Women's Health Retreat - A Natural Approach to Menopause: PRICE REDUCED!→

I loved this article written by Sharon Mesmer and published in the opinion section of this week's Sunday New York Times and it inspired me to reduce the price for the Women's Health retreat I'm hosting at Headlands Center for the Arts on February 27th.

Perhaps people are waiting to see what other plans come up for the weekend of the 27th, but since I have space for almost forty women, I would like to encourage more women to sign up for this very worthwhile retreat and therefore am reducing the price of the retreat to $125.00! 

I (like Sharon) am not one of the lucky ones. I do (like Sharon) have a friend who told me last year that one month she simply didn't get her period and poof it was just gone forever. No hot flashes. No emotional roller coaster. No panic attacks. Who boy, do I wish I were her. But I'm not and from what I've heard from many of my friends, neither are they! 

This is why I was so inspired to put together this retreat. To listen to a speaker who has specialized in the natural treatment of menopause symptoms, participate in a Q&A, eat healthy locally sourced meals, attend a cooking demo AND end the day with a relaxing yoga class aimed at women our age, I think this will be such a valuable learning experience and encourage more women to sign up!

Join us at the unique and gorgeous, Headlands Center for the Arts on February 27th at 8:45AM and participate in the following:

• Hear two talks by Marnie Reasor or Resplendent Healing as she discusses tried and true natural approaches to menopause. With her 15 years of specialization, she will surely have a lot to tell us and will be more than happy to answer our questions along the way!
• Cooking Demo by Jessica Prentice of Three Stone Hearth and Author of "Full Moon Feast"
• Light breakfast and full lunch by Katie Powers - Marin resident and exclusive Caterer for Headlands Center for the Arts
• All-Level 1 1/2 hour yoga session with Dr. Alicia Thomsen, liscenced chiropractor and yoga instructor at Yogaworks

Three Reasons I can't WAIT for the Women's Health Retreat on February 27th

1. I was up in the middle of the night AGAIN.
2. I made stock last night and decided to make a healthy soup with it today
3. I can't wait to eat Katie Power's incredible food at The Headlands Center for the Arts in gorgeous west Marin
4. Oh yes. There's a fourth. A FULL yoga session!

1 - Seriously. One of the reasons I was so inspired to facilitate a women's health/menopause retreat is because I am going into my THIRD year of peri-menopause. Geez. Full-on menopause hasn't even set in and I'm three years into hot flashes, mood swings, weight gain, etc, etc. Not fun and I feel because of my healthy diet and regular exercise I have pretty mild symptoms! I was up AGAIN in the middle of the night last night. This time with night sweats. I thought I moved from night sweats to hot flashes three years ago, but here it was again. Made me look forward to asking an expert what I can do about it and made me look forward to this retreat even more!

When I discussed this retreat with Marnie Reasor (our speaker), I mentioned the fact that I only experience my peri-menopause symptoms in the springtime. Then sometime during the summer, I go somewhat back to normal. She had a few things to say about it and I realized it would be so very helpful to be able to sit down with someone to get some comprehensive one-to-one information. As I thought about the expense of one-on-one consultations (which if you can afford it I think would be hugely beneficial) I was even more inspired to put on this retreat. Imagine, for less than the cost of one private consult, we get to sit with an expert, listen to her years worth of research and advice on the topic, ask direct questions and also be inspired by what other women in the room share. I'm already lining up my questions but promise I'll let other people ask too! Then we get to add in healthy meals, a cooking demo and an all-level yoga session. It is my intention to offer affordable wellness retreats and I feel this one will really pack a punch for the $$!

2 - I make chicken stock all the time and use Chris Kresser's recipe for roasted chicken stock but have always been unsure if there's a difference between chicken stock and bone broth. I know I can go online and figure this out, but I have so many questions to ask about stock vs. bone broth. Do you really need to slow cook bone broth for days to get full benefits and well, how DO I cook bone broth for days without burning my house down? As I made my stock last night and then contemplated what to make with it (we enjoyed the roasted chicken last night with broccoli and green salad (and tater tots for hubby) and tonight will have homemade chicken enchiladas with organic corn tortillas and aged cheese and salad), I decided I was going to make a healthy soup this weekend. Could be beet soup or an old standby, cauliflower soup. It made me also think of the fact that we get to sit with Jessica Prentice of Three Stone Hearth and listen to her discuss the benefits of bone broth, ask her direct questions and then watch her make a healthy soup! I know I will be purchasing her book "Full Moon Feast" and lining up for her autograph!

3 - I've been on the preferred vendor list at Headlands Center for the Arts for years as a wedding photographer and am so looking forward to bringing a group in to experience this property! It's such a cool building and in such a gorgeous setting in west Marin county. I also have been lucky enough to try HCA's exclusive caterer Katie Power's food when I'm there too and every time, I'm blown away. Katie is a passionate Marin country resident and sources locally and organic for all her cooking. I'm so excited to be able to sit with the participants at this retreat and enjoy a menu specifically geared toward women our age in the very cool "Mess Hall".

4 - Last but not least, given I'm running a business AND starting this new business, my exercise routine has become the NYT seven minute workout, a series of stretches and as much outdoor activity as I can squeeze in. Not great for weight loss, but at least I feel fit and healthy! Alas, the downside is that I rarely have the luxury anymore to go to a full yoga class. That means I'm really excited to end our day with an hour and a half all-level session with Marin Yogaworks instructor and chiropractor, Alicia Thomsen. Boy do I need it!

All-in-all this is going to be one great day and if El Nino doesn't hit that day, we can enjoy a short hike in the now VERY green Marin Headlands right out the door of the facility! Can't wait and hope to see you there!

Alicia Thomsen Joins the THF Menopause Retreat as our All-Level Yoga Teacher

Happy to announce that Alicia Thomsen, certified yoga instructor and chiropractor has joined The Healing Farm's Women's Health retreat! Alicia is a Marin resident and yoga instructor at Yogaworks and will be a terrific addition to our retreat.

From her bio:

"Dr. Alicia Thomsen combines over 17 years of experience as both a Chiropractor and Yoga teacher bringing a unique combination of skill, sensitivity and creativity to her work. Her practice specializes in natural solutions to reduce pain and inflammation by combining the principles of Chiropractic, Advanced Muscle Reconditioning (AMR) and Nutrition."

Alicia was excited to accept the challenge of coming up with a class that focusses on women in the 45-60 year-old range faced with the challenges of keeping up with healthy exercise during a major body transition. I can't wait to take her class and hope you will be there too!