What to expect
Itinerary, Workshops & What to Bring
Mornings will greet us with gentle movement and connection to our bodies. In the afternoons, we will have interactive exercises that engage our minds and creativity. During Saturday evening, we will explore movement through a guided 5 Rhythms Dance.
There will be plenty of free time spaced out during the day for exploring the land and enjoying the sauna, along with booking any 1-on-1 sessions with our instructors (at an extra fee arranged with the instructor). Throughout the day nutrition breaks with home cooked meals will be prepared by our house chef including breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. All activities are always optional — you’re always welcome to listen to your body and participate in the ways that feel right for you.
Workshops
Yoga with Des
Workshop Overview
Join Yoga Therapist student, Des for a trauma-informed yoga practice. Explore yogic practices, such as pranayama/breath work, asana/physical shapes, and pratyahara/tuning inward. Our practice will begin with grounding/centering, then move into gentle asana and end with restorative shapes, which will be held between 3-4 minutes.
About Des
Des (they/them) is a Yoga Guide and Grief Doula who lives, breathes, and plays on Michi Saagiig Anishnaabeg territory, Treaty 20, and the Williams Treaties in Nogojiwanong, what is colonially know as "Peterborough, ON" in so-called "Canada." Nogojiwanong means "the place at the end of the rapids" in Ojibwe. Des often considers these rapids as fast paced and at the end, a place to find stillness and rest. They are grateful to all land defenders, water protectors, and stewards of these lands. They are passionate about yoga philosophy and mythology while on their path to learn and guide with a curious heart. They value rest, reciprocity, authenticity, interdependence, and compassion.
They recently divested from Instagram and are focusing on the community to spread their offerings as well as postering and writing in their newsletter. Please visit this link to join their mailing list and for other resources. Des will also be offering individual reduced cost Yoga Therapy sessions during the retreat. You may email them beforehand if you have any questions, or sign up in person.
Forest Bathing with Marilyn
Workshop Overview
A guided Forest Therapy and/or guided Forest Bathing walk, led by certified Guide Marilyn Zehr, will assist in deepening your connection to the natural world around you. Marilyn facilitates this connection with the world of the forest and its creatures by inviting participants to slow down, sense, touch, listen, smell, taste, and see, as if for the first time, the web of life all around us. A series of invitations offered by Marilyn will encourage participants to go slow not fast, be grounded not harried, be present here and not trying to get there.
About Marilyn
Marilyn Zehr (she/her) is a Forest Therapy Guide, Eco-spiritual Director & Minister attuned to the Sacred in the earth and her creatures. Marilyn and her wife Svinda are co-founders/creators of Rise Above Guest House where you will be gathering. Marilyn says, “The spirit of the land which has birthed Rise Above Guest House has taught us that the land takes care of us and that this care is available to others. Therefore, our vision statement welcomes all to cycles of healing in connection with the land. In keeping with our vision, we seek to live by the principles of generosity of spirit, community of hospitality, embodied listening, and openness to transformation.” For more about Marilyn and Svinda and Rise Above Guest House and Forest Therapy and other retreats and events please visit https://riseaboveguesthouse.ca/
Birch Bark Journal Making with Jax
Workshop Overview
Make a nature inspired journal using the textured white layered bark of birch trees to create a personal one-of-a-kind booklet. We then use it for a guided journaling exercise to reflect on the forest bathing walk with Marilyn.
About Jax
Jax (they/them) identifies as a non-binary forest witch with AuDHD, and has a passion for art and community work within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. With over a decade of leadership experience in hospitality and queer positive mentorship, Jax is the founder and visionary behind Root & Rise. They currently reside in Monteagle Valley on the Rise Above Guest House land with several landmates and their dog Harrison Ford.
Emerging Waves, 5Rhythms Session with Alejandro
Workshop Overview
In this movement meditation session we will be invited again and again to explore a more embodied relationship with self, community, and spirit. There will be two waves: a warm-up wave to gently move, stretch and arrive more comfortably into our bodies, and a practice wave inviting us to move with the music into relational explorations while also attuning into a collective presence.
About Alejandro
Alejandro (he/him) brings 15 years of experience supporting individuals one-on-one, cultivating strategies and practices to improve wellbeing through nervous system education, embodied explorations, and relational support. He has worked for almost two decades in the health care frontlines for mental health and addictions support, crisis prevention and intervention.
Rest, Nest and Ritual with Siyobin
Workshop Overview
Rest, Nest & Ritual is a class designed to guide you into deep, radical rest while reconnecting with your body, mind, and spirit. Using somatic movement, gentle stretching, acupressure, energy healing, guided meditations, and oracle card reflections, this class helps you release tension, access your inner wisdom, and create a sacred container for self-care. Created by Siyobin, a healer and facilitator devoted to liberatory healing, this class blends playful, mindful, and restorative practices to help you claim rest as resistance, tend to yourself intentionally, and embody your vitality. Each session is a chance to nest, move, reflect, and ritualize care for yourself in a way that’s joyful, empowering, and transformative.
About Siyobin
Siyobin (she/they) is a healer, Human Design reader, and facilitator devoted to liberatory healing. They believe that tending to ourselves is inseparable from shaping the world we want to live in. By caring for our bodies and inner worlds, we build the capacity to act with clarity, courage, and care, moving toward sustainable change. Through bodywork, energy work, Human Design, and movement, Siyobin creates spaces where people can reconnect with themselves, release what is not theirs to carry, and remember their inherent magic. Their work shows how tending to our inner lives strengthens our ability to live, love, organize, and create in alignment with our values. Grounded in accessibility and a commitment to decolonizing wellness, Siyobin creates spaces where healing supports both personal transformation and collective liberation.
Mini Treatments from Siyobin
Treatments are 20-Minutes. Sliding Scale $30-$60.
• Cradled Crown - Face up treatment focusing on the head, shoulders, neck and facial massage plus energy balancing. Can include Jade Gua Sha.
• Roots & Rivers - Tui Na inspired bodywork including acupressure and energy healing.
• Inner Currents - Energy Healing session to rebalance your energy systems and bring harmony mentally, physically and emotionally.
To book an add-on treatment please visit this link.
Sparkle with Queer & Trans Joy with Stevie
Workshop Overview
This workshop will take you on a fun and creative journey to look at healing from our challenges as 2SLGBTQ+ people. Using art and writing prompts we will explore the strengths of our experiences as well as practicing key community care. Living in joy and celebration is a transformative and radical action that can bring forth new and exciting possibilities.
About Stevie
Stevie Forbes-Roberts (they/them) a clinical therapist who specializes in supporting 2SLGBTQ+ children, youth and families. They work in Orangeville Ontario as the coordinator of GLOW, a 2SLGBTQ+ youth group as well as running a small private practice at the Queer Health Hub in Guelph. Stevie holds a Master's of Social Work degree from Wilfrid Laurier University. Stevie hopes to continue a life of activism and collaboration that includes advocating for stronger and more inclusive communities for LGBTQ+ folks. Stevie identifies as non-binary and queer. Stevie lives in Guelph, loves to kayak and is the single parent of a teenager and two husky dogs.
Additional Information
What to bring
We encourage you to bring clothes and shoes that make you feel supported and comfortable. Some common items include:
- Comfortable clothing for movement, outdoor time and dance
- Yoga mat
- Shoes for hiking and dancing
- Layers for cool evenings
- Raincoat and/or umbrella
- Bathing suit, towel and sandals for sauna
- Sunglasses, hats, sunscreen
- Camping gear (for campsite participants)
Photo credit Marilyn Zehr of Rise Above Guest House
Accessibility & terrain
The retreat is hosted on a rural, nature-based property, which means some areas include uneven ground, forest paths or grassy areas, and short walking distances up a gentle hill between the cabins and gathering spaces.
If you have mobility concerns, sensory needs, or other accessibility questions, please reach out before registering so we can help you get what you need.
Photo credit Marilyn Zehr of Rise Above Guest House
Community agreements
Our intention is to create a retreat environment that feels comfortable, respectful, and welcoming for all participants. This is a sober-friendly smoke free event. Cabin and camping areas will be shared with other retreat guests, and we ask everyone to approach the space with care for one another and the land.
To help create a welcoming and respectful environment for everyone, we ask participants to:
- Approach one another with kindness and curiosity
- Respect consent and personal boundaries
- Be mindful of shared spaces and scent-sensitivities
- Care for the land and facilities by leaving it better than you found it
- Pack garbage in and out
Photo credit Marilyn Zehr of Rise Above Guest House
Have questions?
If you’re unsure which option is right for you, or if you have logistical questions, please reach out to us.
Root & Rise — A Queer Wellness Retreat