Upcoming retreat dates:
Karme Choling, Barnet VT (10/25)
Guest House Retreat Center Chester, CT (3/26 and 8/26)
Coming from the lineages DJed club dance, Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, and the Buddhist embodied movement practice of Mudra Space Awareness, Alison and Tai have created a retreat container for participants to seek deeper wisdom and insight within themselves. Through embodied experience of the present moment and structured relational conversations and connection with other participants, attendees will have a chance to set intentions, explore, and reset before the coming of Spring.
This Winter Reset Retreat is designed to take participants deeper into themselves so that they can “be” with authenticity, confidence, creativity, and open-heartedness. The retreat will take place over a weekend in which participants will have several opportunities to dance to a live DJ, exploring their physical experience in a safe and mindfully held container. These dances will alternate with moderated conversations using IFS framework and language to connect deeply with the parts of each person that need witnessing and integration. This will create an environment where participants can move between embodied mindful dance/movement and connection in the form of discussion circles in order to deepen and reset.
We welcome participants of all physical abilities. Participants will have their own agency to determine the right level of movement, stillness, and activity for their bodies and experiences. That said, we do note that there are components of the program that involve periods of dance/embodied movement.
The retreat will take place at the beautiful Guest House Retreat Center in Chester CT, which offers three fresh-cooked nutritious meals per day and nicely decorated rooms with en-suite bathrooms in their old New England farmhouse setting. Come settle in and go deep for this Winter Reset Retreat.
We envision this being a small group experience where everyone has space and ability to relax and get to know one another. Let’s create a village.
Embodied Dance
Tune into your embodied state and move to music in a safe and non-judgmental environment. Live DJ, Glitter Kitty (Tai), will select music that allows you to connect to yourself, tune into your nervous system, and release what needs to be expressed.
Let loose, feel your rhythm, regulate your nervous system, and have FUN.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) Group Conversation
Retreat participants will utilize the basic framework and language associated with Internal Family Systems therapy. This will supply the group a powerful common language with which to share and connect. The aim is to allow each person to have an opportunity to benefit from the creation of a safe community within a shared environment.
Meditation in Action Exercises
Mudra Space Awareness exercises developed by the Tibetan Buddhist master, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, allow participants to explore their embodied experience and space of the surrounding environment in the present moment. These exercises allow folks to slow down and be more present with their experience, connecting them to their own wisdom and intuition.
A note for anyone who is familiar with Mudra Space Awareness, we will not be doing the more intensive exercises in this retreat. We will be focusing on playing with the sense perceptions.
Retreat Hosts:
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Alison Pepper, LCSW
Alison has been studying and practicing meditation and Buddhism for over a decade. She has studied Dharma Art and Mudra Space Awareness for the past 12 years. Alison mixes her passions for art, embodied healing, creativity and meditation in her New York therapy office. When Alison isn’t in the shrine room or therapy office, you will find her playing with her cat or outside with her friends. Alison and Tai enjoy discussing both meditation and therapy ideas, and have been dreaming of creating these retreats for years.
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Tai Pimputkar, LCSW / DJ Glitter Kitty
Tai has been practicing Buddhist Meditation and learning Mudra Space Awareness teachings for over a decade, and has spent years training with Alison as a Mudra Space Awareness teacher. She has her own psychotherapy private practice, Whole Psychotherapy, in Norwalk CT. Her primary therapeutic modality is Internal Family Systems, which she has also been studying for over a decade. For the past year, Tai has also been immersed in a DJ training course, PHDJ. By day, Tai works in the finance profession and lives in CT with her cats.
Sample Retreat Schedule:
Friday 2/28/25
3:00 pm arrival*
6:00 pm dinner
7:30 welcome and short evening session
*Please arrive when it is convenient for you. Friday night is an opportunity to get settled. If you have any questions about arrival or coming later, no problem please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Saturday 3/1/25
8:00 am breakfast
9:30 am morning session
12:30-2:00 pm lunch break * food served from 12:30-1:30pm
2:00 afternoon session
6:00-7:30 pm dinner break *food served from 6:00-7:00pm
7:30 night session
Sunday 3/2/25
8:00 am breakfast
9:30 am morning session
12:30-1:00 pm lunch break
1:00 pm afternoon session and wrap up
3:00 pm departure
*no dinner will be served on Sunday
The Guest House Retreat Center
Chester, Connecticut
Join us for a Winter Reset at the beautiful restored Connecticut Farmhouse, The Guest House Retreat Center. The center will house us with three warm home-cooked meals per day, a private space for our retreat, ample nooks and crannies for relaxation and connection, and a beautiful natural setting. It is an easy drive from I-95 with plenty of parking on site.
Dietary Restrictions: The retreat center is fully able to accommodate dietary restrictions, and there will be a space for you to specify any dietary needs when you sign up for the retreat.
Transportation: The Guest House is not far from the train line. If you need a ride from the train line, please contact the organizers. We can try to arrange a ride for you, or you can take a ride share from the train station. The Shoreline East train line stops at nearby stations, and connects to the Metro North rail in New Haven. There is no need to use Amtrak if coming from NYC, as those trains are much more expensive and less frequent.
