Breema Bodywork & Camping Weekend in the Colorado Rockies — Somatic Wellness Retreat

Sessions run under an open tent at Lake Elemental in Florissant, Colorado. Friday evening is a two-hour introduction from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Saturday runs 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and then 2:30 to 5:30 pm. Sunday is a single 10:00 am to 1:00 pm session. In between, you are on your own — swimming in the lake, walking or mountain biking the trails on the property, or sitting by your tent.

Breema bodywork is done on a padded surface, fully clothed, in a series of leans and stretches that use your own body weight rather than strength. Self-Breema is a set of solo exercises you do alone, often first thing in the morning. You will spend the weekend moving back and forth between the two, learning the Nine Principles that the practice is organised around. No previous experience is needed, and participants are told to come comfortable moving and sitting on a padded surface.

What makes this one different from a standard bodywork workshop is that it is genuinely outdoors. Classes are held under an open tent with the lake and the mountains around you, and everyone camps on site. There is a meadow and forest for tents, space for vans and RVs, porta potties with a sink, an outdoor shower, and a communal outdoor kitchen where you prepare your own food. The closest restaurants are about a 15-minute drive away, so most people cook in camp.

The programme is led by Alexandra Johnson, a board-certified Family Medicine physician who has been a Breema practitioner and instructor for over 25 years, and Jon Schreiber, who has taught Breema internationally since 1980 and runs the Breema Center and Breema Clinic in Oakland, California. Kevin Johnson, a Breema and Self-Breema instructor of more than 20 years, is also part of the teaching team. Continuing education credit may be available, with sign-up through the Breema Center.

Because much of the learning happens through giving and receiving bodywork with other participants, group size matters here. The weekend is capped at roughly 30 people, and the atmosphere is deliberately welcoming and unhurried rather than clinical. If you want a quiet mountain weekend where you learn a practical bodywork method and sleep under the stars, this is that.

What's included

- 3-day Breema bodywork and Self-Breema workshop programme - Camping spot on the property for the full weekend - All workshop sessions under the open tent - Water, tea, coffee and snacks during sessions - Access to the property's lake, hiking and mountain biking trails - Use of the communal outdoor kitchen and food storage - Access to porta potties with sink and outdoor shower

What's not included

- Meals (bring your own food; camp kitchen available) - Tent, van, RV or other camping equipment - Bedding and sleeping bags - Accommodation in nearby hotels or rentals - Travel to and from Florissant, Colorado - Airport transfers - Travel insurance - Continuing education registration fees, if applicable