Archaeology of the Self Retreat

An immersive womxn’s wellness + yoga retreat

April 3 - 6, 2025 in St George, UT

Wake up and stretch after a long winter with a small group of passionate, curious women as we dig deep into our values, intentions, and life vision. This 4-day, all-inclusive retreat is full of daily yoga and mindfulness practices; light-hearted, enriching, and illuminating personal exploration; and all brought together with a unforgettable day of rock climbing Utah’s iconic sandstone in an incredible setting.

This long weekend is perfect for women who have found themselves at a junction - keep doing what you have been doing, or begin being more aligned with your true values and vision for life. More than just exploring ideas, this experience is about the “what next?” question that often leaves us hanging.

There is no need for any previous yoga or climbing experience- you will be guided to connect with yourself, your body, and your inner world…starting from where you are.

Join us for 4 days of discovery in the Utah desert

Thank you for creating welcoming space for everyone. Feeling each of us unwind and settle into ourselves and the group was healing on its own.

Continue offering these together! The Jess/Blake dynamic is a great balance and your personalities and experiences compliment one another so well!

Thank you for the poems and reflection. The ebook is beautiful and will be a keepsake. Accommodations were perfect. Food was amazing! Thanks for so many options and flavorful vegetarian fare.

  • April 2023 Participant

Archeology of the Self

You are a great fit for this 4 days + 3 nights adventure if

  • You’ve done everything you’re supposed to do and it’s okay, but not fulfilling

  • You’ve accomplished a lot and never taken the risk of value-driven action

  • You’re ready to begin modeling out an idea of your ideal next season of life

  • You’re not sure which questions to ask, or what you’re trying to answer… and you’re aware that something isn’t aligned in your life

  • You’re ready to build on your current life with new skills and self-awareness to make it even more enriching

  • You’re curious about your “one precious life” and how to make it more your own

  • You want to fall back in love with your life and how you lead it

  • You find yourself held back by fears and limited self-awareness of how to create the life you envision for yourself

  • You want to connect with yourself and others in a guided adventure into a life of more intention and alignment

  • You’re open to yoga and getting outside, maybe even trying some rock climbing!

  • You identify as femme or womxn and are over 18

This has been exceptional. The circle of women complimented each other. There was no sense of competition or jealousy.

Jess and Blake, you were excellent. Very clear and engaging. The poetry brought words to complex ideas. A prop for us who have no words. Thank you so much! I suppose the only thing I would have liked is more time. A week, two weeks, a month would be heavenly.

  • Annie, April 2023 Participant

The beautiful seasons of St George, UT

Slow down and savor the last warmth of spring in the Utah desert with a small group of incredible women, ready to uncover a more fulfilling winter and beyond.

 

The Tools:

  • Daily yoga practices to dig deeper into your body, mind and breath connection

  • Motion of Emotions workshop exploring how emotion lives and moves in our bodies

  • Intentional “circles” where you will be lead by a professional coach and therapist to uncover more truth and dismantle barriers to moving forward

  • Rock climbing as a way to deliberately and compassionately explore fear, acceptance, and commitment within yourself and with others

  • Daily meditation & mindfulness practices centered around the day’s themes and topics, allowing us to access our wise mind and feel more clearly

  • Poetry to uncover and express new ideas, parts of you, and visions for your next season of life

  • Guided hiking to move and connect more richly with the desert

  • Healthy, wholesome, fulfilling meals by our Chef to nourish your body and sustain your energy

  • A tool kit of inner and outer resources for further exploration, ongoing reflection, and growth

View from our climbing destination

Climbing Day:

After getting to know yourself and each other for 2 days, Saturday we will head out to the spectacular Utah wilderness for a playful and challenging day of rock climbing together.

You will be guided by Jess and Blake from start to finish:

  • Learning the rope and gear systems that will keep you safe

  • How to take care of others’ safety

  • How to move and find your flow up the rock

  • A fun and exciting classroom to practice the mindfulness and fear acknowledgement we have been exploring in our group circles

View of our climbing wall under the stars

“Such a wonderful experience! You fostered community so well which added heaps to the experience. I enjoyed how much focus there was on “what is”/now. It felt organic to be able to flow in and out of intentionality & focus into relaxation, play, downtime, and connecting with each other.”
— Spring 2023 Participant

Our Space

The retreat is not only an opportunity to connect with yourself, but to also connect and learn from one another. We will be sharing a beautiful 3,000 sq ft resort-style home just outside of the bustle of St George UT. With large rooms and crisp and clean amenities, the ease and coziness of our space is perfect for circling, resting, playing and enjoying one another.

We will be able to gather around great food and life-affirming wellness topics in the kitchen, living room, and deck spaces. The bedrooms are bright and open, with several sleeping set-ups to choose from. With 4-bedrooms and 4.5 baths, there is plenty of space to be together or with yourself during our time together.

 

'What would you say to someone who was considering joining an Archaeology of the Self Retreat?'

Don't overthink it. If you feel pulled to join the retreat, do it! Blake and Jess create a beautiful space for you to have your own unique experience, while simultaneously building new friends and community. The weekend was "full" of activity, and yet never felt rushed or hurried. A wonderful experience! 100/10 would recommend it!

  • Naomi, Participant

Sample Schedule

Open to some change, here is an idea of your time with us:

Friday

7:30 AM Coffee and Tea

8:00 - 9:15 AM Yoga and Meditation on Property

9:15 - 10:30 AM Healthy Breakfast

10:30 - 12:30 AM Workshopping and Reflection Time

12:30 - 1:30 PM Nourishing Lunch

1:30 - 3:30 PM Free Time for Rest, Hiking and Connection

4:00 - 6:00 PM Sunset Hike and Yoga in Snow Canyon State Park

6:30 - 7:30 PM Dinner and Closing the Day Together

7:30 PM Rest, Free and Play Time

8:30 PM Guided Meditation

Rock Climbing Saturday Afternoon - guided by retreat facilitators Jess and Blake

Check-in: 4:00 PM Thursday

Checkout: 11:00 AM Sunday

Retreat Facilitators

Blake Cason, MS, PCC, E-RYT200

Blake is a smile-out-loud kind of woman, full of life and joy. As an ICF Professional Life Coach, she takes her Masters in Health Behavior and Education into the lives of her incredible clients and helps them redefine their wellness and thriving lives. During her graduate work, Blake served the prediabetic community through the CDC’s Diabetes Prevention Program as a Lifestyle Coach.  She took this experience into teaching college nutrition before branching out with her own private practice, Pivot Wellness. 

With a slew of certifications and credentials, Blake is at once highly skilled and knowledgeable, while staying relatable and practical, first and foremost.  She has taken her dozen years of cross-cultural, multidimensional wellness and life coaching deeper into evidence-based tools, techniques, and paradigms for helping people cultivate sustainable happiness and health.  Her primary goal is empowerment and self-awareness, believing the rest can be learned and adapted along the way.

Habit, mindfulness, sustainable behavior change, and what she calls “work/play balance” are the corner stones of her approach.  Blake presents her engaging and inspired content all over the country as she demystifies the seeming complexities of wellness and personal growth into simple, tangible, and playful perspectives. 

Jess Shade, CMHC, MDiv. M.Ed.

Jess is a licensed therapist and high-altitude ski mountaineer. Value-driven action is at the core of her approach to work and life. Exploring one’s own intuition, identifying resistance, and cultivating curiosity are all tools with which she has been able to set the stage to explore the world, build a meaningful business, and love her community.

Originally from Atlanta, GA, Jess decided to swerve from her original career path of ancient near eastern archaeology and move West to guide young adults with autism in the Utah wilderness. Ten years after that pivot, she has further listened to that inner knowing by learning how to ski, becoming a therapist, and building her own business. Learning how to ski went very well; Jess is the second woman to ski Mt. Manaslu (8,163m; 26,782ft) in the Himalaya and frequently finds herself in the great ranges of the world such as the Karakoram, St. Elias, and Andes. 

Professionally, Jess works with individuals and organizations linked to the communities most dear to her: LGBTQIA+ Folx and mountain enthusiasts. She partners with the Utah Avalanche Center, The LGBTQ+ Affirmative Therapist Guild of Utah, the American Alpine Club’s Climbing Grief Fund, and more. 

More info on Jess can be found on her website: www.alturacc.com or her instagram: @shade_jess

Investment

Our space offers a few different ways to tailor your experience and meet your budget. Reserve your spot with a $400 deposit and payment plans are available.

Private King Suite w/ Private Full Bath $1450 / Shared $1300 each - SOLD OUT

Private Queen with Attached, Shared Full Bath $1350 / Shared $1200 each

Queen Bed in Shared, Three-Person Room $1150 / Shared $1000 each

(If you’d like to book a group for the triple shared room, please reach out)

Full Bed, Lower Bunk in Bunk Room $1025

Twin Bed, Upper Bunk in Bunk Room $925

Join the waitlist for Spring 2025

 

Interested in applying for our scholarship?

Applications accepted until February 28th. Applicants will be notified by March 5th.
Apply here.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

  • You know your body and challenge-zone best. Here are some details about the movement in the retreat:

    • Morning all-levels yoga suitable for beginners to advanced, I am very experienced with facilitating a class that can be fit into individuals wants and needs.

    • Evening gentle movement, mostly on the floor

    • A 20 min, mostly flat hike/walk, with some rocks to navigate to a cave where we will do some mindfulness practices

    • A 20 min walk to the climbing area, mostly flat with 5 mins up a hill

    • A few hours of optional rock climbing on top rope, climbs are beginner level difficulty.

  • The meals have consistently been one of the best parts of the experience for more Arch of Self Retreat participants. Chef McKenna serves us robust, vegetarian, fresh, and incredibly delicious meals and snacks from beginning to end. She accommodates for allergies and diet restrictions.

  • We will head to the climbing area, get oriented with the climbing gear, describe the climbs, and then womxn are free to climb any, all, or none over the next few hours. It is a fun, supportive, and challenging environment where Jess and Blake will guide you to expand your comfort zone only as far as it is enlivening for you and aligns with your areas of growth.

  • While the weekend has its own curated beginning, middle, and end which we would love everyone to be present for, it is okay if, for you to join, you need to trim off a little on the beginning or end of the experience.

  • Many womxn will be coming from the SLC area, and often there is an option to carpool down with someone, or get a ride from a participant from the airport to the event. Those details are determined by availability within the participant pool and not guaranteed by the event facilitators. There is more info about travel arrangements (flights, affordable shuttles) below on the information page.

The Retreat Experience

  • Two daily yoga + mindful movement classes

  • Guided hike + yoga in Snow Canyon State Park

  • Guided group reflections that build on one another and deepen your self-awareness

  • Three nutritious and nourishing meals a day from Chef McKenna

  • Guided climbing excursion to expand your comfort zone and experience Utah’s famous sandstone

  • Access to stunning pool and hot tub

  • Accommodation in an enormous resort-style house with up to eleven other empowered womxn

  • Deep connection with other womxn in an intentional space of reflection, rejuvenation, and discovery

 

Working with Blake and Jess

While Blake is so calm and loving, she challenged us to think critically about what we love and how we actually can make more time and energy for it.  She gave ideas but also a framework for us to explore and understand on our own.

Jess’s talk was authentic, captivating, and resonated well with our entire team. It was the perfect combination of inspiring and motivational while weaving in life lessons and an incredible experience. Following the talk we couldn’t get people to leave the room because there were so many questions! Jess’s talk has inspired Crederians to continue to talk about their own goals and ambitions and support each other in their pursuits. We look forward to having Jess back someday!

Blake’s workshops are so interactive, it was such a great reminder that I am not the only one that struggles internally.  She created a safe circle for us to lovingly dissect our behavior and shed light on why.

Jess helped support an event hosted at The Front Climbing Club to bring awareness to mental health and climbing. She organized not only a wonderful presentation, but an inspiring panel of therapists. Jess' uplifting and knowledgeable insight on mental health was approachable and authentic, can't wait to have her back!

Blake encouraged and guided us in ways to listen to our intuition.  I appreciate that she was offering her great insight but not telling us what we should do with it--  that’s our work and needs to come from ourselves.

Getting to St George

Located in the far southwest corner of Utah, St George has its own small, regional airport.

Alternately, Las Vegas airport is 2 hours away (and there are shuttle options from LV to StG). Or, Salt Lake Airport is 3.5 hours away (also, with a shuttle option).

There are two shuttles: St George Shuttle and Salt Lake Express

Transportation costs are not included in the retreat investment above.