Back for its fourth year — with 40+ people joining us every time
Since 2020, the Slow Retreat has welcomed over 120 people — many returning year after year — into a space of deep rest and reconnection with their body, heart and soul.
Contrary to popular belief, slowing down isn't about checking out.
It’s about tuning in.
Because when you slow down — really slow down — you begin to hear yourself again.
And given our cultural conditioning to do more, be more, achieve more, buy more, work more, create more, serve more... we think it's pretty damn brave to actively choose to periodically do the opposite.
What happens when we slow down is that the noise fades. The pace softens. And your priorities become clearer.
This fall, join us for our fourth annual gathering: a full-day retreat designed to help you reset your nervous system, reconnect to your body, and reclaim rest as a radical act of self-trust.
What if slowing down is the most productive thing you can do?
Tell us if this sounds like life lately: you’ve been keeping up — with work, with life, with everyone else’s needs. And maybe somewhere along the way you’ve lost touch with your own needs, wants and desires.
Maybe you’re feeling…
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Tired but wired
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Disconnected from your body
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Burnt out on over-giving
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Unable to recover adequately from the activities you love or the work week
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Like you want to rest but don’t know how to let yourself
This retreat is for you.
A place to land. To soften. To move and breathe and eat and be in ways that feel kind, not performative. In addition to actually resting, we'll also be exploring our relationship to rest, its importance and its from a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual lens.
It's time to slow down.
Our Venue
We’ll be on retreat at the stunning venue, Conscious Lab, in a beautiful, character-filled historic building in the heart of Gastown, Vancouver, B.C.
Conscious Lab is situated in one of the oldest buildings in Vancouver, giving it a feeling of heritage and authenticity. Its central location makes it an ideal location for an urban one-day retreat for folks to gather for a day of nourishment and self-care. With its exposed brick, arched windows, hardwood floors and original radiators, and high ceilings, our retreat will have a feeling of spaciousness and character.
Gastown is Vancouver's oldest neighbourhood -- a visit here is like turning back the clock and stepping into a bygone era. On our lunch break, you'll have time to step out and explore shops, cafes and other crafty boutiques.
The Slow Retreat includes:
🗣️ Opening Dharma Talk on the Importance of Slowing Down
We'll begin with a discussion and reflection on the importance of slowing down, weaving in myth, personal storytelling and self-reflection to set the tone for the day. You'll be guided through an exercise or two to gain clarity on your relationship to doing vs. resting.
🧘♀️ 90-minute All-levels Hatha Yoga & Breathwork
We'll take the insights from the Opening Dharma Talk and bring them into practice through a mindful and strength-focused yoga class rooted in kindness, followed by intentional breathwork to bring you back into your body. Class will be led by Katarina.
🌀 Yoga Nidra Practice
Our yoga class will close with a 30-minute guided yogic sleep practice to support nervous system reset and deep inner stillness.
🥗 Mindful Lunch + Walk
We'll be providing a catered, healthy Indian lunch along with a sweet treat in the afternoon. After you eat, get some fresh air and stretch your legs, or take time to digest in quiet reflection — no small talk required
🫖 Your Body at Peace Workshop
Explore a deeper, collaborative, and caring connection with your body through a grounded, anti-diet lens. This workshop will be led by Christa. We'll explore the history of Patriarchy and how it has shaped an extractive relationship to our bodies, and how, in small ways, we can shift the dial so that it feels relational and loving instead.
📓 Creative Integration Time
Choose-your-own-rest: choose either to practice seated and walking meditations followed by journaling and reflection time led by Kat, or an artsy creative expression exercise with Christa
“Why do I need to retreat to deepen my practice?”
To retreat means: to step away from or to move away from.
Generally speaking, retreats are an opportunity to step away from our habitual ways of being, routines, conversations and responsibilities so that we can turn inward, reconnect with ourselves in a deeper sense and then return to our lives with renewed clarity and energy.
It’s not uncommon for folks to gain insight, understanding and even experience breakthroughs about challenges they’ve been experiencing. Retreats allow us to perceive problems at the root and find resolution with acceptance, compassion, wisdom and ease to create forward movement in our lives or within our inner lives.
"You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."
- the Buddha
Imagine waking up on the day of the Slow Retreat...
No alarms blaring, no rush to check emails or make your to-do list. Instead, you let yourself move slowly, knowing that today isn’t about productivity or performance. It’s about you.
You pack a cozy sweater, maybe a favorite notebook, and make your way to Gastown. As you walk into the space, you’re greeted by the hum of quiet conversation and the scent of chai brewing. The room feels alive but unhurried, full of mats, cushions, and soft light — a setting that says: you belong here, exactly as you are.
You find your place. Your body begins to exhale. For once, you’re not responsible for holding space for anyone else. You get to be held.
The day unfolds gently, layer by layer. A morning of mindful movement welcomes you back into your body. You feel the strength in your legs, the softness in your breath, the steadiness in your heart. Two assistants move quietly around the room, offering kind and careful support. You feel yourself relax further, knowing everyone is being cared for. Breathwork follows, reminding you that presence doesn’t have to be forced — it’s what arrives when you give yourself time. Having moved and processed excess energy in your body through yoga and breathwork, you now tuck in for Yoga Nidra practice, a practice so deeply restful it feels like being cradled between waking and sleep. The constant buzz of thought begins to quiet. Your nervous system whispers, “thank you.”
When it’s time for lunch, there’s no rushing, no need for small talk if you don’t feel like it. You savour the nourishing food. Maybe you take a walk outside, maybe you linger in stillness. Both are perfect. Both count. And along the way, you might find yourself in an unexpected, easy conversation — a gentle connection with someone who, like you, came here to slow down. By the end of the meal, you’ve not only fed your body but maybe made a friend or two who understands what you’re seeking.
The afternoon begins with Christa’s gentle workshop, Your Body at Peace. Through collaborative, caring exploration, she invites you to soften your relationship with your body and discover what it feels like to inhabit yourself with ease. From there, you move into a choice: guided meditation and reflection with Kat, or creative play with paints and paper alongside Christa. For once, there’s no “right” answer, no performance needed. You follow your curiosity. You notice how freeing it feels to choose rest over pressure.
By the end of the day, something inside you has shifted. You feel clearer, lighter, more grounded. Not because you achieved anything, but because you allowed yourself to stop. To soften. To listen.
You head home carrying more than just your yoga mat. You carry a reminder that rest is not indulgence — it’s wisdom. That clarity often comes not from pushing harder, but from stepping back. That you don’t need to earn care, because care is your birthright.
And perhaps most importantly: that when you slow down, you can actually hear yourself again.
This is what The Slow Retreat offers. Not an escape from your life, but a gentle return to it — with more presence, more ease, and more connection to what really matters.
Because you don’t have to wait until burnout to pause. You can choose a different rhythm, one that honors your body and your heart.
So, imagine waking up on that Sunday in November knowing: today, you will be cared for.
1 / Pay in Full - $215 CAD + tax per person
2 / Payment Plan - $100 CAD + tax per person upon registration then 30 days later, $115 + tax
Meet Your Hosts
Katarina Wittkamp (she/her)
I’ve been traveling for nearly as long as I’ve been practicing yoga, and I often have a hard time separating the two. My time spent living in France, Australia, Vietnam and California and other adventures exploring many countries in Europe and galavanting around Asia and the Americas has unquestionably impacted the way that I relate to life, my yoga practice and the space I hold for my yoga students.
For so long, I’ve dreamed of hosting a yoga retreat in Sayulita, a place that has always stood out in my mind as having a particular magical quality to it. It has long felt like an ideal location to attune to the sweetness of life thanks to the gentleness of the locals, the abundance of vibrant food and the life-bringing energy gifted freely from nature here. To share this experience alongside a community of strangers who will quickly become friends is, simply put, a gift.
I’m so excited to welcome you to the Slow Retreat, to help you make time for yourself and your practice, to inspire you to rest, to recharge, and to help you attune to the wisdom that lives inside of you already so that you can finish our day with a clear mind and bright heart to meet the rest of your life with joy.
To learn more about my experience and education, click here.
Meet Your Hosts
Christa de Ridder (she/they)
After spending more than 15 years trying to heal my own digestive issues through food, I became a certified Ayurveda Health Counsellor to help others do the same. But I quickly learned that simply teaching my clients how to eat “healthy” wasn’t enough. Just like me, many of them struggled with emotional eating, cravings, bingeing, or feeling like they could never “stick” to a plan—not from lack of willpower, but because our relationship with food and our bodies is so much deeper and more complex.
This realization led me to expand my work as an Intuitive Eating & Body Image Coach, blending the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda with modern principles of intuitive eating and body neutrality. My approach helps clients release stress, guilt, and anxiety around food and learn to trust their body’s cues with compassion and confidence.
At the retreat, I’ll be offering a workshop titled Your Body at Peace—an introduction to a radically different way of approaching food and health: one that replaces control with collaboration, and confusion with clarity.
Originally from the Netherlands, I now call Vancouver home, where I live with my wife, Katarina, and our two cats.
FAQs
Do I have to participate in all of the activities?
We'd appreciate it if folks stayed for the whole day to get the most benefits out of it. Of course, if you need to leave early for any reason, please let us know.
What if I've never done yoga before?
It’s time we get you on the mat! A one-day yoga retreat is a perfect way to experience the depth of yoga practice for the first time. Not only will the class be accessible for beginners, but you'll also be encouraged to move at a slower pace, allowing you to simply show up and do your best. You’ll feel welcome right away, thanks to all the wonderful people you're on retreat with.
I have dietary restrictions (vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.) Will the lunch be able to accommodate my needs?
Yes! All dietary concerns will be submitted in advance to the kitchen, and you will receive wholesome, filling and fresh food like all other guests.
Will parking be provided?
No, but there are loads of street parking and paid parking lots in the area.