Getting older doesn’t mean accepting less strength, energy, or freedom. In this empowering women’s retreat with physical therapist and women’s health expert Jessica Valant, MSPT, you’ll learn to understand your changing body and work with it rather than against it. Through approachable movement, science-backed education, and nervous system support, you’ll cut through the overwhelm surrounding women’s health and discover a simpler path toward greater strength, energy, mobility, and independence that meets you exactly where you are.
No prior fitness level is required. Movement modifications will be offered for injuries and individual needs. Participants are encouraged to consult their healthcare provider before joining movement classes.
SAVE! Add a day or two and save 20% off our R&R rates. Select your added day(s) on the Registration page.
Movement Confidence
Move with greater assurance by learning how to adapt exercise to your body’s abilities, needs, and season of life.
Health Clarity
Cut through conflicting women’s health information and understand what matters most for supporting your health as you age.
Stress Relief
Learn accessible ways to reduce chronic stress and nourish your nervous system through breath, vagus nerve support, movement, and mindset.
Self-Advocacy
Gain the knowledge and confidence to ask informed questions, communicate your needs, and take a more active role in your healthcare.
Body Trust
Develop greater confidence in your changing body by understanding what it needs, honoring what it can do, and learning how to support it well.
Daily Habits
Take home simple, realistic strategies that make supporting your strength, health, and wellbeing more doable in everyday life.
This weekend is an opportunity to replace uncertainty about your changing body with the knowledge and confidence to support it well. You’ll begin shifting your attention away from limitations and toward capability, discovering how much more empowering healthy aging can feel when you understand what your body needs and why. You’ll leave with greater confidence advocating for yourself, realistic ways to support your wellbeing, and a renewed sense that you can continue feeling active, resilient, and fully engaged in the life you want to live.
Explore bodyweight exercises and practical movement techniques that build strength and support the physical demands of everyday life.
Explore breathing, vagus nerve support, and other accessible techniques for easing chronic stress and supporting greater regulation.
Practice movements that support mobility, stability, coordination, and the freedom to keep doing what matters to you.
Experience accessible Pilates-based movement designed to cultivate strength, body awareness, control, and confidence at your own level.
Reflect on your relationship with your changing body and develop a more encouraging, capability-focused approach to healthy aging.
Learn the science behind how women’s bodies change with age and what you can realistically do to support your health.
SAVE! Add a day or two and save 20% off our R&R rates. Select your added day(s) on the Registration page.
Check-in Begins 4:00 pm
Dinner 6:00–7:00 pm
Property Orientation 7:00–7:20 pm
Session 1 7:30–9:00 pm
Breakfast 7:30–9:00 am
Session 2 9:30 am–12:30 pm
Lunch 12:30–1:30 pm
Session 3 2:00–4:00 pm
Free Time 4:00–6:00 pm
Dinner 6:00–7:30 pm
Breakfast 7:30–9:00 am
Session 4 9:30–11:30 am
Room Checkout 11:00 am Luggage may be held at Reception.
Lunch 12:00–1:30 pm
Jessica Valant, MSPT, is a physical therapist, Pilates instructor, and women’s health expert who helps women feel stronger, safer, and more empowered in their bodies through every season of life.
Prices include daily vegetarian meals from dinner on the night of check-in through lunch on the day of checkout. (Rates below are per person.)
Ideal for individuals, couples, or friends seeking hotel-style comfort and amenities.
Ideal for friends seeking hotel-style comfort and amenities.
Ideal for individuals, couples, or friends seeking simple surroundings for peace and clarity.
Note Room may contain extra single beds.
Fully furnished 665 sq.-ft. apartment (max: 2 persons)
Note Furniture may vary; each apartment is different.
Fully furnished 995 sq.-ft. apartment (max: 4 persons)
Note Furniture may vary; each apartment is different.
Free activities include
Interactive Nature Hikes
Cooking Demos
Meditation & Movement Classes
Wellness Workshops
Paid activities include
Pottery Classes
Ayurvedic Wellness & Healing Arts Treatments
Take your rejuvenation to another level. Our spa offers treatments and therapies that integrate ancient Ayurveda with contemporary wellness.
Call to check availability during Shankara Ayurveda Spa business hours; seven days a week, 9:00 am–6:00 pm.
For room reservations, Ayurveda Wellness Retreats, and Art of Living Retreat Center (AOLRC) signature retreats, we have the following cancellation policy:
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. You may email us at info@theartoflivingretreatcenter.kinsta.cloud.
Thanks to the cool climate of the Blue Ridge Mountains, air conditioning is rarely needed. For the occasional warm day, there is a fan in each room to help keep you comfortable.
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.
We are committed to the safety of our guests and staff. Our mountaintop location and the surrounding areas are spacious, remote, safe, and secure.
You can help!
Transportation Options Between Charlotte and the Center
Hickory Hop Shuttle Service Book online hickoryhop.com The Hickory Hop shuttle goes from Charlotte airport to Boone five times daily. Reservations are required, so book ahead online and be sure to confirm shuttle times coordinate with your travel plans.
High Country Limo 828.898.9595 highcountrylimo.com
Oscar’s Car Service 704.965.5800
Edwardo’s Car Service 704.949.6775
Blue Bird Transportation 828.989.7286 Blue Bird of Boone
Abby Cab 828.475.2988 abbycab.com
Uber or Lyft Book in app on arrival.
Other airports within driving distance from the Art of Living Retreat Center include
Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI) in Johnson City, TN (80 miles)
Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO) in Greensboro, NC (110 miles)
Visit our directions page for more information.
Step into a world where mindfulness meets beauty. Our gallery captures the essence of the Art of Living—from serene moments of reflection to vibrant celebrations of life, wellness, and connection.
SAVE! Add a day or two and save 20% off our R&R rates. Select your added day(s) on the Registration page.
