Exhale | a grief retreat
A grief tending
heart retreat
“Grief is not a disorder, a disease, or a sign of weakness. It is an emotional, physical, and spiritual necessity, the price you pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve.”
Dr. Earl Grollman
May 13th - 16th | DOE BAY RESORT, ORCAS ISLAND
“I know now that we never get over great losses; we absorb them, and they carve us into different, often kinder, creatures." - Gail Caldwell
If you've found your way here, something has drawn you to the sacred path of grief and healing. Perhaps you're carrying a fresh wound, navigating the terrain of an old loss that still aches, feeling the weight of gestures broadly everything, or simply feeling called to create space for the grief that lives in your body. Whatever brought you here, I'm genuinely grateful our paths have crossed.
I’ve learned that grief isn’t something to overcome. It’s sacred territory to tend, like a garden in late spring. The soil is still damp and heavy from the rains. The sun is getting stronger. Everything is reaching, and some of it needs tending, some of it needs pruning, and some of it just needs to be witnessed.
May is a threshold month. Spring’s heavy, rain-soaked earth is still underfoot, and summer’s fire is just beginning to stir. Everything is green and growing, a little wild, and not yet finished.
We’ll gather in this in-between on the shores of Orcas Island, among 38 acres of waterfront wilderness, where cedar and fir, tide and sky, and the San Juan archipelago hold us while we do deep work. The land is in bloom while we tend what has finished.
Retreat Experience
During our time together, we'll engage in expressive journaling & art, carefully crafted rituals and practices, and community sharing—all designed to honor grief as a sacred space worthy of our attention and care. We'll explore grief not as something to overcome, but as a profound teacher that can deepen our capacity for joy, connection, and authentic living.
The unique setting of Doe Bay, with its natural soaking tubs overlooking the water and peaceful forest trails, enhances our journey by connecting personal grief to the larger rhythms of the natural world—reminding us that loss and renewal are woven into the very fabric of existence.
Our Journey Will Include:
somatic & breath practices to help you meet both the heaviness and the heat of grief with more ease, tracking what is dense and what is stirring in your body and nervous system.
expressive journaling & ritual honoring transitions through meaningful ritual, inviting creative curiosity to give shape to experiences that often defy words.
nature connection remembering the healing power of the natural world as a mirror and witness to our grief process
nourishing community gathering in circle to share stories and around the table to break bread together, we remember that while grief can feel isolating, we were never meant to carry it alone
deep rest & integration space recognizing that grief requires energy, rest and restore your spirit with soaking tubs, sauna, long light-filled evenings, and plenty of unstructured time to integrate your experiences.
“Grief is not a problem to be solved, not a condition to be medicated, but a deep encounter with an essential experience of being human.” - Francis Weller
Is This Retreat For You?
This retreat welcomes all forms of grief—deaths and losses, transitions and endings, ancestral sorrows and collective pain, climate grief and "I don't know why I'm sad but I am" grief. There's no timeline for grief, no "right way" to navigate its territory. Whether your loss happened recently or decades ago, whether it feels raw or familiar, like a tidal wave or a subtle undercurrent, your grief is welcome here.
You might be called to this retreat if:
You're seeking a compassionate community to witness and hold your grief
You're longing for meaningful rituals to honor whatever you’re holding
You're ready to explore grief not just as pain to endure, but as a transformative teacher
You feel drawn to connect with others who understand that grief is a sacred part of being human
The beauty of this work is that it meets you exactly where you are—no prerequisites, no expectations, no need to have your grief "figured out" or neatly processed, just an invitation to show up as your whole, authentic self. All parts welcome.
"Grief is a sacred practice that enlarges our capacity to be fully human and helps us become more receptive to the mysteries of life and death." - Joanne Cacciatore
The Setting
Doe Bay Resort on Orcas Island offers a profound container for our grief work, where the natural beauty and rhythms of the San Juan Islands support our journey of healing. In late May, Doe Bay is lush and green, the days are getting longer, and the evenings stay light. Doe Bay isn't just a place—it's practically a co-facilitator of our retreat. This 38-acre waterfront wonderland on Orcas Island feels like it exists in some magical pocket dimension where time moves differently and cell service is questionably reliable (consider yourself warned).
The resort features:
Those Famous Soaking Tubs & Sauna overlooking the Salish Sea (where some of the best conversations happen)
Meandering forest and coastal walking trails perfect for forest bathing or private crying sessions (both equally therapeutic)
A Beautiful Yoga Studio where we'll gather for our indoor practices
Minimal WiFi which I count as a feature, not a bug.
Your retreat investment includes
3 nights accommodation at Doe Bay Resort
3 dinners, 3 breakfasts, 2 lunches prepared by a local PNW chef
Access to Doe Bay's waterfront soaking tubs and sauna (a spiritual experience in itself)
All retreat activities, materials, and facilitation
A retreat zine to take the practices and rituals home with you.
Accessibility Matters: Sliding scale and payment plans available. I really don’t want money to be the reason you can’t access this, and money conversations don't scare me — let's talk about what's possible.
Payment plans; split into 3 payments. full payment due 30 days before retreat. full refund up to 90 days before retreat. 50% refund up to 60 days before retreat. within 45 days no refund but transfers to another participant allowed or credit for future retreat.
Space is limited to 16 participants to ensure an intimate container for our work together. Early registration is recommended.
Where You'll Rest Your Head
Shared Room
For the social ones.
$1,250-$1,850 (sliding scale)
*All Cabins share bathrooms and kitchen.
Shared bedroom with two queen or full beds. $1,250-1,850 per person (sliding scale). Shared bedroom. $500 deposit to reserve your spot; Full payment due February 10th.
Payment plans available.
Private Room
For those wanting more privacy and solitude. $2,350 / $2,850 for double occupancy.
$500 deposit to reserve your spot; Full payment due February 10th 2026.
Payment plans and Sliding Scale available. Please reach out if you need these options.
For those invested in a quiet and relaxing weekend.
$2,500/$3,500(double occupancy)
*All Cabins share bathrooms and kitchen.
Private cabin
For those who’d like a little more space and distance.
$2,800/$3,800(double occupancy)
*cabins have power, a kitchenette and a ½ bath but are short walk away from the Main retreat house.
A private cabin a short walk to communal resort areas. $2,800 or $3,800 double occupancy.
$500 non-refundable deposit to reserve your spot; Full payment due by February 10th.
Payment plans available please reach out if you need.
I'm Chelsea, a trauma-informed facilitator, spiritual counselor, and fellow walker on the path of grief as sacred teacher. My approach weaves together somatic healing, nervous system regulation, and ritual practices that honor both our individual experiences and our collective need for witnessing and support.
My path to this sacred work has been shaped by my own encounters with grief, loss, transitions and transformation—experiences that continue to teach me about the profound capacity we each hold to be present both with what hurts and what heals us.
What I know to be true: grief needs witnesses. It needs to be held, honored, and tended with reverence. And when we create sacred space for grief to be expressed, we often discover unexpected gifts of connection, meaning, and even joy waiting on the other side of our pain.
I'm honored to walk alongside you on this journey.
I can't wait to meet you.
About Me (Your Grief-Loving Guide)
Ready?
If you've read this far, there's probably a reason. Trust that little voice inside that whispered "maybe" when you first landed on this page.
Spaces are limited to 16 participants. If you're feeling called to this work, I encourage you to reach out.
"In every moment, grief and joy exist side by side, reminding us that our capacity for one is measured by our willingness to embrace the other."
Daily Flow
Our days together will follow a gentle rhythm, balancing structured practice with spaciousness for integration and rest.
"Grief is not just a series of events, stages, or timelines. It is a wilderness—a vast, inhospitable landscape through which we must journey." - Kathryn Schulz
DAY ONE (Friday): Tending the Soil
8:30 AM - 9 AM | Morning Meditation | morning practice focusing on resourcing & regulation.
9 AM | Breakfast
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM | Entering Grief's Territory | we'll explore some somatic grief mapping: guided practice to locate grief in the body.
1:30 PM | Lunch
| Free time
choose your own adventure
Soak: Schedule extra soaking tub time overlooking the Salish Sea
Wander:Self-guided trail walk through Doe Bay's forest paths
Restore: Rest, read, personal integration time or book a massage through Doe Bay
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM | Expressive Arts Session: Creative exploration through writing/drawing and a ceremony at the fire circle (weather permitting).
6 PM | Dinner
7:30 PM - 9 PM | Evening soaking tub & sauna |
ARRIVAL DAY (Thursday): Planting the Seeds
Begins at 3pm - Afternoon 3:00 - 5:00 PM | Arrival & Check-In: settling into your cozy space and take some time to orient yourself to our beautiful surroundings.
6 PM | Welcome Circle & Opening Ritual: Honoring What We Carry | Invocation, setting collective agreements & intentions for our journey together. Introduction to the space & each other, creating our collective grief altar.
7 PM | Community Dinner: Our first shared meal, breaking bread and maybe breaking some ice.
DAY TWO (Saturday): Weathering the Storm
8:30 AM - 9 AM | morning meditation : Resourcing Through the Body | exploring pendulation between grief and resource.
9 AM | Breakfast
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM | The Language of Loss: Letter Writing & Release - Writing to what/who has been lost, followed by ritual release at the water's edge.
1:30 PM | Lunch
| Free time
choose your own adventure
1:30 PM - 3 PM | afternoon soaking tub & sauna |
4:30 PM - 6 PM | Riding the waves Breathwork | Exploring simultaneous grief and gratitude, expansion and contraction, the practice of "and."
7:00 PM | Dinner
Departure Day (Sunday): Facing the Sun
7:30 AM - 8 AM | Morning meditation | focusing on heart opening and Loving Awareness.
8:30 AM | Breakfast
9:30 AM - 11 AM | Integration & Closing: Carrying Forward | Ritual in the Yoga Studio to honor our journey, explore how we carry grief with us, creating personal grief rituals to continue at home.
11 AM | Official Retreat End | Reluctant packing and promise-making. Where we marvel at how close you can feel to strangers after just three days | Tearful goodbyes: Where we start already planning reunions
