Retreats

Schedule
Friday, March 31
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Check-in, settle in, & set your intentions for the weekend
4:30 PM – Welcoming Circle and Intention Setting
6:00 PM – Dinner
7:00 PM – Restorative Yoga and Meditation
Saturday, April 1
7:00 AM – Sunrise Yoga
8:30 AM – Breakfast
10:30 AM – Yoga Nidra
12:30 PM – Lunch
2:30 PM – Somatic Movement
5:30 PM – Dinner
7:30 PM – Restorative Yoga and Meditation
Sunday, April 2
7:00 AM – Sunrise Yoga
8:30 AM – Breakfast
10:30 AM – Closing Circle and Meditation
Reflect, Release, Renew Yoga Retreat
March 31 - April 2, 2023
Join Missi Chenier C-IAYT RYT 500, for a weekend turning the focus inward. A ‘time out’ to take the opportunity to check in with yourself, for yourself. This weekend immersion will offer yoga practices to reflect where you are right now, release what is no longer serving you, and renew your body, mind and spirit. Yoga practices will include gentle somatic movements, an introduction to pranayama, restorative yoga, and yoga nidra. Taking time to create balance in a busy and overwhelming world allows us to be the best version of ourselves, to nurture our souls, and to regulate our own internal space allowing us to relate better to our external space.
There is no prior yoga experience needed, this weekend is suited to any level of experience, and all shapes and sizes. All props are provided, and we even have mats if you don’t have your own.
Missi Chenier is a yoga therapist, certified with the International Association of Yoga Therapists and a RYT 500 registered with the Yoga Alliance. Missi has spent many years studying yoga at a level beyond the physical practice and has focused on the clinical and therapeutic benefits of yoga and its philosophies. Missi currently teaches at her studio, Santosha Yoga Therapy in LaSalle, Ontario where she offers gentle yoga, restorative yoga, somatic strength, and specialty workshops. She is also working with Rock CF in Detroit Michigan on the development of a meditation and mindfulness program for the Cystic Fibrosis community. Missi’s classes are well balanced, firmly rooted in the yoga teachings and traditions and are accessible practices. Her passion is to meet each student where they are and offer them a class that serves their needs.
Register here: https://crieffhills.campbrainregistration.com/
Pricing:
Single Occupancy: $550 per person (+HST)
Double Occupancy (room sharing): $510 per person (+HST)
Weekend Day Pass: $325 per person (+HST)
Should you find you have barriers to attend this event due to cost, please reach out to our Director, Kristine O'Brien about our Wellness Fund. [email protected]
Treasures in Jars of Clay: A Retreat for Church Leaders
May 7th-9th, 2023

Do you sometimes feel like you are a lump of clay that is just spinning around on a potter’s wheel? Or like a clay jar that is broken and no longer useful? Do you feel the same way when it comes to the church? The Centre for Missional Leadership at St. Andrew’s Hall in Vancouver is partnering with Crieff Hills Retreat Centre for a retreat to address those very important questions.
Amid the beauty of field and forest, this retreat will not only offer opportunities for rest and reflection, but also for teaching and conversation among colleagues. Clergy, elders and lay leaders of all Christian denominations who are engaged in God’s mission in our post-pandemic, post-Christian landscape will find this a helpful and enriching time away.
$450 per person (single occupancy, private bath) or $400 (double occupancy, shared bath) includes all meals, snacks and beverages. The Crieff Hills Wellness Fund can help those facing financial barriers. Please email [email protected] to inquire.
REGISTER HERE (please note that you will need to input all of your information first, and then choose this specific program near the end of the process): https://crieffhills.campbrainregistration.com/
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9
Retreat Leadership
Your host for this retreat is the Rev. Dr. Kristine O'Brien, Executive Director at Crieff Hills. She is joined by the leadership team from the Centre for Missional Leadership:
- Rev. Albert Chu, Director of the Centre for Missional Leadership at St. Andrews Hall.
- Rev. Dr. Ross Lockhart, Dean of St. Andrew's Hall and Professor of Mission Studies
- Rev. Dr. Tim Dickau, CML Associate for the Missional Leadership Certificate Program and Director of City Gate Leadership Forum
- Andrea Perrett, Centre for Missional Leadership Associate in New Witnessing Communities
Sunday, May 7th
4:00 Check in
4:30 Welcome Gathering - Albert Chu
5:30 Dinner
7:00 Session #1 Missional Theology and Praxis – Ross Lockhart
8:30 Fireside wine and cheese
Monday, May 8th
7:00 Early Morning Devotions
8:00 Breakfast
10:00 Session #2 Pastoral Call and Identity
12:30 Lunch
1:30 Spiritual Practice Opportunities
3:00 Play with Clay: Pottery Arts workshop
5:00 Cocktails
5:30 Dinner
7:00 – Session #3 Church: Developing a Thicker and More Porous Shared Life – Tim Dickau
9:00 Fireside Concert with Glen Soderholm
Tuesday, May 9th
7:00 Early Morning Devotions
8:00 Breakfast
10:00 Session #4: New Clay Jars - Albert Chu and Andrea Perrett
12:00 Closing worship and Sending – Albert Chu
12:30 Lunch
1:30 Depart
Healthcare Worker Wellness Day Retreat with Dr. Parmjit Singh
Saturday May 6th, 2023
This is a day of rest and renewal just for those who work in healthcare. We know that the last few years have taken a toll on nurses, doctors, personal support workers and all those working in our hospitals, clinics and long term care homes.
- Spend the morning with Dr. Parmjit Singh, Assistant Clinical Professor with the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University to learn practical strategies that address both burnout and wellness.
- Sign up for a private session with Donna-Michelle Rancoeur who is a Nurse, Registered Reflexologist, Reiki Master and Indian Head Massage practitioner.
- Enjoy fresh, local food prepared by Chef Matthew Foote at lunch and dinner.
- Engage your creative side with an afternoon arts session and an evening filled with live music.
- Connect with nature on a forest hike or take a meditative walk on the 7-circuit labyrinth.
Cost: $130 per person (If a financial barrier would prevent you from participating please email [email protected] and ask about our Wellness Fund). Register HERE
Bonus retreat time: If you would like to extend your time away, we are offering 50% off private suite bookings for May 5th and 6th for anyone attending this day event (limited spaces available). Contact [email protected] (519) 824-7898 to book your stay.

Retreat Leadership
PARMJIT SINGH is Assistant Clinical Professor with Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University and has a PhD in psychology. He has Clinical Training in Mind-Body Medicine from Harvard Medical School and has completed Promoting Mindful Practice in Medical Education and Practice hosted by the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. He is also a Certified Yoga Teacher, a Certified Lifestyle Coach and a dedicated Vipassana practitioner. He did his Post-doctoral training in psychology from University of Southern Queensland and McMaster University. He teaches in the Faculty of Health Sciences & DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University including courses such as Body, Mind, Spirit and Health, Attitudes, Behaviors, Professional Transitions, Praxis Curriculum, Deceptions in Decision Making, The Mindful Leader and Mindfulness as a Way to Innovation and Creativity. Since 2016, he has successfully embedded a four week modified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program into the standard curriculum of Family Medicine residency program of McMaster University. A dynamic workshop conductor and a passionate speaker, he regularly leads health and wellness events for the business and educational sector.
DONNA-MICHELLE RANCOEUR MSc(A), RRPR, CRA-RP is a Registered Reflexologist and member of the Reflexology Registration Council of Ontario (RRCO). She has additional training in Foot, Hand, and Facial Reflexology "Dien Chan" and Vertical Reflexology. Donna-Michelle is also a Reiki Master and an Indian Head Massage Practitioner. With a background in nursing, she has always been passionate about prevention and empowering clients with self-care strategies. As someone who has always been very focused on helping others, she knows firsthand how difficult it can be to remember to care for yourself. In addition to working with clients on their relaxation and wellness goals, Donna-Michelle enjoys trying out new recipes on her family and spending time in nature with her dog.

Summer Comfort: Clergy Wellness Retreat
Sunday July 9- Tuesday July 11
Summer is the perfect time to join your colleagues for a relaxed retreat designed to offer what weary church leaders need most: relevant conversation, nourishing food, beautiful surroundings and even time for a nap! You will enjoy arts, music and an opportunity to learn about Empathic Strain/ Compassion Fatigue with Shawna Percy, President of Life Force in Guelph, Ontario. Private appointments for Reiki and Indian Head Massage are available.
Cost: $450 per person single $400 double (If a financial barrier would prevent you from participating please email [email protected] and ask about our Wellness Fund). To register click HERE.
Bonus retreat time: If you would like to extend your time away, we are offering 50% off private suite bookings for up to three nights to anyone attending this day event (limited spaces available). Contact [email protected] (519) 824-7898 to book your stay.
Leadership
SHAWNA PERCY: TEDxUW speaker, published author, and President of Life Voice Canada Inc., Shawna Percy is passionate about mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Shawna regularly delivers Mental Health First Aid, ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training,) safeTALK, and Compassion Fatigue, in a broad range of contexts across Ontario and beyond. Her lived experience and story-telling approach engages her participants and takes learnings from theory to real-life application. Shawna only teaches what she lives. As such, she has run hundreds of workshops, and engaged in dozens of suicide interventions; a privilege she calls walking on sacred ground with her fellow human beings. As a public speaker, she has had the honour of sharing some of her lived experiences and certified knowledge base to audiences through CTV news, 100 Huntley Street, through University forums, health-care anti-stigma events, and as a panelist for events from fundraisers to film festivals.
JOHN BORTHWICK: John is an ordained minister who has served The Presbyterian Church in Canada for a quarter century. He discovered "Inter-missions" (sabbaticals) by accident after a decade of serving the PCC. Since then, John has taken three Inter-missions from the congregation where he has served for 20 years, completing his last one in 2022. He is a PASSIONATE promoter of the Inter-mission which has been one of the keys to maintaining his wellbeing for the long journey of ordained ministry. John in a trained Empathic Strain/Compassion Fatigue educator and offers training on vicarious trauma, stress, and resilience, his specialty being Moral Distress and Injury. John was the Guelph Police Service chaplain from 2014-2021 and is currently chaplain to the Campus Safety Office at the University of Guelph. He now serves as the Lead of The Abbey (www.theabbey.ca) where he offers virtual offerings to care for those who tend to all things spiritual.
SUZIE MCNEIL: Juno Award winner Suzie McNeil was practically raised singing with her mother and sister at Erindale Presbyterian Church where her step-father was the minister. Suzie is a musical Jack-of-all-trades. These have ranged from live shows beside some of North America’s top artists (Steven Tyler, Alan Frew, Jeff Healey, Dave Navarro, P!nk, INXS, Scott Weiland, Gavin Rossdale), to consummate professionalism tracking in the studio (Kara Dioguardi, Clay Aiken, Buckcherry, Matt Nathanson, Foreigner) to commercial jingles, to performing in front of crowds of up to 200,000 people. She was the last woman standing on CBS television’s reality series Rockstar: INXS in 2005. She is featured singing duets on INXS’ release SWITCH, and American Idol finalist Clay Aiken’s release; A Thousand Different Ways. Suzie sang back-up vocals for P!nk on her North American tour, entertained the troops in Afghanistan on an armed forces tour, performed at the 2010 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremonies, and starred in the Toronto Debut of Queen’s We Will Rock You musical as the role of Oz. Suzie has co-writen and released 5 albums in Canada, all of which have had multiple singles that reached a spot in the Top 20 Canadian pop charts. Her 2008 single SuperGirl went gold, peaked at #3 on the charts, and was the most played song by a Canadian artist several weeks in a row.
DONNA-MICHELLE RANCOEUR MSc(A), RRPR, CRA-RP is a Registered Reflexologist and member of the Reflexology Registration Council of Ontario (RRCO). She has additional training in Foot, Hand, and Facial Reflexology "Dien Chan" and Vertical Reflexology. Donna-Michelle is also a Reiki Master and an Indian Head Massage Practitioner. With a background in nursing, she has always been passionate about prevention and empowering clients with self-care strategies. As someone who has always been very focused on helping others, she knows firsthand how difficult it can be to remember to care for yourself. In addition to working with clients on their relaxation and wellness goals, Donna-Michelle enjoys trying out new recipes on her family and spending time in nature with her dog.




Schedule (*All activities are optional)
Sunday
4:00 Arrival and Check in
5:00 Cocktails and Welcome Reception
5:30 Dinner
7:00 Evening Program
Monday
7:30 Morning Devotions
8:00 Breakfast
9:15 Addressing Compassion Fatigue with Shawna Percy
12:30 Lunch
Free time (to read, hike, nap or knit)
3:00 Arts Program
5:30 Dinner
7:00 Fireside Concert with Suzie McNeil
Tuesday
Morning Devotions
8:00 Breakfast
9:15 It's OK to Take A Break: An Invitation to Sabbath Rest with Rev. John Borthwick
Closing Worship
12:30 Lunch
Departure

