The Retreat
Reclaim: To retrieve or recover something that was previously lost.
We are all born with a deep connection to mother Earth. Nature is where we came from and evolved, and this unbreakable bond is buried in our genes, our roots buried deep within the soil. It is a reclaiming: our roots are ever present, inherently there, waiting to be rediscovered.
Join Asheville natives, Nathalie and Tara, for a long weekend of nurturing and reconnection with the sacred roots of our essence that grow from within. Journey with us to a hidden paradise within the wild and enchanted Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. Surrounded by nature, nestled between mountains, warmed by radiant sun, and embraced by the infinite sky, we will be encompassed by the elements as they gently reawaken our souls.
We will explore the beauty of the external landscapes of nature's canvas, while navigating our internal landscapes. Flowing freely on our mats we will quiet our minds with stillness and meditation. Our bodies will be nourished with organic farm to table meals, and our souls enlivened with live music and poetry infused throughout the weekend. As we partake in mountain adventures, we remain open to blissful possibilities. Our journey will take us within, and we invite you to dive deep into opportunities for self-reflection, healing, and reconnection with the wild of the heart. Stripping away the distractions of everyday life, we will get back to basics, cultivating our ever present and universal truth that lies within.
As we shed the weight of daily life we'll discover the grounding powers of nature and learn what it means to ‘reclaim our roots’.
Retreat Specifics!
The retreat center’s website has information regarding accommodations, travel FAQs, activities, and pictures of this beautiful farm and its surroundings!
Specifics about room options and pricing can be found here.
(Double occupancy available! Inquire within!)
beckesch@gmail.com and nathalieclaesyoga@gmail.com
Retreat Highlights
Daily Yoga and Meditation infused with live music and poetry.
Optional guided journaling and discussion.
Gourmet, organic breakfast, lunch and dinner straight from the farm to the table with vegetarian and vegan options available.
Accommodations from luxurious camping to plush private suites.
Ample free time and optional arranged activities (farm tours, hikes, etc)
Beautiful farmlands and mountains to explore and lounge.
The Hosts:
Meet Nathalie
Nathalie Claes is a deep breather, movement maker, and an advocate for living life off the beaten path. Deeply inspired by the natural world, she found her yoga roots on a remote corner of Lantau Island, Hong Kong - and has since been on a journey to guide others back to their heart centered nature, through nature.
Belgian born, Nathalie has a deep love for travel. At the age of seven she moved to the US with her family, later relocating to study and work in the UK, afterwards exploring life as a teacher in China and then at a permaculture farm in Hong Kong. Her path as a student of yoga began here, where she worked in environmental and outdoor education. As her personal practice grew alongside jungle landscapes, ocean waves and mountaintops, she soon realized the deeper transformational power of yoga in nature.
Nathalie completed her RYT-200, Registered Yoga Teacher training at Asheville Yoga Center in 2015 and founded Inner Wild Yoga soon after in the summer of 2016. Gathering outdoors and connecting with nature through the practice of yoga is something she is honored to share with this community!
Meet Tara
Tara (Becky) Eschenroeder: With some teachers, the lessons are planned. They are practiced. They are rehearsed. And they are perfected to a tee. But Tara Eschenroeder offers a different experience. Teaching was Tara’s dharma long before she realized it. She grew up with a bow and arrow in her hands, learning to pull back with just enough aim and control to send her arrow into the abyss, knowing and trusting it would hit its intended mark. And so she enters each class, each workshop, each lesson.. Having prepared her body and mind to become that bow - that vessel - that let’s her lesson go.. Weaving its way into the provided space and landing wherever it is intended.
Tara felt that call in 2007 when she first felt the spark of a tiny flame. And instead of approaching that flame fearing the heat, she chose to approach it with love, stoking the fire that was burning within for her passion of yoga. By the end of 2009, she received her 200 hour RYT under Arlene Bjork and Grace Yoga Training Systems. She continued to follow what she knew and trusted her path to be, and she obtained her 500 hour RYT through Om On Yoga under the guidance and wisdom of Jennifer Elliott.
Inside the studio, no two classes or workshops are ever the same. Students are not told what to do, they are empowered to listen to their own bodies. And while there are general cues throughout of “warrior” and “downward dog” (almost always accompanied by their sanskrit name), one is also just as likely to hear cues of “listen to the animal within,” “move through honey, “ride the wave of your breath,” or, simply, just an encouragement to “dance.” Her mentoring sessions follow a similar pattern. Mentees are not told what to do but instead empowered to listen within with offered guidance- never forced, and always an open-minded invitation to explore. Tara’s Psychology degree from James Madison University and Elementary Education License from Mary Baldwin College give her a studied foundation for helping others, but it’s her natural instincts and open heart that help students see the best in themselves.
Traveling is Tara’s home, as she spends much of her time around the country holding workshops, retreats, and classes. She has also received additional teaching credentials with Project Yoga Richmond and YoKid Stretch Your Limits, as well as serving as a proud Ambassador for Lululemon Athletica. Yet, so much of her teaching is done off of the yoga mat. Tara openly and outwardly lives the teachings has been inspired to share. Just as she would encourage a student falling out of a pose to take themselves lightly, she does the same as she navigates through challenges. And just as she would encourage a student to trust themselves as they spread their wings into something new on the mat, she is a living example of trusting what she knew was her calling as she spread her own wings. She approaches life with that same love that she used to approach that initial flame, and she encourages each person with whom is comes in contact to do the same. And by doing so, she is living out her truth and her drishti of being a vessel of blessing.
See you in the hills!