May 2024
Nourished Mama Day Long Spring Retreat
Nourish yourself with a day long retreat with Mary
Saturday, May 11 • 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM• Sky Pond, Apex, NC • SOLD OUT
Reparatory and Gratitude Discounts
As part of our ongoing anti-racist and anti-xenophobic efforts, we are pleased to announce 30% Reparatory and Gratitude Discounts for all Whole Mama Yoga retreats. Read more about our pricing here.
Reparatory Discount for Black, Indigenous and Non-White people:
If you self-identify as BINW and would like to accept this small gesture of reparation, please use the code "reparatory" at check out for 30% off.
Gratitude Discount for Indians and Indian-Americans:
If you self-identify as Indian or Indian-American and would like to accept this small gesture of gratitude, please use the code "gratitude" at check out for 30% off.
Sliding Scale Option
If your financial situation limits your ability to attend this retreat, please contact us to discuss sliding scale options at wholemamayoga@gmail.com. We know all mamas deserve this space for themselves, and we are committed to serving all who need it.
Past Retreats
Retreat Spring 2024
Joanna hosted our very first day-long meditation retreat for parents at the beautiful Sfeer Studio in Chapel Hill, NC. The day included a custom, hand-blended loose leaf tea/tea ceremony & a sound bath. Joanna led intentional meditations focused on coming into the season of spring.
retreat Fall 2023
Mary offered her very first Nourished Mama Retreat at the beautiful Sky Pond in Apex, NC. Guests began their day with a yoga practice & community connection, which was followed by a delicious lunch, a mini-massage & some unstructured time to read, meditate, journal or chat with other students. The day closed with a deeply relaxing yoga practice. Guests left refreshed & rejuvenated!
Mother’s Day retreat spring 2023
Our second annual Mother’s Day Retreat brought another wonderful group of women down to the North Carolina coast. Hosted in Holden Beach, Lauren once again treated the group to daily yoga, delicious snacks & thoughtfully prepared meals. Highlights included evening yoga on the beach, dinner at a delightful beach bar (complete with margaritas), lots of story swapping & laughter, and Mother’s Day brunch together around a big, beautiful dining table. Optional massages were offered again & the group enjoyed gorgeous sunsets overlooking the sound.
retreat Winter 2023
Our winter day-long retreat returned to the beautiful Barn at Valhalla in Chapel Hill in January of 2023. We shared a lovely welcome breakfast followed by a beautiful check-in centering around the idea of “wintering.” Lauren led an invigorating, relaxing, grounded yoga flow followed by a delicious lunch. Guests were invited to enjoy a sound bath meditation experience with a local practitioner as well as a myofascial massage workshop / yoga class with Whole Mama Yoga Collective Teacher, Ellese in the afternoon.
Mother’s Day Retreat Spring 2022
Lauren hosted 10 women for our very first Mother’s Day Retreat on beautiful Oak Island. This beachfront retreat offered solace and space, good food and good company. Guests enjoyed two full days and nights in an oceanfront home, complete with all of the Mother’s Day details - including locally made cupcake jars, welcome cocktails, optional massages and a Mother’s Day brunch with mimosas. The group practiced yoga 5 times together - outdoors, facing the ocean. They took home many shells and treasures.
Retreats Spring 2021 & Fall 2021
Our second one-day socially-distanced April 2021 and our one-day socially distanced retreat September 2021 were both also held at The Barn at Valhalla. We had perfect weather for both days, with bright green leaves and a cooler mornings. We split into groups, and enjoyed time to move and breathe, connect, and carve out space for ourselves. Lunch was Vimala’s lovely Indian food in April and Mediterranean Deli in September. Our afternoon guests provided neck and shoulder massages, foot and calf massages, hand reflexology, and birth chart readings.
Retreat Fall 2020
Our one-day socially-distanced September 2020 retreat was held at The Barn at Valhalla. We had breezy fall weather and spent the whole day outside. To keep the groups smaller, we split into two groups of 10, and each group had yoga and time with Lauren and with Alexandra. There was a lot of heart-opening, anxiety-releasing, community-connecting sharing, discussion, and tears—all of it so needed! Ruth Bader Ginsburg (in bobble-head form) adorned one of our altars. Our afternoon guests provided Ayurveda consultations, Tarot card readings, and healthy sleep consultations.
Retreat Fall 2019
Our September 2019 retreat was held again at Rock Quarry Farm in Chapel Hill. We had dry, warm weather and took advantage of the on-site pool. Our yoga practices were restorative, alignment, and some flow options. We journaled and shared and had surprise Thai massage and chair massages from expert therapists.
Retreat Fall 2018
Our October 2018 retreat was held at Rock Quarry Farm in Chapel Hill. We had cool, blustery weather, great food and conversation, and sweet yoga practices. Special guests included essential oil experts and massage and reflexology therapists. There was much relaxation, laughter, and hot tea. Chapel Hill Magazine sweetly featured our retreat on their cover in the December 2018 issue!
“My day began with a profound meditation: We had all shared recent parenting wins and I was struck by how many of the wins were about *not* doing—examples of kids acting independently, or showing they had absorbed some of the (oh so much) doing we do as parents. I felt the depth of satisfaction of doing the work and then letting it go and seeing it blossom. I thought of Ruth Bader Ginsberg (before even seeing the bobblehead!) and wondered if this is the experience of a good death. She did the work—all the work—and I hope that we are picking up the mantle to do that work without her. It made me feel like, no matter how restricted my daily sphere has become, I am part of a collective experience. ”
“It was so lovely to spend a weekend with other women experiencing motherhood, pampering our souls!”
“Alexandra and Lauren did such an amazing job with this retreat. They worked hard to create a community of openness, camaraderie, and compassion. We opened Friday night with adjectives describing how we felt, and the challenges of motherhood came out. In the morning, we did a wonderful connection practice in which we shared what we enjoyed about parenting while creating a web of support. A great compliment! By the end of Saturday, we all left feeling refreshed, nurtured, and fulfilled.”
“I was amazed at how calm and focused I felt when I left.”
WHy come to a Motherhood Retreat?
Our retreats are for parents of kids of all ages — babies to teens — because no matter what phase of parenting you are in, you deserve a break.
Parents need space and time to process and reflect on the experience of motherhood and parenthood. The day to day grind of raising children does not often allow for silence or stillness, but reflection can lead to an increased capacity for caregiving and allow for a deeper connection to yourself. In stark contrast to self-reflection, parenting is made so much easier when we find connection with other folks moving through the same phase of life as we are. Although much of parenting is deeply personal, it’s important to remember that we are not alone in our experience of motherhood.
Our retreats offer the best of both worlds: solo time AND time to connect with other mothers, all while getting a little space away from our families.
We think hard about our retreats. We make sure that many of our annual offerings are affordable and inclusive. We make sure they offer moments of pampering and restoration. We prioritize rest and nourishment. We are thoughtful in who we invite to participate as guest teachers. We choose locations that are beautiful and allow for connection with nature. If you choose to retreat with us, we want your experience to be an anchor for you.
TLDR: We design our retreats with you in mind and we’re good at it because we are on the same path of motherhood alongside you.
We always offer reparatory and gratitude discounts, and include scholarship spaces and needs-based sliding scale pricing when we are able. If our retreats present a financial barrier, please contact us at wholemamayoga@gmail.com to discuss payment options.
“The retreat gave me a chance to disconnect from household duties and email/phone for a night and reconnect with my values and all that I cherish about parenthood. While I can find time for some self-care, it’s never in a big chunk like a retreat. And Lauren and Alexandra are really special women that thoughtfully planned so many wonderful opportunities for us. They’re filling such a need for support for moms of all ages.”
“The best gift I could have given myself. I left feeling grounded, rested, and connected. Can’t wait for the next one.”
Whole Mama Yoga Retreats featured in Chapel Hill Magazine
Whole Mama Yoga was featured as the cover story of the December 2018 issue of Chapel Hill magazine.
The full spread, including photos featuring several of our regular students/community members, can be seen here. The story covered our very first day long retreat at Rock Quarry Farm.
Renewal and Indulgence
We served a HUGE tray of desserts at our Fall 2018 retreat. And the vegan cupcakes pictured to the left were from our Fall 2020 retreat. Our first annual Mother’s Day retreat had a fridge stocked with cupcake jars.
At the heart of being a mom, parent, and a yoga practitioner is finding balance. Our retreats offer balance: yoga and indulgence, community time and personal space, effort and rest.
TLDR: We want you to leave any Whole Mama Yoga retreat feeling refreshed and pampered.
“The ability to connect so quickly with women I didn’t know previously was really lovely. We all have the shared experience of motherhood and reflecting on it and supporting one another was just a beautiful thing. We were able to say “yes, I completely get that!” and to share things that made us laugh and cry. At the end, we all asked when the next one would be and how we can sign up!”
“Finding time to read a book. In stillness. And without the pressure of impending dinner time or bath time or bed time was...priceless. Lauren gave us space to do the things we wanted to - journal, read, walk, practice yoga - but she made it clear that rest was the real priority.””