Somatic and Spiritual Retreat in the Redwoods: Movement Rituals and Sacred Council near San Francisco
Where Spirit Meets Body: A Sacred Retreat Experience Awaits
There is a moment when your body says: It’s time to come home. Not to a place—but to your own presence. Symposium: The First Gathering is a somatic and spiritual retreat in the redwoods designed for those craving deep embodiment, sacred ritual, and heartfelt community.
Held from November 4–9, 2025, this six-day immersion near San Francisco offers soul-deep healing through movement, nature-based ceremony, and sacred council. Rooted in the wisdom of the nervous system and the call of the spirit, this retreat invites you to remember who you are—through sensation, stillness, and shared story.
With practices like somatic movement, sacred council, breathwork, and earth-based ritual, participants are guided into grounded presence and emotional clarity. The experience takes place at Spirit Camp Retreat Center in Mendocino County—an inclusive, forested haven that merges somatic science with spiritual depth.
The Science and Soul of Somatic Spiritual Practice
Your body carries more than muscle and memory—it holds wisdom. Somatic healing, grounded in polyvagal theory and trauma-informed practices, recognizes that transformation happens not just in the mind, but in the body’s felt sense of safety.
At Symposium, participants learn to track sensation, regulate the nervous system, and release stored tension through gentle movement, breath, and embodied awareness. This supports deeper presence and genuine connection.
Layered with earth-based spirituality, these practices echo indigenous and ancestral traditions where ritual, nature, and embodiment were inseparable. Ceremonies may include forest offerings, firelight prayer, or elemental invocations.
Sacred council—a facilitated group dialogue rooted in deep listening and intentional speech—completes the triad. It is where insights become spoken, and transformation becomes shared.
As outlined by Somatic Experiencing International, healing is a cycle of awareness, release, and integration. This retreat embodies that cycle in full.
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 Somatic and Spiritual Retreat in the Redwoods. All cabin spaces are included in Forest-based spiritual retreat Northern California.
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.
Keepers of Sacred Rhythm
Lindsay Dorio (@zenithmassagebylindsay) brings the language of the body into every session. Through somatic guidance and bodywork, she helps participants drop beneath the mind’s chatter and into the truth of their tissues.
Mary-Grace Hogan (@marygrace_julianna) facilitates sacred council with clarity and warmth. Her presence invites softness, spaciousness, and insight to arise naturally—never forced.
Dayana Carmona (@herwhollywisdom) deepens the spiritual field with womb-based ceremony and elemental ritual. Her work reconnects you to ancestral memory and cosmic rhythm.
Each of these guides holds space with integrity, humor, and grace—creating a container where your process can unfold in its own way and time.
Ground Into the Earth, Rise Into the Ritual
Every moment at Spirit Camp is designed to support embodied integration. Morning movement may begin with walking barefoot among ferns and redwoods, followed by breathwork in The Sanctuary as sun filters through its copper roof.
Ceremonial circles are held in Magic Meadow—a sunlit clearing with fire pits and forest hush. Here, rituals take root. Stories are shared. Silence is honored.
Meals are plant-based, lovingly prepared, and served communally—fostering connection and grounded energy. Accommodations range from cozy cabins to camp-inspired bunkhouses, all surrounded by redwood stillness.
Whether you’re dancing in the lodge, weeping beside a cedar altar, or resting with tea in a hammock, this redwood somatic retreat supports nervous system safety and soulful unfolding.
Easily Accessible Yet Spiritually Remote
Located about three hours from San Francisco and Oakland, Spirit Camp offers a perfect balance of accessibility and sacred seclusion. Set just 12 minutes from the coastal town of Mendocino, this sacred movement retreat near the Bay Area makes it easy to unplug without needing a flight across the world.
You’ll drive through Sonoma’s vineyards, past ocean cliffs, and into a forest sanctuary where time slows. Guests traveling from Marin County, Santa Rosa, or San Jose find the commute gentle—and the arrival profound.
This is a Northern California spiritual immersion that feels both timeless and rooted.
FAQs for Body-Based Explorers
What is somatic movement and how is it different from yoga?
Somatic movement is about feeling, not performing. It’s inward-focused, emphasizing sensation, breath, and presence rather than postures or flexibility. It’s accessible to all bodies.How spiritual is the retreat—do I need a belief system?
No belief system is required. The retreat is open to all—whether spiritual, agnostic, or curious. It emphasizes personal meaning-making, ritual as expression, and authentic connection.Can I participate if I have limited mobility?
Yes. Many practices are seated or adaptable. The facilitators are attuned to physical needs and provide supportive options for all movement levels.
Unplug, Explore, and Integrate
After the retreat, nearby nature offers gentle ways to continue your journey.
Jug Handle State Reserve features a unique ecological staircase hike—tracing 500,000 years of plant evolution. It’s a symbolic walk for those reflecting on personal transformation, and a great way to move softly through post-retreat insights.
In downtown Mendocino, visit local apothecaries and artisan shops for herbal tools, spiritual supplies, or handcrafted gifts. Whether you’re drawn to a ceremonial candle or a new tea blend, the town supports quiet re-entry with intention.
Let Your Spirit Speak Through Your Body
You don’t need to be fixed. You need to be felt.
This retreat is an invitation to reconnect with your own inner rhythm—through movement, ritual, and embodied presence.
Answer the call and join us at Symposium: The First Gathering.
For more immersive healing journeys like this one, visit spirit.camp/retreats.
TOPICS:
Somatic and Spiritual Retreat in the Redwoods, Redwood somatic retreat, Northern California spiritual immersion, Sacred movement retreat near Bay Area, Body-centered healing and spiritual ceremony, Retreat with sacred council in nature, Forest-based spiritual retreat Northern California, Nervous system healing retreat, Soul embodiment practices, Somatic integration retreat Mendocino
