Featured Upcoming Retreats

Zen and the Art of Carpentry for Women-
June 29-July 1
Building Thoreau's Cabin in the Maine Woods on Summer's First Full Moon!

Full Package Cost: $350
Returners take 15% off!

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Finding Lasting Inner Peace in a very peaceful setting!
~Women's Holistic Paddling  Retreat~
 August 5-10

Full Package Cost: $850
NOTE: Change in retreat with significant price reduction!!!

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May 16-18: Zen and the Art of Wellness-Self Care for the Caregiver

18 Contact hours/CEUs available for social workers & counselors.
Submitted for ANCC-COA  approval for nurses.

Join us on a spring getaway focused on holistic health & wellness for caregivers. Through acquired knowledge & hands-on experiences, we will provide participants with practical information on how to live in balance & health in the face of everyday personal and professional demands.

Highlights of the weekend's offerings

• An introduction to The Work of Byron Katie as a means of finding more clarity and less stress
• One gentle and restorative yoga session
• Discussion on sound nutritional practices aimed to balance major hormones and curb cravings through the Schwarzbein Principle
• Meal planning and group cooking sessions using natural, whole foods
• Peaceful, silent nature walks
• Guided Meditation circles to bring in clarity, inner peace and mindfulness
• Solo time in nature to gather vision for your journey to balance

Full getaway package: $395, includes programming and handouts, use of facilities, group bunk house accommodations, access to private hiking trails, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, Saturday dinner, and refreshments beginning Friday evening.

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June 29-July 1: Zen and the Art of Carpentry~Building Thoreau's Cabin in the Maine Woods

Bring in Summer's first full moon on a fun and enriching retreat for women! This retreat offers women an excellent opportunity to learn and practice basic carpentry skills. Come learn from and with women in a safe, comfortable, empowering and fun setting! Over the course of the weekend, we will work on completing a beautiful cabin that will be utilized by many to find a haven to rest in. The weekend includes the instruction and safe use of both hand and power tools, including a circular saw, chop saw, table saw, speed square, level, hand planes and chisels.

We began a carpentry series in 2006, and by popular demand, we are extending the offering. The women found such confidence and satisfaction in starting this cabin from the floor up that  they wanted to come back for more. We extend this invitation to any newcomers interested in finding comaraderie with other women in gaining skills creating with their hands using wood and tools. With continued interest, we plan to offer future workshops on building a sauna and a tree house for camping in!

Package Price: $350; Included in base fee: Use of facilities, camping or group bunk accommodations, access to private hiking trails, 2 lunches, Saturday din din, snacks & refreshments throughout weekend, instruction and programming.
Returners take 15% off!

For complete details, please go to wellness-weekends page.

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June 27: Day Canoe Exploration with the Lakes Environmental Association and Nurture Through Nature~co-ed

Join us on a day trip exploring a quiet waterway in western Maine by canoe. As we travel the shores and wetlands both by foot and canoe, enjoy ecological insights and animal tracking methods from naturalist, Bridie McGreavy, Lakes Environmental Association staff member. Jen Deraspe, from Nurture Through Nature, will offer ways to increase awareness towards our surroundings and our place in the natural environment. Novice and experienced paddlers welcome. Pace will be gentle. 10am - 3pm. Group size: 6 to 12 participants.

Fee: $40 for LEA members and $50 for nonmembers.

Fee includes paddling and safety lesson,  lunch, guided excursion, canoe, paddle, lifejacket,  and programming.

Contact Us for more information, registration and companion discounts.

Extend your stay by staying in a solar-powered cabin before or after the paddling adventure! Contact for availability.

August 5-10: Finding Inner Peace-Women's Holistic Paddling Retreat--see below for change in pricing and description since posted earlier this year!

I have to say, if you miss this one, hesitate and radiate onto the reasons why you can't do this, don't deserve it, don't have the time, can't afford it, on and on, even though there are no mistakes, you may, in fact be really missing out on something very life changing! If not now, then when, I ask? I am hoping that now is the time for you to join us. I am very excited to be bringing my passions together and give you the best that I have experienced in the way of finding more peace, less stress, more freedom on a day to day basis, regardless of circumstance.

Join us on this unique and gentle wilderness living retreat for women in which we blend an outdoor experience with tried and true methods of releasing stress and bringing in more long lasting peace. We will spend two days at Nurture Through Nature's green retreat center, located in Denmark, Maine, followed by four days of canoe camping along the quiet shores of one of Maine's pristine waterways, Flagstaff Lake, part of the Northern Forest Canoe trail connecting New York to Maine by ancient waterways traveled by native peoples before our time. It's will offer the perfect immersion into the wild, slowly and gently.

If possible, we will be settling into one or two campsites along Flagstaff Lake to allow space to fully unwind and rest the bones and the soul. We will share in guided meditations and gentle yoga as well as solo, paired and group exercises aimed at increasing our awareness and sense of interconnectedness to all that is.  We will share in circles  introducing and practicing The Work of Byron Katie, a beloved method to bring in more freedom and joy practiced on a daily basis by this guide. We are confident that all will find more clarity, self-realizations and transformation in discovering the power in The Work of Byron Katie.

Package Price: $850 per person.

Aug 26-Sept 2: Women's Full Moon Wilderness Living Paddling Trip~
Lobster Lake & West Branch of the Penobscot River-Thoreau's Waterway

Join Nurture Through Nature paddling peacefully along the ancient waterways of the Penobscot Indian Nation on this journey amidst the wild scenery of Northern Maine. Lobster Lake is truly one of Maine's magical places, with white sand beaches, intense granite cliffs, and dense forest surrounding this remote deep water lake. Mountain profiles and bountiful wildlife mesmerize. The West Branch of the Penobscot river is a flat water (Class I) section and is one of the most scenic in New England with little sign of civilization.

Rejuvenate, laugh and learn with other women. This 8 day river and lake trip will be leisurely paced and geared for novice and experienced canoeists, alike. We may spend 2 nights at each site during much of the retreat, allowing us to settle in and enjoy the beauty and satisfaction of having paddled to new areas in our journey. We will meld into our surroundings, traveling gently and promoting a caretaker philosophy in all of our wanderings.

On this retreat, we will offer a gentle mix of holistic programming on our lay-over days, be it guided meditation, yoga on the beach, or mindfulness practices to help you to be more present, relaxed, and truly in the "now". In addition, we will teach you how to be self-sufficient and comfortable in a wilderness setting. You will learn the arts of navigation, river-reading, setting up camp, and open-fire cooking. As our elders have taught us, we will share with you the skills of using wild medicinal plants, making cordage from natural fibers, starting a fire by bow-drill, and weaving baskets from material we find in the forest.

At the end of these 8 days in the wilderness, you will be prepared for nature travel on your own! Join us for a truly unique retreat offering by and for women.

Fitness scale: 2

Package Price: $950- Package Price includes all gate fees for waterway, camping and canoeing equipment, meals beginning with dinner on Aug 26 and ending with lunch on Sept 2. Plan to meet in Greenville, Maine, the gateway to the North Maine Woods, on Aug 25, the day before the trip start date, for shared accommodations at a lodge at a pre-arranged location. Meeting the group for dinner provides an opportunity to connect and unwind before our journey officially begins. The trip fee does not include first night's accommodations. Plan to meet your guides first thing in the morning on Aug 26. Inquire about carpooling and airport shuttle services offered by NTN if you do not have ground transportation. Contact for full itinerary and details.

Recommended reading, The Maine Woods by Henry David Thoreau

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Sept 21-23: Common Ground Country Fair, Unity Maine

Personal favorite fair ever, celebrating rural living, organic farming and gardening, alternative energy, holistic health, music, great food and so much more! Come visit us in the Environmental Concerns Tent. Meet staff or past clients at our booth. Participate in our free daily workshop, "Awareness and the Art of Seeing; Fox walking to Notice". FMI go to http://www.mofga.org/.

Oct 6-8: Recharge, Regroup, Reflect: Preventing Burnout and Remembering Joy!

A Columbus Day Weekend Getaway for Women, October 6-8

Are you overwhelmed at work or at home? Are you worn out and not enjoying life? Come to this very special retreat for women that promises stimulation, fun, and healing over the course of a healthy and spirit enriching long weekend. You’ll experience supportive space and perspective away from your personal and professional life, and learn how to maintain that perspective when you return to the demands of your everyday world. An eclectic blend of opportunities will bring you more freedom, clarity and connection.

~Experience quiet time in nature through meditation walks and a day-long canoe excursion-beginner paddlers welcome!
~Learn about The Work of Byron Katie as a way to identify and undo stressful thoughts
~Let loose by moving your body intuitively and freely under the fun and gentle guidance of a dance performer/educator
~Share in meditation circles that bring release and insight
~Remember how to breath deeply again
~Eat healthy, whole foods that nourish body and soul
~Sign up for an optional therapeutic massage, melting away tension and body stress
~Connect with other women in a healing space
~The retreat will be held at Nature Through Nurture’s home base in Denmark, Maine which rests on 33 acres with lofty       views of the White Mountains, just over an hour from Portland, Lewiston and Freeport, Maine.

Fee includes: meals beginning with lunch on Saturday and ending with breakfast on Monday, group cabin accommodations (or optional camping if you prefer), instruction on meditation, dance, canoeing and The Work of Byron Katie, paddling equipment for a gently paced canoe excursion
For an additional $35, enjoy a 30 minute massage with local Licensed Massage Therapist, Sarah Weaver.

Early bird registration by September 10 - $395

Registration fee after September 10 - $420  
 

Nov 2-4: Zen and the Art of Pack Basket Making

Come learn how to make your own large reed pack basket. We teach the whole process: how to gather materials, how to make and decorate your own basket and how to care for it so it can last a lifetime. One of the most fun and meaningful parts of each class is learning how to listen to your materials and let them shape themselves. Also, we share our stories of lessons that the crafts have taught. By the end of the weekend your pack basket will be complete for you to take home.

Blended in the hands-on skills gained from weaving your own pack basket will be breathing exercises and guided meditations to help you fully arrive in the "now".  You also are invited to join in on nature walks to take in the beauty of Pleasant Mountain, our spring-fed brook and long views of the White Mountains. Expect spontaneous, fun happenings throughout your stay!

Full Getaway Package Price: $385pp includes all meals, accommodations, materials and instruction to make your own pack over the course of the weekend.

For complete details and fee schedules, go to weekend retreats page.

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