Are you crossing the threshold?

Join other people navigating the menopausal transition in this spiritual, online retreat where you will be led through various contemplative creative practices to support you wherever you are on the menopausal journey

This retreat is designed to be a sacred, creative space to support your connection with your Higher Power through this important change of life – for women and other identifying folx with female reproductive hormones at every stage of the menopausal journey

---

Is This For You?

You are welcome here exactly where you are on the journey.

This retreat is for women, and other identifying folx with female reproductive hormones, who are navigating the profound, sometimes confusing and sometimes challenging passage through menopause, whether you are just beginning to notice the first signs of change, you’re right in the heart of it, or have moved through to postmenopause and would still like support integrating this profound passage.

You don’t need a particular spiritual background to participate. You don’t need to be an artist. You don’t need to have it figured out. You are welcome here if any of these feel true:

• Your body and mind are changing and you feel confronted by the uncomfortable and unpredictable shifts you’re experiencing
• You feel scared about who you may become or how you may change through menopause
• You desire time and space in sacred communion with your Higher Power to process these challenging, unsettling and powerful changes
• You crave community with other women who desire a meditative, contemplative space to process this change
• You want to bring prayer, creativity, or contemplative practice into this transition as a powerfully supportive tool
• You’ve been waiting for permission to slow down, turn inward, and feel deeply held by your Higher Power through this transition

 

---

An Invitation

You are not losing it. You are crossing an important threshold!

Have you heard of menopause, perimenopause or post menopause? Some of these terms may be familiar to you, but do you actually know what they mean?  I didn’t either until someone in my life started sharing her journey with me and encouraged me to educate myself on perimenopause, the stage I’m in right now.

The physical experience of the menopausal journey – the sleeplessness, unpredictable cycles, potential changes in libido, energy and symptoms you’ve never heard of, the emotional intensity, the sudden sense of not knowing who you’re going to be at the end of this, the disbelief that you were not educated about this sooner and it seemed to pop up out of nowhere – is enough to untether anyone.  And, there is power in this change!

This creative, contemplative spiritual retreat is a sacred, online gathering designed to create a container for you to connect intimately with your sense of a Higher Power.  Through various practices led by Sarah, and in a sacred community of women processing a similar journey, you will cultivate a relationship of support and depth with your Higher Power in a supportive community to help guide and inform this transition for you – body, mind and soul.

Over five sessions together, we will use creative and contemplative practices to help you process this change, not just survive it, in communion with your Higher Power. You will consciously, gently tend to your body, soul, and spirit through these mindful practices.

There is no guarantee of any outcome from this retreat other than that you spent conscious time in communion with your Higher Power.  That you took the time you needed to slow down, go inward and cultivate a deeper connection with your sense of Spirit to help guide you through this transformational time in your life.

All you need to come with is an open mind and heart and a deep desire to connect with and rest within the support of your Higher Power, as you see It, in community with others who are going through a similar life change.

---

What Is a Contemplative Retreat?

A contemplative spiritual retreat is one where you are led through various mindful, creative and embodiment practices to cultivate a direct connection with your Higher Power, whatever you perceive or believe this to be.

Although you’ll be doing this in community with other people at the retreat, this experience is not about processing all of your challenges and concerns in the group. It’s about bringing them to your Higher Power, through these contemplative practices, to help you process this important change in your life.

There will be time to share in the larger group, however, it will be a time of heartful, intentional sharing of what insights and revelations you’ve had through the direct access you’ve received with your Higher Power through these practices.

This retreat is not meant to be a replacement for medical advice or treatment from a licensed physician, psychotherapy, a life-coaching group, a women’s circle or a processing group, where you talk about specific problems or concerns you’re experiencing to receive support from the group. The support you’ll receive comes through and from your direct connection and communion with your Higher Power while participating in this retreat. That is the main difference between this type of retreat and others you may have experienced in the past.

In contemplative practices, we honor that Spirit, Source, our Higher Power, or whatever you call It, are moving with, through and for us and the greater good of all.  All we need to do is get out of the way so that we can connect purely with this Grace coming through us during the retreat. We abstain from giving advice or trying to fix or help other people. We focus on our direct experience we’re having with God as we see It. Resources may be shared at some point during the retreat if relevant. Debating or challenging another’s beliefs or expressions is not tolerated at this retreat. We welcome what is showing up in the space and between ourselves and our Higher Power and respect others’ expressions and contributions, whether we agree with them, understand them or not.

Are you ready to process this powerful, life changing time in your life through mindful, embodied, meditative and contemplative practices designed to support your direct connection with your Higher Power, in community with others?  If so, click here to register for this retreat.

---

What We’ll Explore Together

A rich tapestry of sacred practice to support your processing and integration journey

The first four hour session will be a mixture of various contemplative practices and will give room for the group to get to know each other and set the ground for the rest of our sessions together. The next four, 1.5 hour sessions will each highlight a specific contemplative, creative, and/or embodiment practice, all designed to support you to connect with your Higher Power to process and integrate the menopausal journey and transition. No prior experience with any of these practices is needed. You simply show up online, and I’ll guide you through them as a group.

Prayer All types of prayer will be used during our time together, including silent prayer, body movement prayer, praying out loud, and more. These types of prayer welcome all traditions and some may come from specific traditions, like Centering Prayer, which is Christian in background.

Movement Meditation & Yoga Dance meditation followed by gentle, grounded yoga as a form of listening and prayer. We move our bodies not to perform, but to come home to them.

Visual Arts & Creativity No artistic experience needed. We use color and creative expression to give voice to what words sometimes cannot express.

Embodiment Practices Gently learning to inhabit your body again with kindness, reverence, curiosity, and compassion, even when it feels changed or unfamiliar.

Lectio Divina Contemplative reading of a sacred or powerful poem, passage or text, allowing what you read to open something within you. A practice of reading through the heart.

Visio Divina Contemplative gazing upon something visual, allowing what you see to open up something within you. A practice of seeing through the heart.

Audio Divina Sacred listening to music or sound as a contemplative practice where you listen with your whole self to what resonates beyond ordinary hearing.

Nature Walk A slow, intentional walk in nature – a journey inward and outward that mirrors the very passage we are in.

Centering Prayer A contemplative Christian practice of resting in God’s presence in stillness, open and welcoming to all faith and non-faith traditions, similar to meditation, but with a different emphasis.

Mindfulness Practices Simple, accessible practices of presence and awareness grounding you in yourself and your body through conscious breathing, right here, right now.

All spiritual backgrounds, and no particular spiritual background, are welcome. Some of these practices are drawn from contemplative Christian tradition, but they can be practiced by all. Come as you are.  The use of various names for a Higher Power will be used throughout this retreat, such as God (without a gendered intention), Source, The One True Source, Higher Power, The Divine and more.  Higher Power will mostly be referred to in an ungendered way by using “It” as opposed to “he” or “she.”

---

The Journey

Five online sessions. One unfolding passage.

The retreat is designed as a cohesive journey, each session building on the last, with the intention of deepening your connection with your Higher Power and allowing space for you to connect inward as well as with other participants in the retreat.

*Retreat topics and practices below may change.*

Session 1 – The Opening: Gathering & Grounding

Our foundational session – a longer, immersive afternoon together. We will establish community, introduce the practices we’ll explore together, begin our embodiment and creative contemplative explorations, and create the sacred container that will hold us throughout the journey ahead. Expect space for sharing, creative expression, and contemplation.

Session 2 – Deepening: Body, Breath & Presence

We move deeper into a sacred movement meditation, continuing to build our connection with our Higher Power through this powerful embodiment practice.

Session 3 – Listening: The Sacred Reading of Our Lives

A session centered on the Lectio Divina practice of sacred reading as we learn to receive God’s guidance for us through this sacred transition through text, visuals and sound.

Session 4 – Walking: The Labyrinth & the Path Within online labyrinth session with an optional outdoors nature walk at your home location, weather permitting

We will explore a labyrinth walking meditation at home with a paper labyrinth. You also have the option of taking a nature walk at your home location, if you feel comfortable doing this. This session honors the ancient wisdom of immersing yourself in nature, in addition to the powerful practice of walking a labyrinth, allowing the path to reveal necessary insights and guidance to you through your Higher Power for this powerful time of your life.

Session 5 – Integration: The Wisdom You Are Carrying

Our closing gathering will be a time of honoring, integration, and the gentle naming of what arose in each of us as we continue on our own journeys crossing this important threshold in our lives.

All sessions are online on Google Meet. Links will be sent after registration. All times are in Eastern Standard Time (N.Y.C. U.S.A. time)

---

Investment

Offered on a sliding scale.  Click here to register.

This retreat is being offered at a discounted rate for all three tiers so it can be accessible to everyone who is called here on the menopausal journey. Please choose the tier that honestly reflects your financial situation. No explanation is needed, and all are equally welcome. Once purchased, your registration is non-refundable or transferable. There are no make-ups for this retreat.

Community Rate – $150 For those with a smaller budget, on a fixed income, or have financial constraint. You belong here.

Standard Rate – $200 The standard rate. Choose this if your finances are reasonably stable and comfortable.

Sustaining Rate – $250 For those with greater financial means who wish to contribute to another woman’s ability to attend. A gift of generosity and we thank you for that!

Click here to register for the retreat.

There is one scholarship space available for a woman who feels genuinely called to this retreat but faces significant financial barriers. Please reach out privately by clicking here so we can discuss. 

Once purchased, your registration is non-refundable and non-transferable. There are no make-ups for this retreat if you miss any sessions.

---

Your Facilitator

A note from Sarah

Thanks for taking the time to consider this important retreat.  I, too, am experiencing the change of life. And, it’s something I look forward to, supporting myself and others on this important journey intentionally, in a sacred setting, by communing with The One True Source, whatever we each perceive this to BE!

As an artist, certified life coach, dance instructor for over 26 years, certified yoga instructor, singer – songwriter and general liver of life, I bring all of these skills and tools, in combination with a sincere desire to connect, commune with and follow the Truth of God, my Higher Power as I see IT, to support you in a caring, intentional environment to process this change of life.

See you soon.

Sincerely and with Aloha Nui Loa,

Sarah

---

Frequently Asked Questions: FAQs

Please read so you are clear what this retreat is all about and what it is not.

Time Zone for Retreat Sessions: All retreat session times are listed in the Eastern Standard Time Zone in the U.S.A. (New York City time). Please check your time zone to figure out how much time difference there is between where you’re logging in from. Use this helpful time zone converter.

What this retreat IS intended for: This retreat is intended to provide you with contemplative practices and a space that can support you to get in touch with your own Higher Power to help you process your transitions along the menopausal journey, wherever you may find yourself right now. This retreat is designed to support your own personal reflection and communion time with your Higher Power, as you see It, so that you can have a direct experience with your Higher Power. This retreat is spiritual in nature and will discuss God/a Higher Power, where we will use prayer and contemplative practices to support your direct connection with your Higher Power, as you see It, on your own journey. This retreat is for people going through the menopausal journey at any stage, whether perimenopausal, menopause or postmenopausal, who could benefit from contemplative spiritual practices to support their own inner exploration and self care through this important life transition. There will be time for group sharing during every session of this retreat and you are responsible for what you share and how much you share, knowing that you can always pass and do not have to share anything during the group sharing times. Interruptions or offering advice, suggestions or challenges to someone during their sharing time is not tolerated. There will be time allotted to everyone for sharing and we ask you to cooperate with the amount of time each individual is given for group sharing so everyone can have equal air time during the group sharing portions of the retreat. There may be times when someone’s share goes over the time allotted and this will be handled on a case by case basis due to the nature of the share. We ask you to be flexible within these situations.

What this retreat is NOT intended for: I am NOT a trained therapist, medical doctor or counselor. This retreat is not intended to be a support group to process your experience going through the menopausal change of life.  It is not meant to give advice, try to fix or help you on the menopausal journey. This retreat is not therapy or counseling and is not intended to support you with lengthy processing of your concerns, emotions or challenges. This is not a life coaching retreat, where you will be coached through personal struggles. There will not be time to process personal insights with Sarah one-one as this is a group retreat. This retreat is not medical in nature or intended to provide you with any medical advice or care about menopause. This retreat is not intended to promote any particular medical interventions for menopause. This retreat is not intended to provide you with menopausal resources, although some educational resources may be discussed throughout the retreat spontaneously and are to be used at your own risk, with discernment and discretion.

Do I need to have a particular spiritual or religious background? No. Although some of the practices in this retreat are drawn from contemplative Christian traditions, they are offered as open doors, available to people of any faith or no formal faith practice. The invitation is to show up with an open heart and mind ready to experience and receive what is right for you through and with your own idea of a Higher Power on your own journey. The use of various names for a Higher Power will be used throughout this retreat, such as God (without a gendered intention), Source, The One True Source, Higher Power, The Divine and more.  These expressions of a Higher Power will mostly be referred to in an ungendered way by using “It” as opposed to “he” or “she” when referring to a Higher Power. Any spiritual, religious or ideological debates are not tolerated at this retreat. We welcome what is showing up in the space and between ourselves and our Higher Power and respect others expressions and contributions, whether we agree with them, understand them or not.

What if I’ve never done any of these practices before? You are in exactly the right place. Every practice will be introduced gently and accessibly. There is no right or wrong way to participate. Beginners are welcomed and encouraged.

I’m perimenopausal. Am I too early for this? Not at all. This retreat is designed for women and those with female hormones, at every point in the menopausal journey – before, during, and after. If you can feel the first stirrings of change, you belong here. This is actually a beautiful time to begin building community and practices around this passage.

I’m post-menopausal. Am I too late for this? There is no such thing as too late. Many women arrive at post-menopause still carrying unprocessed experiences from the this transition. You are welcome and wanted here.

Are there any refunds or make-ups for missed sessions? Once purchased, your registration is non-refundable and non-transferable. There are no make-ups for missed sessions of this retreat.

Will retreat sessions be recorded? Retreat sessions will not be recorded. Please come to as many sessions as you can.

Do I need to attend all five sessions? The retreat is designed as a cohesive journey, and attending all five sessions will give you the richest, most integrated experience. We encourage you to attend all five sessions to the best of your abilities. Please reach out via email if you think you may miss a session.

How should I prepare for the online retreat? Wear comfortable clothing for gentle movement, have water and snacks ready, if you need them. Have a journal for writing in, and pencil or pen, paper and colored penciles, markers or crayons for art explorations, and an open heart.

I have more questions. Can I reach out? Please do. You can reach me, Sarah, directly by clicking here. I would love to hear from you and help you discern whether this retreat is the right fit for you right now.

---

Come. Connect with your Higher Power and feel Its support!

Space is limited in this retreat so that it can be intentionally intimate. If something in you is saying yes, see below to register.

[Register & Reserve Your Place] · [Ask a Question First]

Online Retreat · All are welcome

---

Crossing the Threshold: A Contemplative Women’s Retreat · Online · 

Join our Email List to Learn About New Retreat Dates & More!