Soul-Rest: A Sacred Pause for Women Who Hold Up the World
Replenish your heart, restore your body, and reconnect with the sisterhood and wisdom that sustain you.
July 1-5, 2025 | Drala Mountain Center, Colorado
You deserve to receive. You are worthy of care and attention. You are enough.
Step into a sacred space of renewal.
For five days, immerse yourself in mindfulness, somatic healing, sacred ritual, and the wisdom of the natural world. Rest, reconnect, and receive the nourishment that allows you to move forward with strength and clarity.
This retreat is for women who give deeply—leaders, healers, educators, and activists who are ready to care for themselves as fully as they care for others.
If you feel depleted, if you long for meaningful connection, and if you are ready to restore your energy and inner steadiness, this retreat will meet you where you are.
What You Will Experience
Nervous System Restoration - Trauma-sensitive practices will regulate and replenish your energy, creating the conditions for deeper rest and embodied self-compassion.
Somatic & Embodiment Practices - Movement, grounding exercises, and creative expression will reconnect you with your body, release stored tension, and awaken your capacity for nourishment and presence.
Sacred Ritual & Intentional Spaces - Guided practices will honor the whole of your human experience, offering a space for witnessing and being witnessed, transforming emotion into wisdom and care.
Deep Connection & Sisterhood - You will be held in a circle of women who understand your journey, offering and receiving support in a way that is nourishing and deeply affirming.
Time in Nature - Meditation, contemplative walks, and land-based practices will root you in the cycles of the natural world, deepening your connection to the earth’s wisdom.
Why This Work Matters
The work you do in the world requires energy, presence, and a steady connection to your own well-being. The capacity to care, lead, and engage with purpose strengthens when you take time to replenish yourself. That’s why together, our team of highly-skilled, heart-centered Soul-Rest Guides have carefully and intentionally crafted this retreat for deep nourishment, therapeutic support, and genuine care.
This retreat provides the space to slow down, listen inward, and restore the foundation that allows you to move through life with steadiness and clarity (Check the FAQ section for a sample daily schedule).
Reserve Your Spot
Only 16 spaces available.
✨ This retreat is designed to be an intimate space of nourishment, restoration, and care. Note: This container may not be appropriate for you if you are currently in an acute crisis, navigating severe emotional instability, or in a place where group work feels overwhelming.
A 20-minute intake call will help determine whether this retreat is the right fit for you.
We look forward to welcoming you into this circle of nourishment and belonging. Give yourself the gift of refuge. You deserve a space where you, too, are nourished and held. ✨
🌿 Investment in Your Soul-Rest
Your registration includes five days of immersive programming, mountain lodging, nourishing meals, therapeutic support, and access to a team of compassionate, experienced facilitators—devoted to creating a sacred, nourishing space for your rest, renewal, and reconnection.
Early Bird Rate: $2400 (an $800 discount)
Available through April 5, 2025. Don’t miss this offer. Register today.
Full Retreat Investment: $3200
Begins April 6, 2025
This is a deep and sacred investment in your well-being. All meals, lodging, daily workshops, and integration materials are included. Therapeutic massage therapy sessions may be scheduled as an optional add-on and payment for these can be arranged directly with the provider.
Payment Options
To support accessibility and ease, payment plans are available:
$500 deposit due on registration, then 3 monthly payments of $634 (Early Bird) or $900 (after April 5)
Pay 3 monthly payments of $800 (Early bird Full Rate), or $1067 (after April 5)
How to pay: To minimize fees, please send the $500 deposit (or the first $800 installment) via Venmo to @Cynthia-Garner, or mail a personal check to Cynthia Garner, PO Box 335, Lyons, CO. 80540. Credit card payment options are also available upon request and include an additional 3.5% processing fee. Your registration will not be confirmed until your deposit is received.
Refunds, transfers, and cancellations: If during our intake call it is decided that this retreat is not the right fit for one of the above reasons, your deposit will be immediately refunded or re-allocated toward a coaching package. If you need to cancel for any reason prior to May 30, your payment will be refunded minus the deposit. After June 1, your retreat cost is non-refundable, but you may transfer your registration to another interested participant.
Scholarship Offerings
To honor equity and inclusivity, we are offering two partial scholarships at 50% off the full retreat rate ($1600). These are reserved for individuals from underserved communities who are ready for this experience and would not otherwise be able to attend.
To apply, please complete the brief application below. Scholarship recipients will be notified by April 8, 2025.
👉 Link to Scholarship Application
This retreat is more than time away—it is a sacred return to yourself. You are worthy of this rest. You are worthy of care.
Reserve your place today. Space is limited to maintain the depth and intimacy of the container.
Meet Your Soul-Rest Guides
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Dr. Cynthia Garner, DBH, CMT-P
Mindfulness Educator, Somatic Coach, Empowerment Guide, Author of Fierce Boundaries
Cynthia leads the Soul-Rest Retreat with decades of experience at the intersection of mindfulness, somatic healing, and leadership. As a coach, educator, single mother, and adoptee, she understands the layered complexity of showing up for others while navigating personal and systemic challenges. Her work blends trauma-sensitive practices, nervous system regulation, and storytelling as a form of soul-tending. Grounded in nature-based mindfulness and the belief that presence is a form of power, Cynthia offers steady, compassionate guidance for women who are ready to reclaim their energy, honor their inner knowing, and engage with life from a place of clarity and strength.
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Tamar Ellentuck, LCSW
Somatic Therapist, Shamanic Guide, Seasoned Retreat Facilitator & Trainer
Tamar Ellentuck, LCSW, is a seasoned retreat facilitator, trauma-informed therapist, and longtime practitioner of somatic healing. She has a background in early childhood development, mental health counseling, mindful somatic therapy and plant medicine. Tamar will bring her deep presence and compassionate insight to the Soul-Rest Retreat where she will offer shamanic journeying through drumming—guiding participants into gentle states of inner knowing and ancestral connection. Her grounded wisdom and warm spirit make her a trusted guide for those navigating healing and transformation.
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Arisa LaFond, MA
Somatic & Movement Educator, Embodied Leadership Coach, and Humanitarian Practitioner
Arisa LaFond is a traveler, dancer, and lover of beauty who curates experiences of wholeness across bodies, teams, and systems. With a background in structural integration, facilitation, and trauma-informed coaching, she bridges somatic awareness with systemic change to support personal and collective healing. Arisa has worked extensively with refugees, unaccompanied youth, and multicultural communities, bringing care and integrative services to those navigating displacement and transition. Her work is rooted in the belief that beauty can emerge from grit, and that healing—like nature—is relational, rhythmic, and whole.
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Amy Jo Arndt
Mixed Media Artist · Grief Tender · Creative Guide
Amy Jo Arndt is a mixed media artist and grief-aware creative who weaves beauty from the raw materials of life. Through her platform Awaken the Creative, she invites others into authentic expression as a path to healing, joy, and inner freedom. Living off-grid in Crestone, Colorado, Amy Jo’s work is rooted in simplicity, connection to nature, and the belief that creativity can be a powerful companion through grief. Whether guiding a paintbrush or tending a story, she creates space for people to reconnect with their wholeness, celebrate their authenticity, and honor their path with tenderness and courage.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Do I need prior experience with mindfulness, therapy, or somatic practices?
No previous experience is necessary! This retreat is open to beginners and experienced practitioners alike. Everything will be guided with care and within a week of registering, you’ll be provided with access to complimentary course materials and recorded sessions to help you prepare if you choose.
Is this a training?
Not at all. This retreat is not an intensive training but rather a refuge for deepening into present-moment awareness and embodied action. While you will gain practical tools, this space is about nourishing your nervous system, restoring your energy, and learning how to move through the world with greater clarity and ease. You will be encouraged to keep yourself in choice and to practice radical self-care in a way that supports presence, compassion, awareness, and rest.
How is this retreat trauma-sensitive?
This retreat is facilitated by a survivor of complex relational trauma, former educator, and somatic psychotherapist. Cynthia teaches secular mindfulness-based interventions and has a vast toolkit for working with trauma-impacted populations, a deep understanding of how emotional violence impacts the nervous system, and practical skills to gently invite individual and collective healing. All practices are intentionally designed to be accessible, choice-based, and deeply attuned to the needs of a traumatized nervous system. There is no forced sharing, no pushing past your capacity, and no expectation to ‘fix’ anything or be anything other than who you are. You are encouraged to engage at your own pace.
Nestled high in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, Drala Mountain Center is situated on 600 acres of native forests, gentle meadows and sweeping valleys at 8,000 feet in Northern Colorado.
Why is an intake call part of the enrollment process?
A 20 minute intake call allows us to connect and ensure this retreat is the right fit for you and personally address any concerns or questions you might have. If you are currently experiencing high levels of distress, we may recommend additional support or coaching before attending.
This Retreat May Not Be Suitable If:
You are in an active depressive episode or navigating untreated acute trauma or crisis.
You are currently experiencing substance addiction or severe emotional instability.
You feel unready for mindfulness-based group work.
If this retreat is not the right fit at this time, you are encouraged to work with a mental health professional to build a foundation of support before engaging in this deep work.
What are the accommodation options?
Drala has spectacular accommodations to suit a variety of budgets and needs. You will book your tent, dorm, shared cabin, or private room during the intake call after registration. A link to schedule your call will be provided once your deposit has been received. Nourishing meals provided.
What dietary options are available?
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served in the dining room or dining tent (summer) daily. You’ll be provided with the meal schedule prior to your group’s arrival.
Our kitchen provides three options for our guests: Omnivore, Vegetarian, and Vegan/Wheat-Free. A Vegetarian and/or Vegan/Wheat-Free option will be available at all meals. Meat is served at some meals. The Kitchen is not able to accommodate special dietary needs beyond these three options. The salad bar is always stocked with fresh vegetables and a protein option for vegans and non-vegans alike.
If guests have a more specific or restrictive diet they will need to bring their own food supplements to ensure proper nutrition during their stay. Limited refrigerator space for such supplements is available. A microwave and hot water are always available. We cannot, however, provide kitchen access for participants as this is against Colorado State Health Code.
We grow a variety of our very own fresh and delicious vegetables on site in our greenhouse. Visitors are welcome to explore!
Food Allergies
In order to support allergy safety, our kitchen guarantees that ingredients will always be listed on the posted menus, so that anyone eating our offered food knows what is contained in each dish. In the case of severe allergies, please be sure this is reported at registration. Please keep in mind that any known allergy is the responsibility of the person with the allergy.
Snacks
Tea, coffee, milk, milk substitutes, fruit and toast are available throughout the day in our dining facilities.
Drala Mountain Center Gift Store carries treats, and basic products that people often forget at home, like toothpaste and flashlights, in addition to DMC merchandise, books, and practice materials.
Daily Rhythm and Flow
Each day invites you into a rhythm of gentle structure and soul-led spaciousness, blending mindfulness, trauma-sensitive somatic practices, sacred rituals, and earth-honoring connection. We will begin each morning with grounding practices—meditation, yoga, and guided explorations that support nervous system regulation and inner alignment. The midday pause will offer space for embodiment, integration, and reflection. Each afternoon includes immersive workshops, expressive arts, and nature-based healing practices designed to help you explore, rest, and restore in ways that feel soft, true and deeply nourishing.
As the sun softens into the evening, we’ll gather in council for shared rituals, sound healing, movement journeys, shamanic practice, witnessing, and community care. Throughout the retreat, therapeutic support and massage will be available to support deep spiritual and physical renewal.
Sample Schedule:
7:30 – 8:30 AM | Gentle Awakening — Silent meditation and mindful movement (yoga/qigong)
8:30 – 9:30 AM | Nourishing Breakfast — A mindful meal shared in community or solitude
10:00 – 12:00 PM | Morning Workshop — Mindfulness, somatic healing, teaching, and connective practices
12:00 – 2 PM | Lunch and space for journaling, walking, or napping
2:00 – 4:00 PM | Workshops/Nature-Based Sessions
4:00 – 7:00 PM | Spacious Pause — Massage, solitude, nature walks, integration time, and dinner
7:00 – 9:30 PM | Council/Sister Circle/Ceremony
Every element is curated to honor your body’s pace, your heart’s truth, and your spirit’s longing for sacred rest. All activities are completely optional and will be offered in a trauma-sensitive way. You are invited to come just as you are, to lay down your burdens, and to reconnect with your own deep well of wisdom and care.
Dates: July 1-5, 2025. We will start together at 5 pm on the 1st and the complete together at 12 pm on the 5th. Please plan your travel accordingly.
Location: Drala Mountain Center, Colorado. For driving/travel information, click here to visit the Drala website. This page is full of resources including a ride sharing board where you can coordinate transportation with other travelers.
How do I register?
Click here to enroll and for instructions to pay your deposit and secure your spot. Once both your registration and deposit have been received, you will:
✨ Schedule your intake call directly with Cynthia
✨ Get a link to arrange lodging with Drala Mountain Center
✨ Receive your coaching discount and access to free course materials
This is not just a retreat—it is an investment in yourself.
You do not have to choose between caring deeply and protecting your energy. There is a way to show up fully without burning yourself to the ground.
This is your invitation to return to yourself, to find your center, and to wield your presence with wisdom.
We would love to welcome you home to yourself and nurture your activist work during these uncertain and crucial times.
What Past Participants Are Saying …
