Prayers for Healing WNC
Where: West Asheville Yoga Studio
When: Saturday, Oct. 12, 4pm ET
Let’s come together Saturday, hold each other in Light, chant for the beauty of the earth, and send healing love to ourselves, each other, our community and these beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. We’ll ground ourselves, drop into our compassionate hearts, surround ourselves in the Loving Presence, and beam that love out for all our neighbors.
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We’re all working so hard in our own ways to get through this trauma. This is a time to be quiet and loving and prayerful together. If you wish, please bring an item for a shared altar (stones, flowers, photos).
Location
West Asheville Yoga, 602 Haywood Rd, Asheville, NC 28806
First Friday Meditation
Where: Online
When: Dec. 6, 9 a.m.ET/ 2 pm UK
Join this simple, sweet 30-minute meditation on each first Friday of the month at 9 a.m. ET / 6 am PT. 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 15-20 minutes of silence and will ring us out and send us with a final blessing into our day.
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The meditations will be on Zoom. You can sign up to receive the link by contacting Laura for more information.
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
