Gathering The Light – A Weekend to Put Down What You’ve Been Carrying. Come Home to Yourself.

Gathering the Light is an intimate weekend retreat for people who spend much of their lives caring for others – through their work, families, communities, or simply by being the person others depend on. It offers a gentle invitation to step away from the demands of daily life, slow down, and reconnect with the wisdom that already lives within.

Set on the shores of beautiful Fancy Lake in Nova Scotia, Canada this retreat weaves together contemplative practice, meaningful conversation, time in nature, gentle movement, creativity, rest, and nourishing meals in a warm, welcoming environment. Rather than adding more to your life, Gathering the Light creates space to put down what you’ve been carrying, listen more deeply to yourself, and remember what matters most.

At the heart of the weekend are Circle of Trust® retreat sessions, facilitated using the Center for Courage & Renewal® approach. Through carefully crafted questions, reflective practices, poetry, silence, and deep listening, participants are invited to explore their own inner landscape in a space free from advice, fixing, or judgment. Everything is invitational, honoring each person’s own pace and inner authority.

Throughout the weekend, we’ll also explore a variety of embodied and contemplative practices that support restoration and self-connection, including gentle trauma-informed yoga, meditation, Yoga Nidra, journaling, creative exploration, time in nature, and simple rituals of reflection and renewal. Spacious periods of unstructured time invite participants to swim in the lake, read, rest, soak in the hot tub, or simply be.

This retreat is designed for anyone longing to live and lead from a deeper place of authenticity, presence, and wholeness. Whether you’re navigating change, experiencing burnout, seeking greater clarity, or simply craving time to reconnect with yourself, you’ll be welcomed exactly as you are.

Facilitation Team

Sally Steele is a Courage & Renewal® Facilitator, certified yoga and meditation teacher, Reiki practitioner, and environmental professional whose work brings together contemplative practice, embodied awareness, and authentic community. Through these offerings, she creates experiences that help people slow down, reconnect with themselves, and cultivate practices that support resilience and wholehearted living.

Joining Sally are:

• Emara Churchill, founder of Lincoln Street Yoga & Wellness Studio, who will offer gentle, trauma-informed yoga and meditation grounded in mindful movement and presence.
• Erin Ramsay, artist and lifelong educator, who will lead a playful creative exploration inspired by the beauty of the surrounding landscape.
• Jennifer MacDonald, chef and yoga teacher, who will prepare nourishing seasonal meals that support wellbeing, hospitality, and connection throughout the weekend.

Gathering the Light is intentionally small, allowing space for meaningful relationships, deep listening, and the kind of restorative experience that is often difficult to find in everyday life. Participants leave not with more to do, but with a renewed connection to themselves, greater clarity, and simple practices they can carry into their lives and work.