Queer-Inclusive Spiritual Retreat with Mindfulness & Group Process North of San Francisco
This September 26–28 (Friday through Sunday), Spirit Camp in Mendocino welcomes women ages 20+ into a circle designed for safety, authenticity, and belonging. The Sacred Feminine Retreat invites participants to explore yoga, meditation, writing, and group process—but always with choice and consent at the core. The retreat is intentionally queer-inclusive and LGBTQ-friendly, celebrating diversity while offering a container where every voice matters.
Secure your place through the Sacred Feminine booking page and explore additional dates on the Spirit Camp Retreats calendar. Booking link: Sacred Feminine.
The heart of this weekend rests in shared mindfulness practices and group process. What unites the circle is not identity alone but the commitment to presence, play, and deep respect for each participant’s autonomy. This is more than a Queer-Inclusive Spiritual Retreat—it is a sanctuary where “yes” and “no” are equally honored.
Context for Mindfulness & Community Practices
Mindfulness, in its contemporary Western form, is the practice of paying attention to the present moment without judgment. Since the 1980s, it has become a cornerstone of stress reduction and well-being programs, adapted for schools, hospitals, and retreats. Its accessible framing means that people from diverse traditions and backgrounds can integrate mindfulness into daily life without needing prior expertise.
The mainstreaming of mindfulness began in part through Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, founded in 1979 at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. Though this retreat does not follow MBSR as a curriculum, its influence helps explain how mindfulness became woven into wellness culture worldwide, shaping how facilitators today design trauma-sensitive, inclusive spaces.
Group process adds another dimension: it is not simply a series of activities but a relational field where participants listen, respond, and learn together. In the Sacred Feminine retreat, group process is consent-forward and invitational, ensuring that you can engage at your own pace. The practice recognizes that transformation often happens in relationship—with self, with others, and with community.
Psychologist Irvin Yalom described therapeutic group factors such as universality, cohesion, and interpersonal learning. These elements help explain why groups can foster healing: we discover we are not alone, we feel supported in our vulnerability, and we learn by witnessing and being witnessed. At Spirit Camp, these principles are not abstract—they become lived experience around fire circles, in shared laughter, and in the quiet resonance of belonging.
Photo of Deer Haven, one of the our many unique cabin spaces. This cabin has three beds. Cabins have between 1 to 8 beds each and provide several different sleeping arrangements for Queer-Inclusive Spiritual Retreat. All cabin spaces are included in transformational retreat North of San Francisco.
Photo of Group Glamping Tents Setup in Sunset Meadow. We have 10 Glamping Structures that can be added with 1to 3 beds each. This can increase bed capacity of campus to 50 guests across 20 unique accommodation spaces.
Facilitators — Compassion with clear boundaries
The retreat is co-led by Lisa Gungor (Grammy-nominated artist, yoga teacher, and author) and Dr. Hillary McBride (therapist, researcher, and author). Together, they embody values of consent, play, and non-hierarchical facilitation. Since founding Sacred Feminine in 2018, they have created inclusive spaces where women of all identities can explore self-leadership, healing, and joy. Their partnership models friendship, respect, and deep listening—qualities that ripple into every retreat they host.
Spirit Camp Experience — Queer-owned, radically welcoming, substance-free
Spirit Camp is more than a venue; it is a queer-friendly retreat center built on values of body positivity, sobriety, and earth-based connection. Located among redwoods on 27 acres, it offers both comfort and playfulness—cabins with linen bedding, a nostalgic bunkhouse, and seasonal glamping under the stars. Meals are plant-based and locally sourced, served around communal tables where conversations unfold with ease.
The atmosphere is intentionally inclusive: co-owners Nathaniel and Julian, a queer couple, created Spirit Camp to be a radically welcoming environment. Guests often remark on how deeply safe and seen they feel here, knowing that sobriety, consent, and diversity are not afterthoughts but foundational values. More than a backdrop, the redwoods and meadows form part of the retreat’s spiritual fabric, slowing you down and inviting you into authenticity.
Location & Access — Near the Bay Area, effortless to reach
Spirit Camp lies just three hours north of San Francisco and Oakland and about two hours from Santa Rosa. Nestled in Mendocino County’s redwoods, it’s only ten minutes from the historic village of Mendocino and a short drive from Highway 1. Whether traveling from the Bay Area or beyond, the route itself becomes a transition from city pace to forest breath. For more upcoming retreats and program details, visit the Spirit Camp Retreats calendar.
FAQs
Is this retreat specifically for queer women?
No. The Sacred Feminine retreat is open to all women ages 20+, with a special emphasis on inclusivity. It is queer-friendly, but not exclusive to any one identity.
Can trans women attend?
Yes. Spirit Camp affirms trans women as women, and this retreat warmly welcomes them. The ethos of inclusivity ensures that every participant is honored as they are.
What transportation options exist from Bay Area airports?
Most participants travel by car from San Francisco (SFO), Oakland (OAK), or Santa Rosa (STS). Rideshares are sometimes coordinated among attendees, and facilitators may share recommendations closer to the retreat date.
Nearby Activities — add wonder to your weekend
Just north of Mendocino lies Jug Handle State Natural Reserve, home to the famed Ecological Staircase trail. This rare geological phenomenon showcases five distinct marine terraces, each with its own ecosystem—from ocean bluff to ancient pygmy forest. Walking the trail feels like traversing time itself, a living record of the land’s evolution.
Farther up the coast, Glass Beach in Fort Bragg dazzles with its tidepools and shores scattered with smooth, multicolored sea glass. Once a dumping ground, the beach has transformed into a place of resilience and beauty, its glittering fragments a metaphor for renewal. Exploring its tidepools reveals starfish, crabs, and anemones thriving in saltwater pockets, while the horizon stretches endlessly west.
Top Transformational Retreat Experiences North of San Francisco
Searching for an inclusive women’s spiritual retreat Bay Area or an LGBTQ-friendly women’s retreat Northern California? Spirit Camp offers the depth of a destination retreat without the distance. With mindfulness, group process, and the embrace of redwood forests, this Queer-Inclusive Spiritual Retreat blends accessibility with profound belonging.
Looking for a Retreat “Near Me”? Explore Spirit Camp
For Bay Area women seeking renewal, Spirit Camp is both close to home and worlds apart. Here, community is built on choice, consent, and joy. Under redwoods, you may find yourself journaling in the Sanctuary, dancing in the Lodge, or stargazing in Magic Meadow. This is where the weekend becomes a threshold: what you carry back is not just rest, but a deeper connection to self and others.
Final Invitation & Conclusion
If you’re longing for an inclusive circle where mindfulness and community meet, the Sacred Feminine retreat awaits. September 26–28 offers a chance to pause, breathe, and belong in a space that honors your individuality and your connection to others. Register through the Sacred Feminine page, and for more dates, browse the Spirit Camp Retreats calendar.
TOPICS:
Queer-Inclusive Spiritual Retreat, inclusive women’s spiritual retreat Bay Area, LGBTQ-friendly women’s retreat Northern California, mindfulness & community retreat North of San Francisco, women’s embodiment retreat Mendocino, queer-friendly retreat center, Bay Area women’s retreat, Mendocino spiritual retreat, redwood retreat Northern California, transformational retreat North of San Francisco
