The Art of Staying

What happens when we stop rushing toward the next thing?

Winter invites us inward. The pace of the world slows, and what’s left is what’s here: the ache, the gratitude, the exhaustion, the stillness. This weekend is an invitation to tend to what we’ve built, to feel what’s alive, to give space to what’s ready to be grieved.

When we stop running, we meet what’s true.

The core question is:

how do we stay – with ourselves, each other, and the world – when everything asks us to move on?

This question is the pulse. We will engage with it on three different levels:

• the personal (how do i stay with my emotions, my body, my grief?)

• the relational (how do we stay in connection, even when it’s uncomfortable?)

• the political (how do we stay present to collapse, injustice, and change, without numbing or despairing?)

Staying becomes a form of resistance to speed, productivity, and the culture of disposal.

The Art of Staying is a weekend of slowing down together. We will connect through movement, touch, grief rituals, shared meals, and time in the mountains. It’s not about fixing anything, but about practicing the muscles of presence: how to stay with what is tender, how to keep our hearts open when things end, and how to move through the winter of our lives with softness.

The Flow of the Weekend

Thursday | Arrival & Fire-side Circle

Arrive between 16:00 and 18:00 to settle into the chalet. We’ll share a pot of soup, light a fire, and begin with an opening ritual around the hearth to mark our arrival, name what we’re tending to, and allow silence to gather us.

Friday & Saturday | Staying With What’s Alive

A slow morning circle. Journaling, art, and movement to meet what’s present. We’ll explore the dance between hibernation and expression – when to rest, when to move, when to let sound or tears or laughter flow. There will be moments for the group to come together, share, reflect, and work with guiding questions and exercises.

In the evenings, we’ll hold space for grief through a ritual one night and a cozy fire-side chat the other.

There will also be time for community meals, walks in the snow, moments of holding and being held, naps, tea, laughter, and the quiet hum of mountain life. We’re taking plenty of time for ease and slowness.

Sunday | Integration & Return

A gentle morning of sharing, touch, and movement. We’ll gather for a closing ritual before lunch to weave ourselves back into the world with gratitude and slowness. Departure around 15:00.

About the Place

We’ll be spending the weekend in Sogn Andriu, a cozy Alpine “village” (of 4 houses) nestled in the Swiss mountains. The house we’re staying in has wooden beams, panoramic views, a crackling fire, and a big kitchen that smells like soup and coffee. There’s plenty of space to curl up with a book, step out into the snow, or stare into the stars.

The neighbors include newborn lambs and baby donkeys.

The house is easily accessible by public transportation, which is encouraged. After taking the train to Ilanz, Bus 441 up the mountain is free for all during the winter months. Just get off at Lumbrein, Sogn Andriu and you’re at the end of the driveway. 

Dinners will be a community event – you’re either helping to cook or clean up! Think (vegan) soups and stews, a side salad. There’ll be freshly baked bread and the most delicious butter and cheese bought straight from the local farmers – who have banded together to ensure the entire mountain is pesticide-free! 

My husband and a close friend will be on-site in the evenings but not part of the retreat as we’re spending the full winter here. They’re friendly and will do their best to not intrude. During the day, they will be at work.

Who This Weekend Is For

This space is for anyone who’s longing to slow down, to reconnect with the body, to make room for grief and joy without rushing toward a fix.

This space is for people who are already doing their inner work – therapy, art, journaling, healing – and are ready for a deeper pause.

For those who are tired of the speed of everything and long to move at the pace of their own heartbeat.

For anyone in transition, in grief, in the middle of becoming.

For people who believe that care is political, that rest is resistance, and that we heal best in community.

You’re welcome to come alone 🧡 and you’re warmly encouraged to come with a friend, lover, or close person.

Most rooms have shared beds, and the experience itself deepens when shared: bringing someone close makes it easier to carry the weekend’s learnings back into daily life.

Practicalities & Pricing

Dates: Thursday, January 8th (arrival from 16:00 – 18:00) until Sunday, January 11th (departure around 15:00)

Location: Sogn Andriu, Lumbrein, Graubünden, Switzerland — sognandriu.com

Pricing Your contribution has two parts:

• 400 CHF base — The ticket for the event. Everyone pays this. It covers my facilitation of the workshops and rituals, all meals and snacks, material costs.

• + lodging choice — depending on comfort and room preference. Price is inclusive of all three nights – TOTAL!

• If this is out of reach, please send me an email at elladoesworkshops@gmail.com to find something that works for both of us 🙂

All meals, tea, snacks, materials, and firewood included. There are 3 (shared) bathrooms with showers. We will be max 12 people sharing the house.

❄️ The Ice Palace has less insulation than the rest of the house but warms up nicely with the space heater. For those who enjoy the feeling of being tucked under a warm duvet with the cold winter air around you.

💛 One reduced-rate spot is available for someone who needs it. Please email me at elladoesworkshops@gmail.com if you need the financial assistance.

If you’re in a position of financial abundance, you’re invited to add a small solidarity contribution to support others’ access – another reduced-rate spot could become available!

 

The Procedure
You will apply for the retreat by filling in this form, indicating what lodging you’d like to sleep in. You can then secure your spot by transferring the money for the base ticket.

After I have assigned you to a room, I will email you with a confirmation. You can then transfer the remaining money or bring cash to the event.

In the case of a cancellation, this is what I can offer you:

Until December 20th, a full refund can be issued (minus service fees).

Cancellations between December 21st – January 2nd will receive a 50% refund.

After January 2nd, I can no longer offer a refund.

Come Stay

This winter, instead of making resolutions, what if we made room?

What if staying was the revolution?

Come sit by the fire, let your nervous system thaw, and remember what it feels like to be held by community, by the mountains, by time itself.

Link to sign up form:
https://cryptpad.fr/form/#/2/form/view/A8nucnRWYI4oklWy-UfzYXGViwrqFcmeblU7oq6iAZg/