What's Good Wellness Autumn Retreat

Face it You’re Beautiful: The Art, Science & Alchemy of Letting Go

The Art, Science & Alchemy of Letting Go

The Autumn season is a time to make sure everything is pure to encourage what’s necessary is being used and maximized while where anything that is unnecessary or wasteful is eliminated. Autumn is used in preparation for Winter where crops are harvested and the days are shorted. Autumn symbolizes the process of refinement and its resulting efforts.

This season we focus on the metal element, from what was once a rough ore we transform into sparkling gemstones. The metal  element symbolizes the refinement process allowing deep rooted work to be performed where we innately have the desire to break free, stretch and cleanse the body, mind and spirit of the old and welcome the new. Metal is connected to air through the lungs. The lungs take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide through breathing. The large intestine absorbs water and completes the absorption of nutrients, minerals, vitamins.and eliminates waste.

You may have noticed that you are already utilizing the metal element through spring cleaning, opening the windows, removing stagnant air, purging the home of waste. We also see this through plans budding, animals reconvening and the sun shinning brighter.

At this years Autumn 2022 retreat we will expand our energy and heighten our vibration through vision planning, nourishing the soul, caring for the self, connecting to nature, fuelling the body while nurturing our spirit.

Your Hosts & Weekend Facilitators

Katrina Dollano: R.AC. R.TCMP

Katrina is the Co-Founder and Clinical Director at What’s Good.  Her passion lies in helping you to bring more happiness and health to your life and into your body.  Katrina’s approach to health care is grounded in traditional wisdom practices, the power of Mother Nature, and honouring one’s own unique life story, including the shadow aspects we are often taught to suppress.  Her mission is to help people of all ages, especially girls and women, connect to the inherent wisdom of the body; its strength, vitality and self-healing capacity.

Charleston Dollano: Chef & Educator

Chef Charleston is a Conscious Food Chef and the Co-Founder of What’s Good. With over 23 years of experience in the kitchen, he specializes in curating private chef’s table dining experiences with an emphasis on local, seasonal, farm-to-table cuisine that marries the healing, medicinal power of food with mouth-watering and delicious flavours.  Chef Charleston’s ambition and philosophy is to educate folks about the joys of eating whole foods, supporting sustainable agriculture and bridging the gap between where our food is grown and produced and the family-centred tables where we enjoy our meals together.

Cathy: Element Immersion Therapist

Welcome to Element Immersion Therapy!

The hottest or coolest depending on your immersion, health benefit to embrace. Using the elements in nature to tap into our natural body chemistry to regulate our temperature at will. In addition to the hot and cold we have added breath work. Flooding our bodies with oxygen theeby allowing us to withstand the elements longer and with less suffering of heat and cold.

My name is Catherine, my love is nature and I take her to the extreme! My interest in heat / cold therapy began when I was living in Northern Ontario. Saunas and “polar dips” being tradition. Combining meditation and breathe work with element immersion has personally taken the experience to a new level. I am happy to share this healing energy with anyone who wishes to be one with nature while utilizing the power of the mind, breath and body to withstand her harsh yet healing extremes.
Blessings

 

Lori Anne Kamer:Acupuncturist & Yoga Instructor

Lori Anne Kamer is a registered Acupuncturist who has been teaching movement, breath and meditation for nearly 14 years. Always a seeker and avid student; Lori’s drive for learning began with a Degree in Psychology and has led to numerous certifications since. This includes studies of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yoga/Meditation/Pranayama, Reiki, various forms of theraputic touch and Doula work. A world traveller, Lori even spent an incredibly illuminating 40 days in silence. Most recently her focus has centred around trauma, the nervous system, breath, grounded spirituality and emphasizing more equitable structures within wellness.

 

Jack Haché: Certified Meditation & Mindfullness Instructor


As a certified Meditation and Mindfulness Teacher, Jack aspires to help individuals elevate their consciousness and strengthen the personal relationship one has with their thoughts and feelings. With a passion for sharing the power of holistic healing modalities, Jack experiences an abundance of joy guiding individuals through meditations, contrast therapy experiences, breathwork sessions; assisting with sacred plant medicine ceremonies. Jack feels that there is action in non-action, immense strength in surrender, and that genuine intelligence is cultivated deep in the heart.

Weekend Schedule

Workshop & Activity Descriptions

Your Curated Chef's Table Meals:

Prepared by Chef Charleston Dollano

As in nature the metal energy is a time where eating whole grains and vegetables promote good digestion and elimination. These foods serve as cleansers for the intestines, they are of great importance to keep your metal element balanced.

A balanced meal consist of  hearty, warming foods such as fish, oils, with strong accompanying flavours like roquefort, pepper and mustard. Root vegetables – such as potatoes, carrots, garlic and onion – are particularly healthful metal foods, Spices such as cayenne, ginger and curry promote are used to promote good digestion and elimination. For dessert thick-skinned fruits are best like bananas and mangoes. Each of your meals have been designed to harness the energy of the Autumn season. 

Chef Charleston Dollano is a Conscious Food Chef.  He specializes in curating private chef’s table dining experiences with an emphasis on local, seasonal, farm-to-table cuisine that marries the healing, medicinal power of food with mouth-watering and delicious flavours.

Bon Fire and Night Cap:

With Charleston & Katrina Dollano

It is said that, the discovery of fire is what accelerated human and evolution and separated us from other animal beings.  Sitting around a fire and sharing is as old a tradition as our human history is.  We’ll take this opportunity to be warmed by the fire and share a Chinese medicine night cap to send you off to a deep and restful sleep.

Face it, You're Beautiful & It's More Than Skin Deep:Facial Cupping for Flux & Flow

With Katrina Dollano

Cupping is an ancient healing technique with roots in Chinese medicine.  Traditionally, cupping is used to move Qi, blood and body fluids and to remove stagnation.  Stagnation is the word we use to describe the condition where things get stuck and stop moving; whether it’s your Qi energy, your blood or your body fluids like lymph and extra cellular fluids.
Stagnation can lead to symptoms like pain, brain fog, lack of motivation, swelling and discolouration.
In this workshop, Katrina will teach you techniques to use facial cupping in the morning to bring Qi and blood to the face, to “wake up” your complexion, invigorate your energy, and drain any swelling and fluid accumulation that may have collected overnight.  Facial cupping is an excellent way to start your day!

Blueprints/Vision Boards:

With Katrina Dollano

Would you build a house without a blueprint? I know I wouldn’t. So why would anyone attempt to build a satisfying life without as much as a sketch?!
Designing your own blueprint is a way of outlining the goals, dreams & aspirations for all aspects of your life. It’s a powerful practice to write down and manifest your souls desires for this lifetime, giving them full permission to come into fruition.
Together we will move through the 5 steps of blueprinting focused on designing your future to reach your deepest aspirations.

Face it, You're Beautiful & it's More Than Skin Deep:acial Gua Sha for Cultivating Your Essence & Complexion Workshop

 With Katrina Dollano

Gua sha is an ancient healing technique with roots in Chinese medicine. It is used traditionally to improve blood circulation, and move stagnant Qi (energy). It can be used to address conditions of the whole body, but has been touted recently for its ability to sculpt the face, contour muscles, and beautify the skin.

 

In this workshop, Katrina will teach you techniques to use gua sha to “erase the day”, breaking up stagnant Qi that accumulates in the face as lines and creases, and calm the mind and spirit for a restful and rejuvenating sleep.

You will receive a gua sha tool of your own and samples of facial oils formulated with herbs and plant medicines by traditional Chinese medicine doctors. Katrina will select the blend that is specifically beneficial for your individual constitution and skin type.

Kitchen Medicine by Design:

Seasoning Salts for Tasty, Simple & Nourishing Recipe-Free Cooking
with Charleston & Katrina 

Salt gets a bad reputation.  If you look at the different salts sold in the grocery store, you’ll notice that many of the products are advertised as “real salt”.  This is because table salt is processed to remove trace minerals and then fortified with iodine.  Real salt is full of minerals that are necessary for our bodies to function optimally.  In small quantities, real salt can have a profound impact on function and healing.
Salt is the main seasoning that brings out all the flavours in our food.  In Chinese medicine it is said that digestion begins with taking food in with the senses; not just taste but sight, smell, and mouthfeel.  When our food is appealing to our senses, it kickstarts and warms our digestive fire, making digestion more powerful and robust.
Together, with Chef Charleston and Katrina’s guidance, we will learn about the art of flavour combining and using food as medicine. Charleston will share with you his favourite go-to recipes for seasoning salts and how each variation impacts the same ingredients in a multitude of ways.  After sampling Chef’s example creations, you will have the opportunity to create several healing and delicious seasoned salt blends using both fresh and dried herbs and spices that we will use to create simple meals that require no recipes. These take home blends are perfect for busy nights where meal times can feel like just another chore.

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Conscious circular breathing

With Lori Kamer

Breathwork is a healing modality that connects you to your breath through specific guided breathing techniques known as OPEN-MOUTHED CONSCIOUS BREATHING. These engaged purposeful breaths have the ability to fuel your body with vitality whilst flushing and energizing your systems as a way to alter your state of being, and increase your awareness. Physiologically & physically its almost like your body is getting a boost! While at the same time, there can be significant releases of mental and emotional blocks. Essentially breathwork creates an unbelievable opportunity for a shift into higher perspective and instilling an affect of calm that allows one to come into a beautiful state of neutrality with less of the incessant mental chatter. Even if it is just for a brief moments; conscious breath gives us the time and space to simply be who we are from a place of loving compassion that will live on in our memory. Something that we can later tap into, making it a revolutionary practice that is always in our back pocket.

Spots Available

HARMONY P.E.C

Nestled in the escarpment of Waupoos in Prince Edward County, along the shores of Lake Ontario, Harmony PEC Retreat is a breath of fresh air and a piece of heaven on Earth.  Your retreat space sits on 28 acres of private, untouched, bountiful nature; forests, wetlands and lakefront.

It is a very special place to Katrina and Charleston.  You’ll hear them gush, “The energy there is amazing!” – Charleston or “It’s my favourite place on Earth!” – Katrina, when they talk about Harmony.  It is a place to pause, to evolve, to connect with yourself and with others, and a place to breathe and harmonize with nature.

 

Camp Out Under the stars 

Special Notice

 Wish to camp under the stars and be in touch with nature? Email us at info@whatsgoodwellness.ca 

Camping out doors is a great alternative as it will allow you and or with your loved one  to connect with mother earth in an experience called, “Earthing”. The term, Earthing (also known as grounding) is when we allow our body to make contact with the Earth’s surface electrons via activities such as walking barefoot outside, sitting on the grass, and tree hugging. Such activities allow our bodies to become connected to mother earths conductive systems. Doing so allows one to connect with all of mother earths surfaces allowing for the  transfer  of energy from the ground  straight into our bodies, hence bringing forth a great and unique  healing expereince for everyone to explore. 

Bring a girlfriend for a transformative, & unforgettable girl’s weekend away.

Join Us:

Friday September 23rd, @5pm – Sunday September 25th, 2022 @ 12pm

The Autumn season is where we will use the time to structure your life, by getting your affairs in order the better you will be to be able to take better care of yourself. We see this with animals during this time, Animals in the wild are collecting seeds, nuts, building and fortifying there homes to be well prepared for the winter season. 

Balancing your metal element allows one to create healthy boundaries, easy routines, and inspiring rituals. Allow yourself to soften boundaries and connect with others, be social and spontaneous  and give yourself the time to follow your passion

Join us as we reconnect with the Divine Feminine – our innate power as women; as the bearers of life, and the creative, uniting force that drives the universe. Expect to leave this weekend feeling empowered, inspired and whole in exactly who you are.

Occupancy Investment Plan

SINGLE OCCUPANCY INVESTMENT:


You will have the option of paying for the retreat in full or setting up a payment plan

$1800 (all inclusive – based on single occupancy accommodations)

Investment Plan Available: $600 deposit + 3 equal bi-weekly payments of $400.

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DOUBLE OCCUPANCY INVESTMENT:

You will have the option of paying for the retreat in full or setting up a payment plan.

$1350 per person (all inclusive – based on double occupancy accommodations).

Investment plan available: $450 deposit + 3 equal biweekly instalments of $300.

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For Single Occupancy Cabin

For Double Occupancy Cabin