Movement
Expressive Journaling: Tending the Fire Within
With Jenn Forgie
"I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing. I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back..." —Oriah Mountain Dreamer, "The Invitation" Designed to ignite your vision, spark creativity, and fuel your soul, […]
Nonviolent Communication: A Body-Based Approach
With Farah Nazarali
This innovative approach to Nonviolent Communication (NVC) takes the body as the foundation for understanding how we communicate; what stands in the way of skillful communication, and when to take a step back from engaging with others. Explore the deeper layers of communication- body language, tone, intonation, and rhythm and what these body-based cues reveal […]
Pilgrimage to Silence: A Nature Based Retreat for Rest & Renewal
With Valerie Brown
Please note: This is a dãna-based retreat (see below for details). The registration fee is included in package pricing and does not include teacher compensation. Deeply immersed in nature and exploring the theme of pilgrimage, this silent retreat is designed to cultivate rest, reflection, renewal, and restoration. In these times of change, high stress, and […]
Qi Medicine: Healing Through Qigong & Nature
With Stephanie Nosco and Ben Leggett
Experience the medicine of Qigong and Nature Connection on this transformative inner journey back to yourself. Join Qigong teacher, author, and somatic educator Stephanie Nosco, alongside nature connection guide and educator Ben Leggett, for this special silent retreat that explores the art of Qigong and the practice of deep relationship with the living world. We […]
Resilience for Uncertain Times: Wild Earth, Steady Heart
With Kristan Childs and Teddy Kellam
Join Kristan Childs and Teddy Kellam for the Work That Reconnects spiral, a joyful and coherent path to inner wisdom and vitality during unsteady times. “To be alive in this beautiful, self-organizing universe — to participate in the dance of life with senses to perceive it, lungs that breathe it, organs that draw nourishment from […]
Ebb & Flow: Kayaking & Yoga Practice (May)
With Kai Harvey and Jordan Best
Immerse yourself in the rhythms of the natural world and the ebb and flow of the Salish Sea. Hollyhock, located on the southern coastline of Cortes Island (on the unceded land of the toq qaymɩxʷ (Klahoose), ɬəʔamɛn qaymɩxʷ (Tla’amin), and ʔop qaymɩxʷ (Homalco) Nations) is an ideal basecamp and launch point for kayaking adventures. Against […]
Unwind: Yamuna® Body Rolling & Essential Somatics®
With Namchi Bazar
Release pain and restrictions for a total body awakening and rejuvenation. Explore two complementary modalities to support your journey of self-discovery and self-healing. Let go of unproductive holding patterns as you develop effective body-wellness routines that are easy to incorporate into your home practice. Focus on foundational movements that help you exercise without pain and […]
Embodied Practices for Collective Thriving
With Roula Said, Julia Aplin, Shannon Litzenberger and Andrea Nann
In this time of intersecting social, political, and planetary crises, how do we embrace and honour all that is arising in us as bodies? What if we listen closely to what we feel in our hearts, what we know in our bones? Can we resonate care and connection across our differences, tuning into our sense […]
Freedom Begins with Letting Go
With Chelene Knight
Join award-winning writer and creative practitioner Chelene Knight for a transformative journey into letting go and deepening your understanding of self. Through emotionally rich and immersive activities, such as letter writing, discovering personal connections in meaningful objects, guided meditations, and discussions on abstract ideas like love, loss, and grief explored through literary greats such as […]
Discover Cortes: Adventures in Nature
With Bill Ophoff
The natural world is your classroom as you hike, kayak, and sail amid the wild beauty of Cortes Island. Discover the flora and fauna of both land and sea along with local history and geological phenomena as you adventure forth with Hollyhock's knowledgeable, fun-loving naturalist. Explore ancient forests, sandy beaches, colourful tide pools, windswept bluffs, […]
Homecoming: A Journey Into Source, Ritual & Yoga
With Mara Branscombe
Return to your body Reconnect with your source Remember your spirit There comes a time in each season of life when we’re called to return to the breath, to the body, and to the shifting rhythms that need tending. Source + Spirit is an immersive journey into your most authentic self—through the elemental wisdom of […]
Dancing from the Inside Out
With Margie Gillis
Move into your body’s experiential wisdom and reveal the soul in motion. Refine your sensitivity to the connection between thought, feeling, spirit and body as you listen in to your body’s inner wisdom, impulses, conversations and emotions. Becoming sensitive to and engaging with this inner life provides information both for expanding well-being, as well as […]
Becoming One with the Spirit of the Drum
With Gordy Onayemi Ryan and Zoë Ryan
Activate the Fire in your hands, the Beat in your feet, and the Song in your Heart on this soulful journey in Rhythm in the iconic Olatunji Hall. Drum, dance and sing to increase the flow of vital energy in your body and open your ears to the beauty of rhythms and songs from many […]
Ebb & Flow: Kayaking & Yoga Practice (July)
With Kai Harvey and Jordan Best
Immerse yourself in the rhythms of the natural world and the ebb and flow of the Salish Sea. Hollyhock, located on the southern coastline of Cortes Island (on the unceded land of the toq qaymɩxʷ (Klahoose), ɬəʔamɛn qaymɩxʷ (Tla’amin), and ʔop qaymɩxʷ (Homalco) Nations) is an ideal basecamp and launch point for kayaking adventures. Against […]
Salish Shorelines: A Saltwater Journey
With Jonas Fineman and Kai Harvey
Join Cortes Island guides and mariners for a kayaking exploration of the Salish Sea surrounding the renowned Hollyhock Campus. Each day’s adventure offers a safe and comprehensive foray into the seascapes and histories of Desolation Sound and the Discovery Islands. Launching from various beaches around Cortes Island as well as from the 43 foot schooner […]
A New Way of Being: Claiming Love and Power in Uncertain Times
With Deepa Narayan and Eric Mulholland
We cannot imagine or create a new world with old patterns of thought and ego-driven ways of being. The crises of our time—ecological, social, and spiritual—ask us to go deeper. They call us to source from love, not fear; from connectedness, not isolation. Love is not weakness, sentimentality, or escape. Love is power. It is […]
Embrace the Edge: Yoga Immersion
With Fiji McAlpine
As ever-evolving beings we are always riding on the edge of the next greatest version of ourselves. In yoga the pose is not the point, but rather a tool that we use to explore our own inner alignment in an outward expression. Asanas will be a guide for our own expansion and unfolding and allow […]
Whole Human Health
With Lawrence Cheng, MD, CCFP(EM), MPH and Devon Christie, MD, CCFP, RTC
Journey into the science and art of optimizing well-being at every level—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Guided by Dr. Lawrence Cheng and Dr. Devon Christie, this immersive program integrates functional medicine, mind-body practices, and cutting-edge approaches like precision medicine to empower you with the tools to live a longer, healthier, and more vibrant life. This […]
Essential Somatics: Free Your Movement!
With Martha Peterson
If you have “tried everything” to relieve your chronic muscle or joint pain for the long term and have only experienced short-term relief (or none at all), then this 5-day immersion is for you. Come and learn how to restore freedom of movement and resolve chronic muscle tension so you can live more fully. Eliminating […]
Nature & Nurture Yoga: Embracing Abundance
With Fiji McAlpine
Embrace the late summer abundance in the Pacific Northwest on spectacular Cortes Island. Late summer is the season to savour the fruits of the year’s growth. The warm air is thick with the smell of sweet berries, and the forests are vibrant and lush. This retreat will explore the natural elements in our body on […]
Somatic Summer Camp: Authentic Expression in Tumultuous Times
With Kevin Yee-Chan, Rachel Athey and Winchester Victor
Clear the clutter and return to your innate authenticity through the traditions of yoga, qigong, and somatic therapy. Revitalize somatic trust as you explore the nuances of your window of tolerance, navigate inner work with safety vs intensity, and anchor into your body’s inherent wisdom. Open pathways of expression as you uncover emotional anatomy, engage […]
Presence, Play and Possibility
With Donna Martin and Shelley Winton
A gentle invitation to come home to your authentic self With the demands of living in a dynamically changing world, we sometimes lose track of what has heart and meaning for us. We can be swept along by the speed of change or expectations. What if we could slow down with the intention to re-discover […]
Queeriosities: A Liberating Retreat for Multi-Spectrum Queers
With Loretta (Lo) Laurin and Michael Jeffery
Transform, restore, and remember your power in community. In a world that often asks us to shrink, Queeriosities invites us to expand — into our bodies, our truths, and our collective power. Together, we will journey into the queer magic inherent in our bodies, emotions, minds, eros, community, and in our integration with wider systems […]
Return to Stillness: A Yoga Nidra Retreat
With Kristyn Rose and Ally Boothroyd
Immerse yourself in the beauty of nature and the quiet rhythm of island life as you journey into deep rest and inner awakening during this nourishing Yoga Nidra retreat. This deeply nourishing experience welcomes all, from sincere beginners and curious seekers to seasoned teachers, into an environment of stillness, learning, and renewal. Guided by experienced […]