Join Us For A 2-Night Yoga & Contemplation Retreat
Wild Sanctuary
A two-night retreat to rest, reimagine, and rediscover the sacred in the wild.
Embrace the Wild Sanctuary…
We all carry quiet assumptions about where God can be found…. That sanctuary lives in stillness, silence, and carefully held spaces. That the wild is something to be cautious of—untamed, unpredictable, perhaps even unsafe.
But Scripture tells a different story.
God meets people in deserts and storms, on dusty roads and in borrowed rooms. The Spirit moves like wind and fire— untethered, alive, and impossible to contain.
🍂 What if the wild was never meant to be feared, but received as beautiful and free?
🍂 What if sanctuary was never meant to be rare, but something you could enter at any moment?
Welcome to Wild Sanctuary, a two-night yoga and contemplation retreat. Together, we’ll gently examine the ways we’ve learned to define what is sacred and allow God to reshape those definitions with tenderness and truth. Through Christ-centered yoga, contemplative prayer, time in nature, and sacred ritual, we’ll explore a deeper, freer understanding of God’s presence in both the expansive and the ordinary.
This retreat is an invitation to unlearn what has kept you from noticing the sacred, and to rediscover a God who is present not only in quiet sanctuaries, but in the wide, living world and within your own breathing body.
Wild Sanctuary is an invitation to slow down, listen closely, and rediscover the sacred in places you may have overlooked.
Over two nights and spacious days, you’ll be guided through practices that help you release limiting spiritual narratives, encounter God in unexpected places, and carry a renewed sense of freedom and safety back into your everyday life.
As our signature retreat, Wild Sanctuary continues to evolve each year offering returning and new participants alike a space where beauty, theology, embodiment, and community intertwine. Set in the breathtaking landscape of St. Mary’s in Sewanee, we’ll gather as a community of women and share in sacred moments of prayer, rest, and ceremony, laughter and grace.
What You’ll Experience
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Contemplation
Engage in guided practices that gently reshape how you notice God’s presence. Through prayer, Visio Divina, silence, and reflection, you’ll be invited to release old assumptions and encounter the sacred with fresh eyes.
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Restoration
Breathe in the mountain air, soak in the sunset, share stories by the fire, and find joy in playful moments. From creative expression to quiet reflection, you’ll discover new ways to carry sanctuary into your daily rhythms.
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Yoga
Experience Christ-centered yoga designed to help you reconnect with your body as a place where God dwells. From grounding and gentle movement to deeply restorative practices, each session is invitational, adaptable, and rooted in compassion.
This Retreat is for You
This retreat is for you if you are:
🍂 Wondering if your ideas about God and sacred space might be ready to grow and expand
🍂 Longing to feel more freedom, safety, and authenticity in your spiritual lifel
🍂 Drawn to exploring your faith through embodiment, contemplation, and time in nature
🍂 Craving beauty, sacred community, and space to breathe without pressure or performance
🍂 Returning from a previous Wild Sanctuary retreat and ready to go deeper in a new way
No prior yoga experience is necessary. Every practice will be gentle, invitational, and adaptable to your body and comfort level.
The Benefits of Attending
You’ll leave the retreat with…
🍂 A renewed understanding of where and how God meets you
🍂 Greater freedom to embrace the “wild” parts of your life and self as places of sacred encounter
🍂 Simple, accessible practices for entering sanctuary in everyday moments
🍂 A rested body and settled nervous system through restorative and soulful yoga
🍂 Deepened relationships with others who are seeking a faith that is both grounded and alive
Retreat Itinerary
A glimpse of the nourishing retreat planned for you.
*Itinerary subject to change.
Friday, October 10th
4:00 PM | Guest Arrival | Settle In at St.Mary’s
5:00 PM | We Gather |Welcome Circle
5:45 PM | Sunset & Charcuterie | Community Connection
7:00 PM | Yoga Under the Stars + Visio Divina with Kimee & Aelea | Explore the wild, holy sanctuary of God in creation
8:30 PM | Bonfire & Free Time | Late night chats, early rest, or connecting with new friends, it’s your night.
Saturday, October 11th
6:30 AM | Sunrise Yoga with Kimee | optional
7:00 AM | Sunrise Meditation with Aelea | optional
8:00 AM | Breakfast
9:30 AM | Soul Care Yoga with Aelea | Explore the wild sanctuary of God within
11:00 AM | Silence | Guided Prayer Options with Kimee & Aelea
12:00 PM | Lunch
12:45 PM | Free Time to Explore | Walk the labyrinth, go for a hike, take a nap, join the dance party
2:00 PM | Chair Yoga with Kimee | Explore the wild sanctuary of God in your every day living
3:30 PM | Tea Ceremony | A rooted ritual
4:00 PM | Prayer of Examen | Reflecting with God
4:45 PM | Closing Circle | Ending with Gratitude
Retreat and Reimagine
If you are longing for a sacred pause—space to rest, question, move, pray, and rediscover God’s nearness—this two-night retreat is for you. Step into a slower rhythm, explore a wider vision of what is sacred, and return home with a faith that feels both freer and more deeply rooted.
About St.Mary’s
Genius loci is the spirit of a place. It’s the intangible quality that makes a location feel sacred—the way the sun filters through the trees, the scent of the earth, the hush of the breeze.
At St. Mary’s Sewanee: The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development, the genius loci is irresistible. Located on Monteagle Mountain, about an hour and a half south of Nashville, this retreat center is a haven for rest, renewal, and reconnection. Its walking trails, labyrinth, open-air views, and cozy gathering spaces invite deep peace.
During your time here, you can wander the grounds, sit in stillness with a cup of tea, or gather with friends on the porch as the day fades into night.
We acknowledge that Sewanee, Tennessee, and the surrounding areas are the original lands and waters of the Cherokee, Shawnee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Creek peoples.
Details
RETREAT DATE | Friday, October 10 – Saturday, October 11, 2025
RETREAT LOCATION | St. Mary’s Sewanee, 770 St. Mary’s Lane, Sewanee, TN 37375
WHAT’S INCLUDED | Lodging, all meals, snacks, beverages, all sessions guided by 500+ hour certified yoga instructors, including all session materials. All you need to bring is a workout mat, journal, pen, and your overnight essentials.
WELCOME STATEMENT | You are welcome here no matter where you find yourself on your faith journey. We honor and embrace the diversity of our experiences and trust that God is present with each of us.
Registration
Early Bird Registration on NOW until September 7th.
Single Occupancy Room $300.00
Double Occupancy $250.00 per person
Regular Registration Begins September 8th.
Single Occupancy $330.00
Double Occupancy $280.00 per person
Registration Closes on September 30th.
CAPACITY | Limited to 15 participants.
The wild was never meant to be feared.
Sanctuary was never meant to be scarce.
In God, you are invited into both—freedom and refuge, movement and rest, wonder and belonging. And you are welcome to carry that sacred knowing with you wherever you go.
Meet Your Guides
We’re Kimee and Aelea— two kindred spirits who believe that God meets us in the sacred ordinary and the wild sanctuary of right now lives. Together, we bring years of experience in yoga, spiritual formation, ministry, and soul care, along with a shared desire to create spaces of depth, gentleness, beauty and delight. Put simply, we are space holders for receiving and extending God’s love out into the world.
Our retreats are born from our friendship, our love of yoga and contemplative practices, and our desire to invite others into the kind of presence that heals and holds.
FAQs
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Our practices are rooted in the way of Jesus and shaped by the Christian calendar. All women are welcome, and you’re invited to engage with practices at your own comfort level.
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Not at all. This retreat is designed for all levels—whether you’ve been practicing for years or are stepping onto the mat for the very first time. Yoga will be gentle and accessible, with options for chair yoga if needed. Contemplation practices will be guided with clarity and ease.
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Absolutely. Many participants attend solo, and we create an atmosphere where it’s easy to connect and feel at home
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Yes—your registration covers your overnight stay at St. Mary’s, along with all meals and retreat programming
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Yes! Please let us know any allergies or dietary restrictions when you register, and we’ll do our best to accommodate you. In our experience, the food at St.Mary’s is absolutely incredible and can accommodate allergies and dietary preferences!
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You’re in the right place! This retreat is intentionally designed to be welcoming, gentle, and beginner-friendly.
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No—both shared and private rooms are available. If you register for a shared room, we’ll thoughtfully pair you with another participant, or, on your registration form, you can list the name of the participant you’d like to share a room with.
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We keep our retreats intentionally small so the experience feels spacious, intimate, and connected.
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We know life happens, and sometimes plans need to change. Because space is limited, all registrations become non-refundable after September 30th, unless we’re able to fill your spot from our waitlist.
If an unexpected personal emergency arises, we’re happy to review your situation and may be able to offer a partial refund on a case-by-case basis.
If you can’t make it, you’re also welcome to gift or transfer your registration to a friend.
Thank you for understanding and honoring the time, energy, and preparation that go into creating this retreat—we truly want this to feel fair and caring for everyone involved.
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Yes! We want this retreat to be accessible. You can pay 50% of the registration fee to reserve your spot, then the remaining 50% is to be paid by September 30th.
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Have questions? We’d LOVE to answer them! Join us for an thirty-minute info session on Tuesday, September 16th from 7-7:30pm.
Click HERE to register so we can send you a reminder email on Tuesday, the 16th! The link also has the Zoom info so you can just show up, too!
Contact us
Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!