SOU’WESTER EVENTS!
Discover what’s happening during your next stay or plan a visit around our free live music, workshops, wellness offerings and more!
Winter/Spring 2020 Wellness Retreat Series
Steady & Clear:
Kundalini Yoga and Meditation for the Flow of
Your Life
with Laurel Clohessy
This retreat is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the joy, transformation, and rejuvenation of Kundalini Yoga, sacred chant, and creativity as you discover and return to the HOME that is your true self. Whether you are an experienced yogi, or this is your first time practicing Kundalini Yoga, you can benefit from this practice. Kundalini Yoga and meditation, as taught by Yogi Bhajan is for anyone and everyone. Just breathe, and lean in the right direction and you too will benefit! The best way to know it, is by doing it-so we will experience basic pranayam or breathwork, kriyas or yogic sets, meditations, and mantras that can become a part of your own daily toolbox. Tools to release stress, to unlock creativity, and be your best YOU. Kundalini yoga is often called “the yoga of awareness,” as it is a journey of self-mastery and one that activates all the systems of the body.
We will enjoy the blessings of community-in a few group meditations and exercises, as well as the natural world-taking time by the ocean to practice a walking meditation. There will be a couple of brief writing and art exercises explored post-yoga sets as a tool for self-reflection and awareness. In this weekend retreat, you will get to know the other participants as we share in community. This will also be a time to slow down and listen to yourself in the beauty of the setting on the Washington Penninsula. There will be free time to explore, soak, relax, and enjoy on your own. All parts of the retreat classes are by choice-if you need to rest or skip anything that is just fine. You will leave with handouts and a personal recipe for your own personal practice, as well as a group 40-day sadhana to continue after if you choose.
Kundalini Yoga is a tool to experience your birthright to happiness and greatness as the human being that you are. “Great challenges come to Great people.” -YB
I hope to see you there! Sat Nam
Laurel Clohessy (Deshpal Kaur) grew up with Kundalini Yoga sprinkled throughout her early childhood. She returned to the arms of this practice following the birth of her oldest son. In 2005 Laurel studied with Gurmukh to become a certified Khalsa Way Prenatal teacher. In 2007, she completed the Radiant Child teacher training with Shakta Kaur, and in 2014 Laurel completed her Level 1 KYTT with Sevak Singh Khalsa. She has loved bringing these healing teachings to humans of all ages through the years in Montessori schools, University, birth centers, detention centers, and studios. Laurel is a Cornerstone Childbirth Educator, mother to two boys, educator, and lover of all things ginger. Laurel often incorporates poetry and dance movement into her all-levels classes. It is her joy to share these teachings with others, and she sees the powerful practice of Kundalini Yoga as a compass that can always point us forward, as well as return us to the happiest, truest Self. Laurel teaches currently in Portland, Oregon and is a transplant from Flagstaff, AZ.
SCHEDULE: (subject to change)
FRIDAY
6-7pm
- Check-in, logistics, welcome circle
SATURDAY
9am-12pm
- Morning Kundalini Yoga and Meditation
- Discussion-Sadhana/Developing Personal Practice/Morning Self-Care
- Meditation & Mantra, Reflective Dialogue Practice
Lunch Break and Free to BE Time
2-5pm
- Tune-In, Yogi Bhajan Short video
- Yoga with Self-Awareness Art/Drawing exercise
- Dance Movement
Dinner Break and Free to BE Time
7-8:00pm
- Gong & Sound Relaxation. Goodnight
SUNDAY
4:45-6:45am
- Aquarian Sadhana
8:30-10am
- Walk to the beach
- Group meditation
- Closing circle/Farewell
BEGINS: Friday at 6pm
ENDS: Sunday at 10am
COST: $120 / Lodging separate
BRING: Comfortable clothing to move, Yoga mat (if do not have-there will be a few to loan) and cushion, walking shoes, towel or blanket to sit on at the beach, water bottle, journal or notebook and pen.
BOOK ONLINE by clicking BOOK NOW, enter the date range and the “promo code” STEADY
The Sou’wester Lodge at 3728 J Place, Seaview, WA 98644
Winter 2020 Workshop Series
How the Light Gets In with instructor Suzie Kassouf
canceled – It can feel unbearable to carry the pain of our world in this unprecedented era of social upheaval and ecological destruction. Luckily, the task of tending to our broken world can infuse us with life-affirming purpose, connection and joy. Through vinyasa, meditation, group activities and time spent in nature, we will learn to honor our pain as a precious signifier of our compassion and care for our world. Most importantly, we will develop in ourselves a robust and muscular hope, rooted in the very unpredictability of these times. Leonard Cohen implores us, “ring the bells that still can ring/ forget your perfect offering/ there is a crack in everything/ that’s how the light gets in.” I look forward to sharing this with you.
Suzanna Kassouf is an educator, yoga instructor and climate justice activist. After 10 years of personal practice, she completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training at The People’s Yoga with Suniti Dernovsek in 2018. She is an organizer with the climate justice group Sunrise PDX and is student teaching Environmental Justice and Ethnic Studies at Lincoln High School in Portland. Suzie believes strongly that our world is desperate for healing on multiple levels, and that true liberation can be found in community and service to others. She is passionate about marrying activism and spirituality and strives to courageously live the path of nonviolence in her life and work.
COST: sliding scale $40, $30, or $20
BRING:Pen, paper, yoga mat and a reusable bag. Please wear clothes comfortable for practicing yoga, walking on the beach and in the woods, and sitting for meditation. *optional: meditation cushion, blanket, yoga props. Sharing food is a powerful tool for deepening connection and building community. Please bring a dish to share as you are willing and able as well as an individual plate/bowl and utensils. Coffee provided.
No age limit but this class deals with deep emotions. 16 students max.
RSVP: souwesterfrontdesk@gmail.com or 360-642-2542 between 9am-9pm
The Sou’wester Lodge at 3728 J Place, Seaview, WA 98644
This class is part of the Winter 2020 Workshop Series. All classes are open to the public and all skill levels welcome. Visit www.souwesterlodge.com/art/workshops to see the full schedule of artist-led workshops.
Workshop Series Winter 2020
Green Woodworking Basics: A 2-day Woodcarving Immersion with instructor Leslie Andrew Wolf Walters
11am-4pm class each day: Mon, Tues March 30, 31
canceled – Green Woodworking (noun): the process of carving and shaping wood before it has cured. Greenwood is easy to carve and offers a wide range of possibilities that cured wood does not.
Green woodworking is an immensely satisfying and inexpensive hobby. This two days workshop will teach you how to get started in this popular craft. The class blends demo time and work time in order to maximize learning. We take regular breaks for snacks and show-and-tell. You’ll leave the class with a head full of knowledge and a unique wooden spoon. All materials and tools are included with the material fee, with the option to purchase tools to take home at the end of class.
Day 1: Carving basics. Students will learn the basics of the green woodworking process: from log to finished product, while learning how to safely use a saw, hook knife and straight knife. We will discuss technique, tools and history, and why spoon carving? We will start by making chopsticks (a deceptively challenging project) and as time allows small stirring spoons.
Day 2: Hatchet skills and finishing projects. We will finish projects from yesterday, axe demo and eating spoons, we will discuss finishing techniques and decoration. We will also cover important topics such as where to source tools and wood.
Leslie Andrew Wolf Walters lives in Portland, Oregon and is a hand tool woodworker specializing in greenwood spoon carving. “I am inspired by Scandinavian folk art and the tools and skills used by people who once and still live in northern forests around the world. I have been obsessively carving for 7+ years, traveling around the country studying, learning and teaching spoon carving and traditional hand tool skills. I am also a founding member of the Portland Spoon Club a monthly get together giving spoon carvers and green woodworkers access to community and resources.”
COST: $100 plus $20 materials fee (Please pay material fee directly to instructor)
BRING: notebook and writing utensil, water bottle and snacks, work gloves (optional), whatever tools that you have that you want to talk about (optional). Please bring a sack lunch. Coffee provided.
This class is for students age 14 and up. 16 students max.
RSVP via souwesterfrontdesk@gmail.com or 360-642-2542 between 9am-9pm
The Sou’wester Lodge at 3728 J Place, Seaview, WA 98644
This class is part of the Winter 2020 Workshop Series at The Sou’wester. All classes are open to the public and all skill levels welcome. Visit www.souwesterlodge.com/art/workshops to see the full schedule of artist-led workshops.
Spring 2020 Wellness Retreat Series
CANCELLED
INNER SPACE:
Shamanic Hypnosis / Gathering Resources for Inner Healing
with Mali Drexelius
This retreat will explore tools that can help us to navigate the subconscious mind and our innate ability to self-heal. We will be learning practices from shamanic, hypnotherapy, and sound healing modalities to allow us to move into different states of consciousness. In these altered states, we can make beneficial changes, get in touch with our highest wisdom, and clear old belief systems and patterns that are no longer serving us. During the workshop, we will meet with some of your healing guides, as well as be learning practices for deepening our connection with spirit and our inner knowing. Breakfast will be provided Thursday and Friday, as well as dinner Thursday evening.
Mali Drexelius stumbled into the mysterious world of shamanism in 2010, when she was seeking help for anxiety and depression that had plagued her for years. She was surprised to find that it helped immensely, and so embarked on a long journey to train and study under many gifted healers, offering perspectives and techniques from many traditions. A later search led to a different, yet similarly framed processes found in Western culture — Clinical Hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Repatterning. The synthesis of these different schools of thought have allowed for a reconcile between the profound metaphysical experiences with her inclination towards science, reason, and the biology of brain and body.
At current, Mali has been blessed with the opportunity to teach and see clients both privately and in groups, with the understanding that she is always a student. It is her hope to pass along the knowledge and resources she’s collected along the way so others may also find access to their own innate healing and self-care. It is her intention to always have a beginners mind, to follow an inner guidance, and to honor and adapt these ancient techniques to deepen our understanding of consciousness for ourselves and our planet.
WEDNESDAY
4-6pm
- Check in/get settled
6-7pm
- Meet and Greet with snacks
7-9pm
- KAVA Ceremony and Calling in the Spirits & Introduction to working with allies and self-hypnosis
THURSDAY
9-10am
- Spirit Plate, Simple Breakfast provided
10:30am-1:30pm
- Learning to Journey
- Guided Meditations/ breath work
- Meeting your allies Ritual for Intention
1:30-5pm BREAK TIME
Feel free to grab lunch nearby, or bring something for yourself to snack on. Also free time to sauna, go to the beach, rest, or request private shamanic session, etc.
5:30 Prayer ties and flower mandala ceremony
7:00-8:30pm DINNER
- Dinner will be provided and will be created to ensure that everyone can partake! (Please send us a list of allergies and food preferences!)
- If you feel called to bring a dish, salad, or donation for food, it will be graciously accepted.
8:30pm
- Burning our prayer ties and calling in ceremony on the beach nearby!
FRIDAY
9-11am Simple Breakfast
- Including tea, closing ceremony and goodbyes
12:00pm Check out
COST: $165 / Lodging separate
BRING: A journal, comfortable clothes for the weekend, and any instruments, rattles, drums, chimes, etc that may call to you if you wish to make sound with. You may also choose to bring extra blankets for the beach and/or to be cozy during our sessions. Please bring anything else that may help you be more comfortable in the Pavilion space…pillows, meditation cushions, layers for clothing etc.
We will be outside on the last evening, so be sure to bring coastal weather gear. We will have some meals, but please bring some snacks if you feel called to satiate you during the weekend. Please let us know ahead of time any food allergies or food preferences so we can plan our meals accordingly.
BOOK ONLINE by clicking BOOK NOW, enter the date range and the access code
The Sou’wester Lodge at 3728 J Place, Seaview, WA 98644
Visit www.souwesterlodge.com/wellness/retreats to see the full schedule of retreats.
Spring 2020 Workshop Series
Traditional Rug Hooking Workshop: Basics plus Embellishments with Heidi Grevstad
Join Heidi to get started on a stylized sunflower pattern. In traditional rug hooking (it’s different that the latch hooking you might remember from the 70’s), strips of wool fabric are “hooked” into cloth such as loosely woven linen or cotton. It’s a wildly creative craft. You don’t have to follow a complex written pattern, mistakes are easily fixed, there are no knots, and you can up-cycle woolen clothing into art.
While this workshop is suitable for beginners, those with experience will enjoy our exploration of color planning, how to hook letters effectively, use of creative stitches and embellishments, and how to turn a yardstick into a frame! If you already have a hook, small scissors and a hoop or frame, bring them to class. If you don’t have them, no worries! Heidi will have supplies for you to use in class. You’ll leave the class with the skills you need to complete this project at home.
Heidi has been creating hand-hooked rugs since 2004. Her work has been published in Rug Hooking Magazine’s Celebrations editions, and WoolWorks Magazine. She enjoys teaching new rug hookers. Her website is: www.portlandcottagewool.com
COST: $35 plus a $40 materials fee (Please pay material fee directly to instructor.)
BRING: All supplies provided. If students have a rug hook and/or frame, they should bring them to class. Small scissors are also helpful. If students do have hooks or frames, Heidi will have them available to use in the class. Students may also purchase a hook and/or frame if they would like to. Please bring a sack lunch and/or snack. Coffee provided.
12 students max.
The class is very suitable for beginning students, but those who have taken a prior class will have an opportunity to learn some embellishment stitching techniques.
RSVP: souwesterfrontdesk@gmail.com or 360-642-2542 between 9am-9pm
The Sou’wester Lodge at 3728 J Place, Seaview, WA 98644
This class is part of the Spring 2020 Workshop Series. All classes are open to the public and all skill levels welcome. Visit www.souwesterlodge.com/art/workshops to see the full schedule of artist-led workshops.
Spring 2020 Wellness Retreat Series
Inbodiment: Applying Energy Concepts to Release Tension with Dr Heidi Walrath
What stories are stuck in your body?
The “how to” look, listen and feel within.
led by Intuitive & Clairvoyant healer Dr. Heidi Walrath, DC
Inbodiment: is to inhabit. To bring into focus expressed curiosities and explore the expansivness within your own body’s vibration to gain tangible, sensory awareness of self-body.
This retreat is for those who wish to strengthen their ability to heal thy self.
Dr. Heidi will guide you through activities, movement, breath and meditation techniques that bring you into your body, as she accesses her intuitive and clairvoyant abilities to assist you in gaining firsthand experience with what YOU feel like. Learn how to discover your hidden stories and how to release your own pain and discomfort.
Dr. Heidi, DC BIO has always been curious. Guided by her strong inner voice, she has always listened. When she was a child she had this feeling in her heart that lead her down the path. She started studying healing arts 20 years ago and fell in love with the idea that the body has many stories and that they could be accessed and healed. Since then, she has studied and explored different modalities receiving a certification in 200-hr Acupressure, an Assoc. degree in Exercise Rehabilitation and Injury Prevention, a Bachelors in Kinesiology & Exercise Physiology and a Doctorate in Chiropractic. She has continued her studies in quantum theory, conscious field work and dug deep into vibrational and tonal approaches through a chiropractic approach called Bio-geometric Integration (BGI) which teaches about the tonal expression through the structural body and how our bodies expressed distorted tension patterns through the whole person. She also continues to study theories on epigenetics, quantum medicine, as is currently practicing in Portland as an intuitive and clairsentient chiropractor who focuses on emotional integration and medical intuitive work.
FRIDAY
6-8pm
- Meet and Greet.
- Setting the tone for the workshop.
- Introductions and discussion about Inbodiment and why it is a powerful approach in self-healing.
- Participants share any specific health concerns they are experiencing.
- ACTIVITY grounding and clearing.
SATURDAY
8am-1pm
- DISCUSSION on body tension, consciousness and stored potential.
- Guided ACTIVE MEDITATION: Accessing awareness: Where do you exist? Finding hidden layers.
- DISCUSSION on energy, force dynamics, focus vs allowance.
- Guided ACTIVE MEDITATION: Giving attention to the volumes & accessing our infinite field.
- DISCUSSION the Waves of Breath.
- BREATH ACTIVITY: Breath & your body. How to reach the inside corners.
- Guided ACTIVE MEDITATION: Connecting to breath, as a vector, with purpose.
LUNCH BREAK
3-6pm
- DISCUSSION of concepts of awareness, focus and intention
- MOVEMENT ACTIVITY: Where are you in space? Following vs leading
- Guided MEDITATION: Body Scanning: where does your awareness lead you? What do you see, feel & observe?
- ACTIVITY grounding and staying open
- QUESTIONS on concepts covered
SUNDAY
10am-1pm
- DISCUSSION: Questions from yesterday.
- Guided ACTIVE MEDITATION: Breath on purpose, building attention & the meeting of vectors.
- DISCUSSION: Playing with body energies inside & outside, tension, disconnection, injuries, stored emotions & potential to heal.
- MOVEMENT activity: Activating body awareness and moving energy.
- BREATH Exercise: Creating space connecting vectors (purposeful breath & awareness meet intention.
- MEDITATION creativity and questions
LUNCH BREAK
3-6pm
- DISCUSSION: Stored Pain- How to change your broken story: does your past still exist once healed?
- Guided ACTIVE MEDITATION observing your sensations
- DISCUSSION on energy dynamics. Changing direction, pushing vs pulling
- Guided ACTIVE MEDITATION: Playing in all directions of moving energy or letting energy move.
QUESTIONS? - BREATH + MEDITATION: Putting it all together.
- DISCUSSION: Clearing and releasing the story
- SELF Guided Application: Each person focuses on one component of their body discovery to apply what they learned
- SHARING and OPEN DISCUSSION
- CLOSING gratitude share
- ACTIVITY Releasing energy and being in allowance of change.
BEGINS: Friday at 6pm
ENDS: Sunday at 6pm
COST: $250, plus lodging (20% off)
BRING: Dress comfortably to move, bring a water bottle, and yoga mat if you have one.
This workshop is best for students age 14 and up. 10 students max.
BOOK ONLINE by clicking BOOK NOW, enter the date range and the access code INBODIMENT
*For SHARED LODGING OPTIONS please contact souwesterfrontdesk@gmail.com or 360-642-2542 between 9am-9pm
The Sou’wester Lodge at 3728 J Place, Seaview, WA 98644
This class is part of the Summer 2020 Wellness Retreat Series. All classes are open to the public and all skill levels welcome.
Visit www.souwesterlodge.com/wellness/retreats to see the full schedule of retreats.
Spring 2020 Workshop Series
Accessing Ancestral Medicine: A Silent Writing Retreat with instructor Melissa Bennett
In today’s hectic world of information overload it can be challenging to find time for silence, contemplation, and reflection. In this silent writing retreat we will access the quiet of Seaview’s natural landscape to listen for and remember the stories of our ancestors. We will be guided by a series of writing prompts and will meet a few times throughout the day to share our writing and build community.
Melissa Bennett (Umatilla/Nez Perce/Sac & Fox/Anishinaabe), M.Div. is a writer, storyteller, story listener, educator, and spiritual care provider. She was a 2015 recipient of the Evergreen State College Longhouse Native Creative Development Grant, has previously published with The 3rd Thing Press, Yellow Medicine Review, and Indigenous Goddess Gang, and is a member of the Macondo Writers Workshop – an association of socially engaged writers working to advance creativity, foster generosity, and serve community.
COST: $45
BRING: Fast moving writing pens, a notebook you can get messy in, the willingness to share what you create, and an item or photo that connects you to an ancestor or ancestors. Dress weather appropriate. Please bring a sack lunch for yourself and optional snacks to share. Water and coffee provided.
This workshop is for students age 18 and over. 8 students max.
RSVP: souwesterfrontdesk@gmail.com or 360-642-2542 between 9am-9pm
The Sou’wester Lodge at 3728 J Place, Seaview, WA 98644
This class is part of the Spring 2020 Workshop Series. All classes are open to the public and all skill levels welcome. Visit www.souwesterlodge.com/art/workshops to see the full schedule of artist-led workshops.
2nd Annual ARTS WEEK: To Reconvene
March 7-14, 2021 The Sou’wester will host 30-35 artists and art collectives for a week of residency work, music, performances and installations.
Once again, The Sou’wester will be given over to artists and art collectives for a week of residency work and a weekend of ‘open houses’ and ‘public performances’: re-imagined for our present world.
Decentralized, Staggered & Open Air, etc.
Over the past 6 years we have held an event around this time of year to highlight the creative process and the experiential nature of the Sou’wester Residency Program. Each year this event brings amazing artists to this neck of the woods and shines creative light into the darkest heart of winter. The focus of the 2nd Annual ARTS WEEK is reconvention, reunion, reflection and renewal.
The public will be invited to tour installations on the grounds and surrounding areas as well as participate in self-guided open studios and/or studio visits by appointment. This event will also be shared with the broader public through live links, streaming, broadcasts from the studios, social media, and online archive of the projects and participants.
Performances, Installations and Events Open to the Public*
Friday March 13th
5:00pm – 10:00pm
Saturday March 14th
12:00pm – 10:00pm
*The entirety of this event will be held in a manner that meets all state mandates and Covid-19 precautions. This event is free and open to the public within safety guidelines.
Visit the link below to view the full list of ARTS WEEK artists as well as photos and descriptions of their residency projects: 31 artist projects and 11 of those are artist teams/collectives with about 53 people participating.
2021 Participants
Thank you to our donors so far:
Cocktail For A Cause during the entire month of March – Pickled Fish Restaurant at
2nd Annual ARTS WEEK: To Reconvene
March 7-14, 2021 The Sou’wester will host 30-35 artists and art collectives for a week of residency work, music, performances and installations.
Once again, The Sou’wester will be given over to artists and art collectives for a week of residency work and a weekend of ‘open houses’ and ‘public performances’: re-imagined for our present world.
Decentralized, Staggered & Open Air, etc.
Over the past 6 years we have held an event around this time of year to highlight the creative process and the experiential nature of the Sou’wester Residency Program. Each year this event brings amazing artists to this neck of the woods and shines creative light into the darkest heart of winter. The focus of the 2nd Annual ARTS WEEK is reconvention, reunion, reflection and renewal.
The public will be invited to tour installations on the grounds and surrounding areas as well as participate in self-guided open studios and/or studio visits by appointment. This event will also be shared with the broader public through live links, streaming, broadcasts from the studios, social media, and online archive of the projects and participants.
Performances, Installations and Events Open to the Public*
Friday March 13th
5:00pm – 10:00pm
Saturday March 14th
12:00pm – 10:00pm
*The entirety of this event will be held in a manner that meets all state mandates and Covid-19 precautions. This event is free and open to the public within safety guidelines.
Visit the link below to view the full list of ARTS WEEK artists as well as photos and descriptions of their residency projects: 31 artist projects and 11 of those are artist teams/collectives with about 53 people participating.
2021 Participants
Thank you to our donors so far:
Cocktail For A Cause during the entire month of March – Pickled Fish Restaurant at