summer solstice retreat for writing & yoga

breathe ~ create ~ transform

JUNE 16 – JUNE 21, 2013

BEAUTIFUL AND SECLUDED STOUT'S ISLAND LODGE, WISCONSIN

Join us at magical Stout's Island! Leap over the edge of doubt, where new things come from. This Summer Solstice Retreat is especially designed to unlock creativity and open a space for the unexpected. When you retreat, you become a vessel. Artistic energy flows through you. Ignited by the energy of the summer solstice,  you will be challenged and inspired … and laugh –  a lot! – while becoming a fertile ground for creativity.

Update: Don't miss out! This magical small retreat still has a few spaces, but is close to selling out. If you're ready to explore the unknown, please be in touch soon to reserve your spot on the island. Please call or email if you have any questions or want to talk about your goals for the retreat!

According to many of today's great scientific thinkers and philosophers, the average human thinks about 60,000 thoughts a day. Unfortunately, about 95% of the thoughts you have today are the same ones you had yesterday. We are constantly reinterpreting our memories and experiences in the exact same ways, telling ourselves the exact same stories. Releasing ourselves from these old stories while learning to tell new ones is one of the most powerful ways to transform our writing and our lives. 

If you could see the world without preconceived definitions and judgments, you would see it as a child, fresh, with infinite possibilities all contained in an eternal continuum. To be truly creative, we need to free ourselves of what is already known and enter the vast space of the yet-to-be discovered. This Summer Solstice retreat will help you cross the threshold of the unknown while providing you with dozens of concrete tools and strategies for expanding and refining your ability to do so more freely in the future, long after the retreat is over.

Writing workshops guided by Jeannine Ouellette 

Yoga and meditation guided by Maria Toso

All are welcome, regardless of previous experience with writing or yoga!

Liberating!

Brilliant, non-linear, inspiring: Jeannine Ouellette is a masterful teacher and her workshop was the most fun and creatively liberating writing class I've ever experienced. Eric Utne, publisher, educator, author, and social entrepreneur; founder of Utne Reader and founding publisher and editor of the New Age Journal, past workshop participant

 “Summer is a festival of this inner fire/power, the power that makes abundance and nourishment grow from tiny seeds ...  that brings things to fulfillment, and expands and brightens our lives…."--Cait Johnson and Maura D. Shaw, Celebrating the Great Mother

About the Retreat

Morning and afternoon writing exercises are designed to free up your thinking about words and to loosen the binds on your creative process in totally unexpected ways. Your inner critic will disappear as you surrender to your innate ability to imagine the unknown.

Special focus will be given to some of the most powerful and important aspects of writing craft, including the senses, imagery, dialogue, and sound, among others. For writers with specific goals and projects, special sessions will be available for workshopping and goal setting. For everyone, additional multi-sensory immersion activities will echo and amplify the themes we are exploring during writing sessions.

Daily yoga and meditation foster and support creative synergy. As you connect your body, mind, and senses through movement and stillness, you release tension and cultivate insight and balance.

We will also explore a daily writing exercise for release, with a culminating celebration at the fire on Summer Solstice Eve. Get ready to transform!

Retreat Schedule

Our Solstice retreat will open gradually on Sunday afternoon with a welcome reception with refreshments as participants arrive during the course of the afternoon and evening. Guests will have free time for settling into rooms and exploring the lodge and island and to eat dinner. After dinner, we will have a welcome and opening circle for introductions and orientation. Following is a preliminary daily schedule. A more detailed schedule will be presented the first evening of the retreat.

Daily Schedule

Sunday, June 16 Seeds and New Beginnings

4:00 - 9:00 PM Arrive Stout’s Island Lodge

8:30 - 9:30 PM Welcome Circle and Introductions

Monday, June 17 Opening to the Unexpected (John Keats and the Value of Uncertainties)

7:00 - 8:30 AM Meditation and yoga

8:30 AM Leisurely breakfast

10:30 AM - 12:30 PM Writing in Mrs. Stout's room

12:30 - 2:00 PM Leisurely lunch

2:00 - 3:00 PM Meditation and yoga nidra

3:00 - 4:00 Break

4:00 - 6:00 PM Writing in Mrs. Stout's Room

6:30 PM Dinner

Evening: Free time, explore, possible optional group activities

Dusk: Bonfire

Tuesday, June 18 The Necessity of Play ... and the Thrill of Being Human

7:00 - 8:30 AM Meditation and yoga

8:30 AM Leisurely breakfast

10:30 AM - 12:30 PM Writing in Mrs. Stout's room

12:30 - 2:00 PM Leisurely lunch

2:00 - 3:00 PM Meditation and yoga nidra

3:00 - 4:00 Break

4:00 - 6:00 PM Writing in Mrs. Stout's Room

6:30 PM Dinner

Evening: Free time, explore, possible optional group activities

Dusk: Bonfire

Wednesday, June 19 Jeopardy (Literary Parlor Games and the Question: Who Are You?)

7:00 - 8:30 AM Meditation and yoga

8:30 AM Leisurely breakfast

10:30 AM - 12:30 PM Writing in Mrs. Stout's room

12:30 - 2:00 PM Leisurely lunch

2:00 - 3:00 PM Meditation and yoga nidra

3:00 - 4:00 Break

4:00 - 6:00 PM Writing in Mrs. Stout's Room

6:30 PM Dinner

Evening: Free time, explore, possible optional group activities

Thursday, June 20 The Shift: The Magic of Multiple Meanings and Spontaneous Brilliance

7:00 - 8:30 Meditation and yoga

8:30 AM Leisurely breakfast

10:30 AM - 12:30 PM Writing in Mrs. Stout's room

12:30 PM Lunch

2 PM Meditation and yoga

3 PM Break

4 PM Presentation of Reading

6:30 PM Celebratory Group Dinner

9:00 PM Candlelight meditation and yoga for Solstice Eve

10 PM Closing Bonfire for Solstice Eve, releasing of our "old stories" into the fire

Friday, June 21, Summer Solstice 

Solstice Sunrise Meditation and Yoga

8:00 AM Breakfast

9:30 - 11 Closing Circle

11 AM Checkout

Noon Farewell Lunch & Depart

Your Retreat

The schedule will be rich with workshops and scheduled yoga and meditation as well as other optional sessions and activities, but remember: it's your retreat. You are always invited to take as many breaks as you wish and skip sessions as needed, whether to write in solitude, watch the wind on the water, or even sleep a little longer.

Retreat Includes

  • Lodging at Stout’s Island Lodge (5 nights)
  • Breakfast and lunch (5 days)
  • One celebratory group dinner (Thursday)
  • 2 writing workshops per day
  • 2 yoga & meditation sessions per day
  • Nightly bonfires
  • An evening of writing presentations
  • Candlelight yoga on Summer Solstice Eve

Also Enjoy: Additional small-group or one-on-one sessions for individualized support with writing goals, projects, specific elements of craft, the business of writing for profit, and/or yoga postures and meditations.

Not Included: Dinners (with the exception of Thursday evening’s celebratory group dinner). Retreat participants may choose to enjoy dinner in Stout’s Island Lodge restaurant or adventure ashore by way of the complementary ferry to explore the region’s other dining options. Also not included are transportation to and from Stout’s Island Lodge (parking and 10-minute ferry ride to Stout’s are complementary), incidental fees, damages, or optional excursions while on the island.

Retreat Fee

$1695 per person, single occupancy

$1495 per person, double occupancy

Space is limited. Please register early! We can accommodate approximately 20 participants and may close registration at 15 depending on registrant preferences and room availability. Room preferences (single or double occupancy) will be honored on a first come, first served basis as per availability at Stout’s.

Payment options

Payment by check, money order, or securely via PayPal.  After March 15, full payment is required at time of registration unless you've arranged an alternate payment plan (see "Alternate Payment Plans" below).  

Cancellation and Refund Policy

Please, don’t cancel! But we understand that sometimes, things happen. In that case, please cancel before February 15 for a full refund (less $300 non-refundable portion of your deposit) or cancel before March 15 for a 50% refund (less $300 non-refundable portion of your deposit). If you cancel after March 15, we regret that no refund is available, but your retreat fee may be applied to a future Elephant Rock retreat or transferred to another participant.

Register Now!

Download registration forms here or request forms via email.

Lodging Options

Alternate Payment Plans?

If you need an alternate payment plan (e.g., four smaller payments over a longer time) please email or call. Alternate payment plans may be available depending upon full registration. We want you to be able to attend if possible.

Questions? We'd Love to Hear From You!

Stout’s Island Lodge

Stout's Island Lodge is an historic treasure is nestled on a secluded island in the middle of a quiet lake. The only distractions on the island? Birds and sunsets. Wind in the trees. Water lapping. Moments of natural silence. The sound of your own muse. You'll find no TV or phones in rooms (but don’t panic … wireless can be accessed in common areas and we’re assured that cell reception is good).

Stout’s sits proudly in the center of Red Cedar Lake, an 1800-acre lake in northeastern Barron County, Wisconsin (just two hours, 114 miles east of the Twin Cities). There are two islands connected by a 100-foot walking bridge. The two islands have a combined acreage of 18 acres. All lodging is located on the West Island; the East Island has walking trails as well as a small picnic cabin on the northern tip. Red Cedar Lake is known for its water quality, its fishery, and for its quietude.

At Stout’s Island Lodge, every room is different, every nook and cranny holds some unique surprise.

As described by Minnesota Monthly Magazine

“The main lodge is something out of a Bavarian fairy tale – dark wood, four-inch plank floors, and a vaulted ceiling crossed by heavy carved beams imported from Germany ....The cabins blend into the trees; dark-stained, their roofs green with moss, they seem to rise organically out of the ground. Railings are often made of sticks. And of course, it’s quiet – no cars, no interlopers. For real solitude, wander the smaller, uninhabited island linked by an iron bridge, a structure given to Frank Stout by Andrew Carnegie.”

Dining at Stout’s

Chef Michael Beck’s culinary creations are inspired by the rich traditions of the Upper Midwest and the incredible local farmers, artisans, and purveyors who supply the Lodge. Much of the summer produce served at Stout's is grown organically. Note: Registration materials include queries about your dietary preferences (vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, etc.), and we are assured that Stout’s Island Lodge’s dining room can accommodate you!

Retreat Q & A

What if I love the idea of a writing retreat but am deathly afraid of yoga?

Don't worry. I (Jeannine) was deathly afraid of yoga when I first started practicing in public, and I sometimes still am. It's normal. But remember, yoga is not a competitive sport. It is a spiritual practice, of which the asanas (physical poses) are just one element. Yoga is therefore available to everyone, and there is no such thing as being "good" or "bad" at yoga. You don't have to be super fit or an extra twisty bobcat pretzel or have any extraordinary skills to loosen your body and mind with some gentle yoga postures with meditation and chanting. You'll be in a mixed group of all levels, no one has to do anything she or he is not ready for. You can take as many breaks as you wish, and skip as many sessions as you wish, as well. Sit in nature and watch the waves on the lake if that's what feels right. As poet Mary Oliver would say, you only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. This is your retreat. Just think of it as a chance to pamper your body, loosen your tight muscles, quiet your mind, and inspire your imagination.

What if I'm a super twisty bobcat pretzel yogi? Will I be satisfied by the yoga on this retreat? 

Yes. You will be able to make this yoga experience entirely your own—and Maria is totally prepared to inspire you. Let's do it! 

I've never really thought of myself as a "writer" but I'm really drawn to this retreat. Will I fit in? What if I suck?

You won't suck, or you will, since in fact we all do. Isn't that the point of shitty first drafts (ala Anne Lamott?) And yes. You will fit in! The writing exercises rest on a foundation that is universal, which is our relationship to words, language, expression, the world, and ourselves. To whom does that not apply?

I'm a serious writer trying to make my living at this arduous and competitive craft. Will this retreat offer me anything in that regard?

Yes. First, the writing exercises are magic and will infuse your work with a fresh and unpredictable quality that can't be quantified but can certainly be felt, immediately. These exercises are unlike your typical writing workshop. They take you through the sidedoor of the unexpected. They occupy your rational mind in order that your subconscious can guide you back to your own wildly beating heart. They crack you up and crack you open with raucous laughter and shimmering stillness. They make the hairs on your arms stand on end.   In addition, Jeannine will offer individual support for writers who come with specific goals, manuscripts, projects, and who have hopes of earning a living with their love of language. Everyone has to pay the bills, and writing is a very fulfilling way to do that. There is no shame in writing for money, and if you want some useful advice in that regard, it can be found in June at Stout's Island.

Hmm, what about this meditation? I want to be able to meditate, I know it's valuable, but whenever I try it just feels like obsessing with my eyes closed.

So you say you're human, are you? Seriously, though, isn't this why they call meditation and yoga a "practice?" The wonderful thing about retreat is having the opportunity to meditate in a group--both in silent stillness and as guided by Maria's skillful voice. We're even planning to try a bit of simple chanting. I can't wait to feel what magic can happen for all of us on that island under the summer stars!