Join host Sophie Lyons (she/her) for a 4 day, 3 night cozy yoga retreat at Willow Vermont Retreat. This retreat will be centered around slowing down after the busyness of the new year and creating space to stoke your inner fire (tapas).
The Coziness We Feel in Winter
“a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being; contentment from simple pleasures, such as warmth, food, friends, etc.”
In the Danish language there is a word for the coziness we feel in winter. Hygge (HYOO-guh) is about embracing the winter season and finding comfort in the ability to slow down and retreat inward.
While the Danish word can’t be directly translated in English, it suggests a general sense of comfort, charm, simplicity, and community. Hygge is a sense of intimacy created in any space at any moment. It makes guests feel welcome and warm. Since Scandinavian winters are known to be bleak, the concept of creating comfortable retreats became paramount to the Danish people and their happiness. Some quintessentially hygge elements are below.
What to Expect
Wake up to morning yoga, enjoy delicious food, and spend the day engaged with optional activities such as; restorative yoga, meditation, journaling, workshops and time to unplug in the Vermont outdoors.
This retreat will occur over Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, affording participants time and space that is free from the demands of work and every day life.
Starting Friday afternoon the 17th and running till Monday morning the 20th, this retreat will be an opportunity to connect deeper with your inner slowness and to utilize yoga to settle your nervous system during the colder months. Yoga asana, meditation and a wide breadth of yogic practices will be used in this retreat to explore what Hygge means to us.
This retreat is open to 12 participants and includes:
Three nights accommodations
All meals - a welcome dinner, three meals each full day, and brunch on departure day
2 yoga classes each day
Other workshops and excursions
A space to connect with community, make friends, and create memories to last a lifetime!
Fee: $985 per person, double occupancy. Singles who book a spot on their own will be paired in a double occupancy room with one other participant. State meals and room tax will be added at checkout. A credit card processing fee of 3% will be added to credit and debit payments. If you wish to avoid credit card processing fees, we do accept checks via mail or ACH.
Payment schedule. All payments are non-refundable.
A $250 reservation deposit is due at booking.
A second payment of $250 is due November 18, 2024.
A final payment of the balance is due January 3, 2025
Extend Your Stay
Willow encourages retreat participants who wish to stay in the area longer to book rooms or book the treehouse on nights before and after the retreat at sharply reduced rates. Extended bookings include a hearty continental breakfast.
Individual rooms are $135-185/night for up to two people. A discount of 15% applies to bookings of 3 or more nights.
We offer a seven-night single occupancy rate of $685 in selected rooms, subject to availability.
The retreat will be led by Sophie Lyons. Guest teacher Molly Covarrubias (she/her) will co-lead some workshops.
Rooms and Amenities
Willow is a comforting and nurturing environment — furnished with a harmonious combination of custom contemporary and vintage furniture, rugs, artwork and crafts.
We provide comfortable overnight accommodations in double occupancy rooms. All rooms have dedicated ensuite or hall baths. We are outfitted with all the comforts of a typical guest house — linens, blowdryers, individually controlled heating and air conditioning. Our mattresses, pillows and furniture are exceptionally comfortable. Our soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and lotions are organic. We support local craftspeople by supplying Willow with handmade and high quality goods — everything from lamps to rugs have been made by hand. You will feel very much at home.
The Colonial Revival main house offers open living space on the first floor: a grand foyer with sitting area and library, a spacious and light-filled living room with fireplace, a sunny veranda, a dining room, and a 14-person yoga studio painted in soft colors of the willow tree. The studio is fully outfitted with yoga mats, cushions, straps, blocks and blankets.
Meals
Meals are provided throughout the retreat, including dinner on arrival day, 3 meals each full day, and brunch on departure day.
Our menu is Indian, Tex-Mex and American-inspired vegetarian dishes with balanced proteins, fats and carbs. Our meals are healthy, filling, and made of local organic and natural ingredients. Please let us know at registration if you prefer vegan or gluten-free options. Please let us know if you have any food allergies. We cannot accommodate last minute requests during the retreat.
Coffee is served with breakfast at no charge. Tea is available all day at no charge.
Espresso, cappuccino, and fresh-pressed juices are available for purchase throughout the retreat. A menu of options will be posted in the dining room. Charges will be added to your account and billed at the end of the retreat.
The Schedule - everything is optional
Friday 17th
3-4pm Arrival
4-5:30pm Opening practice & intention setting for the weekend
6-7pm Dinner
8-9pm Evening Meditation/Restorative
9:30pm Quiet Hours till morning
Saturday 18th
8-9:15am Morning Practice
9:30-10:30am Breakfast
11am-1pm Wintering: A Workshop on Embracing Winter & Slowing Down
1-2pm Lunch
2:30-4:30pm Art Workshop with Molly
4:30-6pm Free Time (journal, walk in nature, sit outside, etc)
6-7p Dinner
7:45-9pm Evening Restorative/Yoga Nidra
9:30pm Quiet Hours till morning
Sunday 19th
8-9:15am Morning Practice
9:30-10:30am Breakfast
11-12:30pm Welcoming Slowness: Restorative Yoga & Journaling Workshop
1-2pm Lunch
2p-4:30pm Building Fire: Reiki & Asana Workshop
5-6p Free Time (journal, walk in nature, sit outside, etc)
6-7pm Dinner
7:30-9p Evening Meditation
9:30pm Quiet Hours till morning
Monday 20th
8-9:15am Morning Practice
In between folks folks pack up and strip beds etc
10-11am Closing Community Time - bringing the weekend intention back home
11-12pm Brunch & closing out rooms before heading home
What to bring
Clothes that you feel comfortable in to practice yoga
Swimsuits or not - Rock River swimming is clothing-free
Artist supplies, journal or other hobbies for free-time segments
Slippers or house shoes. Willow is a shoe free household.
Hiking shoes and clothes
Headlamp or flashlight
Meet The Resident Cats
Willow is home to two sweet and friendly cats, Bear and Scratch. They love our guests and they absolutely adore being petted. But we ask that guests not pick them up. Too much of that and they will become stressed little souls.
We do our best to keep the cats out of the guest rooms so that people with allergies can comfortably stay with us. Please help with this by discouraging the cats from entering or napping in your room.
Traveling to Willow
Willow is located in the beautiful and quintessential village of South Newfane (population 300), a satellite of Newfane (population 1,700). We are located 20 minutes northwest of Brattleboro, 20 minutes northeast of Wilmington, and 20 minutes east of Dover and Mount Snow.
By car:
From Brattleboro, take Route 30 north about 9 miles. Go left on Depot Road where the West River and Rock River meet; travel 2 miles on Depot Road until you cross a small bridge over the Rock River; go left on Dover Road through the village of Williamsville; after passing through Williamsville you will cross a covered bridge. Willow is exactly 1.2 miles on your left. If you come to a stop sign you have gone 300 feet past our driveway.
From Wilmington, take Route 100 north toward West Dover about 3.5 miles. A half mile past the River Valley Market, take a right on East Dover Road; travel 1 mile. Take a right on Dover Hill Road; travel 8 miles on Dover Hill Road and E Dover Road (they are continuous) until you reach a 3-way stop sign in the village of South Newfane. Willow is 300 feet past the stop sign on your right.
By train: the daily Amtrak Vermonter stops in Brattleboro as it travels from Washington DC to Montreal and back. You can pick it up in New York, Hartford, Springfield to the south or in Montpelier to the north. Taxis are available in Brattleboro or Willow’s owners will pick you up in Brattleboro on the Vermonter’s arrival at 5pm (note this is after check in time).
By plane: Travelers may find Hartford (BDL—64.4 miles, 90 minutes) and Boston (BOS—85.7 miles, 2 hours 20 minutes) to be most convenient. Other nearby airports to check are Rutland VT (RUT, 55 miles, 1 hour 20 minutes), Manchester NH (MHT—85 miles, 2 hours), Albany NY (ALB—73 miles, 1 hour 40 minutes), and Worcester MA (ORH, 81 miles, 1 hour 50 minutes).
A note on driving: You may have spotty cell service in some parts of southern Vermont. Be sure to set your GPS before leaving home. Set it by typing “Willow Vermont Retreat” into your search bar. Please don’t use Willow’s address, as most GPS engines get southern Vermont addresses wrong. But don’t worry one bit, just remember this: following our guidance will lead you safely to Willow; following Google to Willow’s address will lead you 4 miles off target.