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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

Interbeing 06 :: creative expression + flow + natu

Interbeing 06 :: creative expression + flow + nature connection :: June 28th-30th | weekend camping & single day passes available #Interbeing #nature #retreat #cocreation #community #campout #forestbathing #sauna #goodfood #bonfires #dancingunderthestars

:: while Dodge Nature Center is still open with th

:: while Dodge Nature Center is still open with their programming today, we unfortunately have to cancel the Full Moon Forest Bathing event scheduled for this evening due to the winter storm making the roads from Silvae Spiritus impassible (we’re already up to 9 inches of heavy, wet snow, and it’s still falling fast). Dodge will administer refunds to all registered participants. Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to seeing you on the trail another time soon!

:: Full Moon Forest Bathing guided by Silvae Spiri

:: Full Moon Forest Bathing guided by Silvae Spiritus at Dodge Nature Center in West Saint Paul this Monday, March 25, 5:30 - 7:30 pm is almost sold-out! Register for the last couple of spots via Dodge Nature Center’s website. 🌲🌕❄️
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#ForestBathing #FullMoon #Nature

:: Dreaming about and planning your adventures for

:: Dreaming about and planning your adventures for warmer days to come? Us, too! SO EXCITED to share our new Events Calendar (now live on our website + lynx in bio). Interbeing Retreats, Nourish Events, Community Sauna Sessions, Community Forest Bathing Sessions…can’t wait to see you in the forest this spring and summer 🌲🕺❤️
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#Interbeing #Sauna #Forest #NatureConnection #EveryTrailConnects #TrueNorth #DreamState #ExploreMN #Adventure #UniqueTravel #Experiences #HiddenGems

The Quiet Magic of a Sauna + Stay = ❤️ Awaken

The Quiet Magic of a Sauna + Stay = ❤️

Awaken your senses.

Silvae Spiritus Northwoods Nature Retreat is located in Finlayson, Minnesota - 90-minutes north of Minneapolis / St. Paul and 60-minutes south of Duluth. We offer guided Forest Bathing, luxury wood-fired sauna + cold plunge + wood-fired hot tub sessions, retreats, sound immersions, ephemeral earth art, and a five-star AirBnB, all nestled on 30 acres of woods, meadows, and ephemeral ponds with trails throughout. Our vision centers on restoring right relation with Nature; reconnecting us to ourselves, each other, and our living planet. Join us.

Video Production: @cedarandstonesauna with @shotxschultz
Director: @cedarandstonesauna
Sauna Design + Build: @cedarandstonesauna
Hot tub Design: @hello_goodland

#ExploreMinnesota #ExploreMN #DayTrip #SaunaAndStay #SummerOfSauna #KeepTheNorthCold #SomeLikeItHot #TrueNorth #Dreamstate #OptOutside #TheGreatOutdoors #Retreat #AirBnBSuperhost #DayTripping #ForestBathing #ShinrinYoku #Sauna #SaunaCulture #ThermaCulture #Getaway

🌲🌳🙋🏻‍♂️🙋🏻‍♀️🌳🌲

:: whether it’s your first time, or you’re a s

:: whether it’s your first time, or you’re a seasoned sauna and cold plunge veteran, we all need the spaciousness to take it at our own pace - to explore our boundaries - to remember what it feels like to truly connect. From day-trips and single-sessions to stays and multi-session packages, we’ll hold space for you.
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#OnlyInMN #DreamState #ThisIsMyMN #ExploreMinnesota #KeepTheNorthCold #SaunaAndStay #Spaciousness #SaunaCulture #NatureConnection #NatureImmersion #AirBnB #ExperiencesLastLonger #SelfCare #DayTrip #RoadTrip #Overnight #Getaway #Minneapolis #SaintPaul #KeepTheNorthCold #EveryTrailConnects #TrueNorth #MinnesotaNorthwoods #NorthAmericanSaunaTrail

:: still looking for the perfect gift? Stuck on w

:: still looking for the perfect gift? Stuck on what to get the person who has everything? Too much *stuff*? Experiences are gifts that make memories to last a lifetime! Digital Gift Certificates for luxury, guided wood-fired sauna + cold plunge sessions, Forest Bathing, and meditative sound immersions available for all your last-minute gifting needs!
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#Holiday #Christmas #BestGifts #Experiences #Adventure #Relaxation #SpaDay #Minnesota #escape #DayTrip #AirBnB #Gifts #retreat

:: cloudless sky + night after the new moon meant

:: cloudless sky + night after the new moon meant the perfect conditions to watch the Geminid Meteor Shower. Turned out to also be the perfect conditions for a chance sighting of the Aurora Borealis. The Minnesota Northwoods are always waiting with surprises. 🌲❤️
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#GeminidMeteorShower #Geminids2023 #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #MinnesotaNorthwoods #ThisIsMyMN #ExploreMinnesota #DreamState #OptOutside #TheGreatOutdoors #EveryTrailConnects #ForestBathing #SkyWatching

:: with just a dusting of snow on the ground, the

:: with just a dusting of snow on the ground, the movements of Silvae Spiritus’ outdoor residents are revealed. The flock of wild turkeys are still happily feasting on this autumn’s explosion of acorns.
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#ForestBathing #Tracking #WildTurkeys #Fauna #NatureRelation #TheArtOfNoticing #TheGreatOutdoors #OptOutside #EveryTrailConnects #ExploreMN #Northwoods #ThisIsMyMN

:: c’mon get cozy! Rare last-minute weekend ava

:: c’mon get cozy! Rare last-minute weekend availability in the Silvae Spiritus guesthouse this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday due to cancellation. Just 90 minutes north of Minneapolis / St. Paul and 60 minutes south of Duluth. Add a wood-fired sauna and cold plunge session to step into full holiday swing more relaxed, refreshed, and recharged than ever. Link to book in bio. 🌲❤️
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#MinnesotaRetreat #MinnesotaGetaway #Northwoods #ShortDrive #MinneapolisSaintPaul #Duluth #Sauna #WoodBurningStove #Guesthouse

:: it was an honor to step into a brief, 10-minute

:: it was an honor to step into a brief, 10-minute, live conversation with @cathy_wurzer on “Minnesota Now” - a daily program of @minnesotapublicradio - yesterday to discuss the physiological and psychological benefits of Forest Bathing on the heels of the newly published study by University of Wisconsin La Crosse Associate Professor (and fellow ANFT Certified Guide) Namyun Kil about the effects of Forest Bathing on children and adolescents ages 8-14. Listen at the link in bio.
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#ForestBathing #NatureConnection #Science #PublishedStudy #ThisIsMyMN

:: in a world shouting for your attention, this is

:: in a world shouting for your attention, this is where to go to quiet your mind and listen to the stirrings of your heart. Spaces available at this Sunday’s 2pm Community Sauna Session (a $30 per ticket discount), or private sauna sessions follow with availability at 4p or 6p.

Just 90 minutes north of Minneapolis/St. Paul, or 60 minutes south of Duluth, the peaceful, centered start to your holiday season awaits.
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#sauna #DayTrip #Community #Northwoods #ThisIsMyMN #ThermicCycle #SaunaCulture #HolidayPrep #HiddenTreasure

:: here at Silvae Spiritus Northwoods Nature Retre

:: here at Silvae Spiritus Northwoods Nature Retreat, we share a lot about our offerings for the public - from our 5-star AirBnB guesthouse to our Interbeing Retreats to our Forest Bathing Walks (here and throughout Minnesota), Ambient Audio Immersions, and Wood-fired Sauna, Cold plunges, and wood-fired hot tub - all nestled on 30 acres of forest, meadows, and ephemeral ponds with trails throughout.

What we don’t share much about is *us,* Leigha and Travis, because we feel that the work we do and the community we’re building is so much greater than ourselves. Even so - we’re the ones behind the social media posts, the ones developing the programming, and the ones lovingly tending the spaces, the sessions, and the land. When you visit, we’re the ones devoted to ensuring everything about your experience is held with peace and an eye toward Nature Relation. It’s a deep honor and joy to share the magic of this place with others.

We started Silvae Spiritus in Minneapolis / St. Paul as ANFT Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guides in early 2018, and in 2020 relocated to Finlayson to establish the nation’s first Retreat Center developed specifically around Forest Bathing (aka Shinrin-Yoku and Nature and Forest Therapy). Upon arrival, we quickly expanded our offerings to include complementary wellness modalities, Sauna + Cold Plunge and Ambient Audio Immersion. Each has become a passion. As lifetime city kids, our learning curve for rural life has been steep - equal parts exhausting, exhilarating, frustrating, and heart-filling. But the more we learn, the more we’re honored to share.

We’d love to hear your stories of what resonates with you long after your experiences here. And if you’ve not yet been here, we look forward to meeting you!
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#Northwoods #Retreat #DayTrip #Sauna #ForestBathing #SoundBathing #NatureRelation #OriginStory #ThisIsMyMN #DreamState #OptOutside #EveryTrailConnects #AboutUs

:: it’s these gentle moments between sauna tendi

:: it’s these gentle moments between sauna tending that the romance of the land in this time of unmasking washes over us - the final quaking aspen leaves fluttering and tumbling to the earth; the occasional oak leaf sailing down like a nose-heavy paper airplane - the rest hanging tight to their trees as long as they can manage, rattling in place; the crunch and whoosh of fallen leaves underfoot; the occasional final chirrups of a tree frog in the distance before they bury themselves for the season; the drumming of the grouse; the water in the cold plunges and hot tub reflecting the new slenderness of the treetops and the sky beyond; the air hinting at woodsmoke. To be surrounded by the forest gives visitors to this sweet thermic oasis the privacy to settle in to spaciousness, to take their own pace, to listen to their bodies, and to notice how Nature models for us the fine art of simply Being.
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#TheArtOfBeing #Sauna #ThermicOasis #NorthwoodsNatureRetreat #WoodFiredSauna #ColdPlunge #ForestTherapy #ForestBathing #EveryTrailConnects #ThisIsMyMinnesota #WellnessRetreats #Wholeness #DreamState #OptOutside

:: 🔊sound up 🔊 for The Original White Noise

:: 🔊sound up 🔊 for The Original White Noise Machine, brought to you by Nature. Music Credit: A stand of Quaking Aspen at the edge of the Far Meadow on a beautiful autumn day.
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#NatureCameFirst #NatureConnection #ForestBathing #ShinrinYoku #ExploreMinnesota #ThisIsMyMN #DreamState #OptOutside #EveryTrailConnects #Northwoods #NatureRetreat #DayTrip

:: “The flower, when it wilts, becomes the compo

:: “The flower, when it wilts, becomes the compost. The compost can help grow a flower again. Happiness is also organic and impermanent by nature. It can become suffering and suffering can become happiness again.

If you look deeply into a flower, you see that a flower is made only of nonflower elements. In that flower there is a cloud. Of course we know a cloud isn’t a flower, but without a cloud, a flower can’t be. If there’s no cloud, there’s no rain, and no flower can grow. You don’t have to be a dreamer to see a cloud floating in a flower. It’s really there. Sunlight is also there. Sunlight isn’t flower, but without sunlight no flower is possible.

If we continue to look deeply into the flower, we see many other things, like the earth and the minerals. Without them a flower cannot be. So it’s a fact that a flower is made only of nonflower elements. A flower can’t be by herself alone. A flower can only inter-be with everything else. You can’t remove the sunlight, the soil, or the cloud from the flower.”
- Thich Nhat Hanh, No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering
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#Interbeing #Retreat #DayTrip #AncestralConnection #NatureConnection #Grief #Community #Samhain #Ritual #SoundImmersion #Drumming #Bonfire #ForestBathing

:: Silvae Spiritus is swept up in a flurry of fina

:: Silvae Spiritus is swept up in a flurry of final autumn events starting this weekend! From Forest Bathing in the Minneapolis / St. Paul metro area to single-day retreats up in Finlayson (just an easy 90 minutes north of the Twin Cities, an hour south of Duluth), there are plenty of opportunities to gather in community to get your Nature Fix!

🍁 Saturday, 10/14 - New Moon Forest Bathing at Dodge Nature Center in West St. Paul

🌲 Sunday, 10/15 - Nourish 01: A Community Land Tending Day at Silvae Spiritus in Finlayson

🍂 Thursday, 10/19 - Forest Bathing at Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan

🌊 Saturday, 10/21 - Forest Bathing for those affected by cancer (FREE!) in collaboration with the Mississippi Park Connection at Crosby Farm Regional Park in St. Paul

🌳 Sunday, 10/22 - Minnesota Guide Gathering - single day retreat at Silvae Spiritus in Finlayson

🔥 Saturday, 10/28 - Interbeing 05: Ancestral Connection single day retreat at Silvae Spiritus in Finlayson

#ForestBathing #NatureConnection #Shinrin-Yoku #EveryTrailConnects #OptOutside #ExploreMN #ThisIsMyMN #DreamState #Retreat #AutumnAdventure

“What counts as wilderness is not determined by

“What counts as wilderness is not determined by the
absence of people, but by the relationship between people and place.”
—Jack Turner, philosopher
🍁
There is no such thing as a wilderness that doesn’t include humans. Humans are nature, just as trees are nature, birds are nature – all beings who call this place home are nature. All nature thrives with relational tending.

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.

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!
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#Nourish #Reciprocity

:: is now the perfect time to make an easy day-tri

:: is now the perfect time to make an easy day-trip for a wood-fired sauna and wood-fired hot tub session nestled into 360° forest views with trees stepping into their autumn splendor? Yes. Yes, it is.
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#autumn #FallColor #DayTrip #ExploreMinnesota #EveryTrailConnects #DreamState #OptOutside #ForestBathing #Retreat #ThisIsMyMN

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