3 Day Opening the Heart: A Women’s Sound & Nature Retreat, Asheville, NC

There are times when the heart naturally begins to open again—

after being guarded, busy, or quietly holding more than it needed to.

This retreat creates space for that gentle unfolding.

Do you feel “thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread?” — J.R.R. Tolkien

Are you carrying too much… for too long?

Is your nervous system tired?

Your heart tender?

Your identity shifting?

Your patience wearing thin?

Maybe you’re navigating the end of a marriage.

Maybe your children have grown and you’re asking, “Who am I now?”

Maybe work is changing — or ending — and you’re untangling your worth from what you produce.

Maybe you’re grieving.

Maybe you’re anxious.

Maybe you’re simply… exhausted.

All those feelings are valid.

Opening the Heart is a women’s retreat centered on connection—within yourself, and with the quiet support of others sharing the space.

Held in the early summer mountains, this weekend invites a soft expansion through sound healing, nature, and intentional rest.

There’s no pressure to share or “go deep.”

Connection here happens naturally, without force.

Sound sessions support emotional release and heart-centered awareness, while time outdoors allows your body to settle into a slower, more natural rhythm.

This retreat is especially supportive if you’ve been feeling:

– disconnected from yourself

– guarded or closed off

– ready for more openness, without overwhelm

You are welcome exactly as you are.

This retreat is offered once this season.

An Uplifting Women’s Retreat to Renew, Recenter & Remember Who You Are

This weekend is that space.

I invite you to step away from the noise and deepen the well of love within yourself. To clear the static of constant input. To soften. To be witnessed by other women walking their own brave paths of transition, healing, and becoming.

Throughout time, women have gathered in retreat — not to escape life, but to remember themselves inside of it. To rest together. To laugh. To grieve. To pray. To tell the truth. To rekindle joy.

This weekend honors that lineage.

Why Rest Matters

Many of us are living in near-constant activation — schedules, caregiving, work demands, emotional labor, decision fatigue. Even when the outer stressor passes, the body can remain braced.

When we don’t balance activation with true rest, burnout follows.

Rest is not distraction.

It is not productivity in disguise.

It is not self-improvement.

As Karen Brody writes:

“Rest is not active. To rest is to surrender from the active, the goals, and the will to achieve something… Rest invites you to experience the gentle exchange between your outer and inner worlds.”

This retreat is structured around practices that allow the nervous system to settle — particularly immersive sound healing and daily Yoga Nidra — so that your body can remember how to exhale.

What You’ll Experience

Immersive Sound Healing (the heart of the retreat)

Multiple sound journeys throughout the weekend featuring gong, crystal and Himalayan bowls, harmonium, and voice — inviting deep restoration and inner spaciousness.

Daily Yoga Nidra

A guided practice of conscious rest often described as feeling like several hours of sleep. It supports emotional integration and mental clarity.

Gentle Yoga (All Levels)

Accessible, nourishing movement including gentle, kundalini-inspired, and bhakti-based practices. No performance. No pressure.

Fire & Cacao Ceremonies

Intentional spaces for release, gratitude, and calling forward what is ready to emerge.

Land Mandala Creation

A grounding, creative ritual using natural elements — reminding us of impermanence, beauty, and our belonging to the Earth.

Reflection & Journaling

Guided prompts and quiet space for inner listening.

Meditative Nature Immersion

Time in retreat gardens, along the river, and by flowing lakes. Nature becomes a co-facilitator in your renewal.

Nourishing Meals & Meaningful Connection

Wholesome food and authentic community — without pressure to perform or “be on.”

Rustic & Comfortable Accommodations

Simple, serene spaces that support rest and retreat.

What This Weekend Makes Possible

When the body settles, clarity returns.

You may find yourself:

• letting go of old narratives

• softening internal criticism

• grieving what needs grieving

• reconnecting with creativity

• remembering desires long set aside

• feeling lighter and more integrated

This is not about becoming someone new.

It is about remembering who you are beneath the strain.

Over the course of this weekend, you’ll be supported in gently reorganizing your inner landscape — thoughts, emotions, beliefs — so they feel more aligned and less fragmented.

You’ll return home not “fixed,” but steadier.

Not overwhelmed, but clearer.

Not stretched thin, but gathered back to yourself.

You'll enjoy: 

• Sound Healing Sessions over the course of the weekend

• Manifestation Faith Practice

• Fire Ceremony

• Making a Land Mandala / Water Ceremony

• Inner Reflection / Journaling

• Healthy Food

• Life Connections

• Meditative Walks

• Time in Nature in Retreat Gardens, along the River, and by the Flowing Lakes

• Cacao Ceremony

• Rustic & Comfortable Overnight Accommodations

  
  

Meals and Lodging included. Let me know specific dietary needs, and I will do my best to accommodate. We also have a communal kitchen and you are welcome to supplement your meals to take the best care of yourself too.        

Return to center & reclaim wholeness over the course of a weekend of sound healing and where you feel cleansed, lighter, and defragmented.

You will experience daily sound healing sessions, learn techniques for intention setting and manifestation through direct experience, be supported with all-levels gentle yoga, kundalini yoga or Bhakti yoga sessions, meditation, yoga nidra guided relaxation sessions, and fire and cacao ceremonies. Each weekend retreat is customized with practices to support the specific group attending. Dawn will schedule a phone call with you to personalize your retreat to support you and the group.

This weekend will help reorganize and realign your thoughts, emotions, and beliefs in order to create a more harmonious and fulfilling inner self. This could involve letting go of negative experiences or beliefs, resolving internal conflicts, and reclaiming a greater sense of purpose or connection with self or higher power.

Immerse yourself in transformative energy with our three-day retreat, featuring the resonant vibrations of the gong. 

Join us for a rejuvenating experience in a tranquil environment that combines intention setting, mindfulness practices, introspective reflections, and the powerful, rhythmic tones of the gongs, crystal bowls and more, creating a harmonious space for personal discovery and remembering who you are.

Basic Itinerary (subject to change)

Friday Arrival by 5pm

• Grounding Vegetarian dinner of roasted root vegetables and savory pinto beans

• Welcome Circle--Orientation, Introduction, & Intention Circle

• "Be Here Now" Yoga Nidra Guided Relaxation and Sound Healing Session

• Peaceful night's rest in rustic and cozy accommodations

  
  

Saturday

• Breakfast of gourmet spiced oatmeal, fruit, and cinnamon bread

• Morning Session--sharing circle, manifestation talk

• All levels Gentle Yoga and Meditation

• Dive into Discovery Yoga Nidra Guided Relaxation and Sound Healing Session

• Journaling Reflection

• Vegetarian Lunch of red lentil, mushroom, kale, and carrot soup

• Clearing Circle; a practice you can feel

• Free Time -- wander the grounds, take a nap, journal, sit in a swing, put your feet in the river

• Vegetarian Dinner of Idaho and Sweet Potato Bar, Fresh Green Salads, Homemade Honey Mama's chocolate

• Fire Ceremony to Ignite your Inner Flame

• Peaceful night's rest in rustic and cozy accommodations

Sunday

• Breakfast of gourmet spiced oatmeal, fruit, and cinnamon bread

• Opening Circle for the Day

• Gentle Bhakti Yoga and Meditation

• Angelic Empowering Sound Healing

• Cacao Alchemy:  Where Every Sip is a Sacred Step Towards Self-Discovery

• Closing Circle--Gathered in Gratitude, sealing the retreat journey

• Close by 12:30

• Optional Send Off lunch

Defragmentation of the soul helps heal or repair the soul after it has been fragmented by trauma or adversity or life's challenges.  Feel yourself enliven and become more whole through this enriching weekend that connects you deeper with yourself and others.

Meals and Lodging included.

For specific dietary needs, please let us know. There is a communal kitchen, fridge, freezer, microwave, stove, and propane grill available if you need to supplement with your own food as well. Immerse yourself in transformative energy with our three-day retreat, featuring the resonant vibrations of the gong. 

We have 5 simple and comfortable rooms that encourage getting back to center. One rooms is a double twin, two rooms have 3 beds to a room, shared retreat style, unless you book with a partner and can be 2 to a room, depending on the number of people signed up and for an additional fee. One tiny home and one cabin can be booked for a private cabin or shared with a partner. There is no 5G, no TVs, though we do have cell service and WiFi if needed.

Our restroom facilities are simple and comfortable--our CLEAN AND SERVICED WEEKLY portaloo shared only by your new friends at the retreat, and a composting toilet in the shower room. All overnight rooms have an chamber pot for ease at night if needed. The cabin has its own composting toilet, kitchen, and shower. Our shared shower room has spa-like luxury with a rainhead and handheld showerhead, very hot water, and included eco-friendly shower products. In the summer months, we also have an outdoor shower with instant hot water designed in a spiral shape and the color purple.

The price listed is per person, not per room.

Escape to the charm of rustic accommodations, where simplicity meets serenity. Nestled in nature, our cozy retreat offers a genuine escape from the hustle, inviting you to unwind in the embrace of natural beauty. Embrace the allure of simplicity, with thoughtfully designed spaces that blend seamlessly with the surrounding environment. Experience a retreat where rustic charm meets modern comfort, creating a unique haven for relaxation and rejuvenation.

This retreat space is intentionally close to nature. There is no light pollution which means extraordinary starlit skies. There are no street lamps, only minimal motion lighting in key areas.

We recommend bringing a flashlight for walking comfortably at night.

You may encounter the occasional insect, frog song, or glimpse of wildlife (deer, birds) gentle reminders that you are sharing space with the natural world. The retreat is also pesticide free, keeping the land and our visitors healthier.

This is not a luxury resort.

It is a peaceful, rustic sanctuary where simplicity supports nervous system calm.

If you appreciate quiet, dark skies, fresh mountain air, and a bit of earthy charm that inspires joy and wonder, you will likely feel right at home here.

Dawn Sagonias is a Sound Healing Practitioner, Yoga Nidra facilitator, and has been in the field of Well-Being for 25 years, with massage therapy, energy work, sound healing, yoga, meditation, and hospitality. She runs the Inner Wolf Retreat Space and the Sound Nest, two sound healing studios in the Asheville area. Her sound healing sessions focus on relaxing the brain to the theta brainwave state for the whole hour of sound, and supports physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual support. She has facilitated sound healing sessions since 2015, including leading a weekly grief support sound healing for 4 years, and her sessions have helped many people integrate life’s plot twists. She has degrees in Biology, MBA, two 200-hour yoga teacher trainings, and nearing completion of E-RYT 300 hour yoga teacher training with Asheville Yoga Center. You can learn more about Dawn and her work at www.soundofanewdawn.com and www.innerwolfretreatspace.com

Cancellation Policy

If you can’t attend the event, please get in touch.

100% refund 60+ days before retreat start date

50% refund 30 - 60 days before retreat start date

0% refund 0-30 days before retreat start date.

You are welcome to gift the retreat to someone if you cannot attend. Any refunds are processed less the fees charged originally.

We can look at changing your dates to another retreat, depending on availability.

Looking forward to seeing you here!