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“The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the Universe, to match your nature with Nature.”

~ Joseph Campbell

silvaespiritus

🚨cozy alert!🚨 a rare bit of weekend availabi

🚨cozy alert!🚨 a rare bit of weekend availability just opened up at the Silvae Spiritus Guest House for December 20-22…..who’s ready for a relaxing Winter woodland getaway? Just search our name on #AirBnB to reserve your spot…..

Stress relief…presence…an easing of physical &

:: a quiet moment from Monday’s Forest Bathing w

:: a quiet moment from Monday’s Forest Bathing walk with one of our guests - tea for nature and two humans. It’s deeply sweet to share these mindful, heart-centered moments in the same places where large groups gather and share their hearts in the warm months. Each season has its own personality, its own power. We’ll keep tending the light and warmth here until we see you all again. 🌲❤️
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#ForestBathing #ShinrinYoku #Tea #Fire #Wintering #Seasonality #Heart #Northwoods #NatureConnection #EveryTrailConnects #OptOutside #ThisIsMyMN #ExploreMN #DreamState

🎨 how will you color your world today? 🎨

🎨 how will you color your world today? 🎨

:: our heartfelt gratitude to @midwestlivingmag fo

:: our heartfelt gratitude to @midwestlivingmag for featuring the thermic oasis at Silvae Spiritus in “Hot in Here” for their Live Well column in the Winter 2024 issue, alongside fellow Sauna friends and colleagues @saunavillage
@thermaculture
@saunacamps
@wildriceretreat
@theyardsauna
@cedarandstonesauna
@watershedmpls
@sisuandloylysauna
Honored to be a forest-based offering in the Sauna Capital of North America!
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#Sauna #Northwoods #DayTrip #Retreat #SaunaAndStay #ColdPlunge #ThermicCycle #NatureHeals #Wellness #ExploreMinnesota #ThisIsMyMN #EveryTrailConnects #OptOutside

((( Meditative Sound Immersion ))) will soon be jo

((( Meditative Sound Immersion ))) will soon be joining Wood-Fired Sauna + Cold Plunge & Forest Bathing / Nature Connection in our menu of optional add-on activities available to our AirBnB guests! My hope is that eventually folks will be able to craft a choose-your-own-adventure style mini-retreat for themselves with any stay. We recently had a pair of best friends in the tiny house who were so excited about experiencing the soundbath option that they convinced me to facilitate a session for them even though it is not yet officially available. Although I’ve grown comfortable with guiding larger groups, this first ever private session represented an intriguing new frontier for me, and they ended up being ideal test subjects. It went absolutely great, surpassing expectations for all of us! As they were both yoga teachers and had some experience in hosting retreats they were able to offer me a bounty of well thought out feedback on how the session affected them, and I was thrilled that they had both gone deeeeep into it. Firstly they asked if it was ok to don eye masks for the duration (which has inspired me to purchase a supply that will be readily accessible to future participants) and so they were able to keenly focus on exploring their inner landscapes and reported significant physiological and psychological effects including sensations traveling the length of their bodies, awareness of particular colors (both mentioned orbs of vibrant color ebbing and flowing into their visual perception despite eyes remaining fully closed), and a sense of being held in a distinctly safe space that allowed them to fully enter into and participate in the mental journeys that unfolded for them. Very inspired continue to explore this method of accessing presence and replacing anxiety & stress with the spaciousness of mind required for our inner voices and intuition to speak with greater ease and clarity. Stay tuned…sincerely in sound ~Travis #soundbath #sauna #forestbathing #natureconnection #yoga #Minnesota #retreat #airbnb #selfcare #relax #getaway #meditation #intuition #innerstrength

:: the quiet start to a hot sauna day. * * * * * #

:: the quiet start to a hot sauna day.
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#sauna #retreat #Northwoods #getaway #DayTrip #ThisIsMyMinnesota #HotRoom #WoodFire #ExploreMinnesota #TrueNorth #DreamState

:: today the sky offers the land a heavy white clo

:: today the sky offers the land a heavy white cloak to wear for tonight’s fireside remembrances. All the things thought to be “spooky” this night are rooted in nature - the shifting of appearances, the bare branches and dried leaves rattling and skittering in the wind, the thick cobwebs of wolf spiders trying to bring their homes indoors, the bats who haven’t migrated finding a warm place to hibernate, and humans gathering with libations and stories to honor the spirits of those gone before. 🍁❄️🕯️✨
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#Snow #LateAutumn #Samhain #CulturalRootedness #HonoringDeath #SeasonalCycles

Community session this Sunday: wood~fired #sauna….. in the woods!

:: scenes from a moody autumn afternoon at Silvae

:: scenes from a moody autumn afternoon at Silvae Spiritus’ Thermic Oasis. 🍁❤️
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#DayTrip #Getaway #Northwoods #Sauna #Wood-firedHotTub #ExploreMinnesota #ThisIsMyMinnesota #LiteralForestBathing #ThermicOasis #ColdPlunge #Autumn #Leaves #Water #TrueNorth #DreamState

Winter blues around the corner? This season, how

Winter blues around the corner? This season, how ‘bout no! Replace winter blues with the relaxing hues of our newly illuminated cold plunge tubs and wood-fired hot tub as a part of your ongoing sauna practice this year. So many of our guests report dramatically lifted moods, increased creativity, enhanced empathy, a better ability to focus, and markedly better sleep after spending time with the forest sauna; you can too! Tag someone you’d like to bring with you, and we hope to see ya in the woods…..🔥🪵🌲🌳✨🌳🌲🪵🔥 #sauna #coldplunge #wellness #mentalhealth #selfcare #moodboost #forest #natureconnection #MN #Minnesota #getaway #daytrip #sauna&stay #airbnb #retreat #wintersauna #winterwonderland #ideserveit

:: some spaces still remain for the 🌕Full Moon

:: some spaces still remain for the 🌕Full Moon Forest Bathing 🌳🌳 session at Dodge Nature Center tomorrow (Thursday) evening! Leigha will be guiding us toward heightened curiosity of Nature in darkness, and we might even catch a glimpse of a comet ☄️ last seen by Earth 80,000 years ago - with a tail 18 MILLION miles long! 🤯

$30, reservations required via @dodgenaturecenter Can’t wait to see you on the trail! 🕯️✨🌲
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#ForestBathing #ShinrinYoku #LookUp #SkyGazing #Comet #FullMoon #Dark #NatureConnection #EveryTrailConnects #ThisIsMyMinnesota #TrueNorth #DreamState #Autumn

:: if the question “is now a good time for a day

:: if the question “is now a good time for a day-trip for a Forest Bathing and Sauna mini-retreat?” the answer is an unequivocal YES. The next Community Forest Bathing and Community Sauna back-to-back sessions are Sunday, October 20 - tickets are $60 off the standard Private Session rates! Space is limited to just 8 people, so grab a friend or two and make your reservation ASAP! 🍁🍂🔥❤️
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#DayTrip #GetAway #AutumnColor #Fall #RoadTrip #ExploreMinnesota #ThisIsMyMN #DreamState #TrueNorth #ForestBathing #ShinrinYoku #Sauna #WoodFiredSauna

Since the moment Silvae Spiritus evolved from a bu

Since the moment Silvae Spiritus evolved from a business name into a physical place, many people have asked us how they can help or waxed poetic about yielding an axe for “an honest day’s work.” We often struggled to find ways to invite helpers to support our considerable daily efforts, as our understanding of what this place needs to thrive has been an ongoing learning evolution. Three years in, we are starting to recognize this land’s cycles, the effect of outlier events, what is needed to support this land’s health, and when.

We realized that we (Travis and Leigha and our more-than-human family members), this land we call Silvae Spiritus and the beings who call this place home, and our Silvae Spiritus guests would all benefit from intentional gathering for reciprocal tending. As we are held, so we hold. Thus, the Nourish series was born.

photo: Leigha Horton
Nourish event projects at Silvae Spiritus might include:
tree planting
clearing storm-felled trees and branches and processing them into firewood
going on “stick walks” to gather tinder and kindling for the upcoming winter of sauna fires
building benches to add mindful and bodyful places to rest and notice along the trails
removing diseased trees that are beyond tending, so that the neighboring trees maintain health
creating way-finding signage
prepping the earth for next season’s garden
building seasonal outdoor showers for retreat participants
building tall planters outside The Lounge for an accessible sensory garden
establishing trails
tending controlled burns
repairing what needs repair
native plant planting

If you have experience that applies to any of the upcoming projects, have tools to use while on-site, or simply have enthusiasm and a willingness to learn, we invite you to join us for the FREE event! (Registration required)

:: scene from a Community Forest Bathing session t

:: scene from a Community Forest Bathing session this past weekend: the autumn colors this year have been relatively subtle thus far - but slowing down helps their voices come through clearer.
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#Northwoods #ForestBathing #SlowTime #Noticing #TheGreatOutdoors #ThisIsMyMinnesota #ExploreMN #DreamState #TrueNorth

:: 🌲🌳Community Forest Bathing 💧🔥 + Com

:: 🌲🌳Community Forest Bathing
💧🔥 + Community Sauna
Sunday, September 29 @ 11:30 am - 3:30 pm

Forest Bathing is a slow-moving, deeply sensory, mindful and “bodyful” walk in nature that has shown to result in measurable physiological, cognitive, and emotional benefits. Much like walking meditation or yoga, these activities can be practiced on one’s own, almost anywhere, and yet the benefits greatly increase with regular practice. And much like meditation or yoga, the experience can be significantly more immersive when facilitated by properly trained and certified guides.

Over the course of this two-hour Community Forest Bathing walk at Silvae Spiritus Northwoods Nature Retreat, you will be given a series of invitations—suggested ways to connect to the surrounding 30 acres of woods and meadows. The experience will be mostly silent, honors each participant’s personal space, and covers just about a mile and-a-half over generally flat surfaces. At the end of each invitation, the group will have an opportunity to share a few words of reflection, integrating the experience both internally and within community. The walk will be led by Leigha Horton and Travis Norman, Silvae Spiritus Nature & Forest Therapy guides who have been Certified by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs.

After the walk, participants have 30 minutes to rest and change before the start of the Community wood-fired sauna + cold plunge session. During this session, participants will be guided through the thermic cycle of hot, cold, rest, rehydrate, repeat (always at your own pace). A great boost to body and mind heading into autumn! Space is limited, reservations required.
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#ForestBathing #Sauna #ColdPlunge #DayTrip #Getaway #FallColors #ThermicCycle #NatureConnection #EveryTrailConnects #Wellness #ExploreMN

:: the Autumnal Equinox guided us all into a groun

:: the Autumnal Equinox guided us all into a grounded and expansive balance during the course of Interbeing 08: Woodland Creatures Conference. 26 beautiful humans gathered to give, receive, and simply be in community with one another and with nature, and what a gift that was. Sauna and cold plunge and Wim Hof and coloring meditations and journaling and yoga and sound bathing and forest bathing and movement explorations and solfeggio sequences and community conversations and a collective ephemeral art piece that bloomed over the course of the weekend, we find ourselves in awe and filled with gratitude for the talent and heart and presence of everyone who chose to spend their weekend with us.
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#Interbeing #InterbeingRetreats #Northwoods #ThisIsMyMinnesota #ExploreMN #DreamState #NatureConnection #NatureRelation #EveryTrailConnects #WoodlandCreaturesConference

Vibes were THICK at the #forest #danceparty for th

Vibes were THICK at the #forest #danceparty for the #Interbeing 07 #camping #retreat !!! Sets from @dendrotic + @mikemoilanen + @leonjmusicofficial + @amg_dablackdude kept our energy as bright as the bonfire that blazed the whole night through and the stars that kept watch over our little piece of woodland paradise…..Hope you can join us for one of these in the future!

We are thrilled that @mikemoilanen has captured &

We are thrilled that @mikemoilanen has captured & shared this #djset set from Interbeing 07; recorded in the #forest, under the stars, with bonfire blazing nearly as bright as the energy of the amazing humans who had assembled! This is how we get down(regulated)! ……. I’m Mike’s words: “Reverberations from a couple weekends ago brought us this lovely recording. Take me back to the Woodland Stage @ Silvae Spiritus Northwoods Nature Retreat to the 2nd night of Interbeing 07. Just past the apple orchard and blackberry patches, continuing through meadows of tall grass whispering in the wind under the stars, one will find human creatures raving like hobbits in an open air dance lounge made of logs and sticks. Here, you are one with sound, nature and each other. Enjoy.” …. Find this mix on Mike’s SoundCloud page!

#HobbitRave #woodlandDJbooth #SecondBreakfastCrew

:: just TWO tickets remain for next weekend’s In

:: just TWO tickets remain for next weekend’s Interbeing 08: Woodland Creatures Conference - are they yours? Come and get ‘em! The sessions focus on wellness - from meditation and yoga to journaling and coloring, Wim Hof breath work and cold plunge with natural guided warm-up, sauna and sound bathing, forest bathing and the woodland dance party, all supported by nourishing meals and the magic of this land. This just may be the autumnal rest and reset your heart has been seeking.
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#Retreat #Camping #Wellness #ForestBathing #Sauna #SoundBath #Yoga #ColdPlunge #WimHof #Community #Connection #ExploreMN #DJ #DreamState #Getaway #TrueNorth #Northwoods #ThisIsMyMN #EveryTrailConnects #Spa

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