A Venture Outside Retreat places a high priority on providing restorative activities and personal growth opportunities that are interspersed with physical outings to provide a well-rounded getaway that meets the needs of the body, spirit, and mind. Our retreats all include yoga, along with varying amounts of Practice Being in Nature, Guided Meditation in Nature, Outdoor Skills, Plant and Wildlife Natural History, Music, Healthy Foods preparation, and more.

Ø Retreats in Maine

Ø International Retreats

Note – I think that a picture should precede each of these, or be next to it.

Maine Holistic Adventure Retreats

·     Nature & Yoga on the coast of Maine

·    Holistic Winter Wellness Retreat in Western Maine – Cross-country Ski, Yoga, and Guided Nature Meditation

·     Sea Kayak, Meditate and do Yoga on an Island – Weekend Getaway in Downeast, Stonington, or Muscungus Bay

·     Hike, Canoe, and Yoga in Baxter Park

·     Music, Yoga, Nature of Downeast Maine, or the Boothbay Peninsula

·     Adventures in Music

·     Extreme Holistic Body Treatment – Weekend Getaway in Midcoast Maine

·     Multisport and Outdoor Survival/Camp Craft Retreat – Downeast Maine or Baxter Park

 

INTERNATIONAL RETREATS

 

·     The “HART” of Panama – Holistic Adventure Retreat in the Tropics.

Join us for this 5 day, 4 night retreat in the mountains of western Panama in the shadow of the Baru Volcano, an incredible setting to refresh the body, mind, and spirit. There will be one to two sessions of yoga a day, interspersed around a wide variety of physical and cultural adventures, including:

–       A nighttime hike up the volcano to make it in time for sunrise – see both oceans at the same time!

–       Mountain biking through the cloud forest.

–       Learn how coffee is made.

–       MUCH MORE!!
Holistic Winter Adventure Retreat in Western Maine

Venture Outside warmly invites you to embrace and celebrate winter with a full weekend retreat to the mountains of western Maine. Come enjoy a range of activities both outdoors and indoors designed to refresh and rejuvenate body, mind, and spirit! Join us for winter sports, yoga, music, and natural history in the wonderful setting of the Birches Resort on Moosehead Lake.

 

Activities

Friday night – Welcome session with performance on cello and guitar, with chanting and singing.

Saturday – Morning yoga, afternoon skiing and natural history walks/snowshoe, evening music.

Sunday – Morning yoga, late morning ski/hike, early afternoon music and closing session.

 

More Info

All outdoor activities will accommodate beginner and intermediate skill levels. Activities will depend on snow conditions and could include skiing, snowshoeing, or hiking. Walks in nature will include topics in winter ecology, winter birding, wildlife tracks, and waking up all your senses to nature! Feel free to participate in, or just listen to, all music performances and chanting. Meals will be delicious, healthy, and hearty, and will accommodate vegetarians.

 

Cost

$350 includes lodging, 6 meals, and all activities. No equipment is included, but it can be rented at the Birches.

A $100 non-refundable deposit is due by December 15 with the balance due January 10.

 

Accommodations:

We’ll stay in our own lodge on the resort, with cozy double and triple bedrooms, our own kitchen, hot tub, and common area where yoga sessions with gorgeous views will be held.

 

Guides/Instructors

Ellie Osborn – Licensed Maine Guide, Professional Musician

Kara Douglas – Certified Yoga Instructor.

Dave Santillo – Licensed Maine Guide, Professional Naturalist

 

Island Retreat   – Sea Kayak, Meditate and do Yoga on the Coast of Maine –Acadia Region or Muscungus Bay

Three days on a Maine island. No distractions, bare necessities, and full on immersion. Restoration to the max. Join us for sea kayaking, yoga, nature meditation, beach combing, music and natural history in two wonderful settings in downeast and midcoast Maine.

 

Activities

Day One – Mid-afternoon greeting and orientation. Introduction to your kayak, and skills.

Day Two – Morning yoga in nature, afternoon paddling and relaxation, evening music.

Day Three – Morning yoga, mid-morning natural history hike, early afternoon paddle for return.

 

More Info

All outdoor activities will accommodate beginner and intermediate skill levels. Extent of paddling will be adapted to marine weather conditions. Hikes in nature will include shoreline ecology, birding, watching for seals and whales, and waking up all your senses to nature! Feel free to participate in, or just listen to, all music performances and chanting. Meals will be delicious, healthy, and hearty, and will accommodate vegetarians.

 

Cost

$250 includes tent camping for two nights, 6 meals, and all activities. The cost includes use of sea kayaks and all associated gear, and tents.

A $100 non-refundable deposit will be due upon registration. Balance will be payable within one week of the retreat.

 

Locations and Accommodations:

·      Ash Island is a private island in Flanders Bay located in the Acadia region just north of Mt. Dessert Island. Relatively modest in size, it’s joined to three other islands with extensive sandbars at mid and low tide. We have a small cabin on the island, but all accommodations will be tent camping.

·      Muscongus Bay is located in the midcoast region of Maine just west of the Pemaquid Peninsula. Known for its spectacular views all the way out to Monhegan Island, the bay is known for its changeable paddling conditions. Our retreats are planned for Hog Island, the location of an Audubon Preserve. The island has hiking trails, wonderful rocky and sandy shoreline, and flexible paddling options. Accommodations will be in tents on platforms.

 

Guides/Instructors

Ellie Osborn – Licensed Maine Guide, Professional Musician

Kara Douglas – Certified Yoga Instructor.

Dave Santillo – Licensed Maine Guide, Professional Naturalist

 

 

Maine North Woods Wilderness Retreat – Hike, Canoe, and Yoga in Baxter Park

Our 3-day holistic wilderness retreat is held in Maine’s greatest natural jewel – Baxter State Park, home of Mt. Katahdin and the terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Opportunities for physical activities abound here, with countless hikes and wonderful paddling opportunities. Join us for hiking, outdoor yoga, music and natural history in the wilds of Maine.

 

Activities

Day One – Mid-afternoon greeting and orientation. Afternoon nature hike, and yoga session.

Evening music and singing/chanting.

Day Two – Morning yoga in nature, afternoon paddling and hike, evening music.

Day Three – Morning yoga, mid-morning nature hike, afternoon closing.

 

More Info

All outdoor activities will accommodate beginner and intermediate skill levels, as there is a wide range of hiking trails available. Hikes in nature will include forest ecology, birding, geology, and waking up all your senses to nature! We’ll keep a sharp eye out for moose! Feel free to participate in, or just listen to, all music performances and chanting. Meals will be delicious, healthy, and hearty, and will accommodate vegetarians.

 

Cost

$300 includes tent camping, 6 meals, and all activities. The cost includes use of canoes and all associated gear, and tents.

A $100 non-refundable deposit will be due upon registration. Balance will be payable within one week of the retreat.

 

Locations and Accommodations:

Baxter State Park is located about 5 hours by car from Portland.  Our start time will accommodate a morning drive to the retreat. Accommodations will be in tents, potentially on platforms.

 

Guides/Instructors

Ellie Osborn – Licensed Maine Guide, Professional Musician

Kara Douglas – Certified Yoga Instructor.

Dave Santillo – Licensed Maine Guide, Professional Naturalist
Play and Sing Music Retreat – Weekend Getaway in Downeast Maine

There is some Adventure and Yoga in this retreat, but this truly unique experience highlights MUSIC!  Soothing the mind, celebrating the spirit, and giving the body a bit of a work out to make sure it doesn’t feel left out. It doesn’t get much better than that for restoration and relaxation. You’re invited to bring an instrument (or bring two!), and then to play and sing along to folk songs, chants and meditation jams, drum circles and whatever else strikes the groups’ fancy. To the extent possible, there will be opportunities for instruction from our professional music teacher on the VO staff, Ellie Osborn. Ellie sings and teaches guitar, cello, ukulele, recorder, piano, and several other instruments. This 3-day holistic retreat is held in the Acadia region of the Maine Coast.  Opportunities for physical activities abound, including hiking, biking, swimming, rowing, and paddling a sea kayak or canoe.

 

Activities

Day One – Mid-afternoon greeting and orientation. Afternoon nature hike, and session. Evening music and singing/chanting.

Day Two – Morning yoga in nature, hike or bike. Morning, afternoon, and evening music sessions and performances.

Day Three – Morning yoga, short mid-morning nature hike, early afternoon music session.

 

More Info

Meals will be delicious, healthy, and hearty, and will accommodate vegetarians.

 

Cost

$325 includes lodging, 7 meals, and all activities. The cost includes use of canoes and all associated gear, and tents.

A $100 non-refundable deposit will be due upon registration. Balance will be payable within one week of the retreat.

 

Locations and Accommodations:

This retreat is held at one of several locations in the Acadia National Park region about 3.5 hours by car from Portland.  Our start time will accommodate a morning drive to the retreat. Accommodations will be rustic cabins.

 

Guides/Instructors

Ellie Osborn – Licensed Maine Guide, Professional Musician

Dave Santillo – Licensed Maine Guide, Professional Naturalist

 

Others:

·     Raw Foods & Cleanse Retreat, Boothbay Peninsula. Learn to prepare and then eat healthy raw foods, emphasizing foods that cleanse your organs. Mix in just the right complementary doses of physical activity to round out the holistic benefit, and add in some music, and this is a truly restorative experience that you’ll carry forward.

·     Extreme Holistic Body Treatment – Weekend Getaway in Midcoast Maine. An all-around body experience that will leave you recharged! Exercise your muscles with hill hiking and mountain biking, and outdoor aerobic and strength exercises, and then work out lactic acid through bodywork massage, rolling, and yoga.

·     Music, Yoga, Nature of Downeast Maine, or the Boothbay Peninsula. A truly holistic healing and meditative experience on the beautiful coast of Maine. Listen and participate in restorative and entertaining music performances and chanting. Practice yoga in view of the ocean. Immerse and connect with nature on guided and solo walks. Learn about wildlife and plants, and practice meditation in nature.

·     Multisport and Outdoor Survival/Camp Craft Retreat – Downeast Maine or Baxter Park. A weekend escape for adults who want to “go to camp.” We’ll hike, bike, and canoe, learn about natural history, learn and practice basic wilderness skills, camp crafts, and of-course sing around a campfire.