A Weekend Retreat for Deep Nervous System Healing
October 23 – 25
Green Nest Lodge: 97 Fire Rte 51, Buckhorn, ON K0L 1J0
Exhale
There is a kind of exhaustion that sleep alone cannot fix.
It is the quiet fatigue that comes from holding too much for too long. The pressure to keep going. The constant stimulation of modern life. The invisible tension that lives in the body when the nervous system has forgotten what true rest feels like.
Many of us have become so accustomed to living in a state of subtle holding that we no longer recognize how deeply we are bracing.
Exhale is an invitation to put that weight down.
Set among the quiet forests and autumn landscape of the Kawarthas, this immersive weekend retreat is designed to help the body release accumulated stress, unwind deeply held tension, and reconnect with the nervous system’s natural capacity for calm.
In autumn, the natural world begins its own process of letting go. Trees release their leaves, the air cools, and the pace of life in the forest softens. The landscape around us becomes a quiet reminder that rest, release, and slowing down are not weaknesses — they are part of a natural cycle.
Throughout the weekend, you will be guided through a carefully curated series of experiences designed to gently support the nervous system in shifting out of survival mode and back into regulation. Through deeply restorative yoga, soma-based movement, breathwork, sound healing, embodied nature immersion, meditation, and reflective ritual, the body is given the space it needs to soften, process, and restore. These practices are not about pushing or forcing transformation. They are about creating the conditions where the body can finally feel safe enough to let go.
Surrounded by forest, fresh air, and the quiet rhythm of nature, participants are invited to slow down in a way that everyday life rarely allows. To step away from constant doing. To reconnect with breath, body, and the deeper intelligence that lives within both.
This retreat is for anyone who feels overwhelmed, depleted, stretched too thin, or simply ready to experience what it feels like when the body is no longer bracing against the world.
A weekend to release.
A weekend to reset.
A weekend to remember what calm feels like again.
To soften.
To slow down.
To breathe.
To exhale.
The Retreat Setting
Set along the still waters of Sandy Lake, this retreat space feels like stepping into a different rhythm entirely — one where your body can finally exhale.
From the moment you arrive, something begins to soften.
The air feels quieter.
The pace slows.
Your nervous system starts to downshift without effort.
Mornings unfold gently, with soft light stretching across the lake.
Days invite you into nature — barefoot walks, deep breaths, space to wander and just be.
Evenings settle into a calm stillness, wrapped in sky, firelight, and the quiet hum of the land.
This is not just a beautiful setting — it’s a place that supports real restoration.
Sandy Lake, often known as Spirit Lake, carries a grounded, almost sacred stillness.
A space to float, to release, to reconnect… and to remember what it feels like to feel like yourself again.
Set along the still waters of Sandy Lake, this retreat space feels like stepping into a different rhythm entirely — one where your body can finally exhale.
From the moment you arrive, something begins to soften.
The air feels quieter.
The pace slows.
Your nervous system starts to downshift without effort.
Mornings unfold gently, with soft light stretching across the lake.
Days invite you into nature — barefoot walks, deep breaths, space to wander and just be.
Evenings settle into a calm stillness, wrapped in sky, firelight, and the quiet hum of the land.
This is not just a beautiful setting — it’s a place that supports real restoration.
Sandy Lake, often known as Spirit Lake, carries a grounded, almost sacred stillness.
A space to float, to release, to reconnect… and to remember what it feels like to feel like yourself again.
Weekend Flow
FRIDAY Arrival & Settling In Opening Circle Dinner Evening Restorative Yoga SATURDAY Morning Soma Yoga Breakfast Embodied Nature Immersion Lunch Free Time Breathwork Journey + Integration Meditation Sound Healing Free Time Dinner Fire Ceremony SUNDAY Morning Slow Flow Yoga Breakfast Closing Circle: Reflection + Sharing Departure *Retreat details and schedule may shift slightly to support the needs of the group and the natural flow of the retreat experience.
The Suites
Blue Sapphire Suite
3 BR + 2 BATH + KITCHEN |
4 beds | sleeps 7 max.
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Master Bedroom 1: Forest View Queen Bed
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Master Bedroom 2: Lakeview Double Bed
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Bedroom 3: Double bed + Single Bed
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2 shared bathrooms
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Lakefront patio + forest view patio
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Lakeview dining & living room
Gold King Suite
1 BR + 1 BATH + KITCHENETTE |
1 bed | sleeps 2 max.
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Panoramic Lakeview King Bed
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Ensuite bathroom
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Lakeview patio
Quartz Suite
2 BR + 1 BATH + KITCHEN |
2 beds | sleeps 4 max.
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Master bedroom: Forest View Queen Bed
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Bedroom 2: Double bed
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1 shared bathroom
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Forest view patio with barbeque grill
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Fenced backyard for pets (max. 2 pets)
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Extra privacy & tranquility: located a few steps away from the main lodge
Green Jade Suite
2 BR + 1 BATH + KITCHEN |
3 beds | sleeps 5 max.
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Master bedroom: Queen Bed
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Bedroom 2: Double bed + Single Bed
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1 shared bathroom
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Lakefront patio
Peach Suite
2 BR + 2 BATH + KITCHEN |
5 beds | sleeps 6 max.
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Master bedroom 1: Queen Bed w/ Ensuite bathroom and sun room
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Bedroom 2: Lakeview 2 single beds + 2 single bunk beds
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2 shared bathrooms
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Lakefront patio
Rates
Gold Suite – Private Sanctuary
King Bed - Ensuite: $1,045 per person
Couple rate: $599.15 per person
BOOKED
Peach Room A – Private Comfort
Queen Bed - Ensuite: $900 per person
Couple rate: $546.25 per person
1 room available
Green Room A – Lakeview Calm
Queen Bed - Shared Bathroom: $850 per person
Couple rate: $488.75 per person
BOOKED
Blue Room A – Forest Retreat
Queen Bed - Shared Bathroom: $850 per person
Couple Rate: $488.75 per person
BOOKED
Blue Room B – Lakeview Ease
Double Bed - Shared Bathroom: $800 per person.
1 room available
Quartz Room A – Forest Sanctuary
Queen Bed - Shared Bathroom: $850 per person
Couple rate: $488.75 per person
1 room available
Quartz Room B – Forest Quiet
Double Bed - Shared Bathroom: $800 per person
1 room available
Blue Room C – Shared Room
Double Bed + Single Bed. Shared Bedroom - Shared Bathroom: $740 per person
2 beds available
Green Room B – Shared Room
Double Bed + Single Bed. Shared Bedroom - Shared Bathroom: $740 per person
2 beds available
Peach Room B – Shared Lakeview Room.
Shared Bedroom - Shared Bathroom: $680 per person
BOOKED
*All rates are subject to applicable HST.
Meet the Facilitators
Tanya Meilleur - Main Facilitator
Sandra Dutkiewicz
Tanya Meilleur is the founder of The Healer Within, a wellness space devoted to nervous system healing, emotional restoration, and reconnecting people with the innate intelligence of their bodies.
Through her work, Tanya creates experiences that invite participants to slow down, soften, and step out of the constant pace of daily life. Her approach weaves together yoga, somatic movement, breathwork, energy healing, and nature-based practices to support meaningful restoration on both a physical and emotional level.
Known for her grounded and compassionate presence, Tanya holds spaces that feel safe, supportive, and deeply restorative. Her retreats are intentionally designed not simply as opportunities to relax, but as spaces for genuine reset — where participants can release accumulated stress, reconnect with themselves, and return home feeling steadier, clearer, and more nourished.
This retreat is an invitation into that experience: a place to pause, exhale, and rediscover the calm and clarity that already exist within you.
Sandra is an educator, nature guide, and wellness facilitator who brings over two decades of yoga practice to her work. She designs thoughtful, creative experiences that weave together gentle movement, somatic awareness, and mindfulness to help people reconnect with their bodies and breath.
At the retreat, Sandra will guide participants through Soma Yoga and Slow Flow Yoga, offering practices that encourage softness, presence, and a deeper sense of ease within the body.
Sandra’s passion for helping people rediscover their inner balance and wellbeing is at the heart of her work, inviting participants to slow down, listen inwardly, and move in ways that feel supportive and nourishing.
Is This Retreat Calling You?
Sometimes the right experience arrives not because we planned it…
but because something inside us knows it’s time.
If you’ve been feeling the pull to slow down,
to reconnect,
to come back to yourself—
this retreat may be meeting you exactly where you are.
You don’t need to have it all figured out.
You just need to be open.
If something in you is saying yes…
trust that.
We would love to welcome you.
A $450 non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your space in the retreat. Your spot is not confirmed until the deposit has been received.
The remaining balance is due by September 1, 2026.
All rates are subject to applicable HST.
Because retreat planning requires advance commitments for accommodations, food, and facilitation, the following cancellation policy applies:
If you cancel before September 1, 2026, your $450 deposit will be retained. Any payments made beyond the deposit will be refunded.
If you cancel on or after September 1, 2026, the full retreat amount is non-refundable.
If you are unable to attend, you are welcome to transfer your spot to another participant with advance notice.