What is grief? Grief is all about love at its core, and because those we love are no longer here to love us actively, we feel pain. While grief is different for everyone, there are core elements to healing that can benefit almost everyone. And what does healing from it truly require?
Writer, speaker, and grief expert Marisa Renee Lee has crafted a workshop that isn’t about getting over it when you lose someone you love, but about learning to live with it and allowing yourself to authentically experience joy.
Offering unique insights about the intersections between grief and identity (What does grief look like for a Black woman or a trans man?), Marisa helps you navigate the complicated and challenging emotions faced when experiencing loss utilizing research-based advice and wisdom from her best-selling book, Grief is Love.
Through guided writing exercises, private and shared grief processing sessions, and group discussions, you experience
- Clarity on what grief really is and how it shows up
- Insight into how to permit yourself to grieve
- Guidance on handling difficult emotions associated with grief and loss
- Insight into what it means to LIVE with loss
- Definitive ways in which you continue to love the person you lost
- Guidance on how to care for yourself as you navigate life without your loved one.
This weekend of restoration, reflection, and healing is for anyone who wants to learn to navigate grief with clarity and courage and welcome joy back into their lives.
Presenter
Marisa Renee Lee
Marisa Renee Lee is a called upon expert in coping with grief and author of the national best seller, Grief is Love, Living with Loss. In 2008, after a lengthy and courageous battle, she lost her mother to cancer. This loss transformed her life and led her to question what grief really is and what healing truly requires. In Grief is Love, Marisa utilizes research-based advice and wisdom to help others navigate the complicated and challenging emotions we face when experiencing loss, offering unique insights for women and Black communities.
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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.)
Schedule
Grief is Love
Living with Loss and Opening to Joy
September 22–24, 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
Unless otherwise indicated, our programs are open to participants 18 years of age and older.
- Refunds are available (less a $50 processing fee) up to eight 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 seven 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.
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.