Featured Presenters
Must Be 18+
Self-Discovery
Spiritual
Calm & Clear Mind
Personal DevelopmentReplenish Your Well
Do you feel other people’s pain deeply? Compassionate people are profoundly affected by the suffering of others and you may constantly feel a need to help in whatever way you can.
This is a beautiful and invaluable instinct. The world needs people like you.
But it comes at a cost to your own energy and emotional well-being. When you step into dangerous spaces to work for healing and justice, or simply to hold others in the depths of difficult emotions, the trauma takes its toll.
To lift you up and give you the tools you need to embrace your compassionate self without hitting compassion fatigue or damaging your health, pastor and author John Pavlovitz has created this empowering and nourishing workshop, Cultivating Hope in Difficult Times.
Through guided discussion, journaling, music, and reflection, you’ll discover
- How to nurture and protect your own energy as an empathetic person
- Actionable self-care techniques and reflections to avoid becoming overwhelmed and consumed by other people’s struggles
- The power of community to encourage and lift you, enabling you to be safely burdened by the pain of this world
- Ways to craft a lifestyle of sustainable activism; and what to do when you’ve exhausted your resources
- How to cultivate hope—even when your inner hope is not reflected in the world around you.
You will take home a toolbox filled with practical methods for sustaining yourself, and a sense of confidence and clarity. And be perfectly prepared and positioned to be the kind of person the world needs.
This program is open to all, but may be of particular interest to those working in caring professions; including activists, ministers, parents, caregivers, and deep feelers.
Presenter
John Pavlovitz is a writer, pastor, and activist from Wake Forest, North Carolina. Over the past five years his blog, Stuff That Needs To Be Said, has reached a diverse worldwide audience. A 20-year veteran in the trenches of local church ministry, John is committed to equality, diversity, and justice—both inside and outside faith communities. His books include A Bigger Table and Hope and Other Superpowers.
Rooms & Pricing
All options include daily vegetarian meals from dinner on the night of check-in through lunch on the day of checkout. (Rates below are per person.)
Private Hotel Room
- King bed or two full beds
- Flat Screen TV
- Refrigerator
- Private Bath
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- Daily Delicious Vegetarian Meals
- Complimentary Tea/Coffee & Fresh Fruit
- Daily Yoga & Meditation Classes
- Access to Gym & Steam Rooms
Shared Hotel Room (2 People)
- Two Twin Beds
- Flat Screen TV
- Refrigerator
- Private Bath
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- Daily Delicious Vegetarian Meals
- Complimentary Tea/Coffee & Fresh Fruit
- Daily Yoga & Meditation Classes
- Access to Gym & Steam Rooms
Private Retreat Room
- Twin beds
- Private Bath
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- Daily Delicious Vegetarian Meals
- Complimentary Tea/Coffee & Fresh Fruit
- Daily Yoga & Meditation Classes
- Access to Gym & Steam Rooms
Shared Retreat Room (2 People)
- Twin beds
- Private Bath
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- Daily Delicious Vegetarian Meals
- Complimentary Tea/Coffee & Fresh Fruit
- Daily Yoga & Meditation Classes
- Access to Gym & Steam Rooms
Shared Retreat Room (3 People)
- Twin beds
- Private Bath
- Complimentary Wi-fi
- Daily Delicious Vegetarian Meals
- Complimentary Tea/Coffee & Fresh Fruit
- Daily Yoga & Meditation Classes
- Access to Gym & Steam Rooms
Testimonials
Schedule
Cultivating Hope in Difficult Times
Avoiding Compassion Fatigue
May 5–7, 2023
Subject to change.
Friday 7:30–9:00 pm
Saturday 9:30 am–12:30 pm and 2:00 pm–4:00 pm
Sunday 9:30–11:30 am Room checkout is 11:00 am; luggage may be held at Reception.
General Information
All times are Eastern Standard Time (EST) unless otherwise noted.
Arrival Day
4:00 pm Check-in begins; Rooms are ready by 4:00 pm, but if you arrive early we will hold your luggage at Reception.
6:00–7:00 pm Dinner
7:00–7:20 pm Guest Orientation Session (Venue: Dining Hall)
Actual schedules and venues may vary; please confirm with Front Desk upon check-in.
Apart from the activities in your program schedule, we offer the following optional complementary activities. (Please join only if your program schedule permits.)
- 9:45–10:45 am Yoga | Thu–Sun
- 11:00 am–12:00 pm Mind & Meditation | Thu–Sun
- 1:30–2:15 pm Guided Hike | Assemble at Shankara Reception | Sat
- 2:30–3:45 pm Ayurveda Cooking Class* | Tulsi Kitchen
Thu: Sweet Treats • Sat: Chef’s Seasonal Recipe - 4:15–5:15 pm Yoga | Wed–Sat
- 5:30–6:00 pm Guided Meditation | Wed–Sat
- 7:30–8:15 pm Meditative Chants/Kirtan | Wed–Sat
Saturday kirtan is outdoor by the bonfire; weather permitting.
*Included with Wellness Escapes and R&R; Other participants: $35.00/per person
Clay Studio
- 11:00 am–7:00 pm Friday & Saturday
Hand Building $55 | 1 hour
Hours
Wednesday 2:00–8:00 pm
Thursday–Saturday 9:00 am–6:00 pm
Sunday 8:00 am–2:00 pm
We encourage you to also make reservations for consultations, therapies, and treatments at our award-winning Shankara Ayurveda Wellness at least two weeks prior to your arrival date to ensure availability. Please call 828.264.8382 for details. Additional cost.
On-Campus Program FAQs
For room reservations, Ayurveda Wellness Retreats, and Art of Living Retreat Center (AOLRC) signature retreats, we have the following cancellation policy:
- Refunds are available (less a $50 processing fee) up to 15 days before your program or stay.
- Nonrefundable credit toward a future AOLRC program or stay (less a $50 processing fee) is available if you give notice between 14 and one day(s) before your program or stay. Credit may be applied to any AOLRC program or stay for one year following date of issue.
- No credit or refund is available if you cancel on the arrival day, if you do not show up, or if you leave an event early for any reason. No refund will be available if you attend a program and are dissatisfied with its presentation or content.
AOLRC reserves the right to cancel a program at any time. If AOLRC cancels a program, you will receive a full refund. Some programs may have special cancellation policies; see individual workshop descriptions. For all other retreats, please be sure to check the registration page specific to that retreat.
Unless otherwise indicated, our programs are open to participants 18 years of age and older.
To encourage a healthy environment we ask that guests not consume alcohol or meat in our public spaces, however, guests may enjoy these items in their rooms.
Our property is always smoke-free.
Yes, we ask that guests with food allergies simply inform us so we can communicate those needs to our chef. Typically, we label potential allergens such as gluten, dairy, and nuts.
We do have lodging and event venues that are ADA-compliant. Due to the topography of our mountain campus, some are easier to access than others, so please speak to Guest Services (800.392.6870) prior to registering to ensure we can best accommodate your needs. We also have shuttles that run frequently throughout the campus.
Location
Boone, NC 28607
800.392.6870
Discover deep rest and rejuvenation on our tranquil mountaintop campus set amidst 380 acres of pristine forest in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Boone, North Carolina.
