Sacred Territory: A Winter Sanctuary for Women (Thanksgiving House, Elohee)

Sacred Territory is a winter healing retreat for women, held over a weekend at Thanksgiving House at Elohee Retreat Center in Sautee Nacoochee, Georgia. It is led by Jennifer Herndon, a yoga teacher and certified grief educator, and it is meant for women who need a weekend to tend to themselves.

The retreat takes place in January, when the earth rests beneath winter skies. Participants gather in the quiet of the North Georgia mountains to listen deeply, to themselves and to one another.

What to Expect

The weekend is built around gentle therapeutic yoga and guided practices, offered in a slow, unhurried setting. The tone is one of rest and attention rather than effort. Winter is treated as a season of stillness, and the retreat gives women room to be still alongside others who have come for the same reason.

The retreat is not a performance-oriented yoga weekend. It is an invitation to pause, to notice what is present, and to be supported while doing so.

About Jennifer Herndon

Jennifer Herndon holds a number of credentials that shape the retreat. She is a registered yoga teacher at the 500-hour level (RYT 500) and an experienced registered yoga teacher at the 200-hour level (E-RYT 200). She is also a certified yoga therapist through the International Association of Yoga Therapists (C-IAYT), and she is a PTA. Her training includes work as a Grief Yoga Teacher and as a Certified Grief Educator. That background in grief and therapeutic yoga is what informs the gentle, attentive approach of this weekend.

The Setting

Elohee Retreat Center sits in the mountains of North Georgia, in the Sautee Nacoochee area. This retreat is held at Thanksgiving House, one of the center's gathering spaces. The surroundings of forest and mountain air suit a winter weekend of quiet, reflection and care.

Before You Go

This retreat is for women. Nothing in the program calls for advanced yoga experience, since the yoga is gentle and therapeutic in nature. Come ready to rest, to listen, and to spend a weekend tending to yourself in the company of other women.