GRIEF day retreat

Come for a day of transformation & Peace

Join community members Lee, Josh and Bala for a day of healing transformation at the Grief Day Retreat.

This retreat is designed to support individuals navigating various forms of grief. Over the course of a weekend, participants will explore their personal connections to grief through guided discussions, contemplative walks, and shared experiences in nature. The retreat offers a safe space to express and process grief, with a focus on breaking the isolation that often accompanies it.

Grief touches us all, whether it's the loss of a loved one, the grief of unfulfilled dreams, or the sorrow for our planet. This day retreat invites you to bring your grief, whatever form it takes, into a supportive and understanding environment. Whether you’re mourning a significant loss, struggling with the grief of a complicated past, or experiencing the collective sorrow of global events, this retreat offers a space for you.

The program begins with a cemetery tour on Friday, allowing you to reflect on the nature of grief in a serene setting. Saturday’s program includes an introduction to the forest, where you’ll share your connection to grief and set intentions for the weekend. Through guided meditations, pair sharing, and contemplative walks, you’ll explore how grief manifests in your life and learn ways to prepare for it.

Participants will engage in activities that foster deep listening, empathy, and connection. The day will include a thoughtful session on creating a space for grief, helping you develop a plan for how to approach grief and end-of-life considerations with more clarity and intention. The retreat concludes with a closing circle, offering a final opportunity to share and be heard.

Examples of Grief and Who This Retreat is For:

1. The Bereaved: If you’ve recently lost a loved one and are struggling with the intense emotions of grief, this retreat provides a space to process your feelings in a nurturing environment.

2. The Caregiver: For those who have cared for someone through illness or end-of-life, this retreat offers a chance to reflect on your journey and address the complex grief that can follow caregiving.

3. The Environmental Mourner: If you feel grief for the state of the planet and the loss of natural beauty, this retreat allows you to connect with others who share your sorrow and find solace in nature.

This retreat is for anyone who seeks a compassionate space to explore and understand their grief, regardless of its source.

What You may Expect

Join us for a full day of enjoying and immersing yourself in part of the 716 acres of Just Love Forest.

• 10 AM - Intro to the forest 

  Rose Tea. Share Name, where from, why did you decide to be here for this weekend? 

  Your connection to grief

  Grief. We all carry it. Many different types, some related to deaths, of sorts 

  Absent, Acute, Ambiguous, Anticipated, Complicated, Cumulative, Disenfranchised, Prolonged

  Intention/ Goal- ending grief related isolation, so few spaces to be seen in this particular way

  How? Attention. Relationships. Being listened to. Empathy. Care. Nature. Vulnerability. Creating

  My grief - War, planetary and helping people with no plan or plans that didn't work during covid 

  What’s yours? What you should talk about. We can share in a group or “pair share”, where we will split into pairs and each experience 8 min. Listening and being listened to

  What should you do in your time listening?
  What should you do in your time talking? 
  

  The three agreements:

  Each person gets equal time, no interruptions (advise-questions-comments, analyzing or sharing a story of your own when you listen) - keep confidentiality. 

  Debrief- what was it like to listen? To be listened to in this way?

  This will take a total of about an hour and a half. 

  12:30- 1:30 Lunch 
  

  1:30 -3 Walk with Josh - Noticing death in the forest, especially this time of year 

  3-4 Break 

  4-5 Grief Contemplation- making a space and place for grief 

  Consider that we prepare for so many events in life (dates, graduations, weddings, births) 

  How have you prepared for your grief and death? We want you to leave with a plan for yourself

  And / or loved one, to start a conversation about wishes and hopes. 

  Consider these three aspects as an example- 

  • Practical - after you die, how do you want your body attended to? By who?

  • Physical - how do you want to be cared for during the last months?

  • Emotional - with whom do you want to be during those last days?

  • Mental - what do you want to leave behind as a legacy?

  • Spiritual - practices you want to guide you through the end of your life?

  5-6 closing circle and final share for those leaving tonight 
  

  6-7 meal 
  

  7-9 Fire talk, sing, drum, sleep 
  

  This schedule offers a balanced mix of learning, practice, and reflection, designed to ignite your inner fire and foster a deep sense of connection with yourself and the community.

• Sliding scale payment

  We’ll be offering payment for this experience on a sliding scale basis to help in offering access for everyone. After registering below, you’ll be taken to a payment page where you can choose your amount. Tax will be added at checkout.

  • Forest Day Retreat Standard Rate: $150 This is the recommended rate, allowing us to provide certified guides, while helping us to steward and protect our 716 acre nature preserve.

  • Forest Day Retreat Sustainer Rate: $250 This is the recommended rate for those who can help support this work and allow us to pay it forward to others.

  • Forest Day Retreat It’s All Good Rate: $100 This is gratefully accepted from those who need community support financially at this time.

  • Special Member Rate: $75 This is for up to three members of Just Love Forest on a first come, first served basis: www.justloveforest.com/membership

  • An optional overnight with dinner add-on: includes dinner, a relaxing evening forest therapy experience with a evening fire gathering and overnight stay in our canvas bell tents with tempur-pedic mattresses. If you would like to inquire about this overnight stay and experience for an additional $150, please email bala@justloveforest.com to answer your questions and pay.

  Please have each individual register separately. We look forward to seeing you in the forest!

• Feel free to email bala@justloveforest.com with questions or for more information.

Meet your guide, Lee

Lee Pratt is a Grief Coach who thrives on connecting grieving people to each other and back to nature. 

Raised in a rural socialist community in the Negev desert of Israel, Lee traveled and lived over five continents, working in the fields of Education, Sustainability, and Senior Care. Her passion is to build community based grief care with a focus on nature healing. Being a veteran, Lee specializes in supporting vets through grief work and in integrating plant medicine ceremonies. She offers her signature nature based Grief Processing Support and is the co-author of the Plantegration Protocol.