BECOMING MORE OURSELVES
inner-work, together
we’ll explore what it means to build and sustain meaningful relationships as a way to not just survive these times, but to feel deeply alive within them.
in-person only
no livestream, no online option (SOrry, nOT sorry). we'll come together in-person, on the land.
meeting urgency
let's practice meeting political urgency with presence, slowness (to go fast when needed), and collective care.
☯︎
friday afternoon to sunday afternoon, enter the equinox portal with us ⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆
𐂐
Joshua Tree Retreat Center, aka the Institute of Mentalphysics, is recognized as the oldest & largest retreat center in the Western United States. we will reverently gather on the unceded ancestral homelands of the Serrano, Cahuilla, and Chemehuevi peoples, the original and ongoing stewards. Dana has been living in the hi-dez for over a decade.
ꪆৎ
join dear friends Leah GARZA & DANA BALICKI who've been teaching and trouble-making together for years…
does this resonate for you?
You've read this far. If something in you feels called—if you’re craving deeper connection, a chance to reset in community, and a way to meet these times with more vitality—then we’d love to welcome you into this circle.
Join us on August 4th at 5:30pm PST for a live info session to learn more (click here to rsvp).
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friday to sunday ╭╯9/19-21
Friday afternoon / evening (soft landing, dinner & drop-in)
Saturday (all day exploration)
Sunday (slowdown closing, 2pm departure)
Breakfasts & lunches at the retreat center, catered dinners, snacks galore
Individual rooms + pool/jacuzzi access
Intentional work + spacious unstructured time
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TIERED
PRICING
Payment plans are available for all tiers via Klarna, Afterpay & Affirm. Please pay the highest tier that you can comfortably afford.
Scholarships available on a limited basis, email [email protected] for info. Full refund available until Aug 15⌇Partial refund (everything back minus $200) until 9/2. After 9/2, no refunds.
mORE LEAH
Leah Garza (she/her) is a Los Angeles-based scholar and mystic. She is the facilitator of Living Systems, a year-long online course for the public that explores decolonial strategies toward emergent ecologies that sustain life. She is currently writing a dissertation at Pacifica Graduate Institute in the Community, Liberation, Indigenous and Eco Psychologies program, where she is wondering how decolonial pedagogies can build public spaces of intellectual intimacy toward relational ways of being for those of us above the Abyssal line. She has an M.A. in depth psychology (CLIE), a M.Ed from UCLA, and a B.A. in linguistics from Northeastern University. ⋆˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆
MORE DANA
Dana Balicki (she/her) is a Joshua Tree-based transformational coach and spiritual guide whose work lives at the threshold—between the personal and political, the visible and the unseen, the practical and the magical. Through her practice of “slowdown medicine,” she helps seekers remember who they are beneath the noise of dominant culture, guiding thousands through tender, luminous pathways of inner transformation. With roots in movement organizing and mystical traditions, she weaves activism, ritual, and deep presence into a practice that heals and disrupts. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Vice, Well + Good, The Numinous, The Wall Street Journal, and more. Her podcast, crying in my jacuzzi, is a sanctuary for the spiritually curious, offering soul balm for complex times. 𓆑꩜
FAQs
𓏲 Is there enough time to come from LA?
〰 Yes! We recommend leaving by no later than 1pm Friday (trust), and we'll wrap by 2pm Sunday. There will be an option to stay onsite longer if you wish, but it's optional.
𓏲 What's the food situation?
〰 Brekky & lunch is included from the retreat center + we’ll provide nourishing snacks & dinners with plant-based options and can accommodate common dietary needs. You’ll fill out a form after registration and we'll discuss what's needed!
𓏲 What's your cancellation/refund policy?
〰 Full refund available until 8/15. Partial refund (everything back minus $200) until 9/2. After 9/2, no refunds.
𓏲 What will the weather be like?
〰 Typically, it's warm but not too hot, in fact…it's perfect desert time. A full packing list will be shared before the retreat.
𓏲 What kind of accessibility does the Retreat Center have?
〰 The center has a lot of dirt roads/paths and is a designated historic place, but accessibility accommodations are widely available. Ramps at all buildings & bathrooms. Please email us if you have more specific questions/requests.
Come join our nudist cult. JK. This is just us wearing tube tops. -`♡´-
NOTE: You do not have to wear a tube top at the retreat. But please hold in your heart…
Not everything in this retreat will work for every person—and that’s part of the point. This container is designed to empower you with tools, insights, and practices you can shape to your own needs, desires, and lived experience. All gender expressions, identities, and backgrounds are not just welcome here—they are honored.
We’ll explore the difference between the pressure to constantly fix or prove yourself—and the deeper practice of devotion to your becoming. Between the urge to self-correct and the invitation to root into your vitality, supported by land, connection, and presence. Some of this might activate you. That’s good. May the resistance be a guide, leading you closer to who you/we truly are.