Join Melissa Krieger and Laura Benson for our bi-annual retreat at Stowel Lake Farm on Salt Spring Island!
During this four night retreat you'll be nurtured with a variety of yoga and movement classes, delicious farm to table vegetarian meals, and plenty of time to chill out with like minded folks.
Stowel Lake Farm is an organic farm, retreat centre, and community on 120 acres of land on Salt Spring Island.
If you're needing time away to restore and rejuvenate this weekend is for you!
*We do recommend that you have some experience with yoga to attend this retreat.*
The yoga, mindfulness, and movement activities:
You'll get to try several styles of yoga such as hatha, flow, Yoga4Strength, and restorative. You'll be guided through mindfulness activities such as Yoga Nidra, meditation, and pranayama. We'll be out walking around the farm and surrounding areas on most days.
The level of yoga we offer is gentle to moderate with lots of room to play and explore. Expect plenty of time on the floor to roll around and chill out. You can also count on exploring sun salutations, standing poses like warriors and triangles, balances like half moon and tree, gentle backbends, and seated poses.
If you are after faster paced classes the style of yoga we teach may not be for you. We don't offer fast vinyasa flows, deep backbends like wheel or poses like handstands and headstands. Not that there is anything wrong with those poses or level of intensity! It just isn't us :)
The food:
Stowel Lake Farm is famous for their organic, farm to table meals. The food is fresh and 100% organic with most of the produce grown on the farm! The food not sourced on the farm is as local as possible.
Dietary considerations - Gluten free, dairy free and vegan diets can be easily accommodated but keto or paleo diets cannot. There is no meat with any meals. The food is fully vegetarian and there will be lots of nuts and seeds served in and with our meals. If you have an anaphylactic allergy to nuts and seeds this retreat may not be for you.
General retreat schedule (subject to change and will shift seasonally)
Thursday
Check-in 3-5pm
Orientation 5:30
Dinner 6:00
Opening circle and yoga with Melissa 8:00
Friday
Movement and meditation with Laura 7:45am
Breakfast 8:30
Talk with farm community member 9:30
Yoga with Laura 11:00
Walking meditation with Laura 12:00
Lunch 12:30
Walking farm tour 2:00
Yoga with Melissa 4:30
Dinner 6:00
Yoga with Melissa 8:00
Saturday
Movement and meditation with Laura 7:45am
Breakfast 8:30
Free time for Salt Spring Market
Lunch 12:30
Yoga with Melissa 4:30
Dinner 6:00
Trivia night in the barn 8:00
Sunday
Movement and meditation with Laura 7:45am
Breakfast 8:30
Yoga with Laura 11:00
Lunch 12:30
Group hike 2:00
Yoga with Melissa 4:30
Dinner 6:00
Closing circle and yoga with Melissa 8:00
Monday
Movement and meditation with Laura 7:45am
Breakfast 8:30
Yoga with Melissa 11:00
Lunch 12:00
Check-out
Meet Melissa
Melissa Krieger has been teaching yoga full time since 2005. She helps people stay active, age well and reduce stress in a fun and welcoming manner. Melissa loves facilitating retreats and is proud to have hosted groups at Stowel lake since 2016.
If you aren't familiar with Melissa you can try one of her free videos here.
Meet Laura
Laura Benson has been teaching yoga since 2012. She is delighted to teach alongside her mentor, Melissa, at the rejuvenating Stowel Lake Farm. Laura guides classes with a mix of dynamic slow flow and long holds with a focus on mindfulness which empowers you to be where you are.
If you aren't familiar with Laura you can try one of her free classes here.
Shared Accommodations
Shared Yurt
A cozy yurt built for two. (2 beds)
To sign-up for a shared space you must have someone to share with. We are unable to pair folks.
FYI - the yurts are heated with a space heater. They can get cool so we recommend the yurts for warm sleepers. Cool sleepers are best in the inside rooms.
Shared bathroom
$1,400 per person
Shared Regular Room
A room for two in the Village or Gatehouse building. (2 beds)
To sign-up for a shared space you must have someone to share with. We are unable to pair folks.
Shared bathroom
$1,625 per person
Shared Deluxe Room
A deluxe room for two in the Village or Gatehouse building. (2 beds)
To sign-up for a shared space you must have someone to share with. We are unable to pair folks.
Private bathroom
$1,825 per person
Private Accommodations
Private Yurt
A cozy yurt all to yourself!
FYI - the yurts are heated with a space heater. They can get cool so we recommend the yurts for warm sleepers. Cool sleepers are best in the inside rooms.
Shared bathroom
$1,825 per person
Private Regular Room
A room for one in the Village, Gatehouse, or Bathhouse building.
(1 bed)
Shared bathroom
$1,825 per person
5% GST will be added to the above cost.
This price includes your accommodation, all meals and all group activities.
Included in the price is a $350 non-refundable deposit.
Credit card payments are accepted.
The full amount of the retreat will be charged upon registration.
Payment plans available upon request.
A note from Melissa and Laura: We recognize this retreat is expensive and may be out of reach financially for some folks. For that reason we have three bursary spots available. The bursary prices are $1200 for a shared regular or yurt or $1400 for a private room or yurt.
You don't need to apply or fill out any forms, you just need to ask for this offer. Please reach out to me at melissajkrieger@gmail.com to request this. It will be available first come, first serve.
We also recommend visiting our friends at the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga. They have wonderful two night yoga and wellness retreats and are less of a commitment of time and finances.
Payment and Refund Policy
For cancellations before 30 days ahead of the retreat, you will receive the balance of your payment minus the $350 deposit.
For cancellations less than one month before the retreat, you will not receive a refund.
If you are sick and unable to attend the retreat you will not receive a refund.
If the retreat is cancelled at any point by Bloom Yoga or Stowel Lake Farm you will receive a full refund.
Frequently asked questions
What should I bring?
Please come prepared for an outdoor environment and for the weather, as appropriate. Some suggestions are provided below:
Comfortable clothing, warm layers, rain jacket, sun protection
Slip on shoes are nice for going in and out of buildings
Rubber boots (for spring & fall retreats)
Slippers or indoor shoes - no shoes in indoor spaces
Flashlight
Water bottle
Outdoor towel (we provide indoor-only towels)
Bath towel only if you’re camping
Ear plugs , if needed
Toiletries including body wash, shampoo & conditioner
Cash for farm stand purchases and gratuities
How do I get to the retreat centre?
You can travel to Stowel Lake Farm via the ferry or the float plane.
The ferry that runs the most often to Salt Spring is the Victoria (Swartz Bay) to Salt Spring Island (Fulford Harbour). This is the route we recommend. This harbour is five minutes away from Stowel Lake and the easiest one for us to pick you up if you need a ride. This ferry can't be reserved.
If you are travelling from up Island you can take the ferry from Crofton to Salt Spring (Veruvius Bay). This harbour is 20 minutes away from Stowel Lake. It's a little trickier for us to come get you for a pick-up here. We recommend bringing a car or preparing to wait a bit! This ferry can't be reserved.
There is a longer ferry (three hours) from Vancouver (Tsawwassen) to Salt Spring (Long Harbour). This terminal is also 20 minutes away from the farm. It's another one that's trickier for us to get to so we recommend driving or preparing to wait. This ferry can be reserved, it just doesn't run that often!
If you want to take advantage of the free time on retreat to explore the island we recommend bringing a car.
The closest airport is Victoria International.
There is also the option to take the float plane to Salt Spring from downtown Vancouver, Richmond YVR and Maple Ridge. The float plane arrives in Ganges and we can pick you up.
Do I need to drive?
No, but we do recommend it if you want to explore the island on your downtime.
We are able to do pick-ups from the Fulford ferry and Ganges for those who take the float plane.
Is there wifi on the farm?
Yes and...the wifi is excellent in some places and non-existent in others. The wifi is great in the Barn (where we eat and chill out) and the Village building where many of you stay. The wifi is ok in the Gatehouse (where we do yoga and some of you stay in that building). The wifi is non-existent in the yurts and the Bathhouse room. The Barn is always open, day and night, so you can always use the wifi there. Consider downloading anything you need ahead of time.
Is there cell service?
There is limited cell reception but there is wifi. There is a landline on the farm if you need to use the phone.
What about gratuities for the Stowel Lake staff?
Totally up to you! The SLF team accepts gratuities on behalf of housekeeping, kitchen and facility staff. All gratuities are pooled amongst the staff but if you would like to leave a message for a particular staff member, we will be sure to pass that on.
Is there coffee?
Yes, we serve coffee with breakfast.