I designed this queer body love retreat for you
I designed this queer body love retreat for you
March 24 - 26, 2017 // Camp Double Bear, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Nestled away in the redwoods in Northern California, in a private camp devoted to retreats in meditation and the arts, you will practice being radically, unapologetically you in a community that celebrates you.
You will look deeply into your own patterns. You will take up your space. You will relax. You will move. You will create. Do nothing. Do everything. We will practice being present with ourselves, our bodies and each other with exquisite gentleness.
We will practice QUEER BODY LOVE.
keep scrolling down or click below to learn more about:
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Beautiful, powerful human.
Yes, I'm talking to you.
Here’s my vision: that we all take up our own space.
That we live in our bodies, unapologetically.
That we free ourselves from external ideas of who we should be.
Some potential symptoms of living in our society you might be experiencing:
– You feel uncomfortable in your body... you try not to think about it, but sometimes you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and do not like the emotions that come up.
– You feel trapped thinking about food all the freaking time, judging yourself as good or bad based on what you did or didn't eat.
– You feel self-conscious... almost like you wish you could disappear. Perhaps about your gender. Perhaps about your presentation. Perhaps thinking about what others think of you. Sometimes this keeps you from going out to social events, even though you feel lonely and want to connect with others.
– You know that it's time to make a shift, even if that feels almost impossible to fathom.
– You want to say goodbye to anxiety, guilt and shame, freeing up your energy to live your life fully.
Do you want to live from a place of body respect & radical self-love?
This retreat is for you.
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yoga/movement
facilitated discussion
redwood forest
meditation
heart circle
solo nature journey
journaling
group activities
hot tub
The retreat weekend is full of activities and opportunities to connect deeply with yourself and create community together.
You will gain insights & tools to make sustainable shifts towards radical body respect & self love that you can take home and apply.
Be in a beautiful space that celebrates you, exactly as you are, opening up possibilities within you.
To develop & practice radical self-love, you’ll have the following to support you:
Pre & Post-Retreat Support
I have done a ton of retreats, and something I’ve found is that sometimes they feel like an amazing experience that’s disconnected from my “real” life. That’s why as part of this experience, I am offering everybody pre and post-retreat support (2 individual calls & 2 group calls) — to begin to prepare for the retreat that feels connected to your life, and to have some support in integrating the lessons / realizations post-retreat.
About your facilitator,
Elizabeth Cooper,
founder of Queer Body Love
I am a thin, cis, temporarily able-bodied white queer woman, and I am dedicated to our collective liberation.
I hold the vision with you of feeling alive and free in your own body.
I coach, lead courses and workshops, and facilitate retreats so that you can learn to live and embody your own liberation.
You can read more about me here.
Here's the amazing queer dream team that will support you:
Who is this for?
Who is this for?
calling all folks who identify as...
queer
non-binary
lesbian
gender non-conforming
QUESTIONING
femme
trans
asexual
and all others who identify under the LGBTQ umbrella
pansexual
butch
bisexual
GENDERQUEER
QTBIPOC* explicitly welcome.
*queer and trans black, indigenous, people of color, including multiracial folks
I am committed to creating an authentically multiracial space where QTBIPOC are seen, celebrated, and supported in your lived experience of how race affects your experience in your body.
Europa Grace, a queer person of color, will be guiding mindful movement geared towards compassion and inclusion. In this way, they will contribute to the leadership of the retreat, sourcing inspiration from the vibratory practices of yoga, ayurveda, dance and qi gong. Europa holds a space full of freedom to be yourself, inviting authentic creativity into the body, mind, spirit and community. This is an intentional space of welcoming, guidance and support to all folx with respect to ability, age, gender, sexual orientation, body type, race, language, class, culture or religion. They will also be facilitating a POC breakout group during the retreat.
Welcoming you is a priority.
Here's what I promise:
- I promise to work to create a space deeply respectful of your experience.
- I promise to center QTBIPOC in my facilitation so that together we can create a brave space for us to have honest conversations where you can bring your full self.
- I promise to listen and be open to feedback about what would make it better for you.
- I promise to work with the white participants to educate and set up agreements so that you do not have to do the emotional labor of educating others about racism.
If the retreat is calling you, I welcome being in conversation and I thank you for your willingness to trust.
Accessibility
Accessibility
Sleeping
Although this is a "camp," it's not exactly camping. We'll be staying in big yurts on sleeping mats and futons. There are a limited number of futons / beds off the floor and we will be assigning those based on need, so please indicate on your form if you need to be off the ground.
Scents
The retreat location is not completely scent-free, but we will be using scent-free products and asking all participants to be as scent-free as possible.
Wheelchairs / Mobility Assistance
The grounds are on a relatively sharp incline from the location of the sleeping yurts to the meeting yurts to the kitchen yurt. This can be hard on knees and lungs. It’s not very wheelchair accessible, although they do have some wheelchair ramps that we can look into using. If you use a wheelchair or other or other mobility assistance and are willing to work with us on it please be in touch.
ASL Interpretation
If you plan on coming and need ASL interpretation, please be in touch as soon as possible and we will see if we can make it happen.
Logistics
Logistics
TIMING
Friday, March 24
- Sunday, March 26
Please get in between 1 and 3 pm on Friday afternoon, March 24th.
We will finish by 3 pm on Sunday, March 26th.
TRANSPORTATION
DRIVING:
We’ll help coordinate rides. The roads are wooded country backroads the last 20 miles or so, so we ask people carpool for safety reasons. It takes 2 to 3 hours from the Bay Area, depending on traffic of course.
FLYING:
You can fly into San Jose (SJC, this one’s closest) or San Francisco (SFO) or Oakland (OAK). Get into San Jose airport by noon pm or SFO or OAK by 11 am on Thursday, or fly in the night before in order to arrive on time. We will help coordinate ridesharing from the airport if you'd like.
sample schedule
Want to get a sense of how the day is scheduled? Check out a sample schedule here. Please note, this is very subject to change and may not be the exact timeline of our retreat.
Pricing
Pricing
Regarding PRICING!
I value accessibility and generosity.
There are quite a few different ways to pay because I know people are in different financial situations.
$250 covers the hard costs (retreat center rental, the food, the cook, yoga teacher, logistics support, and materials). $350 and above pays Elizabeth and supports the functioning of Queer Body Love Coaching.
Please choose an amount that feels like it respects your commitment to transforming your relationship with your body and yourself, the retreat, and that honors your financial reality.
SLIDING SCALE
Pay in Full Options
$450 / $550 / $650
Payment Plan Options
2 equal payments of $250
2 equal payments of $300
2 equal payments of $350
Scholarships & Work Trade
If you are unable to make these payments work and feel this retreat calling to you, please apply — I want you there. Let's see if we can figure it out :)
You in??
You in??
YAY, I'm excited to talk with you!
Click below to fill out the form
...and I’ll get back to you with next steps.
Applications deadline extended until Sunday, March 19th at 5 pm. (Although some of the pre-retreat resources may not be available the longer you wait -- the sooner the better!)
Only spots for people of color remain. If you are white and interested please feel free to apply or let me know of your interest and I can let you know when registration opens for the next retreat.
