True Nature Healing Arts has been bringing spiritual and meditative opportunities to the Roaring Fork Valley for close to two decades. Later this month, the tranquil campus along the Rio Grande bike path will host a new retreat offering: “Threshold.” The three-day event will bring in three well-known facilitators and offer space for participants to reflect and connect as the seasons change.
“This is the first time we’ve had the honor to host this retreat,” said Megan Miller, True Nature’s director of education and programming. “We had Elena Brower on campus last year for the Reconnect Retreat. She absolutely loves it here, and couldn’t wait to bring ‘Threshold’ to the True Nature campus in Carbondale! She’s doing two retreats with us this year.” Miller shared that during last year’s retreat, Brower connected powerfully with the space. “She was blown away by the intentionality, attention to detail and beauty of the campus.”
Elena Brower is one of three facilitators running the retreat, which spans from the evening of Thursday, Sept. 25 to Sunday morning, Sept. 28. Brower started teaching asana yoga in 1999 and has steadily expanded her teaching, meditation and creative practices since. She is a candidate for Buddhist chaplaincy and has authored multiple books, hosted the “Practice You” podcast and taught a variety of mindfulness courses. She is looking forward to the opportunity “Threshold” provides.
“True Nature is a thoughtful, prayerful, healing space with so much love and practice infused within it,” she said. “It’s an honor for the three of us to make the journey from Massachusetts, New Mexico and Australia to be together in this stunning setting just in time for the fall colors.”
The other two facilitators, Kemi Nekvapil and Laura McKowen, have their own impressive writing and mindfulness credentials. Nekvapil is an executive and personal coach based in Australia and has also written multiple books on mindfulness. She completed leadership facilitation training with Dr. Brene Brown back in 2019, hosts the Audible podcast “POWER Talks,” writes “The Harvest” newsletter on Substack and has interviewed female leadership figures including Elizabeth Gilbert, Martha Beck and Marie Forleo.
McKowen is a bestselling author and a sobriety support advocate. She has been published in The New York Times and featured in The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, on the TODAY show and more. Her books are “We Are The Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life” and “Push Off from Here: Nine Essential Truths to Get You Through Sobriety (and Everything Else)”.
“Threshold” is designed as a full experience that integrates yoga and other gentle movement practices with dialogue sessions, reflective writing and guided meditation. When this article went to print, spaces remained open for participants. The registration price is $3,150, which includes all retreat events on the True Nature campus. The price does not include meals or lodging, but Miller is available to help registrants coordinate lodging with other participants.
Miller explained the benefit of offering “Threshold” as a long weekend opportunity in which all participants are present throughout: “It is designed as a sacred closed container, so participants commit to the full retreat. The connections and bonds that are forged throughout the weekend are an essential and deeply meaningful part of the experience. Each participant’s full presence supports the integrity of the container and the collective journey.”
Nekvapil, McKowen and Brower describe “Threshold” as “a deep meeting of hearts, a gathering of minds, a place to slow down and listen, to enter into deep quiet in the company of other women.” Hosting the event close to the autumn equinox amplifies the opportunity for participants to explore the current season of their lives and meditations on change.
True Nature will also host a retreat the first weekend of October, “Reconnect,” which allows participants to register for individual events or the full calendar of offerings from Oct. 3 to 5. Elena Brower will be facilitating that weekend with True Nature founder Deva Shantay.
To secure one of the remaining spots in the “Threshold” retreat, visit www.truenaturehealingarts.com/threshold