TEND & BEFRIEND
A Women's Retreat in Somatics, Yoga & Breathwork
DATE & TIME
october 22 - 25 2026
menla, Catskill mountains, ny
ABOUT
The Instinct This Retreat Is Named For
Tending and befriending is one of the most natural instincts women share. It's our nervous system's response to crisis and stress - our innate pull toward nurturance, ours and each other's.
Long before "fight or flight" became a household phrase, women were already doing something different under stress: turning toward. Gathering. Tending to the ones beside us. Befriending our own bodies instead of bracing against them.
This retreat activates that response, on purpose. Over four days, we'll use somatic practice, yoga, and breathwork to tend to ourselves and befriend each other - honoring an ability we already have to regulate, to reduce stress, and to feel connected through our own bodies, in the company of other women.
Women have always gathered. This is how we shift. This is how we come to understand ourselves, and the world around us, more clearly.
WHAT WE'LL PRACTICE:
.
Every session is chosen to support this one theme: activating the body's natural capacity to tend and befriend.
- Somatic Practice: Exploratory movement that helps you notice, release, and befriend sensation in the body, rather than override it
- Yoga: grounding and energizing practice drawing from over 20 years of teaching.
- Breathwork guided sessions that work directly with the nervous system, helping shift stuckness.
- Circle & Connection structured and unstructured time for women to gather, share, and simply be witnessed by one another , because befriending isn't only inward
Nothing here asks you to perform, push, or prove anything. It asks you to notice, and to let yourself be tended.
Where We Gather: Menla
Set on 320 acres of protected Catskills forest, Menla is two hours north of New York City and a world away from it. It's the kind of place where the stillness starts working on you before you've even unpacked.
We'll move through our practices in Menla's dedicated yoga studio, rest in comfortable accommodations, and share seasonal, organic vegetarian meals much of it grown in the center's own garden. Between sessions, there's space to wander the grounds, sit by the water, or walk the surrounding trails.
Late October in the Catskills means gold light, crisp air, and mountains in their fullest color a season that seems to invite the same slowing down we're here to practice.
The Details
Dates: October 22–25, 2026 (arrive Thursday, depart Sunday)
Location: Menla, Phoenicia, NY — Catskill Mountains
Investment: [Pricing to be announced — add tiers, e.g. Early Bird / Shared Room / Private Room] Includes: [e.g. 3 nights lodging, all meals, all sessions, use of grounds & amenities] Group size:
A $500 deposit of non-refundable holds your place.
YOUR GUIDE.
Deborah Bagg, LMHC
Deborah brings over 20 years of experience as a yoga teacher, somatic psychotherapist, and group facilitator to every room she holds. She's the creator of Juniper, a beloved community hub in the heart of Brooklyn that closed its physical doors after Covid and grew into something bigger — a global community of online and in-person offerings. Known for classes that are as warm and astute as they are creative, Deborah now teaches retreats and workshops around the world. She lives in Cape Town with her wife and two wild boys.
ACCOMODATION
Note for all accommodations: If choosing double occupancy, it is recommended you do so with a companion of your choice. But no sweat if you are coming alone. We have always had the most awesome women attend our retreats.
Please email Deborah at [email protected] with specific accommodation requests before making your deposit. As space is limited, balance will be due once your housing availability is confirmed.
TYPICAL BUT FLEXIBLE
THE SHAPE OF OUR DAYS
DAY 1
Arrive and get
settled in.
Late afternoon yoga class and orientation.
Dinner
DAY 2 - DAY 3
Friday, October 23 Morning somatics + yoga · Afternoon rest & free time · Evening breathwork & circle
Saturday, October 24 Morning somatics + yoga · Afternoon free time, hiking, or spa · Evening breathwork & circle
DAY 4
Closing practice, integration circle, departure
✷
THERE ARE NO REFUNDS FOR THIS RETREAT AFTER SEPTEMBER 1st 2026.
Please note that Pricing is PER PERSON and includes a $500 Deposit that is Non-Refundable. We will send a contract for your deposit. Please ensure you committed before signing up. If you cancel before SEPTEMBER 1st you will receive your money back MINUS $500 Deposit.
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