This weekend retreat will offer you a place, a time and a community to bear witness to your questions, fears and grief related to death. Death is an unavoidable and natural part of life—and knowing this at a deep level allows us to more fully savor the life we have. It is so important to set aside time on purpose to talk, explore, share and cry together in an environment where those conversations are welcome. This year’s theme will be focused especially around skillfully experiencing grief, and all explorations around death are also welcome.

During this retreat, we will care for body, mind and heart through a variety of practices including regular yoga and Urban Zen classes, meditation (walking, seated and lying down), contemplation exercises, and times to share in structured and unstructured conversations with each other. Reiki practitioners will be on hand to offer energetic support. This retreat can be a time of profound renewal for those working with the sick and dying, those with terminal diagnoses and for those grieving loved ones who have already died.

Comments from past retreatants:

“I can’t imagine anything can surpass the experience of Dialogue about Death. It seems quite unusual to have this many people come together and bond enough to feel safe in sharing such intimate details about life and death. It was magical. On a personal note, I came thinking I had completed so much work around death and dying during and after my 15 years of hospice experience that there wasn’t much more to explore. Once again, humbled by this experience of life and reminded that there is always, always, always more to uncover. Your facilitating of this event seemed to wrap a big hug around the room to offer a safe experience for those willing to share and grow. Thank you again, Marcia.” ~ Sally Casey

“By the end of the weekend, it was so free and nourishing to sit with someone, not having anything to fix, or respond, just to BE with them. By far it changes the whole dynamic of energy between both parties, it is so relaxing. That has been the incorporated life changer from this retreat…I left feeling rejuvenated, connected with others, and more hopeful towards my forward journey through life.” ~Theresa Wells

Retreat Staff:

Marcia Miller is a certified yoga therapist, a facilitator of death conversations, and someone who bears witness to the challenges of life and death as best as she can. She is one of the owners of Yoga on High, a Master Teacher and curriculum designer for the Urban Zen Integrative Therapy program, and a Reiki Master teaching Reiki in Central Ohio and around the country. Her passions of yoga, gardening and knitting have all taught her a great deal about life and death.

Lori Guth Moffett is a certified Yoga Teacher and Reiki Master, Director of the UZIT program at Zusman Hospice, and UZIT Master Teacher. Since 2013, Lori has sat at the bedside of the dying; she believes bearing witness is the heart and soul of the UZIT practice and her best teachers are those who are in that bed taking their last breath. The only way Lori is able to do work at the bedside of the dying is caring deeply for her mind, body, and spirit by spending time with people and animals she loves, the UZIT practice, being in nature, working out, and attending Friday night Shabbat services at Temple Israel.

Stephanie Estice has had the honor and privilege of being with those who are dying and those who are grieving. She has learned skills along the way, through her meditation practice, Reiki and energy work practice, and Urban Zen. It is deep, powerful healing to share these skills with others. It is from this place of sharing and bearing witness that Stephanie joins forces with The Death Mavens. Stephanie Estice is a meditation teacher and Reiki Master, having trained in multiple lineages, as well as other energy modalities, and she is an Urban Zen Integrative Therapist.

Scholarships

If you want to be at this retreat, we want you to be there! Please talk to us about options if cost prevents you from attending. The Yoga on High Foundation is a sponsor of this program and we are offering many partial and full scholarships. Please email [email protected] for scholarship requests.

If you feel moved to make donations to the Yoga on High Foundation for support of this program, those dollars will go toward additional scholarships.

If you work for a hospice, hospital, police or fire department, etc, we are eager to partner with your work place to make it possible for you to attend. We are happy to provide more information as needed.