Join us for a mystical forest retreat offering yoga, eco-therapeutic arts, and creative play mindfully crafted to help you connect with yourself, the earth, and community. Drawing from the wisdom of the earth as our guide, you will learn to weave meaningful rituals and practices into your life.
Enjoy healthy, whole food, Ayurvedic-inspired cuisine while retreating in an environment that promotes living harmoniously with the earth, featuring compost toilets, tree houses, gardens, a labyrinth, and a grey water system.
This union of like-minded individuals fosters a deep connection with the earth, and personal wellness, guiding you back to your true nature.
You will leave feeling rejuvenated and empowered with the tools to integrate into your daily wellness practice for a more balanced life.
Our Retreat Venue: Hostel in the Forest in Brunswick, GA
Nestled on 140 acres of lush forest and wetlands in Brunswick, Georgia, Hostel in the Forest offers a serene escape just a short drive from the famed "Golden Isles" of St. Simons and Jekyll Island. Surrounded by dense subtropical forests teeming with diverse flora and fauna, including majestic moss-draped live oaks and over three hundred species of birds, our venue is a haven for nature enthusiasts.
Established in 1975 as The Hostel in the Forest, our unique accommodations feature geodesic domes and tree houses, providing a minimalist yet enchanting experience. Our retreat also boasts beautiful gardens, a serene lake with a floating dock, a captivating glass house, and a meditative labyrinth. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit spiritual retreat center and educational facility, we are dedicated to fostering tranquility and self-discovery through sustainable living, organic gardening, and holistic practices such as yoga and meditation.
Embrace the simplicity of our eco-friendly amenities and let the natural beauty and peaceful surroundings revitalize your spirit.
The Experience
Creative Play
If a poetry scavenger hunt, ecstatic dance, forest bathing, labyrinth walks, and clay play sound enticing to you then this is your retreat, your community, your opportunity to indulge in your sensual, artistic and fanciful nature. Creative play is such a necessary, healing and natural human quality that is frequently left unexplored. Through creative play we will reconnect to the divine impulse that is directly connected to our alchemical ability to manifest our greatest desires.
Eco-Therapeutic Arts
Eco-therapeutic arts blend traditional art therapy techniques with ecological principles and nature-based activities, emphasizing the interconnectedness between individuals and the natural world. By engaging with natural materials and exploring metaphors and symbolism from the earth, participants can delve into their emotions, develop mindfulness, and foster a deeper understanding of their inner nature and the world around them. Activities may include earth mandalas, clay sculptures, or land art, inviting a tactile and sensory connection to the earth’s wisdom.
Yoga
At its core yoga is a method through which we can connect to our true selves. That authentic relationship is the bridge to experiencing source, unified consciousness and the awareness that we are all one. Through daily meditation, mantra, breathing practices and asana will be gain a more intimate knowledge of the wisdom of the cosmos that lies within us. In addition we will engage in other energetic practices, guided visualizations, partner yoga and philosophical discussions, intended to deepen this exploration of the unifying cosmic life force. All practices are open to all levels.
What’s Included?
3 nights accommodation at Hostel in the Forest
Three delectable, healthy, and nourishing meals each day. Vegan and vegetarian options available. We will accommodate any and all dietary needs
Drinking water, tea, & coffee
All creative play, eco-therapeutic arts and yoga sessions with the gentle guidance of Ella & Joan
Access to lake, labyrinth, glass house, library dome, trails and outdoor tub of tranquility for soothing baths under the night sky.
Meet Your Guides
Ella Dufrene MPS,ATR
Registered Art Therapist, YTT 200
Ella is a registered art therapist with a Masters in Art Therapy & Creativity Development from the Pratt Institute. Ella's expertise spans from presenting her work in the esteemed Wynwood galleries in Miami to assisting individuals in rediscovering their happiness and overcoming life's obstacles. She has worked with a broad spectrum of individuals, including those with autism, at-risk youth and hospice to those grappling with deeply rooted trauma, life transitions and addictions. Her methodology emphasizes a holistic perspective on wellness, underscoring the healing power of art therapy.
Deeply connected to the restorative flow and wisdom fostered by Mother Earth, Ella began exploring eco-art therapy techniques, and moving toward an ecological artistic context that emphasizes ritual, ceremony and connection to our Mother Earth. This led her to facilitate her first Eco-Art Therapy Retreat in 2016 in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Since then, Ella has organized and hosted 8 successful retreats in 3 different countries.
All of those that know and work with Ella can feel her passion for the healing properties of nature, art and dance/movement. She approaches her day to day and work-life with a zest for life, a playful spirit and a contagiously open mind.
Joan Varini
Joan has been meditating and practicing yoga for over 25 years. She holds a 500hr. E-RYT Yoga Alliance status and has been teaching yoga full time for 16+ years. Her lifelong pursuit of light and inner truth has led her to study many different disciplines, healing modalities and spiritual philosophies. She is also a poet and holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Miami.
Joan’s fascination with the power of the mind and the spiritual journey toward the liberated spirit is reflected in her study and practice of many forms of meditation including Yoga Nidra, Guided Visualization and Regression Therapy. She leads workshops and one-on-one sessions centered around the practice of releasing physiological and emotional blockages by witnessing the inner recesses of the mind through the guidance of the heart.
Joan’s skill set is based on a long-standing study of yoga and many other techniques in healing arts including: energetic and shamanic healing, Thai massage, channeling and Akashic reading, Chakra balancing, Body Talk and Health and Wellness Coaching. Joan’s daily quest is to be a vessel for healing and to be a guide, a bridge, a light for others to find their own truth and path within.
Joan is an inspirational speaker, teacher, healer and offers a wide array of group and private classes and workshops. Joan is the founder of Sun Warrior Yoga and leads Yoga Teacher Trainings. Through her company, Sun Warrior Yoga Retreats, Joan also guides yoga and meditation retreats.
Early Bird Prices
*There are only 20 spots available.
*Make your deposit before August 19th, 2024 and save $200!
Dorm $445 per person
Triple $545 per person
Double $645 per person
Single $745 per person
After August 19th
Dorm $645 per person
Triple $745 per person
Double $845 per person
Single $945 per person
Dorm Occupancy: Shared space for up to 5 people in an extra-large dorm-style hut called the Corral, featuring twin-size beds.
Triple Occupancy: Shared space in our Narnia Dome with twin-size beds.
Double Occupancy: Private hut or treehouse with either shared double beds or single twin-size beds.
Single Occupancy: Private hut or treehouse.
How do I sign up?
Schedule a 15 minute introductory phone call to meet & determine if this retreat is right for you! If you are a returning retreat guest, or are a past or current client of Joan or Ella, you can skip this step!
Please make a 25% deposit on your full ticket price by calling Hostel in the Forest at 912-264-9738. Ask for Ella
Fill out a health questionnaire that will be sent to you upon receipt of deposit.
Pay the remaining balance on or before Sept 6th, 2024.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation Policy:
A $150 deposit is refundable up to 48 hours after reserving your spot and is non-refundable thereafter. However, your deposit can be used as a credit toward one individual session with Joan or Ella.
The remaining balance is due by September 6th, 2024. Cancellations made before September 6th, 2024, are fully refundable minus the $150 deposit. Any cancellations made after September 5th, 2024 are 50% refundable minus the deposit.
In the event that we are unable to arrive to the retreat due to border closure or any other natural disaster sometime before October 1st, 2025, after one or more unsuccessful attempts to secure a change of date due to ongoing travel restrictions/border closure, all guests will receive a full refund of the monies paid to attend the retreat minus the 25% deposit, which can still be used as a credit toward 5 individual art therapy sessions with Ella or Joan.
We, Ella Dufrene, Joan Varini and/or Hostel in the Forest reserve the right to cancel the retreat. If we need to cancel the retreat for any reason, all monies paid, including the deposit, will be refunded in full. We also reserve the right to determine if you are not a good fit for this trip (in which case, your deposit will be refunded in full).
Trip cancellation insurance is always recommended whenever making travel plans.
Testimonials & Images from Past Retreats
Faye Ibars
“I have now been to 5 different retreats with Ella and that's just the beginning. These experiences have been transformative for me, and I will continue to attend as many retreats as I can. I've benefitted immensely from the varied workshops and especially meeting from the fellow attendees. What a beautiful way to connect with like-minded people. Madre Tierra retreats combine nature and art with a focus on personal growth. It's spiritual summer camp! Personally, I was so inspired by the last retreat that I've continued to pursue art, painting, collage, and try all kinds forms of self-expression. Can't wait for the next time I can reconnect with myself and Mother Earth!"
Xochi
“I’ve been actively working for the last year towards acknowledging and confronting my demons such as anger, irrationality, self-pity, resentment, immaturity, etc… A few months ago at Ella’s retreat, I moved from acknowledgement to acceptance. Since then I have felt freed from the burden of these traits. I discovered that I am fully empowered and in control and I was taught some strategies to work on. It’s not easy for me to say I’m no angel, but at least now I no longer feel helpless towards.”
Steph Blanco
“Words can’t even begin to describe the beautiful experience I had at Ella’s retreat. I was able to connect with my community on a deeper level. The environment that was created was so unique and special that people including myself were able to release their inhibitions and truly be themselves. The tears, laughter, openness and appreciation that joined us all as one is something I’ll never forget. The Madre Tierra retreat came together in such a harmonious way that it left all of us who started as strangers - feeling connected, peaceful and as if we had known each other forever. I truly believe everyone found a little piece of themselves that they didn’t know they were searching for.”
