REST & RECONNECT
Year-round retreats for us to take care of you.
Unplug. Unwind.
Restore Your Inner Balance.
In the rush of everyday life, we often forget the one thing we need most:
REST
True rest isn't a luxury—it’s the foundation for productivity and the balance to living a highly busy/stressed life. And when you are a busy person who does a lot, sometimes you need a little help getting there…
Imagine this:
Four peaceful days in the countryside surrounded by trees, silence, and sky. You’re nourished by wholesome meals, fresh juices, inspiring workshops, daily yoga and breathing classes and the rare gift of unstructured time.
When you just need the world to PAUSE…
This is your invitation to come home to yourself.
What is REST & RECONNECT?
Rest & Reconnect is a 4 or 5 day nourishing retreat designed for busy people who do too much for everyone else and desperately need a break, but find it impossible to take one. Whether you’re burned out, at a crossroads, or simply needing time to pause, the Rest & Reconnect Retreat gives you permission to slow down, reconnect to your body and breath, actually REST and be well taken care of in the process.
At SEED Lodge, we’ve created a space where you don’t have to be “on.”
You can show up exactly as you are, be gently held by nature and community, and reconnect to what’s true for you.
You’ll be offered a mix of optional wellness programming in the mornings (the theme varies upon the retreat & are listed below) and plenty of free time to explore the region, rest, create, or even book a massage or therapy treatment if you want to. This is a retreat without pressure—designed for you to come as you are and follow your own rhythm.
During Your Stay, You’ll Be Invited To:
Unplug. Completely. You will be asked to hand in your electronic devices on the first evening.
Awaken your senses through Kundalini yoga & breathing practices for strengthening your nervous system.
Participate in a themed morning session to help you reconnect with yourself through simple practices to support your mental health.
Rest deeply in a serene, natural setting, enjoy the quiet of the country.
Nourish your body with delicious, cleansing, seasonal meals cooked with love.
Breathe under open skies and enjoy fresh country air.
Build community with like-minded others (or stay in quiet solitude—your choice).
Learn from experienced wellness professionals and licensed health professionals through guided sessions and optional add-on treatments like art therapy, psychotherapy, equine assisted therapy, massage, and sound healing.
This retreat is offered as a 4-day retreat (Thursday-Sunday) or a 5-day retreat (Sunday-Thursday) with different themes offered during each week. Please select dates of your choice.
Rest is a radical act of self-love in a world that glorifies exhaustion.
Sample Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive from 4 pm.
Arrival & get settled
5 pm: Welcome dinner
7pm: Opening circle, intention setting & electronics hand in.
Day 2-3:
Optional early breathing practice with the People of the Prana (6:30–7:00 AM)
Nourishing breakfast/Sauna time/Forest Bathing
Morning programming (9:30–10:30) Yoga & Movement
10:30-12:00: Workshop based on the retreat’s weekly theme
Healthy lunch
Afternoons: Free time or à la carte activities such as: Cold plunge + sauna experience, Paddle the Beaver River, Hiking on the Bruce Trail, Forest bathing and plant foraging, Massage therapy or Reflexology, Private art therapy or psychotherapy sessions, Visit to the Scandinavia Spa, Reiki, Snow shoeing or cross country/downhill skiing, Sleep Light, grounding dinner served around 5pm
Evening programming (Gentle yoga, Yoga nidra, & Breathing Exercises + Sound Healing)
Day 4:
Optional early breathing practice with the People
of the Prana (6:30–7:00 AM)
Nourishing breakfast/Sauna time/Forest Bathing
10:00-11:30 am: Kundalini Yoga/Breathwork
Class for Nervous System Support
11:30 am: Closing circle & Integration
Noon: Light Lunch and Departure
Accommodations
Private Room with Shared Bathrooms* & Private Ensuite
Choose your preferred option at checkout. Bring a friend & share your room for 50%.
Rest & Reconnecgt Retreats are eligible for psychotherapy coverage in Ontario and Quebec
What’s Included:
4 nights of accommodations at the beautiful SEED Lodge
3 healthy, nourishing vegetarian meals per day, plus teas/fresh juices to support digestion, nervous system health, and adrenal balance
Morning programming, workshops, and guided practices
Full access to the Lodge, sauna, trails, and forest (plus snowshoes in winter)
Optional à la carte afternoon activities (additional fees may apply)
Post retreat follow up and integration plan
Location & Practical Details
The SEED Lodge is located just outside Rocklyn, Ontario (approx. 2 hours north of Toronto, near Blue Mountain)
50 acres of forest trails and farmland to explore
Organic, local ingredients when possible
Carpooling might be available (let us know if you can offer or need a ride)
Insurance receipts available for psychotherapy sessions (Ontario & Quebec—please inquire)
This is a drug- and alcohol-free event. Smokers may smoke offsite only.
Please inform us of any dietary needs in advance.
You deserve to rest.
To receive.
To be cared for.
Give yourself the gift of stillness and nourishment.
Important Notes
Spaces are limited—reserve early to avoid disappointment.
Ticket sales are non-refundable, but may be transferred to another person within the same year.
An introductory 15-minute call must be booked prior to the retreat and a consent form agreed to and signed in order to participate.
This retreat is not designed for people in active crisis or needing addiction treatment. Please reach out and we can refer you to the appropriate resources.
Gift cards purchased in 2026 must be redeemed in that year.
Testimonials
“The seed lodge was such a peaceful place. I came with an idea of all these activities I wanted to do but quickly found that once I escaped the noise of the city that all my body wanted to do was sleep… and so I did. Not having access to my phone or computer allowed me to disconnect from work completely. I can’t say it was easy, but it was worth it. By Sunday I realized that I could have used a whole week of this… I will definitely be back. ”
“Thank you so much Esther for creating this true oasis of peace in a time where there is so much turbulence going on everywhere. I didn’t even realize how tired I was until I came here and all I could find myself doing was sleeping. The beds were super cozy, the meals felt nourishing and it was amazing to be totally cared for. As a parent with two small kids, this was the biggest treat. I would recommend everyone do this at least once a year.”
The Rest & Reconnect Retreats:
Create: Art Therapy for Well-Being
Each day you'll be guided through a gentle, nourishing art therapy exercise that helps you reconnect to your creative flow—whether it's been dormant for years or bubbling just beneath the surface. No art experience needed—just curiosity and a willingness to explore. We'll use simple materials, open-ended prompts, and lots of encouragement to help you express yourself, loosen perfectionism, and remember the joy of making something just because.
Come as you are. Leave feeling inspired, open, and creatively recharged.
Nervous System Reset Through Breath
Understand your stress patterns and how to change them through simple and effective breathing techniques. This retreat is built around the Begin with Breath program—a foundational journey into the power of conscious breathing. You’ll learn simple but transformative techniques to regulate your nervous system, calm your mind, and build emotional resilience. Ideal for anyone new to breathwork or needing a reset, this retreat will leave you feeling more grounded, steady, and equipped with tools you can use every day.
Rest + Reconnect: Silence, Meditation & Writing
As the year winds down, this quiet retreat invites you into stillness, spaciousness, and self-reflection to prepare for the winter solstice. Held mostly in silence, you’ll be gently guided through daily meditation, breathwork, and expressive writing practices that help you listen inward and land more deeply in yourself. Perfect for those seeking solitude, clarity, and a soulful way to close the year. Please note that some previous meditation experience is suggested but not required.
Restorative Yoga & Yoga Nidra
This retreat is all about deep, healing rest. Through Restorative Yoga and Yoga Nidra (guided yogic sleep), you’ll be gently supported to release tension, quiet the mind, and reconnect to your inner calm. Perfect for those feeling depleted or running on empty, this weekend offers a soft landing and a return to stillness—body, mind, and spirit
Led by Marianne Larochelle.
Nervous system first aid kit
Stress & trauma show up in your body—tight chest, racing thoughts, trouble sleeping, overwhelming anxiety—and it can leave you feeling stuck in perpetual survival mode. This retreat is designed to help you understand how stress impacts your nervous system and, more importantly, what you can do to support it. Through breathwork, somatic practices, gentle movement, and simple daily tools, you’ll begin to build your own personalized nervous system first aid kit—practical, powerful techniques to return to calm, anytime you need it.
Heart centered practice: SELF+LOVE
This mid-winter retreat is all about tending to the heart—gently, lovingly, and without pressure. Through breathwork, restorative movement, guided journaling, and creative self-expression, we’ll explore what it really means to practice self-love. Expect cozy spaces, heart-opening practices, and time to reflect on what nourishes you most. Come as you are, and reconnect to the deepest part of yourself—the part that knows you are already enough.
Winter Silence & Pause
In the heart of winter, this retreat invites you to slow down and turn inward. Held mostly in nourishing silence, you’ll have space to listen—to your body, your breath, and your own deep intuition. Nestle into stillness with gentle practices, guided reflection, and long, quiet walks through snowy forests. Warm up in the sauna, enjoy nourishing meals, and let the hush of winter hold you. This is a retreat for deep rest, inner clarity, and quiet reconnection to self.
Spring Detox Retreat
This revitalizing retreat is your seasonal reset—designed to support gentle cleansing and renewed energy as we transition into spring. With a focus on raw foods, fresh juices, and herbal liver support, you’ll nourish your body from the inside out. Daily Kundalini Yoga practices will help stimulate detoxification pathways, clear stagnation, and awaken your vitality. You’ll leave feeling lighter, clearer, and more connected to your body’s natural rhythms. A perfect way to welcome the new season.
Celebration of Mothers
This retreat is a sacred pause to honour the women who care, carry, and keep it all together—often at the expense of themselves. Whether you're a mother, mothering others, or healing your own relationship to motherhood, this weekend offers space to rest, reflect, and reconnect to what it truly means to mother in these times. Gather in circle with other women, share stories, laughter, tears, and tenderness—and celebrate the strength, softness, and sacredness of this role. You deserve to be held, too.
Healing Through Food & the Earth
This retreat is an invitation to return to the wisdom of the earth and the healing power of food as medicine. Through simple cooking practices, herbal teachings, and connection to land and season, you’ll explore how nourishment comes not just from what we eat, but how we live, breathe, and relate to the natural world. Rooted in herbal wisdom and whole-food traditions, this is a restorative weekend to deepen your relationship with your body, the earth, and the plants that support us.
Walking Tour: Silence, Landscape & Presence
Sometimes the most powerful medicine is simply to walk. This retreat invites you into silent, mindful walking through the trails, fields, and forests that surround the SEED Lodge—moving slowly, together, in shared presence. As we walk, we’ll tune into the quiet beauty of the land and the steady rhythm of our own breath. Along the way, you’ll be invited to co-create land art using natural elements—stone, stick, leaf, snow, light—marking moments, stories, or prayers in conversation with the earth. A meditative, heart-opening retreat for those craving connection with nature, creativity, and the space between words.
Pricing
Private Room
Each guest room at the SEED Lodge is designed as a sanctuary for rest and inspiration. Private rooms feature a comfortable twin-sized bed, a writing desk for reflection or creative work, and original artwork that brings the spirit of the land indoors. Soft organic cotton sheets, natural light, and simple, thoughtful touches invite you to slow down and unwind.
Bathrooms are shared with other guests, fostering a sense of community and gentle rhythm throughout the house. During your stay, you’ll have full access to the surrounding grounds—fields, forest trails, gardens—and the wood-fired sauna, perfect for evening restoration under the stars.
4-Day Retreat
$1249
inclusive of all meals, accommodation &programming, as well as taxes. Eligible for a psychotherapy receipt in Ontario and Quebec.
For 5-Day Retreats, please add an additional $300.
Ensuite Room
4-Day Retreat
$1549
inclusive of all meals, accommodation &programming, as well as taxes. Eligible for a psychotherapy receipt in Ontario and Quebec.
For 5-Day Retreats, please add an additional $400.
Our private ensuite offers a little extra comfort and solitude—a peaceful retreat within the retreat. This spacious room features a cozy queen-sized bed dressed in soft organic linens, a writing desk for journaling or creative reflection, and a full private bathroom. Adorned with original artwork and natural textures, it blends simplicity and elegance to create a nurturing space for deep rest. Guests also enjoy full access to the Lodge’s grounds, forest trails, and wood-fired sauna—a perfect balance of privacy and connection.
FAQs
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The Rest + Reconnect series are restorative wellness experiences designed to help you slow down, breathe deeply, and REST. Each retreat offers a blend of themed guided practices like gentle yoga, art therapy, meditation, and breathwork, along with nourishing food, nature immersion, and unstructured time for rest.
It’s part wellness retreat, part creative healing journey, and part nervous system reset—set against the peaceful backdrop of the countryside in Grey Highlands, Ontario at the SEED Lodge. Please be sure to see our list of themes for 2026.We offer year round retreats and programming so that you can make time for YOU in your schedule and book in advance. Discounts are available for multiple retreats booked in this series during the same year & all retreats are eligible for psychotherapy coverage for insurance and tax purposes. A few discounted spots are also available for those in financial need, please be sure to contact us to apply.
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All Rest + Reconnect retreats take place at The SEED Lodge, a creative wellness retreat centre in Grey Highlands, Ontario—just two hours from Toronto. Surrounded by forests, fields, and open skies, it’s the perfect destination for a weekend getaway focused on rest, creativity, and nervous system healing.
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These retreats are designed for working professionals, caregivers, therapists, educators, and creatives—anyone feeling tired, disconnected, or burned out who wants to rest and reset. You don’t need any previous experience in yoga, art, or meditation. Just a willingness to slow down and reconnect with yourself.
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Our retreats are deeply nourishing but not suited for individuals in acute crisis or active addiction withdrawal, as we do not have 24-hour medical or therapeutic support on-site. If you are currently in crisis, we encourage you to seek an environment with more intensive care and join us at a later time.
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Each Rest + Reconnect retreat includes:
Comfortable accommodation (private or shared)
Wholesome, plant-based meals and a menu dedicated to nervous system support
Guided sessions in art, breathwork, or mindfulness
Access to nature trails, sauna, and quiet reflection spaces
A Creative Care Package designed to support integration and continued practice at home
Every retreat has its own theme—such as Art Therapy for Well-Being, Nervous System Reset Through Breath, or Heart-Centered Practice: Self + Love—but all share one purpose: to help you reconnect to your calm, creativity, and inner vitality.
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Each guest receives a Creative Care Package, a thoughtful collection of items and reflections to help you continue your rest and self-care practice at home. It’s your personal integration toolkit—reminding you that the peace and clarity you found here can continue long after you leave.
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Our food philosophy is simple: nourish to restore. Meals are plant-based, seasonal, and designed to support gentle detoxification, energy balance and adrenal support. Expect vibrant, wholesome dishes, herbal teas, and fresh juices made with love. (Dietary needs can be accommodated with advance notice.)
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Rooms at The SEED Lodge are cozy, simple, and infused with character—featuring organic linens, original artwork, and a tranquil atmosphere. Private rooms and ensuite options are available. Bathrooms are shared unless otherwise noted, and all guests have access to the sauna, lounge areas, yoga space and the surrounding land.
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Bring comfortable clothing, a journal, a water bottle, and any personal items that help you unwind. We provide all art materials, yoga mats, and props. You’ll receive a detailed packing list after booking.
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Absolutely. Many participants attend solo as a form of personal renewal. You’ll have space for solitude and opportunities for gentle connection with others who share your values and intentions. If you choose to come with a friend or partner they can stay for 50% off if you share the same room.
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Most guests leave feeling calmer, clearer, and deeply recharged. You may notice improved sleep, better focus, emotional balance, and a renewed sense of creativity. Many describe it as “just what they needed” and “a nervous system reset that is essential for modern busy life.”
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The Rest & Reconnect Retreats are psychotherapy based. For some people who have activated nervous systems or who have experienced trauma, resting can feel difficult or even impossible. While one retreat on its own might not shift your nervous system, coming regularly and following up with some of the practices that you are shown will definitely help you find your way back to calm. You’ll learn tools to support mental, emotional, and physical well-being in your everyday life & be supported by community. These retreats are covered under psychotherapy for insurance and tax purposes. We suggest planning them out in your calender at the beginning of every year.
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Rest + Reconnect retreats are unique because they blend science, soul, and creativity. Rooted in psychology, art therapy, and nervous system education, they invite participants into a grounded and creative relationship with rest in a place that is conducive to this. Every retreat is small, intentional, and held with care—no mass tourism, no hustle, just real restoration at your own pace.
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You can register directly on our website. Space is limited to keep the experience intimate and personalized. Once your spot is confirmed, you’ll receive a welcome guide, preparation checklist, and details about how to get to The SEED Lodge.
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The SEED Lodge is located in Grey Highlands, Ontario—approximately 2 hours from Toronto or Guelph. You’ll receive detailed driving directions and nearby transport options in your confirmation email.
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Because space is limited, cancellations made within 30 days of the retreat start date are non-refundable. However, you may transfer your booking to another person or apply your payment toward a future retreat (pending availability).
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Yes! We host custom corporate wellness retreats and creative team-building experiences designed to reduce burnout and build emotional resilience. Reach out through our contact form to co-create a tailored Rest + Reconnect experience for your organization.
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Rest is not just the absence of doing—it’s the foundation for renewal. When you rest intentionally, your nervous system recalibrates, your creativity awakens, and your emotional capacity expands. These retreats help you relearn the art of resting as an essential life skill.
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If you’re feeling:
Creatively blocked → choose Art Therapy for Well-Being
Stressed or anxious → choose Nervous System Reset Through Breath
Exhausted → choose Restorative Yoga & Yoga Nidra, Silent retreat
Emotionally tender → choose Heart-Centered Practice: Self + Love
Disconnected from nature → choose Healing Through Food & the Earth or Walking Tour: Silence & Presence
Ready to let go and reset → choose Spring Detox Retreat
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You can register directly through our website. Each retreat has its own booking link and description. If you have questions or special needs, contact us at theseedlodge@gmail.com Please note, a short 15 minute phone interview is required for us to open your file and you will be required to sign our therapeutic consent form in order to participate. We will contact you with the details when you register.