Join retreat host Sophie Lyons (she/her) and guest teacher Lakshmi Haferman (she/her) for a 4 day, 3 night LGBTQIA2S+ Affinity Yoga retreat. This retreat is an offering to folks who wish to deepen their yoga practice and spend intentional time immersed in Queer community. Wake up to morning yoga, enjoy delicious food, and spend the day engaged with optional activities such as; hiking, swimming, meditation, journaling, workshops to explore our relationship to Queerness and time to unplug in the Vermont outdoors.
A sanctuary for our community
This retreat is open to all those who identify within the LGBTQIA2S+ spectrum. Starting Friday afternoon the 19th and running till Monday morning the 22nd, this retreat will be a brave space for participants to connect deeper to their Queer identity and utilize the practice of yoga to come home to themselves. During this retreat we will practice asana, meditation and a wide breadth of yogic practices in order to explore what Queerness means to us.
This retreat is open to 12 participants and includes:
Accommodations
Welcome dinner, three meals each full day, and brunch on departure day
2 yoga classes each day; yoga mats, cushions, clocks, straps and blankets are supplied by Willow
Other workshops and excursions are offered each day
A space to connect with community and make friends, as well as 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 through snail mail or ACH.
Payment schedule. All payments are non-refundable.
A 25% reservation deposit is due at booking.
A second payment of 25% is due May 17, 2024.
A final payment of 50% is due July 3, 2024
Want to stay longer? Extend your retreat experience!
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 with guest meditation teacher Lakshmi Haferman in selected sessions.
Rooms and Amenities at Willow
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 at Willow
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.
Come home to yourself in the Green Mountains of Southern Vermont
Now is your chance to join retreat leaders Sophie and Lakshmi, Willow’s owner-operators Ravi and Tom., and other spirit journeyers on a three-night retreat in pastoral Vermont.
The Schedule
The official retreat schedule runs from Friday, July 19 through 22, 2024.
Friday
Arrive 3-4pm and get settled into your room
Opening Practice and intention setting for the weekend
Dinner
Evening Meditation
Quiet Hours 9:30pm to morning
Saturday
Yoga practice
Breakfast
Hike with group OR optional alone time
Lunch
Workshop about Queerness & Yoga
Free time to journal/nature walk
Dinner
Evening Restorative
Quiet Hours 9:30pm to morning
Sunday
Yoga practice
Breakfast
Inner Child Journaling Workshop
Lunch
Individual swim and outdoor time. See Willow’s recommended area attractions. We recommend linking to the “excursions” tab on this page.
Free time to journal/nature walk
Dinner
Campfire Meditation and Community Time
Quiet Hours 9:30pm to morning
Monday
Yoga practice
Closing community time - Bringing the weekend intention back home
Brunch
Departure by 1pm. Before heading out students strip beds.
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 our 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 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: We are located in rural Vermont! You may have spotty cell service in areas throughout our area. Be sure to set your GPS before leaving from home. Set it by typing our business name “Willow Vermont Retreat” into your search bar. Please don’t use our address, as most GPS engines get rural addresses wrong. But don’t worry one bit, just remember this: following our guidance will land you safely with us; following Google to our address will lead you 4 miles off target.