A Movement Retreat For Writers

Retreats are different from vacations, where you’re looking to just get away. They are time set aside from the regular grind and dedicated to practicing something—like meditation—that you don’t often have the time to focus on in daily life.

My upcoming movement retreat is September 20–22, at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York—'Pages and Poses: A Movement Retreat for Writers' with award-winning author Sarah Selecky.

Watch the video below to hear me explain why I think this topic is so important for writers.

Tell me about the schedule…

This 3-day retreat starts with you arriving and getting settled Friday afternoon. After dinner (more about the food below!) and a group orientation, you’ll be brought to the movement hall for your first session where we’ll talk writing while de-travelling our bodies and preparing the spine, hips, legs, shoulders and hands for the rest of the weekend.

We’ll meet back in the movement room on Saturday after breakfast for our longest, 3-hour writing and movement session. We’ll break for lunch and a short rest, then back at it in the afternoon—some of our lessons will take place moving over and through the wooded campus. Outside of class time, you’ll be pondering writing and movement prompts and there’s also a book signing with Sarah and I Saturday night if you’d like to come hang out.

We meet for our final session after breakfast Sunday morning. When we’re done, you’ll pack up and head for a final delicious lunch before departing for home.

Session times:
Friday 8:00p–10:00p
Saturday 9:00a–12:00p and 2:30–5:00p
Sunday 9:00a–12:00p

When you’re not in class or at meals, you have access to the amenities and activities at the campus! Included in your tuition are meditation, yoga, and other classes, kayaking or canoeing on the lake, hiking trails, tennis/pickleball and access to the resting sanctuary. Visit the information kiosk when you arrive for a list of activities.

Tell me about the classes…

Pages and Poses is a writing practice and nutritious movement workshop just for writers. This in-person retreat includes delicious stretches and writing exercises, poses that are good for your spine, and activities that sustain your creative energy throughout your writing practice. We’ll be writing and moving every day, hanging out together in magical real life, connecting to our craft, each other, and nature.

You’ll be given writing prompts created to help connect you to your body, and your body to your craft, but plan on moving—stretches, stretch exercises, plus some walking outside—for all of our class time together.

Tell me about the FOOD…

The food at Omega is nutritious, delicious mostly vegetarian cuisine, served cafeteria-style. As someone that makes a lot of meals and washes a lot of dishes, perhaps the most restful part of a retreat for me is getting to show up at the dining hall three times a day to be served amazing meals that you don’t have to make or clean up after. Eat inside or on the patio and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

Tell me about the accommodations…

The registration page has all the details about your room options, along with pricing and photos, but the general concept is this: you pay a flat rate for the workshop, and a second amount for your room and board depending what option you choose for lodging. They’ve got everything from camping to shared and basic rooms to posh.

Ready to sign up? Register through the Omega Institute website here.

Want to check out other live events? Browse them all here.

Can’t make the retreat but want to learn how readers and writers can care for their body? Read this.