Entering Rothrock State Forest

As soon as I eased my car off of route 322 and onto the gravel road leading into Rothrock State Forest, my body began to shift into calm. Engulfed in a sea of towering green trees, driving deeper into fern forest, I entered relaxation mode as I followed the trail of pink flamingos guiding me to my refuge in the woods for the weekend.

It felt like ages ago that my friend and multi-talented yoga teacher/musician/vintage shop owner, Jenn Henry-Dashem, reached out to invite me to be a presenter at this first-ever wellness retreat she was organizing. Did I want to join a team of yoga teachers, sound healers, herbalists, movement specialists, embodiment practitioners and musicians while eating delicious vegan food prepared by Elaine Meder Wilgus of our most favorite Webster’s Bookstore and Cafe? Heck yes!

Though I have been in Rothrock State forest many times to hike and camp, this little nook where the retreat was located in the Penn Roosevelt State Forest was completely new to me. There was a stream with crystal clear water, a giant fire circle, open fields, flat areas for tent camping and a covered pavilion that was perfect for protecting us from the rain that fell sporadically throughout the weekend.

My blissed out breathwork session under the pavilion

One of the first friends I discovered upon arrival was a giant lime green luna moth caterpillar. I carefully scooped this creature up with a twig and moved it away from the parking area to the safe base of a tree. I took the caterpillar as an invitation to move slowly through my weekend – to be open to possibility and to be completely and fully myself.

Luna moth caterpillar: can symbolize transformation and the divine feminine

I easily convinced my dear friend Kelly P. from Pittsburgh to join this retreat with me. I am constantly trying to convince her to move to State College and after this weekend of hanging out, doing yoga, cold plunging, meditating, dancing and laughing with about forty one of some of the most chill people in the region, I believe she may be even more persuaded. The group was mostly women, a range of ages, and about half of the attendees of the retreat were also presenters.

While the venue was rustic, we felt pampered by all the thoughtful details everywhere we looked: uplifting “goddess” body sprays, ear plugs, unicorn lamps, crystals hanging in the windows, a giant bottle of Ibuprofen and a jar of vitamin B-12 in the buffet line. A cozy corner of the lodge was set up with foam rollers, red light therapy and other tools to help you get the knots and kinks out of your back and body.

Cozy “spa” nook Jenn set up in the lodge

One of the greatest gifts of the retreat? I didn’t have to think about planning or preparing any meals for the whole weekend. I was well nourished by Elaine’s many vegan specialties: cashew cream, savory oatmeal, fragrant rice with lentils, roasted beets, broccoli and craisin salad… just to name a few highlights. I savored every morsel of her vegan dark chocolate treats with a gooey berry center.

Vegan plate from Elaine of Webster’s Bookstore & Cafe

Jenn kicked off the weekend with a yoga and live music session with Matt, her partner in music and in life. They perform all around State College as Anchor and Arrow with their uplifting and dancy tunes. Under a pavilion surrounded by bug singing trees, it was all dreamy drones, hip openers and long slow breaths.

One of my favorite sessions was called “herbs on fire” with Briel Beaty who runs the PA School of Herbalism and is a wizard when it comes to the healing properties of plants. She introduced us to mugwort, catnip and lobelia and guided us in making our own herbal smudge sticks. We burned pine resin in coals of the fire along with other resinous and hairy plants, while blessing ourselves with the aromatic smoke.

Briel Beaty of the PA School of Herbalism

After experiencing two amazing sound meditations with Joshua Maurer, I have officially added “gong” to my list of instruments I would like to own one day. Joshua leads monthly sound mediations at Yoga Lab in State College and he brought his arsenal of instruments and ceremonial cacao to share with the group. With our heads resting on pillows and our bodies on mats snug beneath blankets, we let the vibrations of the gong move through our bodies and transport us to some deeper place.

On Saturday morning, I lead a breathwork meditation with music under the pavilion. It was a large group with several folks who are regulars in my sessions and many who were brand new to breathwork. The session left most of the group wide eyed and in awe of how breathing in this way can make the body feel – how it can crack your heart open and make you feel expansive. I love getting to share this practice and this retreat was a wonderful opportunity for me and of the other presenters to expand our communities.

In our closing circle, what really struck me was an enormous feeling of gratitude for being able to gather with all these amazing people from my hometown of State College (and a few who came in from out of town), sharing our gifts, learning from one another and getting to soak in the beauty of the natural world. We will, most definitely, do this again.