Unfolding into the Forest | Reflections from Our First Oregon Retreat

Walker Bird [00:00:00]:
However, because of the prior work.

Theresa Hubbard [00:00:02]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:00:03]:
She was able to come over to me afterwards.

Theresa Hubbard [00:00:06]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:00:07]:
And. And just, you know, she was kind and she was grateful because it's not easy to. To be, you know, a tool.

Theresa Hubbard [00:00:22]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:00:24]:
That frightens people.

Theresa Hubbard [00:00:25]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:00:27]:
But it was. It's healing too.

Theresa Hubbard [00:00:29]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:00:30]:
And so to have her be. Have, you know, grown enough in between to come over and say. I tell. Share that with me.

Theresa Hubbard [00:00:38]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:00:39]:
And to say, you know, thank you, and I'm still working through it.

Theresa Hubbard [00:00:44]:
Right, right.

Walker Bird [00:00:45]:
Was powerful stuff.

Theresa Hubbard [00:00:47]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:00:48]:
And it's good work.

Theresa Hubbard [00:00:50]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:00:51]:
So.

Theresa Hubbard [00:00:51]:
And she said to you.

Walker Bird [00:00:54]:
I. Tell me what she said. Tell me what she said.

Theresa Hubbard [00:00:58]:
She said, I felt safe this time.

Walker Bird [00:00:59]:
She did. Yeah. And that's huge.

Theresa Hubbard [00:01:02]:
Huge. Yeah. That she could be in that have the awareness in her body and know that she was safe.

Walker Bird [00:01:10]:
Right. My Inner Knowing empowering you to find your compass for the journey. We are dedicated to supporting you to rediscover and trust your natural ability to navigate life. Each day by sharing insight and experience through the lens of two professional communicators and their guests, we intend to prompt internal inquiry that supports all those willing to explore a unique path.

Walker Bird [00:01:42]:
Well, hello.

Theresa Hubbard [00:01:43]:
Well, hello. How are you?

Walker Bird [00:01:45]:
I am great.

Theresa Hubbard [00:01:46]:
Great. Are you? Tell me more.

Walker Bird [00:01:48]:
Well, I just had a massage.

Theresa Hubbard [00:01:50]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:01:51]:
How could I not be?

Theresa Hubbard [00:01:53]:
Yes. Yeah. Anybody you want to shout out to?

Walker Bird [00:01:56]:
Yeah. Wren Quinn, Amazing deep tissue massage therapist. Highly recommended.

Theresa Hubbard [00:02:02]:
Oh, yay. Yeah. Well, she's great.

Walker Bird [00:02:09]:
She has somatic training, so she knows about trauma in the body, and she does all kinds of different modalities. Deep tissue is kind of the thing right now, so. And she's fun to talk to because she's extremely well read. She's taught me about a lot new of new authors that I had known before.

Theresa Hubbard [00:02:28]:
Good.

Walker Bird [00:02:29]:
I like that.

Theresa Hubbard [00:02:29]:
Good. Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:02:30]:
Anyway, yay. All the above. Plus. Plus, we just got back from our first retreat in Oregon. Us hosting our first retreat in Oregon.

Theresa Hubbard [00:02:40]:
Mm. Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:02:42]:
So how do you feel?

Theresa Hubbard [00:02:44]:
Good. I'm good. Yeah. Recovering from the travel, getting back into the groove, getting sleep schedules readjusted. But the retreat was fantastic. It was so nice. Where do you want to start?

Walker Bird [00:03:06]:
Well, it was called Unfolding into the forest.

Theresa Hubbard [00:03:08]:
Yes. Yes. And we. We worked around the weather, which worked out perfectly. So we got to be outside. What are you laughing about?

Walker Bird [00:03:22]:
Yeah, just that we didn't have any choices around that. But it did. It worked out perfectly.

Theresa Hubbard [00:03:29]:
Yeah. Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:03:30]:
And it was a wonderful addition or adjunct to the work that we were doing. Having pouring down rain in the background with the trees and the lake and all that in the midst of some of the work was very cleansing and helpful.

Theresa Hubbard [00:03:46]:
Yeah. And the fireplace going.

Walker Bird [00:03:47]:
Yeah.

Theresa Hubbard [00:03:48]:
And people wrapped in blankets. It was all very cozy.

Walker Bird [00:03:54]:
And then the sun would come out when it was time to go out for outdoor activities. It was great.

Theresa Hubbard [00:03:59]:
Yeah. Yeah. Two days of. Well, one day of constant rain, and one day that was mixed, but it was. It was. We got to do the deep work in the rain. Yeah. We had really great food.

Theresa Hubbard [00:04:14]:
Yeah. We did all low histamine meals, thanks to you. They were quite tasty. Yeah. So I think the. I think her name is Dr. Becky Campbell. I think she's a low histamine person.

Walker Bird [00:04:31]:
And it's the low histamine diet. What's the name of the. Her book?

Theresa Hubbard [00:04:36]:
Maybe just Low Histamine Cookbook.

Walker Bird [00:04:37]:
Yeah. It wasn't.

Theresa Hubbard [00:04:38]:
Something wasn't fancy, like. Yeah. It was just practical, but, yeah, it was delicious. It was delicious. The recipes were great. Good flavor. Oh, it was a. It was designed for the Instant Pot, and I did some of them in the Instant Pot.

Theresa Hubbard [00:04:55]:
Some I just cooked like I normally would, whether it was in the oven or a skillet or a mixture of air fryer. Air fryer.

Walker Bird [00:05:01]:
Nice. Nice addition to the kitchen, frankly, for our work.

Theresa Hubbard [00:05:06]:
Yes.

Walker Bird [00:05:06]:
Just because it speeds up the tender tenderizing of the vegetables and things so much.

Theresa Hubbard [00:05:12]:
Yes. Yeah. It takes a lot of time off, so that was wonderful. So I would say you and I, we went out a week early to make sure that the house that we've been having remodeled was ready. It wasn't quite ready when we got there, so we couldn't start unpacking, so they had to. Well, the. I guess the main. The.

Theresa Hubbard [00:05:33]:
The main team guys came the next day. You walked through the house with them, and then they sent a cleaner because the house was not clean. So we couldn't put anything away because everything was dirty and dusty and covered in drywall dust. And so. And then the. The work group came out on Friday and finished up all the things that needed to be finished.

Walker Bird [00:05:57]:
The contractors.

Theresa Hubbard [00:05:58]:
The contractors. Right. So we were behind a few days, but we were unpacking like fiends and focused on getting it ready for people to come. We did not get the artwork up. We didn't get all the cool things out that we have out. Everything's in our closet. That would be a joke for everybody.

Walker Bird [00:06:22]:
If it was missing.

Theresa Hubbard [00:06:23]:
It was in our closet, and we will. We will get it there. But. But the house was ready to go. It looked wonderful. Just not decorated so well, some.

Walker Bird [00:06:35]:
We had a few of Our cool things out. But yeah, not nearly what it will be, but all the furniture and the bedding etc was beautiful. And it was a. It was a wild dash to get there, wasn't it?

Theresa Hubbard [00:06:49]:
It was a wild dash to get there. And then we wanted to be able to have fires. And so we went and got some wood. And when I was just started carrying it into the house on Sunday morning, I fell with my arms full and sprained my ankle horribly. Horribly. And you responded really well. You came running, which was fantastic. And then when I just put my hand up, you stopped.

Theresa Hubbard [00:07:21]:
Because what I need is the energy to focus on what's happening in my body. And so I was. I laid there for a while. I actually couldn't tell you how long I laid there, but I was sending energy to my ankle. I knew it was hurt. I didn't know how hurt it was, but I knew it was hurt. And so I was like telling my body, you are strong. You will heal.

Theresa Hubbard [00:07:53]:
You have the nutrients that you need. I feed you good food. You have everything you need. You are strong. Because for me, as I age, that's my mantra. I'm only going to be stronger as I age, not less strong. And that's just a choice that I made, I don't know, 10 years ago, that I'm just going to be stronger. And then after a while, I got up and spent some time assessing whether I felt like something was broken or torn.

Theresa Hubbard [00:08:31]:
And it was painful, but it wasn't like I didn't feel like something was broken or torn. And took some ibuprofen, got some ice. We drove into town. You got me an ankle brace. And I wasn't sure if I'd be walking or not. Cause I really. I've never done that before. So I actually didn't have a clue what it was gonna be like.

Theresa Hubbard [00:09:01]:
But I just took it slow, as slow as we could as we were trying to unpack the house and get it ready. But I did ice it and elevate it every night and ibuprofen it. And over the next few days, it looked horrible. Horrible.

Walker Bird [00:09:16]:
Black, blue and purple. Yeah.

Theresa Hubbard [00:09:18]:
Yeah. It was not.

Walker Bird [00:09:20]:
It was ugly.

Theresa Hubbard [00:09:21]:
It was ugly. Ugly all the way around. Inside, outside, really ugly. But it is a week and a few days out doing much, much better. It's tender. I mean, it's not. I mean, my guess is it'll probably be another month, I would guess, before it'll be okay. But I.

Theresa Hubbard [00:09:41]:
Even last night I noticed that the swelling was down, so I did not go on hikes. With you guys. But I did hike a mile the last day when I was looking for you guys at the beach. And that was okay. It wasn't. I mean, I was just careful, thoughtful about it as I am still being. But what I noticed interestingly, and I think it's just when your ankle is so swollen like that, it was actually harder for me to move again after I'd been still. And so it was actually easier for me if I kept going a little bit.

Theresa Hubbard [00:10:21]:
And so anyway, so that was Sunday. And then we had two of our retreat participants show up on Monday and they helped us carry down some things and carry up some things. And then they went and had the. Their adventures, sand sledding and trying out some different restaurants in town. And then Wednesday night we went and picked up everybody else from the airport and. Am I missing something in there?

Walker Bird [00:10:55]:
Oh yeah, there's plenty.

Theresa Hubbard [00:10:57]:
Oh, okay.

Walker Bird [00:11:00]:
Go ahead.

Theresa Hubbard [00:11:00]:
Well, no, I'm curious. I'll stop right there. We picked everybody up at the airport on Wednesday night. So what were you thinking?

Walker Bird [00:11:07]:
In the 15 person passenger van?

Theresa Hubbard [00:11:09]:
In the 15 person passenger van?

Walker Bird [00:11:11]:
No, I. Just to lay the foundation. I mean it's a. It's our retreat center in. On the coast of Oregon, Central coast. And it's a location where the coast broadens out. So there are these huge four and five story sand dunes and there's 40 miles of sand dunes.

Theresa Hubbard [00:11:32]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:11:33]:
And our retreat center is called C4 Sanctuary.

Theresa Hubbard [00:11:37]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:11:39]:
And it's called that because it's three miles in from the ocean.

Theresa Hubbard [00:11:42]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:11:43]:
On what is a natural sand dune lake.

Theresa Hubbard [00:11:47]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:11:47]:
That is fed by spring water. So it's crystal clear water. You can see sand on the bottom. And it's surrounded by evergreen trees. So it almost has a northern woods look to it. But I just wanted to lay a little bit of groundwork for what we're doing out there. And just to give that piece.

Theresa Hubbard [00:12:09]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:12:10]:
And the name.

Theresa Hubbard [00:12:10]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:12:11]:
Because it speaks volumes about what we're doing. And it was a really different flavor from the retreats that we've been doing in Missouri.

Theresa Hubbard [00:12:22]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:12:23]:
And it's just because we, on top of all of the inner work.

Theresa Hubbard [00:12:29]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:12:30]:
We also had now have this overlay of some adventure and activities out in nature that we tie together with the group work that we're doing.

Theresa Hubbard [00:12:42]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:12:43]:
And so it was just a really nice way for people to get out of that process in the downstairs work area in our living room down there and out into nature where you can soak all that in and you're still just kind of. You're opening it all up.

Theresa Hubbard [00:13:02]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:13:02]:
With nature. So it's just. It's a lovely new thing, this. We love it for ourselves and we absolutely love sharing it with everybody and. And being able to share the natural wonders of the Oregon coast and the forest.

Theresa Hubbard [00:13:18]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:13:19]:
Was just great. And what's so cool about our place is it's also in immediate proximity, north of this, these sand dunes is where the mountains reach the sea. And so it' that classic, rugged, rocky Oregon coastline with the crashing waves and the tidal pools and fascinating natural formations that people travel across the world to come see. And they're all right within an hour of our. Our retreat center.

Theresa Hubbard [00:13:51]:
Yeah. Yeah. So it's amazing.

Walker Bird [00:13:53]:
There you go. Anyway, back to you. Have you ever felt confused or overwhelmed in relationships? Therese and I have come up with a free mini course that we think will really help you out with a lot of the common relationship experiences so that you can improve your communication skills with all of the people in your life and really make a change for the better.

Theresa Hubbard [00:14:16]:
Yeah. We really believe that everybody deserves the opportunity to learn healthy relationship skills so that we can get through life having a good, healthy relationship experience. So click the link, put your email in, you'll get the PDF, spend a few hours working on it, and please let us know what your experience is. We know it will benefit you in some way. Thanks.

Walker Bird [00:14:39]:
Thank you.

Theresa Hubbard [00:14:41]:
Yeah. Okay.

Walker Bird [00:14:42]:
I thought that was pretty good.

Theresa Hubbard [00:14:43]:
Okay, Sounds good. Okay, check, check.

Walker Bird [00:14:48]:
So we're in the 15 passenger van at the airport.

Theresa Hubbard [00:14:51]:
What happened next? Yeah, no, it was. It was really nice picking everybody up, greeting everybody at the airport, fitting all the luggage in the van with everyone and, you know, heading in and everybody finding their space and getting snuggled in. And Thursday, you know, we got up, I prepared a, you know, a light breakfast, late breakfast on Thursday. And then most of you went and did a sand dune buggy ride.

Walker Bird [00:15:20]:
Yes.

Theresa Hubbard [00:15:21]:
Which I know is quite the adventure. It. Then you guys came back and I think explored. Right. Like, people were outside. Some people went down to the lake.

Walker Bird [00:15:31]:
And went down the dock, and some went downtown first.

Theresa Hubbard [00:15:36]:
Oh, right.

Walker Bird [00:15:37]:
Because the little town we're in has a riverfront where they used to bring lumber down. And so it's. There's sailboats and fishing vessels and all that. That dock, they're not huge.

Theresa Hubbard [00:15:48]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:15:48]:
Small. But the old town riverfront is very quaint with amazing restaurants. Lucky us. In the south, thousand people, fantastic restaurants and shops, too.

Theresa Hubbard [00:16:01]:
Yeah. Barbecue, vegan, Indian, Thai. Oh, my gosh, the Thai restaurant.

Walker Bird [00:16:07]:
Yeah.

Theresa Hubbard [00:16:08]:
In Florence is fantastic. Yes, it is. So, yes, some people Went into town.

Walker Bird [00:16:13]:
And then came back and there were adventures to go on because we have bikes, we have kayaks, we have all the walks you want right through the little hoppit area that I love so much because the trees are right on the road and it curves through the. It's just nice.

Theresa Hubbard [00:16:27]:
Yeah. And then we saw it was supposed to rain the next day. So we did some of the adventures Thursday night and then officially started the retreat with the opening and ritual and everything on Friday morning instead of Thursday evening. But we went up and saw Thor's well and Cape Perpetua and watch the sun go down and spouting horn and Devil's Turn, Devil's Churn. Yeah. So everybody got to see him. All of that, you know, beautiful part of the coast. And then on Friday morning, we started with our rituals that we do to welcome everybody and set the intention.

Theresa Hubbard [00:17:07]:
And then it was. It was. It was a full day of self inquiry. And then we finished first Friday night out by the fire in the. Out the downstairs outdoor area. And we spent, I don't know, two and a half hours talking about what does perfectionism mean? Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:17:32]:
Not even on the agenda.

Theresa Hubbard [00:17:33]:
That wasn't even on the agenda. That was spontaneous question that got started by somebody and then it just was fascinating conversation and. And just really helpful for everybody to share their different definitions and experiences. And it was just lovely conversation.

Walker Bird [00:17:57]:
We got one of those restaurant tower heaters. It's different than the. The dome, but still it has the glass tube that goes up in the middle of the pyramid. And it was just. The whole atmosphere was great. And we fit 12 people easily. The outdoor seating area perfectly. It was just so nice.

Walker Bird [00:18:17]:
So nice and magical, you know, just the glow of the flame and all that. Everybody just loved it.

Theresa Hubbard [00:18:24]:
Yeah, it was great. Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:18:25]:
And it was conducive to the sharing piece. Yeah, it was great how everybody dove right in. Yeah, they really did. It really passed. I mean, we didn't take turns, but it was a really nice sharing from most participants.

Theresa Hubbard [00:18:42]:
Yeah, yeah, it was really lovely. And then Saturday we got up and kept going. Did some experiential work. The rain was kind of coming and going. Spent some time standing in moss, which we have this beautiful moss on the property. And it's so interesting because it looks like you would step on it and it would be like the ground, but it's like six inches deep. So it's like pillows.

Walker Bird [00:19:11]:
That first step, I was like, oh, you know, because we said, take your shoes off, take your socks off. Here we go. And they're looking at it kind of like, yeah, you know, but then they're like, oh, right.

Theresa Hubbard [00:19:25]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:19:26]:
And moss handled it really well. It wasn't all, you know, crushed down or anything.

Theresa Hubbard [00:19:30]:
No.

Walker Bird [00:19:30]:
And we fit 10 people easily in those areas. It was cool.

Theresa Hubbard [00:19:36]:
And we were using it for grounding and also like a connection to nature. And it worked lovely. Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:19:43]:
Well, you had done a nice meditation to go along with it and. Yeah, it was lovely. That was your. Your doing. And it was a great idea.

Theresa Hubbard [00:19:51]:
Yeah, yeah. Well, the idea started with one of the participants who asked me if we could do something around the moss. And I said, oh, sure. And so she sent me her thoughts and then I expanded on it and it was. It was really lovely. Um, so I appreciate that, you know, you just. When people are coming and they have things that speak to them, I want them to share them with us because it just benefits the whole group, you know, and you and I can create it into something that is helpful, you know, and goes along with our process. And so it did perfectly.

Theresa Hubbard [00:20:27]:
We did some energy release, which was very emotional for a lot of people. You know, just getting rid of, you know, moving stuck energy in the body.

Walker Bird [00:20:40]:
Yeah. So we do. Just so everybody who hasn't been on retreat with us knows we do. There's a lot of discussion. But also then experiential exercises that we do. And this is one that's. We have many different energy release exercises, but sometimes it's psychodrama. But tell us more about the energy release piece.

Theresa Hubbard [00:21:00]:
Sure.

Walker Bird [00:21:00]:
Like specifically whether it's that activity or another, it doesn't matter. But yeah, I want, I want people to get a flavor for what we do when we say, oh, experiential work.

Theresa Hubbard [00:21:11]:
Yeah. So this one, this particular one was a group activity where we were all outside. And you know, I was trained in heart centered hypnotherapy 16 years ago. And part of that process is moving energy from the body, whether it is saying out loud what it is you need to say. And I'll say that during the retreat, you heard me say that several times. This time particularly, say it out loud. Say it out loud. And then sometimes people.

Theresa Hubbard [00:21:45]:
We are also trained to like yell into a pillow or to release energy into a bag. I mean, you can do it a lot of different ways. But a punching bag was something that was. I don't know, their. Their process around it was helpful. It was something that I connected with ultimately, not initially. I didn't like it at first because I had resistance to being violent.

Walker Bird [00:22:09]:
Yes.

Theresa Hubbard [00:22:10]:
And so when I Was trained in it. I was like, I don't like this. But when I could get to that place of that, this is just me moving energy. It was incredibly helpful for me throughout, I mean, since then to be able to release whatever pent up energy is. Sometimes I can identify and sometimes I can't. I just know that I feel off. And I use this part of a high pressure water hose that I get from a plumbing supply company.

Walker Bird [00:22:40]:
It's about this long.

Theresa Hubbard [00:22:41]:
It's about that long.

Walker Bird [00:22:42]:
About that big round.

Theresa Hubbard [00:22:42]:
Yeah. Yep.

Walker Bird [00:22:44]:
Just perfect for the hand.

Theresa Hubbard [00:22:45]:
Perfect. Yeah. It fits really well. And so we walked people through an exercise to bring up, you know, whatever might be stirring in them. And then I demonstrate, you know, what that release can look like. The first time I did it, it was with no sound, it was just motion. And then you prompted me to add some sound. So then I did.

Theresa Hubbard [00:23:10]:
And it reminded me of like in martial arts when they have you make sound as your whatever releasing energy or punching or kicking. So I did that the second time around and then I asked you to do it. And what is always shocking about it for people is when I do it, it isn't terrifying for people overall. I'm not saying that it couldn't be, but when you do can be really difficult for people. The amount of, you know, well, you being a man. Right. That energy. And though, even even though you don't walk in the world that way, that pain is still inside of you that you're releasing.

Walker Bird [00:24:06]:
Sure.

Theresa Hubbard [00:24:08]:
And so there were, you know, people who had thought that they had fixed their trauma, you know, by having managed it throughout their lifetime, who were surprised that you hitting the bag without being angry, but just hitting the bag would be something that would cause, you know, their trauma to get triggered. And then we were able to work with them through that process of releasing more, knowing that that one, that one exercise doesn't like, fix it all, but it's a start. It's just a start. It's like, oh, that's still in there.

Walker Bird [00:24:48]:
Right.

Theresa Hubbard [00:24:49]:
Like, and then, you know, like somebody was sharing with me today. Like, I knew it was in there, but I really thought I had managed it. Right. Like I didn't recognize the impact it was still having, but, you know, able to see that the people pleasing part was connected to that, you know, something that they had learned a long, long time ago. And really this. Okay, so what do we do now to keep moving more of that. So it was a very powerful experience. And then in the midst of all this, all of our really nice meals and then that day ended.

Walker Bird [00:25:30]:
Can we go back to the bag for a second?

Theresa Hubbard [00:25:32]:
Absolutely.

Walker Bird [00:25:32]:
I just, I want to share a little bit of.

Theresa Hubbard [00:25:34]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:25:37]:
That'S hard for me and because we've done that one. We've. You and I have done it many times, but we've only done it on retreat once before that in a specific exercise. Right, right. And when I did it the last time, and it's not performative, I mean, I. My intention is to demonstrate.

Theresa Hubbard [00:25:58]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:25:59]:
Meaning it instead of, you know, tepidly tapping the bag.

Theresa Hubbard [00:26:03]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:26:04]:
To really set an attention. And this is. There's a difference. And I had to learn this from you because if you have trauma or sadness, because they carry a lot of sadness from childhood abuse, those things and also rage, it's still there.

Theresa Hubbard [00:26:21]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:26:24]:
And you know, it's not that I walk through the world raging, but if you tap into it and the difference is you can like get all into the feels on the rage and just justified in the rage piece and then you're. You're wallowing in it versus setting an intention to release it.

Theresa Hubbard [00:26:41]:
Yeah, absolutely.

Walker Bird [00:26:42]:
With each strike, get out of my body.

Theresa Hubbard [00:26:45]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:26:47]:
And I had scared some people the last time we did it. You know, I could sit and they immediately. And it's women typically into little girl that looked like little girls hiding behind a pillar.

Theresa Hubbard [00:26:58]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:26:58]:
In the barn where we did it.

Theresa Hubbard [00:26:59]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:27:00]:
And so I didn't want to do it again.

Theresa Hubbard [00:27:02]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:27:03]:
But you knew, the helpful part of that is with the right guidance that it can, you know, blast past resistance or having cap that off. You know, I don't feel that way. It's all in here below the, you know, consciousness.

Theresa Hubbard [00:27:24]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:27:25]:
And so you asked me to do it after I said I want you to do it. And one of the participants was just sobbing, you know, shaking, sobbing. And that's hard, you know, and that's my work still. Right. My additionally, you know, how if you weren't there to take the right next step because there's this balance between stopping somebody's process, rescuing and providing, you know, a safety comfort to allow that process to continue and, and pass. To pass through and then to process later.

Theresa Hubbard [00:28:10]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:28:10]:
And so you did that.

Theresa Hubbard [00:28:12]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:28:12]:
And my work is to learn, you know, am I able to, you know, and how. What if they're like, you know, because it may be male related trauma that they have.

Theresa Hubbard [00:28:23]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:28:23]:
And so it's this balance of figuring out for me as a facilitator what would be helpful and what would not be helpful.

Theresa Hubbard [00:28:31]:
Right, Right.

Walker Bird [00:28:31]:
Oh, so that's why Our team, you and me, works really, really well.

Theresa Hubbard [00:28:37]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:28:37]:
And then I'll. I'll end it with this, because I don't want to, but I really wanted people to understand we're doing serious work.

Theresa Hubbard [00:28:43]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:28:44]:
There were two women who had been at the prior retreat and saw me hit the bag, and they were the ones who were, like, hiding behind you last time. The last. The prior time. This time, one was empowered. She was like, I couldn't wait for you to do that because I'm ready, you know? And then another was. I thought I was ready. It was like, okay, I've seen this before, but it's still, boom. Put.

Walker Bird [00:29:07]:
Took her right back to that space when she was younger.

Theresa Hubbard [00:29:12]:
Right, Right.

Walker Bird [00:29:13]:
However, because of the prior work.

Theresa Hubbard [00:29:16]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:29:16]:
She was able to come over to me afterwards.

Theresa Hubbard [00:29:19]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:29:21]:
And. And just, you know, she was kind and she was grateful because it's not easy to. To be, you know, a tool.

Theresa Hubbard [00:29:35]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:29:37]:
That frightens people.

Theresa Hubbard [00:29:39]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:29:40]:
But it was. It's healing too.

Theresa Hubbard [00:29:42]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:29:43]:
And so to have her be. Have, you know, grown enough in between to come over and say. I tell. Share that with me.

Theresa Hubbard [00:29:51]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:29:52]:
And to say, you know, thank you, and I'm still working through it.

Theresa Hubbard [00:29:57]:
Right, right.

Walker Bird [00:29:58]:
Was powerful stuff.

Theresa Hubbard [00:30:00]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:30:02]:
And it's good work. So.

Theresa Hubbard [00:30:05]:
And she said to you.

Walker Bird [00:30:07]:
I. Tell me what she said. Tell me what she said.

Theresa Hubbard [00:30:11]:
She said, I felt safe this time.

Walker Bird [00:30:13]:
She did. Yeah. And that's huge.

Theresa Hubbard [00:30:16]:
Huge. Yeah. That she could be in that, have the awareness in her body and know that she was safe.

Walker Bird [00:30:23]:
Right, Right. Built up resilience and release enough around it. And then also, we had the people that it did impact that way were able to go strike the bag themselves. And it was a powerful release for them.

Theresa Hubbard [00:30:37]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:30:38]:
Because they touched it.

Theresa Hubbard [00:30:40]:
Right, right.

Walker Bird [00:30:43]:
That's just one example of what we do. And it's hard.

Theresa Hubbard [00:30:46]:
And it's hard for everybody. Yeah. And for me, I'm always, you know, I'm watching everyone. Right. And assessing everybody's experience. And so, you know, I. So like the one. So the two people that, you know, had the reaction were also people that I knew more about, and I knew that they had more resources.

Theresa Hubbard [00:31:10]:
But the one person that I didn't know their story, that part of their story, and that it came up, you know, for me, as I'm, you know, watching and assessing. And what would be most helpful, what I knew first was comfort is safety. Like, I am, like, going towards safety.

Walker Bird [00:31:32]:
Right.

Theresa Hubbard [00:31:32]:
And so, you know, and you all held space so well, you know, as she and I had that conversation and, you know, what do you need to do right now? You know, and she said, I need to hit the bag. And then we talked about, you know, what was that? Fear. Okay, then go release the fear from your body. Right. And then we'll keep working on that. Right. Releasing more fear. So it is.

Theresa Hubbard [00:31:59]:
I mean, it is a mixture of nurturing and comfort and community and self inquiry and quiet and nature and deep work and grounding and fun. Because then we had a wonderful music festival. Impromptu. Just impromptu. Yeah, yeah. Someone saw a drum that we had and they started tapping the drum. And then someone saw the.

Walker Bird [00:32:28]:
I got my flute out.

Theresa Hubbard [00:32:29]:
Oh, you got your flute out. And then there was a mandolin. And then the. What was the other one?

Walker Bird [00:32:37]:
Dulcimer.

Theresa Hubbard [00:32:38]:
The dulcimer. And then the steel drum.

Walker Bird [00:32:41]:
Crystal harp.

Theresa Hubbard [00:32:42]:
Crystal harp, crystal bowls. Another drum. All from the closet. Yeah, they were all.

Walker Bird [00:32:50]:
We went.

Theresa Hubbard [00:32:51]:
And then the guitar. Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:32:53]:
And we luckily had somebody who was very good.

Theresa Hubbard [00:32:55]:
Oh, and what a voice. Yeah, yeah.

Walker Bird [00:32:57]:
Surprise.

Theresa Hubbard [00:32:58]:
Wonderful musician and wonderful voice. And it was nice and it was just. It was. It was playful and joyful and, you know, at the end, you know, I just said, isn't this what life is supposed to be? You know, just this ability to, you know, connect and communicate and that, you know, someone had said, you know, we're. We're all like just humans here. We all have different beliefs. I could bring up any, you know, political topic or religious topic and, you know, we would all have very different opinions. But right now we're all just human here.

Theresa Hubbard [00:33:32]:
And so, you know, and it's just so true. You know, we're. We're. We are connected through our humanity. And it was. Yeah, it just powerful experiences. And then we got up Sunday and had breakfast and did like our official closing. And then we went on an adventure.

Theresa Hubbard [00:33:54]:
Drove up north and went to Heceta Head Lighthouse. And you guys went on the Hobbit Trail hike.

Walker Bird [00:34:03]:
Well, we also went to one of the best crystal shops. Oh, we did. We did. Reasonably priced and amazing.

Theresa Hubbard [00:34:10]:
Yeah. Stick stones and bones. Yeah. And that was fantastic. And so I was not hiking the Hobbit trail with you guys. That would not have been wise. So I drove you. I drove to the.

Theresa Hubbard [00:34:23]:
Well, actually, I drove back to Yachats and got some salad dressing. So we had more for dinner. And then. Oh, there was a whale that had died and washed up on shore. And somebody had noticed it earlier when we were driving by. And so I went to find it and I found it and got some photos of it and it looked like a dinosaur from the Road. But in reality, it had decomposed enough that it's rib. It's, you know, the spine.

Theresa Hubbard [00:34:50]:
Its spine was showing. And so it did look like a dinosaur. And the pictures were amazing. It was. It was very ripe. And so it was probably, I would guess, like 12ft long.

Walker Bird [00:35:00]:
Yeah.

Theresa Hubbard [00:35:01]:
I don't know what kind of whale it was, but. And then I went out and hung out on the hobbit beach waiting for you guys. And then we met back up at the car. And then we drove to another beach as the sun was setting and the. The tide had gone out and it looked like everybody was walking on water. You know, the pictures. It was.

Walker Bird [00:35:25]:
And the approach from the parking lot, you walk down these sidewalks and you can't see the beach because there's these either bushes or, you know, some type of shrub that grow high. And so as you're approaching, they've had to cut pathways through there. And so they had cut a tunnel, basically.

Theresa Hubbard [00:35:42]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:35:42]:
And so you can't really. You can see the beach through it, but not the, you know, you don't have the 300 or 180 degree view of the beach. And so you walk through that tunnel and it's not short. Right. And then all of a sudden you step out on the beach and.

Theresa Hubbard [00:35:56]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:35:57]:
And at the perfect time of. Of sunset.

Theresa Hubbard [00:36:01]:
And it was stunning.

Walker Bird [00:36:02]:
Yeah, it was lovely. And there's some. Some beautiful pictures that we'll have on. On the website.

Theresa Hubbard [00:36:08]:
We'll put it on the website. Yeah, we'll put it. We'll start a gallery in Oregon. Oh, big smiles. Yeah. And nobody else was on the beach. It was just the 12 of us. And it was spectacular and it was peaceful and, you know, people got to go touch the ocean and.

Theresa Hubbard [00:36:23]:
Yeah, you know, just. It was just a really, really lovely way of finishing up the weekend and the.

Walker Bird [00:36:31]:
The hike. You know, there's the Oregon Trail and a lot of challenging trails you can take, and then there's, you know, mid. You know, they're not highly rated as far as difficulty, but they can be difficult enough. And so we climbed up from the Heckadhead Lighthouse and you climb up this steep ridge and there are side trails that will take you right up to the edge of the cliffs, and there are not fences.

Theresa Hubbard [00:36:58]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:36:58]:
You know, and so.

Theresa Hubbard [00:37:01]:
Careful, careful.

Walker Bird [00:37:02]:
But amazingly beautiful. You know, I stay back, I go, you know, within a few feet, but I'm not a go up to the edge and, you know, since I was the protector, like, stay back, you know, enjoy. And so then it's not like I Was bossing, but just watchful.

Theresa Hubbard [00:37:21]:
Yeah. Stay mindful.

Walker Bird [00:37:22]:
And so it was. It was great. And it was challenging enough to push people who weren't. Don't hike all the time. You know, the hill is difficult. It will take the breath out of you.

Theresa Hubbard [00:37:37]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:37:37]:
And some people were in better shape than others, but it didn't matter. We were all there together. Take your time. We weren't in a rush. Rest if we need to, and then move on up. And so I'm back, you know, letting the line pass me to make sure. I'm counting everybody. We haven't lost anybody.

Walker Bird [00:37:56]:
And then back to the front to make sure we're moving along so we don't get in the dark. But in any event, up, up the hill, and then the rest was down to the beach. But it's just. It was great. And I want to share an experience that we had. And I know there's a picture of it, but I stopped because I'm a tree lover, right? And so. And I'm a tree hugger. So I approach this.

Walker Bird [00:38:20]:
It was huge tree, just beautiful, with ferns growing on its branches and all of that. Just classic Northwestern woods scene. And so, you know, I approach the tree and I'm touching the tree and exchanging energy with it, you know, asking things. And I also try to sense the heartbeat of the tree, which I think you can if you listen. And it's very slow. They live in, like, a different time phase than we do. But in any event, so I'm doing that, and then one of the retreat participants comes up to me and she says, what are you doing? And I said, I'm talking to the tree. And she said, I thought you might be.

Walker Bird [00:39:05]:
She said, I didn't know if you were stretching. And I said, no. And then I said, do you want to try? And she said, yeah. And so I talked to her a little bit about it. And so then she's doing it, and then I look around, and all of a sudden, all 10 of us, or 11 of us, actually, everyone's hands are on the tree. And nobody. It's not like I said, hey, come do this or anything. Everybody just did it.

Walker Bird [00:39:27]:
And so here we all are. And I step back and I said, this tree is saying, this is the greatest thing ever. All these beautiful souls, you know, sharing space with it. So anyway, it was a great experience.

Theresa Hubbard [00:39:42]:
Oh, yeah, it sounds lovely.

Walker Bird [00:39:44]:
Yeah. I wish you'd been able to be there.

Theresa Hubbard [00:39:46]:
Yeah. Next time. Next time. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, it was a powerful experience and inspiring to do even more. And our that is our plan. Hopefully we'll get. We'll do three more out there next year, and we're going to start doing couples retreats as well, which I think will be really powerful as well.

Theresa Hubbard [00:40:09]:
It's just such great space. It feels well held, is what I would say. Yeah, it was really wonderful. We appreciate everybody that, you know, stepped in and chose to come. And it's so funny because when we opened the door, we were like, if, you know, six people will be fine. Like, that's what we were thinking, like six. And then we ended up with more than six. And then we rented the house down the street, and then, you know, 10, plus the two of us, it was just perfect.

Theresa Hubbard [00:40:44]:
And so we think 10 participants there is a really good amount.

Walker Bird [00:40:50]:
So, yeah, enough space. It was comfortable. And the retreat center is just so beautiful.

Theresa Hubbard [00:40:57]:
It's so beautiful.

Walker Bird [00:40:58]:
The guys did a wonderful job on the construction. And it's. The energy, as you know, of Oregon, is very different than other places.

Theresa Hubbard [00:41:11]:
It is.

Walker Bird [00:41:12]:
I find it higher there in the. Because we're. You know, the mountains come to the sea, and we're right there in the midst of that. And it just. It does. It does something to you.

Theresa Hubbard [00:41:25]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:41:25]:
It adds dramatically. And it's different than a Caribbean or a Florida vacation, which is a lower, you know, kind of sleepy, calm energy. The northwest is higher. I mean, it's not frenetic, but it's just. I describe, you know, the ocean as elemental.

Theresa Hubbard [00:41:42]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:41:43]:
It is powerful. And it just combines with the uplift of the mountains, all that. It's just magical.

Theresa Hubbard [00:41:51]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:41:51]:
And we are so blessed and lucky.

Theresa Hubbard [00:41:53]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:41:54]:
To be able to offer it.

Theresa Hubbard [00:41:55]:
Yeah, absolutely.

Walker Bird [00:41:56]:
And thank you for all of your hard work and the delicious meals. I'm kind of the cleanup. You know, Guy, I'm not a cook, but in any event, we take. We take good care of people, and they know it.

Theresa Hubbard [00:42:12]:
Yeah, absolutely.

Walker Bird [00:42:14]:
Yeah. And everybody was brave.

Theresa Hubbard [00:42:17]:
Everybody was brave.

Walker Bird [00:42:18]:
Stepped right in.

Theresa Hubbard [00:42:20]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:42:21]:
Yeah. Thank you.

Theresa Hubbard [00:42:22]:
Oh, yeah. Thank you, babe. Thank you for, you know, trusting the vision when I first walked in the house, because I was like, when. I mean, because we weren't looking for a house when we found it. Right.

Walker Bird [00:42:34]:
It was looking for us.

Theresa Hubbard [00:42:36]:
It was looking for us. Yeah. Yeah. We were just exploring the lakes when we found it. And, you know, I walked in and I was like, oh, my. You know, and I did. I tell that, you know, I took energetic possession of the house right then. I was like, this.

Theresa Hubbard [00:42:53]:
This is the place. And so there's more coming that you and I have plans for to Do. We'll work on updating the outside and putting in some tubs, you know, that have water from the lake that get filled up and expanding the dock. And the group had all kinds of plans for us for next year.

Walker Bird [00:43:15]:
They have great ideas. Yeah. They all want to come back.

Theresa Hubbard [00:43:20]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:43:22]:
Didn't want to leave. No.

Theresa Hubbard [00:43:23]:
Right, right. I had said that. I. I think the hardest part may be getting everybody to leave on Monday because it's so peaceful. And it's interesting because even though the house itself is on a lake and it's three miles from the ocean, you can hear the ocean on the property. It's fascinating how sound travels. You're like, oh, my gosh, that is the ocean. I can hear the ocean from here, too.

Theresa Hubbard [00:43:48]:
So it is this kind of very powerful.

Walker Bird [00:43:53]:
Quiet, moving white noise.

Theresa Hubbard [00:43:55]:
It's just so interesting. Yeah. And so we'll figure out how to do some meditations on the water next year. Again, loved all the ideas the group had on what we could do to do that. It's going to be quite the adventure.

Walker Bird [00:44:12]:
It is. It is. Yeah. No, and we'll be posting the offerings and we really hope you'll join us because it's just. It's a magical. Yeah. Thing. And we do really good work together.

Theresa Hubbard [00:44:23]:
Yeah, we do.

Walker Bird [00:44:24]:
Yeah. And we. With a lot of help from the people that come.

Theresa Hubbard [00:44:27]:
Oh, yeah. It's such. So good. Yeah. And I, you know, I always say when people are unsure if they haven't been on retreat before or if they are. What if I don't know anybody?

Walker Bird [00:44:41]:
Yeah.

Theresa Hubbard [00:44:41]:
And I. What I say is I've been doing this since 2012 and I feel like we just attract the people who are really there looking for freedom. And so because of that, every group works. I mean, it was so funny because somebody said, this is the best retreat group I've been in ever. And someone said, you said that last time. Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:45:07]:
No, it's, you know, some. Some people are repeat. But a lot of times no.

Theresa Hubbard [00:45:14]:
And it was half and half this.

Walker Bird [00:45:15]:
Time as strangers and you leave as family in a way. And I know that sounds or might sound not genuine, but it's true.

Theresa Hubbard [00:45:27]:
Right.

Walker Bird [00:45:27]:
And you know, my favorite part is sometimes I'll just keep a little bit of distance so I can hear everybody. Especially in the evenings when they're gathered around the tables having brownies or whatever it is that we've provided and they're laughing and they may be doing cards or tarot or coloring or whatever, playing games. Just is that openness. And it's. It. It just Feels like home.

Theresa Hubbard [00:45:55]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:45:56]:
To me. To hear people enjoying life and each other that way.

Theresa Hubbard [00:46:01]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:46:02]:
You know, they're open.

Theresa Hubbard [00:46:06]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:46:06]:
Instead of also protected like we typically walk through.

Theresa Hubbard [00:46:10]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:46:11]:
Our days.

Theresa Hubbard [00:46:12]:
Yeah.

Walker Bird [00:46:12]:
It's a really nice thing.

Theresa Hubbard [00:46:14]:
It is a really nice thing. One of the other things that came to mind too is our intention in the dining room was to put in this really long table. But we ended up with two round tables of six, which was perfect because, you know, people were always switching it up, you know, and so you were always eating with different people. And it was nice. The table wasn't so big that you could have a conversation, you know, with someone across the table or someone next to you. It was really lovely. And so I think keeping our 6 and 6 is going to work out really well. So even though we were looking at like an eight foot labradorite table, well.

Walker Bird [00:46:56]:
Maybe we'll find a round one.

Theresa Hubbard [00:46:57]:
Maybe. But it was, it was just really. It's always so nice to see that people intentionally sitting with other people because we can be very cliquish. And one of the things about the retreats as well is I just feel like people are so welcoming to other people whether they have been or not. And it's like, I'm going to go sit next to this person and I. Somebody even said that. I think that I have had an intentional conversation with every single person here and it's just so lovely. Anyway, thank you for doing this too.

Walker Bird [00:47:40]:
It's good work.

Theresa Hubbard [00:47:41]:
Yeah, You're a great facilitator.

Walker Bird [00:47:43]:
You too.

Theresa Hubbard [00:47:44]:
Thanks, babe. So, any final words on our spectacular first Oregon retreat?

Walker Bird [00:47:50]:
Join us at Seafor Sanctuary in 2026.

Theresa Hubbard [00:47:52]:
Yeah, please do. It is really.

Walker Bird [00:47:55]:
Don't miss out because I'm going back.

Theresa Hubbard [00:48:00]:
Yes, we will be there. Yes, you are. He's coming back in two weeks. He's ready.

Walker Bird [00:48:06]:
Myself, anyway, we, we. We hope to. Join us. Yeah. Yeah.

Theresa Hubbard [00:48:10]:
We do hope you'll join us. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you for everybody that came. It was amazing. It was amazing. It just fills our hearts. We love it.

Theresa Hubbard [00:48:20]:
Watching everybody find a little bit more freedom. It really is powerful to see people willing to step in and see themselves more clearly so that they can see others more clearly.

Walker Bird [00:48:36]:
So anyway, love you.

Theresa Hubbard [00:48:38]:
I love you too. Thank you for joining us today. We are excited to explore life with you. We encourage curiosity, self growth and we strive to be more compassionate every day.