Forested & Free
Guided by movement. held in nature
An Immersive retreat in nature with
redwoods, water, breath & movement
July 30th-August 2nd, 2026
The Space Between Retreat
Philo, CA
Forested & Free is an invitation to listen deeply and play wildly.
Combining the strength of the Redwoods with the fluidity of water, this retreat merges aerial arts, creative movement, Qigong, breathwork, and sound immersion into one seamless journey. Slow down, regulate your nervous system, and awaken your vitality. From the earth to the canopy, come explore what it means to be both firmly rooted and boundlessly free.
Suspended Forest Movement
exploring trust, surrender & playful grounded expansion in the Redwoods
guided water movement
fluid exploration in water, a journey of softening into the liquid presence
Gentle Movement, Breath & Sound Immersion
reconnecting you to your own rhythm & the rhythm of nature
As we navigate in, around, and through varied landscapes, we practice essential life skills:
when to yield and when to lead, how to let go, how to trust support,
and how to remain connected to our creative center. Through experiential exploration, participants discover how movement can ground us in times of uncertainty,
restore our sense of belonging, and offer tools for meeting the complexities
of the world with resilience, imagination, and grace.
This retreat is about softening without collapsing.
Strength without rigidity. Presence without pressure.
It is about increasing your nervous system’s capacity for regulation and connection,
expanding your ability to remain open, grounded, and responsive within changing environments. Through movement and stillness, we explore what it means to be truly rooted and responsive.
Nourishment
You’ll be served vibrant, seasonal, farm-to-table meals prepared with fresh, local ingredients to keep your body well-supported throughout the retreat.
Between sessions, enjoy hiking trails on the property, open space to wander, sauna, hot tub, pool and hammocks tucked into the trees for rest and integration. Whether you’re exploring the land or simply lying back beneath the canopy, nourishment continues beyond the table.
We nourish through food.
We nourish through movement.
We nourish through nature.
Your home for the weekend
You’ll spend three days immersed in nature, with comfortable on-site accommodations and access to the natural beauty of the property. There are various options to choose from with spaciousness in between.
Your retreat includes:
3 nights stay
8 seasonal farm-to-table meals & refreshing drinks
Daily movement sessions: suspended in the Redwoods, immersed in water, grounded on the Earth
gentle yoga & Qi Gong sessions
sound healing
use of sauna, hot tub & pool
hiking trails & hammock lounging
Meet your guides
Kara
Kara Starkweather is a dancer, choreographer, director, educator, and arts advocate based on the breathtaking Mendocino Coast. She is the founder and artistic director of Mendocino Dance Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to exploring the human experience and our relationship to nature through the rich language of dance. Rooted in a deep sense of place, Kara’s work is guided by the land itself. She believes movement is more than expression. It is a practice for living. Through the body, we learn how to listen, adapt, respond, and stay present in a rapidly changing world.
Kara will guide participants into a process of research, improvisation, and collaboration to explore movement suspended in space, reimagining dance beyond the horizontal plane and engaging the redwoods as both partner and stage.
More about the Mendocino Dance Project
Kriss
Kriss is a site-responsive dancer, choreographer, and director. They are working at the fulcrum of aquatic, terrestrial, and aerial dance, collaborating with the elements through suble listening and adaptive composition. They are constantly asking, how can I be in the most available state to recieve, metabolize, and respond to a constantly changing environment? Their research spirals in and out of the process of re-membering, cycles, and embodied resistance.
Kriss will be guiding participants through a journey of softening into the liquid presence, unearthing buoyant possiblities. We will focus on breath, subtle listening, fluid adapatability, and relational anchoring through solo, partner and group practices. Nose clips & floats will be provided.
Find out more about Kriss here
Sara
Sara Bassindale resides on the beautiful Mendocino Coastline drawing inspiration and creativity from the Majestic Redwoods and Ocean. Weaving together her training and studies in Therapeutic Breathwork, Yoga, Qi Gong, Energy Medicine, Holistic Health Coaching, and Sound Healing for an all encompassing approach to nature based healing. She created All Rhythms Wellness as a resource of personal empowerment offerings that help reconnect us to the natural cycles of nature and the healer within for guidance and optimum radiant health.
Sara will be offering guided gentle movement, breath, and Qigong practices to help you settle into your body and root into the present. Through elemental connection and immersive sound healing, we’ll create space for nervous system regulation, restoration, and deeper awareness.
Find more about Sara here
Lauren
Lauren Godla is a multidisciplinary performing and environmental artist. She founded DiRT & Glitter, an environmental art organization that creates site-specific productions. Her ongoing love affair with rivers has inspired her to explore where the worlds of art, adventure, and activism can come together to celebrate and protect our wilderness.
Lauren looks forward to sharing her love for dancing outside and an exhilarating new relationship to gravity through the art of vertical dance. She will gently guide participants into their bodies and their imaginations as they navigate the challenging, magical world of dancing in a harness in the trees.
Find out more about Lauren here
Meet your hosts
Chris & Samantha
The Space Between Retreat sits on over 260 acres of redwood, oak, fir, and madrone forest overlooking Anderson Valley. Their family shares this land by hosting intimate, thoughtfully curated retreats with experienced practitioners, creating a welcoming space to explore curiosity about the nature of our existence alongside a small community of kindred participants. They believe we are all connected through the space between us — an invisible field of molecules and energy constantly moving, exchanging, and interacting. In many ways, we are expressions of a shared matter and consciousness.
The space between us is not empty; it is the space we share.
Samantha will guide Yoga Nidra and meditation sessions, while Chris will lead hikes throughout the property,
offering time to explore the land and its natural beauty.
Questions? We have answers
What are the retreat dates, arrival and departure times?
We begin on Thursday July 30th, arriving at 3pm, and depart Sunday August 2nd at noon
What does the daily schedule look like?
Thursday July 30th
3-5pm Arrival & settle into spaces
5pm opening circle
6pm Dinner
8pm-9pm Sound Healing
Friday July 31st
8am- 9am Breath meditation & Qi Gong
8am-10am Breakfast
10:30am-1:00pm Movement session with the trees
1:00-3:30pm Lunch & free time / guided hike
3:30pm-6pm Movement session with the waters
6-7:30pm Dinner & free time
7:30pm-9pm Yoga Nidra & Sound Healing
Saturday Aug. 1st
8am-9am Morning movement
8am-10am Breakfast
10:30am-1:00pm Movement session with the trees
1:00-3:30pm Lunch & free time/ guided hike
3:30pm-6pm Movement session with the waters
6pm Dinner
7:30pm Pool & dance party
Sunday Aug 2nd
8am-9:30am Breakfast
9:30am-11am Closing circle - group movement
12pm Check out of spaces
Where is this retreat located?
The Space Between Retreat is located in Philo, CA at a beautiful private residence on Signal Ridge.
More detailed directions will be sent to you upon registering.
What is included in the price?
All of your meals, drinks, accommodation and daily sessions are included. Prices vary on type of accommodation you choose.
what is the refund policy?
A $350 non-refundable deposit per person is required to secure your space. This deposit is applied toward your total retreat cost.
Participants who cancel on or before May 1 will receive a full refund minus the $350 deposit.
May 2 – June 15
Participants who cancel during this window will receive a 50% refund of the total amount paid. The $350 deposit remains non-refundable.
After June 15
Cancellations made after June 15 are non-refundable. We recommend travel insurance to support you in the case of the unknown.
At the host’s discretion, a credit toward a future Space Between Retreat may be offered.