Wiohinhpayata etunwan yo

Nitunkasila ahitunwan yankelo

Cekiya yo cekiya yo

Ahitunwan yankelo

Look towards the East.

Your Grandfather is looking this way.

Pray to him, pray to him!

He is sitting there looking this way!

a verse from the Four Directions Song, a First Nation Prayer

Are you seeking direction in your life or unsure of the next step in your evolution? It is often easier to find the courage needed to move forward among friends. If you are seeking a community of like-minded souls to both support you and share accountability, CLARITY is for you.

We gather together from all directions for the purpose of empowering participants to hold sacred space for one another and return home with great focus and the tools needed to work together to shift culture. If you desire profound inner growth and to be part of creating a compassionate and peaceful world, then come share and hold space with other like-minded souls as we find CLARITY together.

This is not a retreat - this is a gathering, an opportunity for intentional growth and collective healing. Together we will activate, integrate, and embody our Yoga - that state of BEing in our undisturbed peace no matter what we are doing.

Nestled in the serene embrace of nature, Roots to Sky offers the perfect container for transformation, community building, and self-realization. During our time together, we will embark on a soulful exploration back to nature - back to self. With 125 acres of stewarded and protected land to explore, there's ample space for personal reflection and integration.

Camp under the open sky to heighten your connection with nature or make your home in one of the shared indoor spaces. Check out all registration options below.

:: What to expect ::

Activation through

• Pranayama - to build inner focus

• Intention setting - to remind us why we are here

• Sweat lodge - for purification

Integration through

• Fire circles - for spiritual awakening

• Elder talks - to impart wisdom

• Sound healing - to soak it all in

Embodiment through

• Yoga Asana - to move through our practice

• Nature walks - to reconnect to Mother Earth

• Ecstatic dance - for somatic healing

J Miles - a father, Yogi, martial artist, body worker, retired breakdancer, community activist, and the son of a Baptist minister - has been learning and studying eastern arts and philosophy for over two decades. But movement itself, coupled with creativity and exploration of movement through dance, has always been a constant source of curiosity and confidence. From learning how to headstand at five from his father, to walking on his hands and tumbling as an adolescent, to playing sports as a teen, to poppin and lockin, J has always been moving. This love of movement came together in the Brazilian art of Capoeira, which then led him to Hung Gar kung fu and his first real Teacher, who unknowingly led him to Yoga. J has a unique style of Yoga - influenced by various teachers and writings - but also unmistakably tempered by real life and humor, relying on the importance of breath as a guide and a source of strength. He strives to create for each person a fluid, sustainable and enjoyable practice, that hopefully will prove to be beneficial over a lifetime. And even as this ancient practice continues to evolve, the mantra continues to be “practice is effort toward steadiness of mind”.

Thomas Stanley is a scholar, artist, and writer deeply committed to audio culture in the service of personal growth and social change. Dr. Stanley teaches sound as a freestanding and integrative expressive medium as an associate professor within GMU’s School of Art. The author of The Execution of Sun Ra and co-author of An Oral History of George Clinton and P-Funk. His work attempts to exploit the capacity of sound and music to anchor, frame and energize our subjective experience of macrotemporal texture (history). As a fellow in the Re-Storying the Potomac initiative, Dr. Stanley uses performance and curation to support and catalyze those sonic communities from which noise and music leap forward to frame, reframe, and accelerate our subjective experience of history. Dr. Stanley has written and lectured extensively on emergent musical cultures, contextualizing musical sound and performance as struggles within social space for a fully decolonized temporal subject. As an integral part of this gathering, Dr. Stanley will lead us through a traditional sweat lodge ceremony and impart much of his wisdom around the fire.

Erica Balogh-Willets is a vibrant fusion of scientific precision and soulful yoga mastery, radiating joy and love in all parts of her life. With an MS in Biological Science, Erica’s journey blends the marvels of scientific research with the transformative power of yoga. Erica’s mission is to elevate, educate and inspire through a unique blend of movement and holistic wellness. As far as she can remember, she has loved movement, culinary artistry, and spreading joy by helping others. Introduced to holistic health by her grandmother, she quickly embraced the healing power of plants and the miraculous capabilities of the human body. At age 18, Erica was introduced to Ashtanga where her spark and love for yoga was ignited. Yoga has been a source of liberation, strength, and creativity. Known as a sequencing goddess, she combines Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and dance into dynamic flows that leave participants elevated, energized, and enlightened. Believing that food is medicine, movement is essential, and our ancient guidance is gifted to us through meditation, Erica advocates for healing through the harmony of mind, body, and science. Following three years of unexplained infertility, Erica leaned deeply towards holistic healing. This strengthened her meditative practice and chakra cleansing work. As a mother, she embodies balance and mindfulness, encouraging others to break generational patterns and raise conscience children.

Cody Willets, a seasoned yogi and certified life coach specializing in performance and confidence coaching, is dedicated to guiding individuals towards profound self-discovery and empowerment. Drawing from a rich background in movement as a scholar athlete, dancer, and fearless explorer, Cody’s journey into holistic wellness began with a quest for external validation, eventually leading him to realize the profound significance of self-worth. This pivotal realization fueled his transformation into a dedicated coach committed to empowering others to rewrite their own narratives and embrace their authentic selves. Driven by love, Cody’s passion lies in fostering alignment of mind, body, and spirit. His teaching style, characterized by creativity, groove, funk, and fluidity with meditative elements and deep connections to self and others, transforms each teachings into a dynamic exploration for growth. With over two decades of experience and a master's degree in Directing Theatrical Productions, Cody seamlessly blends strategic planning, empathetic listening, and effective communication to nurture individual potential and instigate lasting change.

DJ Shango, a master of dance ceremonies, approaches you with the aim of harmonizing your mind, body, and soul through this divine movement practice, using sound to stir and channel energy. A champion of light dedicated to restoring balance on Earth, Shango delves deep into crafting the Playlist of Ascension, drawing on his love for music, art, passion, and community. His journey has led him to embrace shamanistic practices, blending ancient wisdom with cutting-edge technology to curate safe havens where music facilitates release, enlightenment, and empowerment through divination. If you’ve never experienced ecstatic dance before, get ready to transcend through the power of somatic release.

Ari - through her background in psychology and clinical mental health counseling education, Core Energetics, yoga, Usui/Holy Fire III Karuna Reiki, breathwork, energy work, and meditation training - provides an integrative approach to holistic healing. She believes that by forming a relationship with the body and utilizing movement to express emotion and memories that have lodged themselves inside the body, one can return to a state of embodied liberation, remember how to access pleasure, awaken to their own psychic and intuitive gifts, and reignite their own inner flame. Her goal is to combine somatic/body psychotherapy, breathwork, Tantric Ayurveda, Shamanic practices, transpersonal psychology, psychedelic psychotherapy, Reiki, and mindfulness-based techniques to cultivate a holistic approach to therapeutic healing on the spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental levels of being. Join Ari and Emme for a Breathwork Alchemy Experience, where we will transform thought into sensation by shifting our awareness from the mind to the body through an active breath meditation. After turning the body ON and moving stagnant energy, we will then invite you to slide into a state of relaxation as you receive healing sound frequencies and Reiki energy medicine.

Emme facilitates healing through the modalities of energy medicine, sound frequencies, spirit communication, and divination, using her intuition and nurturing playfulness to guide her as she holds space for deep transformations. She is an Usui/Holy Fire III Reiki Master Teacher, Sound Healer, Meditation Guide, and Spiritual Medium, with additional training in Egyptian Reiki, Spiritual Coaching, Shamanic Energy Medicine, and Consciousness. Emme feels so aligned in holding sacred containers and guiding others in their internal exploration, and believes that facilitating harmonic healing and sharing the magic of Reiki energy medicine is part of her soul's highest purpose in this lifetime. She gains great bliss and also deep fulfillment and spiritual growth witnessing others heal as they reawaken, remember, and embody their most authentic selves.

Together, Ari and Emme weave their collective gifts and experiences into intentional offerings designed to help others more deeply connect with themselves and the world around them.

Ben Kalra is a Yoga teacher, photographer, writer, and seeker. He teaches from the perspective that all beings deserve peace and freedom in body, mind, and spirit. Ben has studied from many paths including classical hatha & raja yoga, katonah yoga, adaptive yoga, and awakening yoga. He remains a student first, dedicated to his personal practice and philosophical studies. His classes are explorative yet grounded, strong yet soft, and embrace the imagination. Ben teaches in his current hometown of Charlotte, NC, and leads workshops and retreats around the world. He is a believer in the sacred spiritual path of Yoga to help lead us from pain to peace and from illusion to truth. We are so honored to be blessed with his presence at this sacred gathering at Roots to Sky Sanctuary.

All pass options include all scheduled events, access to indoor facilities, and two meals* per day beginning with dinner on Thursday, July 11 through breakfast on Sunday, July 14.

*vegan and gluten free options will be available

This is a family friendly event! All attendees 16+ years old must have their own pass.