GRIEF + GRACE

A Healing Retreat for Mother’s who have lost a Child to fentanyl

GRIEF + GRACE

October 2-5, 2025 Gai Villa Yucca Valley, California

Are you longing for a sacred space to devote time and energy to your healing journey?

Grief and Grace is a deeply supportive healing retreat designed specifically to hold space for mothers who have lost a child to fentanyl. Set in the serene and soul-nourishing landscape of Joshua Tree, CA at the magical Gai Villa, this three-night, two-day experience offers you the chance to pause, breathe, and receive.

Sharing grief as a collective helps us each find our own unique path as we navigate our healing journeys. We all grieve in our own ways and respecting this without judgement or shame is a healthy way to process and intertwine grief into our daily lives.

This retreat is a tender invitation into healing, connection, and renewal. We will explore healthy and constructive ways to navigate the waves of loss. We will look inward, working with and nurturing compassion for all that we find and we will look outward, witnessing and nurturing compassion there too. We will witness the power of sharing our grief stories and opening our hearts to the true nature of healing in community.

Maybe you are yearning to be surrounded by others who understand the journey you are on- women who have walked this path of heartbreak and resilience; Maybe you are unsure but feel called to share your story and your grief - being heard can be healing; Maybe you are open to trying something new that will support your journey and open doors to new healing modalities. Grief + Grace offers healing for the mind, body, and spirit.

Grief changes us, and in time, we may feel called to explore who we are becoming. This retreat is a space for bereaved mothers who have done some grief work over their first year of grieving and are ready to reconnect—with their bodies, hearts, and the world around them. In a community of those who understand, you’ll have the opportunity to move, reflect, create, and remember, all while making space for joy and grief to co-exist.

As a collective, we will gently explore holistic modalities to guide and support us on this sacred journey:

  • meditation and mindful movement

  • sound healing experience

  • restorative yoga and breathwork

  • tools for nervous system regulation

  • movement for grief

  • creativity as a healing modality

  • somatic movement and awareness of our bodies

  • sharing from our hearts and community connection

  • rituals to honor our grief and our children

  • space for stillness, silence, and solitude

  • embrace the healing energy of nature and the sacred grounds of Joshua Tree National Park

  • healthy, nourishing meals for our healing bodies

There is no pressure, only spaciousness. You will have space to feel, to rest, to speak, or simply to be. This retreat is for you to take care of you. Being in a community of mothers who understand this particular heartbreak creates a unique and powerful container for healing.

If your heart is nudging you toward this experience, we welcome you with open arms. Trust your grieving process. You don’t have to carry it all alone.

Together, we will hold each other with compassion. Together, we will honor our grief. Together, we will find moments of grace. Together, we will heal.

As I began my healing journey in early 2020, I kept finding myself wanting to get past the grief. I wondered if I did everything right and attended groups, went to therapy and read all the books, then maybe I would get over it sooner. What I discovered and began to understand, was that grief is a part of who I am now. It is not a singular event that you move past. It can impact you in multiple realms. The experience of grief is a natural response, and your life will change after losing someone important to you. Grief is intricately woven into everything I do, everything I am, and everything I want to be. If I ignore it, numb it or push it down; It will not go away. In fact, as I began to really “feel” my feelings and develop a relationship with my grief, I found that holding it in just made me feel worse. Feel it, experience it, accept it.

I am still learning to ride the waves and follow the unpredictable patterns of grief with an attitude of acceptance and grace. I discovered that sharing my story and talking about my loss was healing for me. Yes, it was uncomfortable for me and for those I shared with at times but it is here, where I found growth and transformation. My journey with grief and the loss of my son will forever be a part of who I am. I am not who I once was. I am grateful for what I have learned over the past 5 years and proud to be where I am right now. It will never be easy, but it will always be worth it. Invest in you, your journey, and your joy.

We all have a warrior within; my son’s name is Wyatt which means “little warrior”, and he is the greatest Warrior I have ever known.

Janice Wilson - Retreat Leader

The Warrior Within Us

ACCOMODATIONS

room 1 - two single beds /day bed double/triple occupancy $1500 each

room 2 - two single beds double occupancy $1500 each

room 4 - two single beds double occupancy $1500 each

room 5 - two single beds, bunk bed triple occupancy $1500 each

room 3 - two single beds double occupancy $1500 each

Rooms 2 and 3 can be converted to private rooms (queen bed) for $2200

  • 3 nights/4 days at the luxurious Gaia Villa Space

  • 3 nourishing meals a day provided by a professional chef

  • Space and time for heartfelt connections and conversations with other bereaved mothers in a safe, understanding space

  • ​Fire + Release Ceremony

  • Access to hot tub, cold plunge tubs, labyrinth, fire pit, rooftop terrace, and yoga space.

  • Grief work, journal sessions, and guided self reflection

  • Private Group Sound Healing Experience

  • Joshua Tree National Park Excursion

  • Yoga, Breathwork + Meditation practices - (no experience necessary)

  • Creative practices for inner work to express your love and loss

  • Movement, nature time, and somatic practices to reconnect with your body

  • Participate in beautiful rituals that allow you to acknowledge your child, express your grief, and honor our shared losses.

  • Experience the soothing benefits of quiet time amid nature, giving yourself permission to simply be

WHAT’S INCLUDED

  • Transportation to and from the retreat space

  • Travel Insurance

  • Tips for Excursions / Chef

TRAVEL INFO

  • Fly into Palm Springs, CA Airport

  • Connect with others for possible carpool to retreat center

  • Uber to retreat center


NOT INCLUDED

WHO IS THIS RETREAT FOR?

  • Mother’s who have lost a child to Fentanyl

  • Mother’s whose grief needs tending

  • Mother’s who long to connect with other mothers who truly understand

  • Mother’s who need space to slow down, be held, and honor their child through creativity, movement, and ceremony

  • Mother’s who are at least a year out from their loss and feel ready for deeper self-exploration

  • Mother’s who seek reconnection with their body and heart

  • Mother’s who long for a space to learn more about their grief while also embracing joy, connection, and who they are becoming

  • Space is limited to 12 participants

“Grief is not a disorder, a disease or a sign of weakness, it is an emotional, physical, and spiritual necessity, the price you pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve.”

Earl Grollman

Retreat Host

JANICE WILSON

I lost my beautiful son to Fentanyl on February 23, 2020. Your life can truly change in an instant. My healing journey has been full of synchronicities that I could not ignore. I opened Feel Free Yoga + Wellness Studio in Athens Ga in July of 2022. I knew that I needed a space to heal and wanted to create a space to share with others. Having a safe and supportive space to be your authentic self and a place to transform, grow and heal, has proven itself to be much needed in our community. My gift is bringing people together and healing as a collective. I have been leading retreats for 4 years now. I believe in my heart that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing at this time in my life. I feel called to lead this retreat for Moms who have lost a child to Fentanyl. I believe that by taking this time for yourself and making space to grieve, you are able to work through layers and eventually discover the light within that has been dimmed. It is still there; and choosing to find it and choosing to share it with others again, will shape your healing journey and allow your heart to receive love and joy once again. It is not an easy journey but I can assure you that your hard work and belief in yourself is worth it. We want you to leave with new tools and healing modalities that you can turn to as you navigate your path ahead. Our wish is for you to make new connections, approach grief with grace, and most importantly, have hope for the journey ahead.

Retreat Host

SASCHA DEMERJIAN


Grief House Executive Director, Co-Founder & Grief Companion
Sascha Demerjian is a founder of The Grief House. The road she took to get here took her through a MSW from the University of Michigan, a PhD in Sociology from Emory University, several moves across the country, parenthood, pet parenthood, and so many deep connections and losses. At the Grief House she develops, supports and facilitates opportunities for people to be present with grief. She works to normalize grief and to invite and allow for messiness and joy along the way.

GRIEF + GRACE

A Healing Retreat for Mother’s who have lost a Child to Fentanyl

RETREAT DATES 10.2 - 10.5, 2025

LIMITED TO 12 PARTICIPANTS

Double Occupancy $1500 each

Single Occupancy $2200 each

Deposit of $500 due to reserve your space

EMAIL US WITH ANY QUESTIONS:

info@feelfreeyogawellness.com