Unshakable Core: Building Resilience through Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Community
Early Summer Retreat to Whidbey Island with Erin Joosse
The Whidbey Institute, Clinton, WA
June 7th-9th, 2025 (Saturday-Monday)
True resilience fosters well-being, an underlying sense of happiness, love and peace. Remarkably, as you internalize experiences of well-being, that builds inner strengths which in turn make you more resilient. Well-being and resilience promote each other in an upward spiral…The key is knowing how to turn passing experiences into lasting inner resources.
– Rick Hanson, Ph.D,
Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakeable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness
There are certain things in life that we have some measure of control over. And lots of things that we don’t. If we have spent time fostering an inner resilience, we will be able to meet those unexpected challenges of life with more balance and steadiness and will be less likely to be thrown off our center. The good news is that we can grow our inner resources through intention and practice. One of the things that deepen our inner resources is our connection to others. For this weekend retreat, settle into a generous community to deepen connections and grow your sense of support.
In this early summer retreat at the serene and beautiful Whidbey Institute, we will explore practices that foster a resilient self, no matter what is arising, both in yoga and meditation practice and in our day-to-day life.
Your Weekend:
Contemplative retreat practice offers us the opportunity to pause the doings of daily life, and the chance to tune more fully into our bodies, minds, and hearts.
Through a balance of scheduled and unscheduled time, guided yoga and meditation practices, and time for rest, we will offer ourselves the gift of slowing down. Your retreat begins Saturday at 11am and completes Sunday by early to mid-afternoon.
There will be some periods of silence (mornings until lunch on Sunday and Monday) to deepen your retreat experience.
Mindful Yoga Practice: You will enjoy both active and restoring yoga classes in support of cultivating grounding and embodying wisdom. All classes will be at a basic and accessible level.
Mindfulness Meditation: You will be guided through a variety of mindfulness practices, including sitting, moving, and walking meditation. An optional morning and evening meditation will be offered, as well as meditation in our yoga classes.
Silence: We will begin each morning with silence until lunchtime but have time in the afternoons and evenings to explore deepening our awareness of ourselves within community.
Unplug: I will ask that you leave laptops and tablets at home, and turn off your phone for the weekend. The opportunity to unplug for a full weekend is a rare treat, creating a fuller experience of spaciousness and inner quiet.
The Whidbey Institute:
Whidbey Institute is a home for transformational learning and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
The 106-acre conservation forest campus on South Whidbey Island is open to the public and features integrated gardens and a four-mile trail network.
A Gift for Self:
- Be guided through both restoring and enlivening gentle yoga classes, mindfulness meditation, and optional journaling prompts.
- Nourish yourself through community.
- Feel expanded by resting in the natural beauty of our exquisite Pacific Northwest Forests on the magical Whidbey Island.
- Take time for silence and contemplation.
- Enjoy both being in community and time for solitude.
All levels of practitioners of yoga and meditation welcome.
Your retreat includes:
- 2 nights’ stay in thoughtful accommodations
- Use of Whidbey Institute’s facilities & grounds
- All meals lunch Saturday through lunch on Monday
- All yoga and meditation sessions
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Erin Joosse has been a student of yoga since the early 90’s, and has taught yoga and mindfulness for more than two decades. She founded Source Yoga in 2005.
She got her first interest in meditation from her mother Cynthia, who was a joyful, loving, and deeply spiritual woman who explored meditation and other forms of spiritual practice for many years. Erin stumbled upon her first yoga class as a college student in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and from that first class, knew she had found her way into a lifelong adventure of inner exploration.
Erin is grateful to be the steward of Source Yoga and to have been journeying with this community for so many years. She feels honored that so many people feel at home in the Source studio, and considers her path of business ownership to be one of the most important, challenging, rewarding, and spiritual experiences of her life.
She is a yoga instructor certified at the 500 Hour Level, and a Certified teacher of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) through the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine, Mindfulness Based Professional Training Institute. She has a BA in Dance from the University of New Mexico, with an emphasis in Modern Dance, Choreography, and Flamenco. She has been exploring the joy of movement her whole life. She continues to study, train, and practice, and makes time annually for silent meditation retreats. She is also a devoted writer who practices daily.
She teaches yoga, meditation, MBSR, is passionate about leading retreat practice, and guides the direction of Source Yoga.
Register Here*
***Note that pricing is per person, and rooms and cabins are first-come, first-served.***
There are several lovely options for accommodation at The Whidbey Institute. You can choose a single or shared room in a cozy Farmhouse, with shared bathrooms and common spaces. Or enjoy staying in a sweet Scandinavian-style cabin with either a shared bathroom attached or bathrooms a short walk away. Single rooms and cabins are limited, so consider sharing a room with a friend.
Please email Erin at [email protected] to indicate roommate preference if registering for a shared room. If you don’t have a roommate you are registering with, I will pair you with another participant looking to share a room.
Cabins:
Single Cabin (twin bed) with attached shared bathroom: $900 (5 available) SIGN UP
Shared Cabin (2 twin beds) with attached shared bathroom: $810 per person (4 beds available – 2 cabins)* please let me know (at [email protected]) if there is someone you wish to room with or if you would like me to arrange a roommate. SIGN UP
Shared Cabin (2 twin beds) with a short walk to bathroom: $770 per person (6 beds available – 3 cabins)* please let me know (at [email protected]) if there is someone you wish to room with or if you would like me to arrange a roommate. SIGN UP
Farmhouse (all rooms have shared bathrooms):
Single Room with Queen bed: $870 (1 available) SIGN UP
Single, small room with twin bed: $810 (3 available) SIGN UP
Shared room with 2 twin beds: $760 per person(6 available – 3 rooms)* please let me know (at [email protected]) if there is someone you wish to room with or if you would like me to arrange a roommate. SIGN UP
Payment Plan:
Make a deposit of $400 to reserve your spot and email Erin Joosse ([email protected]) and indicate which rooming option you would prefer. Note rooms are first come, first served. Your balance will be charged to your card on May 17th, 2025 unless you let us know you’d like to make your payment sooner. SIGN UP
Final Payment Due: May 17th, 2025
Cancellation Policy:
- Full refund available (minus $50) prior to May 17th
- Refunds to studio account credit only (minus $50) May 17th-May 24th
- No refunds after May 24th unless room is able to be filled