TO SPEAK OF SORROW:
A DAY OF GATHERING & SHARING STORIES OF GRIEF

Location: St-Mary-on-the-Lake, Bellevue, Washington, by the serene shores of beautiful Lake Washington

Description: Amidst the tranquil setting of St-Mary-on-the-Lake in Bellevue, Washington, where the gentle ripples of Lake Washington provide a soothing backdrop, we invite you to join us for a day of healing and connection in our workshop titled “To Speak of Sorrow.” Led by our beloved Faculty-in-Residence, Chaplain, and Yogi, Denise Carrico, this workshop is a heartfelt opportunity for those who have experienced any profound loss.

What to Expect: In this deeply meaningful and compassionate workshop, Denise Carrico will guide you through a day of reflection, sharing, and healing. Here, you will find a safe and supportive space to honor your grief and explore the myriad emotions that come with the loss of whomever and whatever you hold dear.

Workshop Highlights:

1. Storytelling and Sharing: Share your stories, memories, and feelings in a nurturing and non-judgmental environment, fostering a sense of community and understanding.
2. Community Bonding: Connect with others who share similar experiences, forging connections that can provide ongoing support in your grief journey.
3. Ceremonial Practices: Engage in meaningful rituals and ceremonies that honor your losses and what you cherish most in remembering them.
4. Guided Meditation & Breathwork: Gentle breathwork and meditation will help you find solace and inner peace.
5. Creative Expression: Explore the therapeutic power of creative expression through poetry and journaling, allowing your emotions to find a voice.
6. Support and Guidance: Denise Carrico, with her expertise as a Chaplain and Yogi, will provide guidance, offering tools and insights to help you navigate the grieving process.

Who Should Attend:

“To Speak of Sorrow” welcomes anyone who has suffered any loss, regardless of where you are in your grieving process. Whether your loss is recent or long ago, this workshop is a place for healing and growth.

Come and join us by the shores of Lake Washington, where nature’s beauty mirrors the healing journey within. Together, we will speak of sorrow, share our stories, and find strength in the embrace of our supportive community. We hope to see you there as we embark on this transformative path toward healing and hope.

Please arrive between 9:30 – 9:45 AM to begin promptly at 10:00 AM with a welcome and opening circle. We will enjoy brief periods of meditation and breath, interspersed with labyrinth walking, journaling, sharing circles, and gentle chair yoga. Lunch will be from 12:30 -1:30 PM and, weather permitting, with optional time in Nature. We will close the circle with a ritual practice and end the day at 4:00 PM.

Please bring a photo of your beloved(s) and a small object, or two, representing the grief you carry.
And please bring your journal and pen.

Lunch is not included in the workshop. Please be sure to bring lunch with you. There is a kitchenette that you will have access to at the facility.

Tuition Fees:

Partial Scholarship Tier: $80
Regular Tuition Tier: $110
Supporter Attendee Tier: $140*

*All tiers are inclusive of the entire program. Individuals who participate at the Supporter Tier enable us to be able to offer partial scholarships to others.

CANCELATION POLICY

Cancellations 60 days or more before the event can receive a full refund – less 10% for payment processing fees and program administration.

Cancellations 59-16 days before the event can receive a 50% refund. Cancellations less than 15 days before the event are non-refundable. The program registration can be transferred to another person at any time.

DENISE CARRICO, BFA, CHAPLAIN, CBC-Y, CERTIFIED INTEGRAL YOGA TEACHER

Recognizing her personal long-held sorrows and how they have impacted her life, Denise set out on a path of discovery to explore grief and loss, both her own as well as the universal experience of grief. Mostly unacknowledged and unattended in our culture, grief requires our deep attention and our great love. Grounded in a long-time practice of Yoga & Meditation, Denise deepened her attention and her work in grief and is learning to welcome and tend all the loss and disappointments that are a non-negotiable part of being human. And her wish is to offer space for others to do the same. We are a culture in grief, and we need safe and warm spaces to be with ourselves and others to begin to open and heal our broken hearts.

Denise is a trained Compassionate Bereavement Care Yoga Provider as well as a Hospice volunteer and is currently finishing a two-year, advanced-study Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Program through Upaya Institute and Zen Center in Santa Fe, NM. Her final project for the program looks deeply and tenderly at the process of gathering in community to speak of our sorrows and heal our wounds. As Faculty-in-Residence at Harmony Hill, she is deeply grateful to offer retreats there to do just that.

When not studying or gathering in circle, Denise walks the quiet woods of Harmony Hill every day as a spiritual practice with her dog and, sometimes, the cat and hikes the mountains of the Olympics as often as possible.  And cherishes what is holy & beautiful in this world:  her grandchildren, the body in motion, calligraphy, the mountains, poetry, kindness, love.  These words of St Teresa of Calcutta guide her life & work:  “We can do no great things;  only small things with great love.”

About St Mary-on-the-Lake

Our new off-site location in Bellevue is in the Peace and Spirituality Center at St. Mary-on-the-Lake. Room spaces may vary from workshop to workshop, confirmations, and communication from staff before the workshops will confirm room locations. Spacious, accessible, and beautiful this facility is a gorgeous setting for the work of Harmony Hill to come to King County.