Reclaiming the Unruly Feminine

w/ Rachel Dhanya Smith

September 24-27

Price: $125 plus accommodations

Book This Retreat

As women, many of us lead full, busy lives in the care and service of others. Take the time to take care of yourself, and be taken care of in the presence of a circle of women! This retreat is designed to help you reconnect with who you really are so that you can go back to your life and the people you love refreshed and renewed. With the incredible natural beauty and spiritual energy of Shoshoni Yoga Retreat as the backdrop, this retreat is your opportunity to experience deep community with other women, to let go of the things that bind you, and to cultivate gratitude for the gifts of your life. Experience deep happiness from within, and join us in celebrating the gifts of the empowered feminine.

In this powerful, interactive weekend, we will explore the archetype of the Unruly Feminine and reclaim the fierce aspects of the Warrior Goddess within each of us. We will tap into meditation, yoga, art and our collective imaginations to reconnect with and reclaim our right to a full, brave, embodied life. Let’s get Unruly together as we:

  • Deconstruct personal and cultural experiences of disconnection from the feminine and support each other in surrendering the “small self” identities that bind us
  • Dive deep into our own spiritual and psychological connections with the Warrior Goddess archetype through yoga, meditation, ritual, and art making
  • Reclaim and embody this ferocious feminine wisdom as our own
  • Bring this unruly spirit into our lives for personal growth and collective empowerment.

This workshop is for women of all shapes, sizes, and identities. Come as you are, and expect an unruly amount of compassion for all aspects of who you are. 

About the Instructor

Rachel Dhanya Smith, MA, LPC, CAC II, E-RYT 500

Dhanya is a counselor, yoga teacher, and meditation teacher specializing in helping people of all shapes and sizes live happy, connected, empowered, and embodied lives. She helps people reconnect with themselves – body, mind, and spirit – using a unique and powerful combination of Depth Psychotherapy and Yogic Philosophy. She has particular expertise in treating body shame and eating disorders, trauma, grief, and relationships. In addition to her private psychotherapy practice in Colorado, Dhanya writes, speaks, and teaches about the intersections of social justice, the body, psychotherapy, meditation and yoga throughout the U.S. and internationally. She is passionate about her work, and is excited to share the freedom and joy that comes with living a life you love in the body you’ve got.

Retreat Schedule

Day 1 – Thursday, May 16

3:00-4:00pm Check-in and get settled

4:00-5:00pm Beginning at the Surface 

  • Introductions (30 min)
  • Preparing for the Journey: Intersectionality and Creating Brave Spaces: What do you need to feel safe enough to begin? Packing your metaphorical backpack.

5:00-6:00pm Dinner 

  • We will use meals together to share in nourishing our bodies with the pleasure of the senses and the support of community.
  • “Grace” and nourishing the body

6:30-7:30pm Meditation Practice – Durga Puja in the Ma Shrine

 

Day 2 – Friday, May 17

5:30-7:00am Guru Gita chant and silent meditation in the Main Temple

7:00-8:00am Breakfast 

9:00-12:00pm Workshop: Going Into the Underworld

  • 9:00-10:15am “Good Morning Goddess” Yoga – Greeting your body as an embodiment of the Goddess
  • 10:30-11:15am Story Time (Durga, Kali, Inanna, Lakshmi)
  • 11:15am-12:00pm Discussion – Where do you see yourself in these stories? Who are you?

12:00-1:00pm Lunch 

1:00-3:45pm Workshop

  • 1:00-1:30pm Lecture with Power Point: Reclaiming the Unruly Feminine: Inanna, Durga & Kali, Medusa and the Body/Mind split. Re-membering Medha, Metis, Athenna, and the Libyan Triple Goddess. WHY THE BODY?
  • 1:45-2:15pm Walk the Labyrinth and discussion
  • 2:30-3:45pm Art! Self as Goddess.

4:00-5:00pm Hatha Yoga Class (optional)

5:00-6:00pm Dinner 

6:30-7:30pm Evening Temple Program – Lakshmi Mantra and Guided Meditation

 

Day 3 – Saturday, May 18

5:30-7:00am Guru Gita chant and silent meditation in the Main Temple

7:00-8:00am Breakfast 

9:00-12:00pm Workshop

  • 9:00-9:45am Meet the Dark Sister: What have you rejected/forgotten about yourself? Inanna and Ereshkigal, Durga and Kali. What gets lost in this rejected/forgotten aspect of self? Discuss the possibility of a ferocious, compassionate re-mothering of ourselves. Discuss taking back the mind from the oppressive narratives in our lives, seeking truth, fierce compassion for self and others. Re-mothering collectively. The power of Sangha. Group discussion.
  • 10:00-10:30am Journal/Meditation walk on your own: Identifying the gifts of our shadow material
  • 10:45am Discussion – Be like Kali: Metabolizing oppression and trauma/Letting Go – Surrender is the Key to Sovereignty

12:00-1:00pm Lunch 

1:00-3:45pm Workshop

  • 1:00-2:30pm Sweet Surrender – Restorative Yoga Practice and Surrender Practice
  • 2:45-3:45pm How to see the Goddess in the mirror: “Reflections of One Another, a Vulnerability Exercise” (Practice giving and receiving “being seen” from a place of empowerment

4:00-5:00pm Hatha Yoga Class (optional)

5:00-6:00pm Dinner 

6:30-7:30pm Evening Temple Program – Kirtan, Arati, and Guided Meditation

 

Day 4: Sunday, May 19

5:30-7:00am Guru Gita chant and silent meditation in the Main Temple

7:00-8:00am Breakfast 

9:00-12:00pm Workshop: Emerging into Wholeness

  • 9:00-10:15am Re-Membering the Self as Goddess: Full Body Yoga Class! Becoming embodied one piece at a time. Honor head to toe. Love and reclaim each part of the body! (60 min) AND Gratitude Practice (15 min)
  • 10:30-11:00am Closing Discussion: Emerging from the Underworld, Fire Ceremony and the symbolism of Sacred Offerings
  • 11:00-12:00pm Vedic Fire Ceremony and Graduation

The Unruly Feminine retreat was an inspiring, healing, and uplifting experience. I am so grateful for the experience as I still carry the empowerment from it with me each day– And I treasure all the connections I was so fortunate to make with my new sisters in spirit I met while on retreat– I laughed, cried, and grew as an individual. What a gift this experience has been and continued to be!

E.H.