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Fall Foliage

Gather & Release: a yoga & poetry mini retreat

gather

& release

When: Saturday, October 25 | 12–4pm

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​Led by: Shannon Cody & Courtney Leblanc

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Where: Jess Purtell Yoga

1506 Belle View Blvd.

Alexandria, VA 22307

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Cost: $108

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Bring: Journal, pen, and 1-2 objects for our collective altar

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Optional: post-retreat dinner at a nearby restaurant (pay on your own)​​

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photo credit Lisa Scontras Photography

a day of creative reflection & community

As the light softens and the trees begin to release their leaves, autumn invites us to pause, reflect, and gently let go. In many traditions, this season is connected to the elements of air and earth — a time to ground ourselves in the present while allowing the winds of change to move through us.

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Join us for a half-day retreat weaving together gentle yoga, restorative stillness, poetry, and reflective writing. We’ll begin with grounding movement and breath, then gather around a collective altar of personal objects and memories. Through shared reflection, writing prompts, and poetry, we’ll explore the themes of harvest, remembrance, and release — honoring where we’ve been, and making space for what comes next.

 

You’ll be invited to bring 1–2 small objects that hold meaning from the past year — a photo, quote, piece of nature, or keepsake — to contribute to our altar. These items will serve as catalysts for writing and conversation as we journey inward together.

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We'll close with a restorative practice and guided meditation inspired by the imagery of autumn — falling leaves, stillness, and the quiet beauty of turning inward.

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Leave feeling rooted, renewed, and connected — to yourself, to others, and to the sacred rhythms of the season.

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This program is appropriate for all-levels. Please bring your personal objects to create our collective altar, and a journal or paper and something to write with. 

Meet Courtney, our co-host!

Courtney LeBlanc is the author of the full-length collections Her Whole Bright Life (winner of the Jack McCarthy Book Prize); Exquisite Bloody, Beating Heart; and Beautiful & Full of Monsters. Her next collection, Her Dark Everything is forthcoming in April 2025. She is the Arlington County Poet Laureate and the founder and editor-in-chief of Riot in Your Throat, an independent poetry press. She loves nail polish, tattoos, and a soy latte each morning. Find her online at www.courtneyleblanc.com

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