A Soft Place to Land:

Fourth Annual Queer Joy Retreat

July 16th - 19th 2027

Join retreat hosts Sophie Lyons-Covarrubias (she/they) and Angie Benitez (she/they) for a 4 day, 3 night LGBTQIA2S+ Affinity Yoga retreat at Willow Retreat Center. This retreat is an offering to folks who wish to spend intentional time immersed in Queer community. Wake up to morning yoga, enjoy delicious food, and spend the day engaged with optional activities such as; dance and movement, journaling, swimming, art and workshops to explore our relationship to Queerness and time to unplug in the Vermont outdoors.

This retreat is open to all folks who identify anywhere within the LGBTQIA2S+ spectrum. Starting Friday late afternoon and running till Monday mid morning, this retreat will be a brave space for folks to connect deeper to their Queer identity and utilize the practice of yoga to come home to themselves. During this retreat, we will practice asana, meditation, and a wide breadth of yogic practices, and other modalities to explore what Queerness means to us.

More about your retreat hosts:

Sophie Lyons-Covarrubias (she/they) retreat host and lead teacher is a Boston based, Queer woman that specializes in offering trauma informed yoga classes. She is passionate about bringing together the LGBTQIA2S+ community through the practice of yoga and creating brave spaces for folks to explore agency in their bodies. Sophie is an 800hr certified Yoga teacher with over a thousand hours of teaching experience. She is trained as a 200hr Kripalu Vinyasa Teacher, a 300hr Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga Facilitator (TCTSY-F), and a 300hr Ignite Yoga & Wellness Institute Instructor. Sophie is also a Level II Reiki Healer, Trauma-Conscious Yoga Guide (TCYM) and an experienced regular yoga teacher (E-RYT) . Sophie completed their Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a concentration in LGBTQIA2S+ Mental Health at William James College. They also earned a BA in Holistic Psychology and Wellness from Lesley University, with a specialization in yoga therapy, trauma, eating disorder recovery, and addiction.

Angie Benitez (she/they) graduated from Salem State University with a B.A. in Modern/Contemporary Dance and has since studied at Bates Dance Festival and continues to study and grow with local Boston-based artists. Angie has immersed herself in teaching dance and performing in the Greater Boston area at local studios, schools and residencies through organizations such as The Click, Human Movement Project, and at High Street Studios. Her recent performance experience includes local arts festivals and events such as Moving Through March, Roots & Routes, Verse / Visual, 24 Hour ChoreoFest, Salem Arts Festival, and more. Much of her work is focused on collaboration and community, especially her "Community Contemporary" class currently at the Dance Complex on Thursday nights. When she’s not teaching dance, you can find her writing poetry, working as a social media strategist, creating fiber art, and meditating with her plants. Keep in touch by following them on Instagram @shemovesandmakes

This retreat is open to 13 participants that identify as a part of the Queer community. Each spot that is for a shared room (2 people) is $1,235.22 with tax. We have the opportunity this year to offer either a full scholarship or two half scholarship, more information and the scholarship application are HERE! The price of the retreat includes:

Accommodations
Three meals a day
2 Yoga classes each day day plus workshops and excursions
A space to connect with community and make friends, as well as memories to last a lifetime!

A payment plan is offered:

A 25% deposit is due at booking.
A second payment of 25%.
A final payment of the balance is due two weeks before start of retreat.

Book at Willow's Website HERE!

Willow’s Refund Policy - PLEASE READ

We understand that travel plans may change. We offer a number of refund options.

Grace Window: Willow offers a full refund minus applicable credit card charges for cancelations made within 24 hours of booking. Credit card charges are 3% for most cards or 4.5% for Amex and are applied by your bank on all transactions, including deposits and refunds. Additional charges may be incurred on international cards.
Early Cancelation Window: When you call or email to cancel at least 60 days prior to a retreat, Willow offers a 50% refund of deposit(s).
Travel Insurance and Late Cancelations: Our travel insurance partner, ResNexus, offers partial to full refund options right up to the day your retreat starts. Travel insurance must be purchased at booking. If you opt not to purchase travel insurance at booking, refunds are not possible after the early cancelation window closes.

In very rare circumstances—such as a natural disaster or global pandemic—Willow may be required to cancel the retreat. If we cancel the retreat for any reason, you will receive a full refund of all payments made to date.

What to Bring: clothes that you feel comfortable in to practice yoga, swimsuits, artist supplies if you’d like, a book, journal, hiking shoes and clothes if you plan on hiking with us, and anything else you’d like to bring.

The Accommodations: Willow is a comforting and nurturing environment — All rooming will be shared; we can accommodate couples or friends in the same room and on request we can arrange for a triple. Each bedroom has two beds and a dedicated bathroom. Four rooms have en-suite baths and two have dedicated hallway baths. All rooms come equipped with a smart TV, air conditioning, electric fireplace, comfortable beds and linens and ample storage.

The Meals: All meals are included from Friday evening until Monday brunch. Willow specializes in Indian and Indian-inspired meals. Their meals are balanced with healthy proteins, healthy fats and carbs.

Retreat Testimonials (they're worth a read)