August 10-13, 2023
Build community with other fathers
& take care of your self
to show up Better for your family
A Brotherhood of Fathers
Disconnect from the daily pressures of life and reconnect with your own inner strength.
Take time for yourself
Practice tools to balance
Forge a community of like-minded dads
Disconnect from the daily pressures of life and reconnect with your own inner strength.
Take time for yourself
Practice tools to balance
Forge a community of like-minded dads
retreat Schedule:
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Thursday:
3-4pm: Arrival 5pm: Opening circle and nature walk to springs 6:30pm: Dinner Friday: 8:30am: Breakfast 9:30am: Mindful Movement 11am: Reflection Circle: Communication & Deep Listening 1pm: Lunch & Free Time 5pm: Co-regulation practices 6:30pm: Dinner Evening Fire Saturday: 8:30am: Breakfast 9:30am: Mindful Movement 11am: Reflection Circle: Mindfulness Techniques 1pm: Lunch & Free Time (optional cooperative games) 5pm: Debrief 6:30pm: Dinner Evening Fire Sunday: 8:30am: Breakfast 9:30am: Nature Sit Spot Meditation 10:00am: Closing Circle 11am: Check out |
This retreat is designed to help facilitate mindful communication and healthy self-care in a judgment-free environment. Through a combination of activities, debriefs and unstructured free time, fathers will have the opportunity to explore their feelings. By practicing simple science-backed tools you'll develop stronger connections with family and friends, relax more quickly and easily, enjoy new experiences and create time for yourself. Our goal is to help fathers disconnect from the daily pressures of life and reconnect with your own inner strength and self-care. So join us and give yourself the gift of Disconnection to Reconnect!
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Package includes
all workshops, meals, and your preferred accommodation. $995 - shared yurt $1195 - private yurt You also have the option to add a 1hr massage for an additional $95. |
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Read why Success Magazine rates Seven Springs
the #1 Meditation Retreat Center in the US
the #1 Meditation Retreat Center in the US
Meet your facilitators: Zach and Kadar
Zachary Townesmith
Zach brings humility and humor to his facilitation and coaching. He inspires participation and thoughtful consensus in a wide array of groups. He is dedicated to developing intercultural relations and facilitating innovative solutions for regenerative well-being.
His Cum Laude B.A. from Harvard College led him to explore issues of privilege and work for justice from his hometown of Philadelphia to the Guatemala City garbage dump. This work has taken him throughout the Americas engaging diverse stakeholders in strategic planning through the development of creative and critical thinking in fields such as education, public health, business, creative industries, and entrepreneurship.
He believes that interpersonal relationships and creativity are the keys to regenerative enterprise, and works in settings ranging from corporate boardrooms to dirt-floored rural schools. His multicultural and multilingual fluency are valuable assets as groups develop and maintain creative environments of respect and trust. Watch his TedX talks here (Spanish) and here (English).
Kadar Lewis
As an educator and organizational leader for nearly 20 years, Kadar began his career teaching South LA youth, which ultimately led to leadership positions with ICEF Public Schools, Magic Johnson Foundation, and the Fulfillment Fund. He holds a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Loyola Marymount University, a master’s degree in Educational Technology Leadership from Cal State LA, and a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Harvard.
Los Angeles, 2007
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We met as Harvard freshmen. Coming from different worlds, it took some time to find common ground. By graduation we had cemented a relationship with roots deeper than either could fully understand. Over the next 20 years life paths diverged but the bond has held. Challenged by personal traumas and the ups and downs of relationships, careers and fatherhood we’ve been able to see ourselves reflected in each other's experiences, and are committed to pay privilege forward and foster dialogue to promote healing and justice. |
Optional Hikes in your free time:
photos source: https://smokymountainnationalpark.com/
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park Hikes
Located less than 25 miles from Seven Springs is the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited National Park in the U.S.! On your way you will drive through Townsend with a wonderful Visitors Center and Heritage Center we recommend visiting. Cades Cove One of the most popular destinations, the cove a beautiful 11 mile loops to drive any day or bike on Wednesday and Saturday mornings when it is closed to cars. Bicycle rental is available in the Park. Abrams Falls is a nice 5 mile hike from Cades Cove. The turnoff for the trailhead is located past stop #10 on the Cades Cove Loop Road. The turnoff is signed. Laurel Falls is a trail ascends Cove Mountain, leading past Laurel Falls, one of the most popular waterfalls in the national park, en route to the summit of Cove Mountain and the Cove Mountain fire tower. From Sugarlands Visitor Center, turn toward Cades Cove on Little River Road and drive 3.5 miles to the trailhead where there are parking areas on both sides of the road. Tremont A nearby nature education center located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this area is fun to visit for information and connect to some good trailheads! Our favorite moderate waterfall hike, Spruce Flats Falls: You'll need to travel 2.2 miles back the Tremont road to the Great Smoky Mountains Institute and then park in the parking area in front of the visitor center. From there, walk up the paved road into the Tremont complex until the pavement ends at 0.2 miles. Continue into the woods and turn left uphill. At 0.1 mile the trail junctions with a path that goes straight, take a right to continue on the Falls trail. We also enjoy Middle Prong trail, with waterfalls and moderate difficulty. Head southwest from the Townsend Y junction of Little River Road and TN 73 towards Cades Cove. After a short drive (0.2 mile), turn left onto Tremont Road. After two miles, you’ll pass the Great Smokey Mountains Institute at Tremont on your left before the road changes to gravel. Continue three additional miles down the gravel road before reaching the road’s end. Park here for the trailhead. Mount Leconte If you’re looking for a more challenging and longer hike, we recommend this one. Plan for a full day and bring lots of water. There are a few trails to choose from and a Lodge at the top if you’d like to spend the night (reservations required). We like the Alum Cave Bluff trail; it is steeper, shorter and more difficult, but the Bluffs are a must see on your way up. To reach the trailhead from the Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, drive 8.7 miles south along Newfound Gap Road. The parking area will be on your left. Rainbow Falls trail is strenuous but worth it with panoramic views of the Smokies. Starting from Light 8 in Gatlinburg, turn onto Historic Nature Trail / Airport Road. After driving 0.7 miles veer right onto Cherokee Orchard Road, upon which you'll enter into Great Smoky Mountain National Park. After driving another 2.2 miles you'll enter the one-way Cherokee Orchard Loop Road. After driving roughly 0.6 miles on the loop, the Rainbow Falls Trailhead will be located on your right. Look Rock Fire Tower & Abrams Creek Campground Trails Located on the Foothills Parkway, Look Rock Fire Tower is a short and windy drive up the mountain from Seven Springs. This National park Service fire lookout is at the top of an easy half-mile hike up to a breathtaking 360 view of the surrounding mountains. You can see the Fire Tower from Seven Springs and even see Seven Springs from the Fire Tower! From the tower parking lot, you'll back track to meet up again with route 336 and turn left to continue driving away from Seven Springs. In a few miles, you'll see a road on your left with a sign for Abrams Creek Campground. You can park just across from the Forest Station to jump in the cool mountain river, or walk or drive to the end of the campground to walk the trail for easy hiking along streams and through Hemlock forests. |
