Our 4th beloved Chant for Love Retreat returns September 11-13, 2026!

Relax into the first weekend of Spring to experience bliss, love and community with Radha Rose, Bala Yancey, and Josh Klein. This weekend retreat will open your heart with vocal empowerment and sound healing. Enjoy magical community experiences with mantras, drumming songs, nature therapy and cacao ceremony.

Whether this is your first retreat or 108th:

CHANT FOR LOVE 2026 Retreat is for you if you seek to open up your heart and your voice with experienced guides in a loving, inclusive spiritual community.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

⚘

4th Annual Ram Dass Summer Camp 🧡🐒

Join us for Ram Dass Summer Camp 2026, our largest and most beloved gathering of the year, and a sacred milestone in the journey of Just Love Forest.

This year’s gathering will serve as the formal consecration of Just Love Forest Ashram, marking the emergence of the ashram after a transformative year of devotion, pilgrimage, service, and community.

Following last year’s summer camp, we made a pilgrimage to the Neem Karoli Baba Ashram in Taos, New Mexico, receiving the blessing and encouragement of elders connected to this lineage. Since then, Just Love Forest has formally become a federally recognized 501(c)(3) church and spiritual organization rooted in Bhakti Yoga, loving service, remembrance, and reverence for nature.

Now, one year later, we gather again beneath the summer sky.

Inspired by the original Ram Dass summer camps in New Hampshire, this is not simply a retreat, but a temporary village of practice, music, prayer, laughter, service, and love.

Together we will share:

Aarti and devotional ritual

Kirtan beneath the stars

Meditation and satsang

Forest therapy and nature immersion

Breathwork and embodied practice

Sacred fire circles and mountaintop gatherings

Seva, song, silence, and shared remembrance

This year’s gathering features a variety of offerings from beloved members of the extended Ram Dass and Just Love Forest community.

At the center of it all is a simple question:

“How can I help?”

The spirit of seva is what transforms this gathering from an event into a living community. Together we create the field.

This gathering is offered through our Heart-Centered Reciprocity model so that finances are not a barrier to participation. If you feel called to be here, we welcome you.

Come sing beneath the stars.Come walk each other home, again.

Come help us consecrate this next chapter of Just Love Forest Ashram together.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

Hermitage at Just Love Forest

The Hermitage at Just Love Forest is an intentional, land-based experience of solitude, simplicity, and deep listening. Rooted in a long human lineage of seekers, mystics, artists, and everyday people who stepped into periods of intentional seclusion, hermitage here offers a refuge from modern noise and distraction, inviting participants to return to clarity and presence.

Duration

Hermitage experiences are held within a shared container, with all participants beginning on the same start date. Minimum stays: eco-village is 3 days, deep forest is 4 days. This allows enough time to settle, listen, and arrive more fully. From there, the length of each stay is individualized, with end dates shaped by the participant's needs and set to the final date listed for that session. This structure allows for both continuity and flexibility, honoring different rhythms while supporting the care of the land.

Guests arrive together for orientation and an exploration of the land, then settle into quiet, solo time in either an eco-village bell tent or a more secluded forest site, with the forest itself serving as their teacher and silence as their guide. The experience is not a conventional retreat or program to complete; there is no prescribed agenda, only space to rest, reflect, create, or simply be. Hermitage is shaped collaboratively through pre-arrival consultation and held with care for both the individual and the integrity of the land.

Consultation

This 60-minute consultation is the first step in co-creating a personalized hermitage experience at Just Love Forest. After scheduling, you’ll complete a brief questionnaire to guide the conversation. Together, we’ll explore where you are, what you most need, and your intentions for retreat time. We’ll discuss timing, levels of support, and recommend a structure aligned with your energy, goals, and capacity. You’ll also have space to ask questions so you can move forward with clarity and confidence.

Consultation fee: $50

CLICK TO SCHEDULE YOUR CONSULTATION

For general questions, please don’t hesitate to connect with us at contact@justloveforest.com

Hermitage at Just Love Forest

The Hermitage at Just Love Forest is an intentional, land-based experience of solitude, simplicity, and deep listening. Rooted in a long human lineage of seekers, mystics, artists, and everyday people who stepped into periods of intentional seclusion, hermitage here offers a refuge from modern noise and distraction, inviting participants to return to clarity and presence.

Duration

Hermitage experiences are held within a shared container, with all participants beginning on the same start date. Minimum stays: eco-village is 3 days, deep forest is 4 days. This allows enough time to settle, listen, and arrive more fully. From there, the length of each stay is individualized, with end dates shaped by the participant's needs and set to the final date listed for that session. This structure allows for both continuity and flexibility, honoring different rhythms while supporting the care of the land.

Guests arrive together for orientation and an exploration of the land, then settle into quiet, solo time in either an eco-village bell tent or a more secluded forest site, with the forest itself serving as their teacher and silence as their guide. The experience is not a conventional retreat or program to complete; there is no prescribed agenda, only space to rest, reflect, create, or simply be. Hermitage is shaped collaboratively through pre-arrival consultation and held with care for both the individual and the integrity of the land.

Consultation

This 60-minute consultation is the first step in co-creating a personalized hermitage experience at Just Love Forest. After scheduling, you’ll complete a brief questionnaire to guide the conversation. Together, we’ll explore where you are, what you most need, and your intentions for retreat time. We’ll discuss timing, levels of support, and recommend a structure aligned with your energy, goals, and capacity. You’ll also have space to ask questions so you can move forward with clarity and confidence.

Consultation fee: $50

CLICK TO SCHEDULE YOUR CONSULTATION

For general questions, please don’t hesitate to connect with us at contact@justloveforest.com

Song & Sound Circle

Many people arrive at the Sound & Song Circle carrying a quiet longing to connect, paired with uncertainty about whether they have a “good voice,” musical experience, or anything to offer.

This gathering exists precisely for that tender edge.

The Sound & Song Circle is not a performance space. It is a shared listening space—one where voices, instruments, silence, and simple presence are all equally welcome. Some participants sing freely. Others hum softly, keep rhythm, or simply sit and receive the sound. Every way of being is valued.

Together, we create a field of sound that is less about making music and more about feeling resonance—within ourselves, with one another, and with the forest around us. Songs may be simple chants, familiar melodies, improvised tones, or wordless sound. Instruments are welcome, but not required. Your voice, breath, or attentive listening is enough.

There is no pressure to sing alone, lead, or share unless you feel called. You are always free to participate in the way that feels safest and most nourishing for you. Many people discover that their voice naturally emerges over time, simply by being held in the collective sound.

The circle unfolds slowly, with room for pauses, laughter, emotion, and rest. The forest itself becomes part of the experience - holding the sound, echoing it back, and grounding the gathering in place.

Sound & Song at Just Love Forest is a practice of attunement and belonging. It reminds us that community is built not by perfection, but by showing up and allowing ourselves to be heard, or simply to listen, together.

By the end of the evening, many leave feeling more open, more settled, and quietly connected to something larger than themselves.

––––––––––
Sound & Song Circle

Arrive at 4:30 PM

All voices and levels of experience are welcome

Instruments are optional; listening is participation

You may sing, hum, drum, sit quietly, or come and go as needed

This is a substance-free, family-friendly gathering

If you are also attending the Service Day, participants should plan to stay on site through the evening

No musical skill is required. Presence, curiosity, and care are what make the circle meaningful.

We will share any additional details the week of the gathering.

Potluck Dinner (Vegan & Vegetarian)

Our evening begins with a shared vegan and vegetarian potluck meal. Participants are invited to bring a dish to share with the group.

We typically gather with around 15 people, so a modest dish that can serve several is perfect. Please also bring your own serving dish and serving utensils, as these are not provided on site.

If you’re new to potlucks or unsure what to bring, simple offerings are always appreciated - soups, salads, grain dishes, roasted vegetables, breads, or fruit are all wonderful choices.

Sharing a meal together is an important part of the evening, offering a chance to connect, settle in, and arrive fully before entering the Sound & Song Circle.

How Registration Works

Registration happens in two simple steps.

When you click one of the links below, you’ll first be taken to Stripe to securely submit your payment. Once your payment is complete, you’ll be automatically redirected back to our website to share a few important details so we can best support your stay.

1. Complete your payment
   You’ll choose your contribution amount on our secure Stripe payment page.

2. Share your details and preferences
   After payment, you’ll be redirected to confirm your accommodation choice, share food preferences, complete any required waivers, and submit any questions for our team.

Payment is required before continuing to step two.

The cost for the Saturday night song and sound circle is $50+tax and includes the experience, potluck meal and optional overnight stay.

Click here to pay & then begin registration

QUESTIONS OR SPECIAL NEEDS?

We’re here for you! Contact Bala at contact@justloveforest.com for any questions or accommodations.

CONSIDER MEMBERSHIP

If you find yourself wanting to return again and again throughout the year, membership is a simple way to stay connected and supported.

Membership is for those who feel drawn to build ongoing relationships with the land and community showing up regularly, deepening friendships, and participating in the shared rhythm of service, ceremony, and care.

For $50 per month, members receive several benefits, including one of the most meaningful:

Members may attend the entire monthly Community Weekend for a flat contribution of $50.

That means you can join Friday meditation, Saturday service and song, and Sunday forest therapy without worrying about individual session costs. It’s our way of keeping these gatherings financially accessible while encouraging consistency and relationship over time.

Membership also supports the ongoing stewardship of Just Love Forest by helping care for the land, maintain shared spaces, and sustain a place where community can continue to gather with intention and heart.

There’s no pressure to attend every month. Membership simply creates a steady bridge between you and the forest, so you can come when you’re able and feel held when you do.

If you’re longing for a place to belong, not just to visit once, but to return to, membership may be the right next step.

Apply for Membership Here

Be Here Friday
Satsang with the Teachings of Ram Dass

A Just Love Forest Ashram Inspired Event • Donation-Based Meditation Overnight
Friday Arrival at 4:30 PM

Be Here Fridays are an invitation to slow down and arrive.

As the week releases its grip, we gather in the forest to sit together as satsang (spiritual community) in shared presence, discussion, prayer, song and quiet companionship. These evenings are not about doing more, but about remembering what it feels like to simply be here now together.

Just Love Forest Ashram gatherings are open to all compassionate people and spiritual paths. Our roots are in the lineage of Neem Karoli Baba and the Bhakti Yoga tradition, the yoga of love and devotion. You don’t need any familiarity with these traditions to attend. An open heart and gentle curiosity are enough.

This gathering is entirely donation-based. Please offer what you can to help care for the land, share food, and sustain the space. Everyone is welcome.

The evening includes:

• Guided meditation, accessible to beginners and experienced practitioners alike
• Guided satsang discussions and readings to share our perspectives
• Pooja and Aarti, a simple ceremonial offering honoring the elements and directions through light, song, and prayer

This is a multi-faith, inclusive space. If you feel called, you’re welcome to bring a compassionate sacred object from your own tradition: spiritualist, Hindu, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, earth-based, or otherwise to place on the altar and receive blessings.

If meditation or ceremony feels unfamiliar or intimidating, please know that nothing is required of you. You’re welcome to sit, observe, breathe, and let yourself be held by the space. Respectful curiosity is more than enough.

We’ll share a nourishing Indian-themed dinner together before meditation.

You’re welcome to join us for the evening and depart around 8:00 PM, or stay overnight in one of our canvas bell tents. Both options are donation-based.

Saturday morning unfolds gently with:

• Meditation from 7:00–8:00 AM
• Pooja and Aarti from 8:00–8:30 AM
• Breakfast afterward

Join us in the forest.
Breathe. Sit. Pray. Listen.
Be here, together.

Everything for this gathering is donation-based. We’re grateful for your support in caring for this land and community.

Bala and Mitch are all certified Mindfulness Meditation Teachers, graduated from Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach's 2-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certificate Program through the Awareness Training Institute and the University of Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center. As part of this 2-year program, they completed a 6-month DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity, and Accountability) training.

Learn more about the teachers

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

While the ashram is currently in formation as a nonprofit religious organization, retreats and gatherings at this time are hosted through Just Love LLC, the land-based retreat stewarding organization and are not tax deductible.

UNTAMED: REWILDING THE FEMININE

June 11th - 14th, 2026

Untamed: Rewilding the Feminine is an invitation into the ritual wild. A return to what has always lived beneath the surface. A remembering of the woman who existed before the softening pressures of expectation, the taming of instinct, and the weight of being good. This retreat is for every woman longing to shake off the domestication of shoulds and step into the raw, unedited pulse of her own life force.

Across four days held within the ancient quiet of the forest, we will journey through the elemental gateways of earth, fire, water, and sky. Together we will create a sacred container where grief and joy are not opposites but twin teachers. Through movement, breath, story, and silence we will reclaim the forgotten parts of ourselves, the ones that have waited patiently for space to speak again. This is a place where permission reigns. Where your inner wild woman is not only welcome but wanted.

Our time together will include spacious circles for sharing, guided journeys for remembering, and rituals shaped by the land itself. There will be moments of fierce clarity and moments of soft unraveling, opportunities to rest in sisterhood and opportunities to stand alone beneath the canopy of trees and hear your own heartbeat again. We honor the thresholds each woman carries into this gathering: the losses that altered her, the longings she has not yet spoken, the quiet wisdom she has not yet trusted.

Evenings will invite a deeper descent. Firelight ceremonies. Drum and breath. Gentle forest wanders. Conversations that drift between laughter and tears. Mornings will offer grounding practices, movement to awaken the body, and invitations to meet yourself with tenderness. The pace is intentional, allowing each participant to choose how deeply she steps in. Nothing is forced. Everything is allowed.

Untamed is not about becoming someone new. It is about remembering someone ancient. The woman who knows how to listen to her body, honor her rhythms, and speak from her bones. The woman who has survived loss and still loves. The woman who is both gentle and unbreakable.

The work is deep, but the invitation is simple: come exactly as you are, especially the parts that feel inconvenient, too much, not enough, or still finding their voice. Bring your grief. Bring your wonder. Bring the wild threads of yourself that have waited for a place to belong.

We will hold them all.

Limited to 20 women.

Registration IS NOW OPEN!

Gay by Nature
OUR 3rd Gathering for Gay Men
May 28–31, 2026

A nature-rooted gathering designed by gay men, for gay men, held in the heart of Just Love Forest in Poetry, Georgia. Gay by Nature is a soulful weekend retreat where gay men from all walks of life come together to breathe deeply, speak honestly, and remember who they are beneath the surface.

This experience is about slowing down, reconnecting with your inner life, and rediscovering the joy of brotherhood in an unhurried, supportive forest setting. Over the course of three days you’ll share nourishing plant-based meals, hike through vibrant late spring forests, gather in fire circles for heartfelt conversations, explore movement and yoga, and rest in spacious silence and community.

Gay by Nature meets you where you are, whether you’re seeking rest, healing, deeper connection, spiritual renewal, friendship, or simply time to be present with others who understand. You’re welcome here in your fullness, your softness, your questions, and your story.

This retreat invites you to rest, be seen, and be gay by nature - slowing down with kindred spirits and the forest as your teachers.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

Questions? contact@justloveforest.com

Song & Sound Circle

Many people arrive at the Sound & Song Circle carrying a quiet longing to connect, paired with uncertainty about whether they have a “good voice,” musical experience, or anything to offer.

This gathering exists precisely for that tender edge.

The Sound & Song Circle is not a performance space. It is a shared listening space—one where voices, instruments, silence, and simple presence are all equally welcome. Some participants sing freely. Others hum softly, keep rhythm, or simply sit and receive the sound. Every way of being is valued.

Together, we create a field of sound that is less about making music and more about feeling resonance—within ourselves, with one another, and with the forest around us. Songs may be simple chants, familiar melodies, improvised tones, or wordless sound. Instruments are welcome, but not required. Your voice, breath, or attentive listening is enough.

There is no pressure to sing alone, lead, or share unless you feel called. You are always free to participate in the way that feels safest and most nourishing for you. Many people discover that their voice naturally emerges over time, simply by being held in the collective sound.

The circle unfolds slowly, with room for pauses, laughter, emotion, and rest. The forest itself becomes part of the experience - holding the sound, echoing it back, and grounding the gathering in place.

Sound & Song at Just Love Forest is a practice of attunement and belonging. It reminds us that community is built not by perfection, but by showing up and allowing ourselves to be heard, or simply to listen, together.

By the end of the evening, many leave feeling more open, more settled, and quietly connected to something larger than themselves.

––––––––––
Sound & Song Circle

Arrive at 4:30 PM

All voices and levels of experience are welcome

Instruments are optional; listening is participation

You may sing, hum, drum, sit quietly, or come and go as needed

This is a substance-free, family-friendly gathering

If you are also attending the Service Day, participants should plan to stay on site through the evening

No musical skill is required. Presence, curiosity, and care are what make the circle meaningful.

We will share any additional details the week of the gathering.

Potluck Dinner (Vegan & Vegetarian)

Our evening begins with a shared vegan and vegetarian potluck meal. Participants are invited to bring a dish to share with the group.

We typically gather with around 15 people, so a modest dish that can serve several is perfect. Please also bring your own serving dish and serving utensils, as these are not provided on site.

If you’re new to potlucks or unsure what to bring, simple offerings are always appreciated - soups, salads, grain dishes, roasted vegetables, breads, or fruit are all wonderful choices.

Sharing a meal together is an important part of the evening, offering a chance to connect, settle in, and arrive fully before entering the Sound & Song Circle.

How Registration Works

Registration happens in two simple steps.

When you click one of the links below, you’ll first be taken to Stripe to securely submit your payment. Once your payment is complete, you’ll be automatically redirected back to our website to share a few important details so we can best support your stay.

1. Complete your payment
   You’ll choose your contribution amount on our secure Stripe payment page.

2. Share your details and preferences
   After payment, you’ll be redirected to confirm your accommodation choice, share food preferences, complete any required waivers, and submit any questions for our team.

Payment is required before continuing to step two.

The cost for the Saturday night song and sound circle is $50+tax and includes the experience, potluck meal and optional overnight stay.

Click here to pay & then begin registration

QUESTIONS OR SPECIAL NEEDS?

We’re here for you! Contact Bala at contact@justloveforest.com for any questions or accommodations.

CONSIDER MEMBERSHIP

If you find yourself wanting to return again and again throughout the year, membership is a simple way to stay connected and supported.

Membership is for those who feel drawn to build ongoing relationships with the land and community showing up regularly, deepening friendships, and participating in the shared rhythm of service, ceremony, and care.

For $50 per month, members receive several benefits, including one of the most meaningful:

Members may attend the entire monthly Community Weekend for a flat contribution of $50.

That means you can join Friday meditation, Saturday service and song, and Sunday forest therapy without worrying about individual session costs. It’s our way of keeping these gatherings financially accessible while encouraging consistency and relationship over time.

Membership also supports the ongoing stewardship of Just Love Forest by helping care for the land, maintain shared spaces, and sustain a place where community can continue to gather with intention and heart.

There’s no pressure to attend every month. Membership simply creates a steady bridge between you and the forest, so you can come when you’re able and feel held when you do.

If you’re longing for a place to belong, not just to visit once, but to return to, membership may be the right next step.

Apply for Membership Here