Classes & Retreats
Spiritual Retreats, Nature Therapy & Classes in Asheville, NC & Online
Monthly Quiet Days
Where: Asheville NC
When: Twice monthly, in-person & online
Give yourself the gift of 3 hours of quiet – time to sit, meditate, read, journal, create art, laugh and cry, stretch physically and spiritually! Held once each month in-person and once online (with the same theme), Laura creates a half-day of relaxation and spiritual deepening through guided meditations, gentle movement, journaling prompts, and invitations to silence and creative expression. Each month has a different theme. In-person events will include outside activities, weather permitting. (Registration link will be live closer to the first date.)
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June 2023: Rise up! In this time of the Summer Solstice, when the days are longest, we’ll consider what lights up our hearts and creates joy, awe and delight in our lives. What fills you up?
In-person: Saturday, June 17, 9:30 to 12:30 in Asheville, NC
Online: Monday, June 19, 5:30 – 8:30 pm ET
Location
TBD in Asheville, NC
First Friday Meditation
Where: online
When: June 2, 2023, 9 a.m.
Beginning June 2023, I will offer a 30-minute morning meditation on each first Friday of the month at 9 a.m. Eastern Time. I will open the meditation with 10 minutes of guided centering, which may include a body prayer, a chant, or a reading. Then I will lead us into 20 minutes of silence and will ring us out and send us with a final blessing into our day. The meditations will be on Zoom. You can sign up to receive the link by email with a donation of any size. Contact Laura for more information.
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Dates for 2023: June 2, July 7, August 4, September 1, October 6, November 3, and December 1.
Location
A link will be sent via email when you register.
“Laura beautifully blends intellectual curiosity, spiritual wisdom, music, sacred ritual and humor to create events which promise to stir the soul and touch the heart.”
– Suzannah Tebbe Davis, Your Awakened Life
Love and Lament: A Day with Creation Retreat
During this half-day retreat, we will listen for the voice of the Creator speaking to us through the Creation, as well as through writers from various spiritual traditions. Contact Laura for more information.
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Through guided and walking meditations, silence and journaling, conversation, and ritual, we will be invited to experience our love for creation, as well as the inevitable grief that comes as we acknowledge the crisis our earth and her species are in. Sometimes, this eco-grief can feel overwhelming, so we might numb ourselves to it. Entering into the poetry of lament found in the Psalms and other sacred texts, we will move through our grief by deepening our sense of passion and care. Moving toward a hope drenched in devotion, we will close our time together with worship.
Justice and Joy Mini-Retreats
Geared toward folks who are working in social justice spaces, these mini-retreats bring restoration and renewal to activists, those working with people in trauma, and others in front-line, essential jobs. Retreats can be arranged for nonprofit staff, movement leaders, or other small groups. They can be as short as 90 minutes or as long as a full day. Contact Laura for more information or to arrange a retreat for your group.
Forest Bathing Sessions
Forest bathing (“shinrin-yoku” in Japan) invites us to spend time in the forest to let the woods fill us with well-being, as we soak in all the senses of being in nature.
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Spend two and a half hours with Laura Collins walking in the Blue Ridge Mountains around Asheville, NC, pausing to observe, listen, meditate, journal, and soak in the loving energy of the rocks, trees, plants and air. The healing properties of the Blue Ridge Mountains, some of the oldest and most bio-diverse mountains on earth, have been appreciated by diverse spiritual communities for hundreds of years. The Eastern Band of Cherokee hold ancient healing rituals in WNC to this day. George Vanderbilt chose this place for the Biltmore Estate after bringing his mother here for the healing air. A wide variety of religious groups – from Christian to Hindu to Buddhist – have chosen these mountains for their retreat centers. Laura has walked these Blue Ridge Mountains her entire life and lived in them full-time for the past 16 years. As much as she loves so many other beautiful places around the world, these mountains are the place where she finds the most consistent healing and connection. Come see why so many people find peace by resting in the lush forests of Western North Carolina.
What You Can Expect
Participants should be able to walk on moderate trails for up to 3 miles carrying their own water, and be comfortable sitting on the ground (or carrying your own camp chair). Small journals and pens are provided (but you can bring your own, if you prefer). The two hours will include walking, sitting in silence, and using guided meditation prompts to tune into the beauty and power of nature around you.
Cost
$65/per person
