Laughter was the soundtrack of Day 3 at our retreat. There was laughter from our daughters running down the gravel road to breakfast, laughter from the moms as they conga’d at our drum circle, and laughter from myself as I watched everything begin to fall into place.
What became clear very quickly is that energy is contagious. When one person lets their guard down, others follow. When joy is present, it spreads. It becomes almost impossible not to feel it when you are surrounded by it.
We began with our second Move to You session, and this time there was no hesitation. The girls and mothers already knew what to expect and quickly matched the energy of our instructor, Talia Dooz, who reminded us that “energy is everything”. As the music started, the room came alive. Everyone moved more confidently, laughed more freely, and seemed less focused on how they looked and more connected to how they felt.
By the end of the session, we were met with a surprise. The owner of the farm joined us and gifted each girl a crystal and a feather. He explained that the crystal could hold intention and memory, encouraging the girls to tell it what they wanted it to remember, while the feather would give their intentions wings. It felt like a meaningful way to carry the energy of the morning forward into the rest of the day.
After an active morning, everyone arrived ready to our Breathwork session ready to slow down. Each pair settled in and began learning simple breathing techniques, using a feather to bring awareness to each inhale and exhale. As the session continued, mothers and daughters turned to face one another and placed their hands over each other’s hearts, feeling their breath and heartbeat together. And when each of us looked our daughters in eyes and said “I love you,” a few tears were shed, including some of my own.
After lunch, we shifted into play. What started as lighthearted games quickly became something more freeing. Our instructor, Nick, reminded everyone that big emotions are important and meant to be expressed, not held in. He encouraged the group to let out a full scream, and without hesitation, everyone joined in. It became a moment of collective release, joyful, loud, and unexpectedly unifying.
As the day came to a close, we gathered for our Moon Dancer ceremony. The girls were welcomed into a drum circle where they learned the rhythms and meanings behind different African drums. They danced, laughed, and moved with the music, charging their crystals in the process and carrying forward everything they had experienced throughout the day.
By the end of the day, what stood out most was not a single moment, but a shared feeling of joy between us. It was a reminder that energy is everything. And when we learn how to work with it, we begin to change not only how we feel, but how we show up for ourselves, for each other, and for our daughters. And the best part is, we never have to do it alone.
Little Joys
There’s something special about being on the farm in the rain. The hills glistened, everything felt more alive, and somehow even the simplest things, like a cup of hot chocolate, felt a little more comforting.
Fortune cookies: What’s more fun than reading your fortune with friends? After an Asian-inspired dinner of potstickers, sesame chicken, poke nachos, and grilled veggies, we cracked open our sweet treats and read our futures to one another.
Wildflowers: During free time, we set up a wildflower workshop where mothers and daughters created their own arrangements, pressed into frames, woven into bracelets, or placed in small vases to take home. A small way to carry a piece of the landscape with them.
Art on Display: We lined up the artwork from our sound bath and painting session as the backdrop for our Moon Dancer celebration. Seeing each piece side by side was a quiet reminder of how differently we each express ourselves, and how beautiful that is when brought together.