Written by: Chelsea Donsker
Photography: Marielle V. Chua

We did it. We really did it. Our first Autumn Equinox retreat came and went, and it went swimmingly. Taylor and I are exhausted, but we are fulfilled beyond measure. As I sit here trying to put the whole experience into words, I’m at a loss, and maybe that’s how it should remain. The magic of the day will only be ours - the twenty-five of us who came together to honor balance, community, movement, and connection; and all with some fun, of course! The day, without question, wholly surpassed all expectations and did so with the coming together of like-minded creatives who put forth all their purest intentions & talents into curating an experience of celebration.

If you know me well, you know I am an avid believer in the powers of manifestation. I believe we create our realities through our thoughts, our beliefs, our intentions, and those we choose to surround ourselves with. If you were to open me up, at the very center of my being, you would find a golden light streaming through large paned windows with a view of an autumn forest, low-moody candlelight, treasures from nature, the touch of freshly oiled wood, oversized blankets, and an alfresco feast in a wild garden. When curating the experience for our first retreat, it was to do exactly this - open me up and share a little of my creative inclinations with the world. I didn’t expect this pursuit to be such a vulnerable experience - to put myself and ideas out there for the world to respond to. The doubts came in big waves, but when I learned the people I had my heart set on partnering with were all-in, and later, when we sold out, I got a nice little confidence boost to keeping on going.

When we found our propery two years ago, we had big ideas on sharing it. I’m proud to call this 5-acre slice of NorCal heaven ours, but in my heart, it doesn’t feel right to keep it all to ourselves. This land calls out to be shared. Visions of hosting intimate gatherings were part of “the big dream” from day one, and it’s a proud moment to realize we did it within two years of planting roots.

The Autumn Equinox started with a warm hospitable welcome, with retreaters traveling from Southern California, San Francisco, and the surrounding towns in Sonoma County. We gathered in Taylor’s private studio for a rejuvenating Asana yoga practice with Stacey Rosenberg.

The yoga practice transitioned into sound healing with Lee Gregorio. I’m sad to say I missed most of this, but did catch 5 minutes and it was just enough to set me into a trance. If you haven’t been to a sound bath before, I liken it to the meditative humming of bees. Tapping into the frequency of the earth that’s a full-body meditative experience. Taylor (and just about everyone else) walked out in a daze and it took him 15 minutes to come to. The yoga practice and soundbath were that good!

We all migrated to the garden for a vibrational cooking meditation to kick off the lunch feast with Nia Lee. We held space for each other while we sat at the 16-foot-long table Taylor built in the middle of our garden, set with a curation of plateware we’ve collected from artsits over the years - honoring all things natural - and adorned it with edible flower arrangements made by yours truly. Together, we enjoyed a garden-to-table meal with ingredients from our bounty and home kitchen at the very capable hands of Nia.

We also welcomed a new friend, Marielle Chua, who gifted us with her incredible talent behind the lens, capturing the true essence of the day. I hope you’ll enjoy more snippets from her down below.

Caring for one another’s comfort is a beautiful gift we provide for each other and a joy to share our space with that purpose. We have been visualizing this chapter of our lives for years, and it’s an amazing feeling to experience the unfolding of a dream with friends new and old.

Plans on whats next have already been brewing. We hope you’ll join us for our next feast - coming Winter 2024. Stay tuned in the weeks to come for more details!