True north

a winter retreat with Sarah uhl

February 1-4, 2024

Settle into the stillness of Winter Season at this Creativity + Wellness Retreat in Western Colorado.

The aim of this retreat is to cleans our bodies and clear our mind.

This retreat is about choosing a path true to yourself.

We will engage with the elements of fire + water to inspire creativity, connection, and a deep reset that points you back towards your innate wisdom. Guided nutritional cleansing, yoga classes, and intention setting through creative workshops and discussions will balance out the sheer inspiration the property alone provides.

I choose Beyul Retreat for this gathering because of its amazing energy. With its proximity to Nature, the cozy and artfully curated accommodations, and luxuries like a cedar sauna and stunning group gathering spaces, Beyul is a rare sanctuary.

Join me.

What to expect

  • Guided Tea and Fire Ceremonies

  • Guided Yin and Yang Yoga classes

  • Group Sauna and Cold Plunge Sessions (optional)

  • Experimental Art making in the snow

  • Guided meditations in the forest spiral

  • Nutritional Cleanse geared towards digestion ease and reduced inflammation

  • Watercolor Workshops with Sarah, focusing on sacred geomentry and patterns in Nature, personal empowerment, and creative play

  • Journaling promps that help you navigate your True North

  • Free time to enjoy the 32 acre property. CX skiing, Snowshoeing, and Sledding access straight out your cabin door

  • Intimate group size no larger than 13 guests



What’s Included

The Retreat will begin midday Thursday February 1st and end midday Sunday, February 4th. Winter driving conditions are likely and 4x4 vehicle and snow tires are recommended. If traveling to the retreat by air, a group shuttle will likely be arranged from Aspen or Basalt, Colorado. Included in your registration fee:

  • 3 nights lodging at Beyul Retreat

  • 2 group meals per day with a focus on low inflammation foods and digestion ease

  • 4 creative workshops facilitated by Sarah Uhl

  • 2 yoga classes guided by Beyul co-founder Abby Stern

  • Cha Dao-Chinese inspired tea ceremony hosted by Madelyn Sullivan

  • Winter meditations and experimental art making in Nature

  • Creativity kit and Wellness Gift from Sarah

  • 24/7 access to the hot tub, cedar sauna, and cold plunge

  • Group discussions about the intersection of creativity, wellness, and nature

  • Free time to enjoy the surrounding landscape with access to CX skiing trails, snowshoeing, sledding, and admiration of Nature!

Retreat support Staff

Madelyn Sullivan

Madelyn is a weaver of community, story, and ritual. Her personal journey of healing and exploring consciousness continuously informs the basis of her work. With training in survival skills, biodynamic craniosacral bodywork, tea ceremony, and ritual as well as a love of story and myth, she aims to create spaces for the emergence of deeper truth, authenticity and connection between humans and the more than human realms.

Madelyn will be leading tea and fire ceremony during the True North Winter Retreat

Abby Stern

Beyul Retreat Co-Founder & General Manager

Abby is dedicated to building community that is focused around environmental, social and interpersonal wellness. Abby has 10 years of experience in retreat curation, event production, curriculum creation, marketing and community organizing through her work with several nonprofit organizations in Aspen, Colorado. She is a 500 RYT trained yoga and meditation instructor who leads weekly classes at Beyul.

Abby will be leading yoga during the True North Winter Retreat.

Jennifer McCalib

Jen is an integrative and functional nutritionist and holistic chef. She has a passion for bringing healing and nourishment through food that fuels the body and feeds the soul. When she isn't in the kitchen you'll find Jen in the garden, on the yoga mat or enjoying the outdoors with her husband and two kids.

Jen will be cooking our meals and designing our nutritional cleanse at the True North Retreat.

about the venue

At 8300 ft, Beyul is surrounded by the White River National Forest and sits alongside the Frying Pan River. The 32 acre property has 15 unique cabins and 7 cozy lodge rooms. Beyul is located about 1 hour from Aspen, Colorado.

I choose Beyul Retreat to host True North for many reasons, but I will start by sharing a description from their website:

BEYUL (pronounced bay • yule)

The literal translation of this Tibetan word is "hidden lands ." Our name honors the idea of real places, as well as a state of mind, in which physical and spiritual worlds unite.

Beyul landscapes encourage an exploration of an individual’s inner and outer being. Once present at one of these hidden mountain valleys, the seeker enjoys a heightened state of rest, wellness, creativity, adventure, and awareness.

Supported by a community of like-minded members, each guest of this Beyul can truly seize the opportunity to reconnect to the wilderness, community, and self.

Although Beyul can sleep 70 guests, True North will be capped at 13 guests so you can expect an intimate experience amongst our group while sharing the property with other travelers and Beyul’s incredible staff. We will be taking advantage of their Hot Tub, Cedar Sauna & Cold Plunge, Yoga & Meditation Barn, Forest Spiral, and Main Lodge. We will be using the Aspen Lodge for our creativity sessions and for housing the Retreat Staff. You can learn more about Beyul on their website.

lodging options at Beyul retreat for True North

Shared or Private Lodge Room.

The Main Lodge at Beyul is as cozy as it gets, with art and surprises around every corner. Share a lodge room during the True North Retreat with a friend, pair up with another retreat guest, or book your own room

  • $1800 / person for shared room

  • $2400 / person for private room

  • get all the details on the registration page

Two Person Cabin

Beyul offers 15 unique cabins on the property, each uniquely decorated with a unique blend of Ranch Steezy style. Book your own cabin with a friend or share a cabin with another retreat guest.

  • $1950 / person for shared cabin

  • get all the details on the registration page

Private Cabin

Beyul’s smallest cabins are called Snug Cabins and thats exactly what they are, snuggly. These intimate one room cabins are the ultimate solo escape during the retreat

  • $2800 / person for solo cabin

  • get all the details on the registration page

creative play meets intentional focus

All of the content for this retreat is brand new. We will be experimenting with our creativity by exploring patterns in Nature and how that beauty radiates back into our lives when we take the time for reflection.

We will be slowing down our body and mind through meditation, yoga, journaling and intentional eating - giving our whole being a chance to rest, restore, and recalibrate in a way that is unique to each and every one of us. What will surface for you, if you take the time to slow down?

This retreat is about supporting one another on our collective journeys, expanding your comfort zone through intentionally guided practices and making space for yourself and your own truth to rise up.

Rise up and gain access to your most authentic self… your true north.

FAQ

What if I don’t have any experience with watercolor painting? Even better! This retreat is about discovering your creative freedom, opening up your sense of curiosity, and having a playful experience with painting and other artistic mediums.

What if I have Food Allergies? No problem. All retreat participants and their dietary needs will be accounted for before the event begins and the exact menu is set..

What can I do in my free time at Beyul? Rest and enjoy some time to yourself in your room or any of Beyul’s incredibly cozy nooks throughout the property. You’ll have full access to the cedar sauna and hot tub as well as the main lodge. If you want to enjoy the snow, there is incredible snowshoeing, CX skiing and sledding straight out the door. You can also explore any of Beyul’s art installations including the forest spiral and other surprises along their property.

What is the weather like that time of year? This will be deep Winter in the Rocky Mountains so get ready for impeccable beauty and a lot of cozy time beside the fireplace! The majority of the retreat will be hosted indoors but you should be prepared for short walks in the snow to get from cabin to cabin for various retreat activities. All of our painting workshops will be indoors and any outdoor sessions will be optional. Look forward to the classic bluebird snow days if we are lucky enough to get the sun on our side.

testimonials

“I signed up for Sarah’s retreat because I have admired her painting style for years and I wanted to meet her and learn from her. It turns out, the retreat was so much more than learning a new painting style. It was a balm for my soul and a safe space to manifest my dream of becoming a mother, as well as a more confident artist and connected human being. As I write this testimonial, I am watching it snow out the window with my 2 month old son sleeping on my chest. It was an incredible few days at avalanche ranch and I am looking forward to the next retreat.”

-Sarah Carpenter from Idaho

“Sarah is an amazing artist, teacher, and human. She creates a space that allows for both connection and reflection. She weaves her web of nurturing at multiple levels, offering us the opportunity to access beauty in the physical forms of nourishment as well as tending to our inner landscapes. I had high expectations, and quite honestly, they were exceeded. It was all of my favorite things in a multi-day feast for the senses and heart.”

-Alyssa from Wisconsin


“Thank you for all the preparation, planning, and forethought. Thank you for your calm and centered energy. Thank you for the details you attended to throughout the entire experience. Thank you for being open and vulnerable yourself, making it easy for others to do the same. Thank you for sharing your time, your family and yourself. The overall feeling each day was one of being nourished, being held, being taken care of. This was exactly what I needed.”

-Karalea from California

“There was so much I loved about the retreat. Sarah did such an amazing job with the food and meal prep. I was WOWED. It was a true retreat to not think about food and know I would eat well. I enjoyed the variety of age of woman as it was nice to hear from didn’t places of life. I loved my time away and am so grateful Sarah put this retreat together. It really was all the things I loved!”

-Lexis from Colorado