Join us at the ESKFF N.E.S.T. with Shaina Garfield and Stefanie Frank to deepen our relationship and healing with death and grief during this weekend retreat.
Most humans are deeply impacted by death throughout our lives. This impact can bring us many life teachings and reveal who we truly are. Perhaps a death uncovers deep anger we have held for some time—maybe resentment or feeling lost surfaces along our swim in the river of grief. Our hearts may be opened so wide by sorrow that we discover the true meaning of love. We all possess the inner wisdom to navigate these profound moments in our lives, but sometimes, we know that to fully process grief and release the stories and pain woven into it, we must fall apart before rebuilding ourselves. We wish to be held through these vulnerable moments and to be seen in our experiences.
Throughout human history, communities have gathered to honor their sorrows together, understanding that through sharing their hearts, grief becomes more bearable, and this collective healing holds profound medicine. When we come together, there is a sense of safety to truly pour our hearts out and receive the healing we desire and deserve from this release.
During this intimate weekend retreat, a safe heart-centered container will be opened for you to experience this release through various rituals and ceremonies. Through creating sacred space, we will open pathways and give ourselves the permission to fully honor, release, and alchemize the sorrows that live within our hearts.
These rituals will be both a sacred moment in time for deep healing and also provide tools for support as grief revisits throughout one's life. We learn that grief is not something to be removed or ignored as it is when we lean in and we discover that our capacity to grieve mirrors our capacity to love. The tools acquired during this weekend will help you lean in when you need them.
This retreat is for you if:
You have experienced the deep impacts of death in your life and are seeking refuge to release and heal your mind, body, and spirit
You feel like death shows up often in your life, and you desire to have the tools to navigate this relationship with grace and ease
You feel lingering grief in your heart that is clouding areas in your life that you wish to live clearly
You yearn to navigate grief through sacred rituals and ceremonies that tend to your energetic, physical, and mental well-being
You have felt isolated in your healing journey and are calling in community to be seen and heard in your unique experience
The deaths we experience include the loss of loved ones but can also encompass the loss of relationships, shifts in identity and lived experiences, the diminishing of vitality through illness, and more. We also acknowledge the grief arising from collective struggles, ancestral wounds, and environmental crises or trauma.
What to Expect?
Craft altars to honor the deaths in our lives
Have somatic release to move any stagnant energy inside our being
Conduct talking and listening circles to share our stories
Receive teachings on navigating death and grief
Experience healing from the physical and spirit guardians of the forest
Tend to our soul through sauna and plant bath energy cleansings
Create nourishment in the community through guided ritual
Reset our nervous systems through sound healing
Partake in optional plant medicine allies, such as rose, blue lotus, and more
Included:
Full weekend retreat with professional death, grief, and ceremony space holders
Before retreat: 30-minute consultation with Shaina, Death Doula, and Grief Coach
Post-retreat: Integration group Zoom
Invitation to the Nest Grief Work Whatsapp community
Communal indoor sleeping on a pad or outdoor camping
All meals Friday night through Sunday morning
About Facilitators:
Shaina Garfield is a Death Doula, Grief Guide, Ceremonialist, and the founder of Leaves With You. With her devotion to the sacred continuum of life and death, she extends compassionate support to all beings navigating the dying and grieving processes. Her mission is to cultivate a profound connection with the Earth and the Divine, fostering harmony within the web of life.
Shaina’s approach is deeply rooted in ritual, which she believes is essential for transforming grief, reclaiming spirit, and honoring the profound mystery of death. She offers group and individual grief sessions, hand crafts natural macrame coffins, plans and facilitates pre and post death funerary rituals, and more. Her services are not only for the dying but also for those who experience losses of all kinds throughout life.
Beyond these services, Shaina provides an array of nurturing offerings including Blue Lotus Ceremonies, Rose Healings, and Sound Healing. Through her heartfelt work, Shaina Garfield is reshaping the way we honor and embrace the cycles of life and death.
Stefanie Frank is Founder & Director of ESKFF Nest, Healing Arts refuge and retreat center, Woodstock, NY. Visionary retreat leader, community builder, collaborator, host, and facilitator of spiritually diverse transformational immersive healing art experiences.
Hudson Valley Pscychedelic Society Co-coordinator.
Stefanie's board of directors positions include COSM, Brooklyn Community Healthcare Network, ICEC, HUGS & the ESKFF@Mana Contemporary Arts Center.
Co producer of Permajam festival 2016-present, focusing on Permaculture, live music, prayer, support of indigenous ways & nature education.
Reserve by April 15th and receive a 1-hour 1:1 session with retreat co-leader, death doula, and grief coach Shaina Garfield to be scheduled at your convenience any time in 2025. ($150 value)