Sample Retreat: (Winter) All meals included in this particular sample.
Note: Breakfast is ALWAYS included in ALL packages with the
overnight stays. Other meals are optional and will be added on as desired.
2:30 PM Day 1: – Your experience begins as you travel the ferry over 20 relaxed minutes from Mukilteo to Clinton. There is quite a transformation that occurs right there, as the water (and not having to ‘do’ anything) helps sooth and unwind the tensions of your busy and demanding week. Then just driving another 10 minutes north along the very sparsely populated and densely forested-lined roadway, you arrive at Ashingdon Manor at 3 PM.
You’re greeted with a smile and warm welcome by your friendly hosts. Here, you experience the romantic and relaxing style of rural English living, while enjoying the comforts and amenities of our contemporary Inn. The Rough-hewn post & beam construction, English style bar, wood burning fireplaces, huge European style country kitchen, characterize the flavor of a time gone by.
Your hosts acquaint you with the expansive main room space where you and other guests convene around a 13 foot long farm table for nourishing meals and conversations. If you’ve planned ahead of time to participate in one or more of the food classes, this too is where they will be held. Then you are escorted to the common guest area and your room. Cozy furnishings and L'objects d'art collected from around the world, flavor our guest suites with a cozy comfort all their own. Each suite offers a private bath stocked with plush towels, hair dryer and large bath sheets. Our two largest suites have double Jacuzzi Whirlpool tubs and the luxurious King beds are dressed with fine Egyptian cotton linens and down comforters (hypoallergenic comforters are available). All rooms have a comfortable seating/reading area in front of the fireplace.
You get settled in, take a hot, soothing shower to relax a bit more and wrap yourself in a cozy, plush robe to come receive your scheduled 1 hour massage. (If you’ve reserved a Jacuzzi Suite, you arrive ½ hour earlier so you can savor the long, relaxing bath) Then you might sip on some herbal tea or Kombucha while you are dressing comfortably for a fabulous dinner ‘in’ with other guests.
6:30 PM The menu is warm, rich, nourishing bone broth served first, seasoned ever so slightly with herbs that compliment the rest of the meal. Then a salad of mixed greens and assorted sprouted legumes drizzled with tantalizing homemade dressing (Chef’s choice of the evening) follows to peak your taste buds. The appetizing and exciting aroma in the kitchen wafts into the dining area teasing some more just as the main entrée is served. Alas, fresh, wild rock fish seasoned and seared in coconut oil is served on a bed of sautéed spinach or kale with caramelized red peppers, mushrooms and capers, splashed with seasoned vinaigrette. Buttered yams and/or soured rye bread accompany. Side compliments always include an assortment of stimulating and delectable raw-fermented veggies and fruit chutneys. A taste of creamy and satisfying crème Brule completes the evening.
The conversation around the table is ever so pleasing and relaxing as guests kick back amidst a warm fire crackling and soft music serenading in the background. You all enjoy getting acquainted and are stimulated with new discoveries and insights you learn about each other. You also feel comforted and connected because of a shared common bond – the enthusiasm and a ‘looking forward’ to experiencing transformations in your health and wellbeing throughout your stay.
You then retire for the evening. Some want to read a little bit or watch a DVD about a Health Related topic they are interested in before retiring for a well-deserved and rejuvenating slumber.
Day 2: The following morning, breakfast is served at approx 9:00 AM. It may be as simple as a fruit/yogurt cup, oatmeal or multigrain hot cereal, served ‘gourmet style’ (seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg) with raisons and nuts and homemade, grass-fed breakfast sausage. Or, it may be a fresh herb omelet with sautéed fresh veggies and raw cheese. A variety of beverages are always available for you to enjoy. (see list in ‘menus’) All of our meals are selected and prepared honoring Weston Price Principles -- GAPS, Body Ecology Diet, gluten-free, dairy-free upon request and arranged prior to stay.
We’re very passionate about the power of foods and pride ourselves in nourishing you with the best ‘fuel’ to support your energy, digestion, absorption and immune system. We know you will be VERY pleased and maybe surprised with how terrific they all taste. Please see Traditional Whole Foods for more information on the Weston Price principles we adhere to as we are committed to your healing experience of health and wellbeing.
At 10 AM you have perhaps chosen to participate in a guided, therapeutic nature walk, a group yoga or body movement class, take a reflective walk along the beach, fulfill on a pre-scheduled appointment with a health care provider, spend some time learning more about a Health topic from our extensive library full of pertinent and helpful resources, or just ‘do nothing’ and rest/meditate.
1:00 or 1:30 PMLight-fare lunch is served. It may consist of a satisfying and warming cup of broth simmered with assorted veggies and herbs and a raw veggie/sprout salad, a plate of sliced, smoked meats/fish and assorted raw cheeses served with sourdough/sprouted breads and crackers. There’s always plenty of scrumptious, raw butter and raw milk kefir to enjoy too. Some of the cheeses are homemade from whole-milk yogurt, enhanced with savory herbs or sweet dried fruits, honey and citrus zest. Again, side compliments of fermented veggies and fruit chutneys round out and stimulate the tasting experience and enhance digestion. Meals are always sure to be an ‘event’, savored and remembered.
2:00 PM You’ve chosen to participate in the Hands-On Food Class scheduled for that day. Topic: Superfoods! Lacto-Fermented Veggies, Fruits and Beverages. You have long been looking forward to this, grateful now for the opportunity to be empowered with the skills to make these extremely healing foods on your own for yourself and/or your family. You understand how vitally important live enzymes, increased vitamins and prolific friendly bacteria are to maintaining and/or regaining our intestinal integrity and over-all health. You learn that at least 80% of our health and immune system is all related to gut-health. The class is full with other local area residents too, and you all are having such fun sharing conversation in the intimate setting, tasting all the wonderful samples and learning from each other -- supporting each other in this endeavor. You feel so hopeful, excited and alive already, and its only day 2.
It’s 5 PM now, and you relax a bit and unwind, mingling with other guests, or retreat for some quiet time in your comfortable room by the fireplace, snoozing or curling up with a book. Mmmm….or maybe you indulge in another Jacuzzi Tub bath. Oh wait…that could be your ‘night-cap’ later.
6:00 PM - Dinner. Good ‘ol American Burgers night complete with chips and milkshake – Weston A Price style. You are amazed at how a ‘now-a-days, typically deemed un-healthy meal’ can be enjoyed guilt-free and be HEALTHY! You will get an example of how condiments like Mayonnaise and Ketchup can be made nutritiously, and the milk shake made from raw, full-fat milk, full of rich flavor and goodness! Even the homemade chips are healthy and the BEST you’ve EVER crunched into. Of course home-made pickles are served on the side, and probably a fabulous fresh salsa.
You never know, we might even be entertained by having one of our many, awesome and talented, local musicians provide a house concert. Or you can enjoy our WICA Theatre Opportunities experiencing a top quality live play performance, or take in a film at our quaint and friendly Clyde Movie Theatre. Maybe you choose to do some more researching on the health topics that interests you again from the on-site Library and vast array of resources.
It’s 10:30 AM – Day 3: You’ve just been nourished again by a full, tasty breakfast. This time it was organic, pastured eggs, fried easy-over with non-gluten, hot millet cakes and bacon. Ahh…yes…there is a way to eat all these wonderful foods that do support, not hurt, your health. You’ll surely learn why this is so when you ‘get the skinny on fats’… and feel confident that you can enjoy the absolutely satisfying flavor of fats….again, and be assured of how in fact you are deeply nourishing and honoring your health by doing so. Oh, and we’ll round out the meal and nutrients by serving some delicious sautéed kale and beets too, so you feel you’re getting your greens and veggies like granny insists.
Today is the day you revel in visiting local farms and meeting the beautiful, dedicated people who have grown and raised the foods that you have been enjoying all weekend! You have been enjoying richly satisfying flavors of foods tied to the ancient rhythm of the seasons. Jessica Prentice of “Wise Food Ways” states, “We acknowledge that the earth is the source of all our food and that she and the farmers and ranchers that steward the land have a great deal to teach us. We decry our modern food culture: megafarms and factories, the chemically processed ghosts of real foods in our diets, and suffering – physical, emotional, cultural, communal, and spiritual – born of a disconnect from our food sources. CELEBRATE truly what nourishes us, reconnect to our food, our land and each other!” This feels like peace and calm to you now….you have come ‘home’ and you feel it in every fiber of your being.
Lunch today was lovingly and carefully packed for you to enjoy at a time that felt convenient so you could be free to take one more walk – maybe seeking additional grounding with a walk through the old-growth forest and hanging out with the eagles and other wildlife, or take in one more movement class or an appointment with guided meditation or a chiropractor. Having your spine in alignment is critical to make all the nerve connections and communications work to achieve optimum functioning.
The experience felt from the nourishment of the foods by day 3 now have been palpable in a number of ways. Your digestion is improved, you are mentally clear, you have an abundance of energy -- ‘centered’ and calm energy. With the absence of processed foods and sugar, your body feels ‘lighter’ and your sinuses clearer. General inflammation has decreased, and this has significant positive results in any chronic or inflammatory-type condition you have been challenged with. You’re rested and have truly been dedicated to nourishing your whole self – the triune of the body, mind and spirit.
It’s time now for completion and closure to this transforming experience as you prepare for your transition back to your own life. The wonderful thing is…this is a healing experience that lives on and continues to be fostered and improved even more as you practice and integrate these principles, supported, step-by-step into your life. You now have experienced for yourself, the foundation on which to build and expand.
Lynn, a Professional Health and Wellness Coach is passionate about empowering and supporting people to transform their lives to realize the level of health and well-being they desire. Together, you will begin to co-create from where you are, right now, a step-by-step, individualized path, with support and accountability built in, to get you where you want to be! This is where Lynn just beams with passion and feels the ‘juice” of being able to help “make a difference” for people to help themselves accomplish what they’ve never been able to do on their own, using this proven model for change. These 3 days has shown you where you’d like to head and you choose to commit to a minimum of 3 months coaching with Lynn to continue the journey to reclaim your birthright of RADIANT health!