion for students as does Sharon.”
“I am pain free for the first time in 6 years. My heart has lightened. This retreat was an experience of profound integration.”
“Felt fabulous all week!
Thank you! I have felt fabulous all week! Your class design is obviously well thought out and I could hear and feel your passion and commitment to keeping us connected to the rhythm of our own breath. Masterful.“
“My spirit really raises in your presence.
Beyond my body feeling good my spirit really raises in your presence. Over the past years that I have been studying with you, I see a soul evolution in your teaching. I feel so privileged to be able to benefit from your amazing teachings and all you continue to learn.“
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