Rest & Play Yoga Retreat
Escape to the Blue Ridge Mountains
Labor Day Weekend 2026
Friday, August 28 thru Monday, August 31
Arrival 12pm - Departure 12pm
Knoxville, Maryland (approx.. 30 mins from Frederick)
Yoga Retreat Meets Adult Summer Camp
Indulge in Joy
Join yoga retreat leaders, Carrie and Brandon, for a weekend getaway on 27 acres of mostly forested land, in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Choose your own adventure at this yoga retreat meets adult summer camp experience. Recharge daily with fun yoga practices, fresh home-cooked meals, and full body massages.
Move with Ease
Unplug under the canopy of trees, swinging in the hammock with the summer breeze. Take a dip in the Potomac River or hike along the C&O Canal. Make a new friend at game night or take some spacious self-care time. Retreaters may enjoy as much play or rest as desired.
daily itinerary
Friday
12pm || Arrival
12:30pm || Lunch
2pm - 5pm || River Walk
6:30pm || Dinner
8pm - 9:30pm|| Welcoming Circle & Yoga Session
Saturday
7:30am - 8:30am || C & O Canal Walk
10am - 12pm || Yoga Session
12:30pm || Lunch
2-4:30pm || Free time & Massages
5:15-6:15pm || Yoga Session
6:30pm || Dinner
8pm || Game Night
9:30pm || Bonfire
Sunday
8:30am || Guided Arts & Crafts Morning
12pm || Brunch
2pm - 4pm || River Float
5pm-6:15pm || Yoga Session
6:30pm || Dinner
8pm || Special Event
Monday
9am || Yoga Session & Closing Circle
12pm|| Departure
*Schedule is subject to change. Breakfast is self-serve
Just $100 to save your spot if you sign up by March 31
〰️
use code REST26
〰️
Just $100 to save your spot if you sign up by March 31
〰️
use code REST26
Just $100 to save your spot if you sign up by March 31 〰️ use code REST26 〰️ Just $100 to save your spot if you sign up by March 31 〰️ use code REST26
$950 USD
unwind, recharge, & play
Includes lodging for 3 nights, all meals, all classes (5)
& activities (Hikes, Arts & Crafts)
massages and facial treatments purchased separately
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come experience the magic & retreat with us
about our practice
Teaching Styles
Our yoga tapestry is centered around the teachings of Yin, Hatha, and Restorative Yoga. We like to weave yoga philosophy, anatomy, and inspiration from the natural world through our modern practice of Eastern traditions. We blend influences from Qigong, pranayama, Yoga Nidra (guided visualizations/ meditations, body scans), and chanting in an accessible, sacred container. Generally, we are offering a slower, sweeter pace giving time for you to arrive in each pose with spacious transitions. On retreat, the sunrise flow offers a steadier pace weaving in balance and core standing postures to move stagnant energy and gradually build strength. Evening sessions will offer more floor-based postures (seated, reclined, belly down, or side-lying) to ground, center, and relax into the night.
Agency & Honoring Yourself
Throughout your retreat, many offerings are included. In addition to various styled yoga practices, you’ll be able to enjoy mindful time in nature, hiking, leisurely walking, delicious lunches and dinners provided by the retreat center. Indulge in quiet time, reading, art projects, napping, and connecting with good humans. Participate in as little or as much as you wish. We ask our participants to honor their needs, on and off the mat.
Reverence, Respect, & Reciprocity
Through the guidance of our teachers, we practice reciprocity to yoga history, Eastern culture, and understanding the nervous system and human body. We are extremely grateful for Machelle Lee and Tara Lemerise for empowering us with their deep wisdom and dedication. Alicia Barmon has been a humble mentor in the practice of daily discipline of breathwork and compassion for the beautiful and messy human experience. We sprinkle in small pieces of the larger context, to educate participants on the source material we teach from, giving homage to yoga's vast roots, interpretations, and various applications. We are still learning, every day, and try to stay humble to the curious student that lives in our heart. Navigating our oneness and our humanity through peace, love, and the process of self-inquiry as a way of being.
Carrie Dennison
Carrie is a self-care expert and community co-creator. You can find her offerings around various yoga studios in the Frederick area, curating spaces for people to practice caring and loving themselves. She is a forever student of yoga, yoga teacher, and Reiki Master. Her specialty is offering practices to help you connect deeply to yourself and others through downregulating the nervous system. Carrie runs her own business, Self-Care with Carrie, leading mini-day retreats, and seeing 1-on-1 clients for customized self-care sessions.
"Bringing the community together through yoga, resting, breathing, and ritual really lights me up. I intuitively guide individuals to connect to the humanness in themselves and to the humanness in each other. "
Brandon Barnhard
Brandon is known for a highly connected, playful, and motivating group fitness session, while being relatable and welcoming to all walks of life. Brandon is the owner of Fire & Water Fitness providing the Frederick community a custom fitness solution combining cardio kickboxing, strength training, and yoga. His goal as a facilitator is to provide a safe and welcoming space where you can move and love yourself! He especially extends that warm welcome to the LGTBQIA+ community, encouraging his clients to step in to their own power and truth.
"I love creating a fun and engaging atmosphere to move our bodies and experience something special together. I love getting to work with people of all backgrounds and support them on their journey to live their best life!"
Accommodations
Blue Mountain Retreat Center is a 27-acre property with a homelike eco-friendly retreat center situated in a small rural community in the hills near Harper’s Ferry, just 65 miles away from DC.
The 9 bedrooms in the retreat center rooms have access to the center's three bathrooms. Rooms have one to four twin-size European-style platform beds and high-quality mattresses. The spacious shared common rooms have large dining tables and cozy nooks to curl up with a book or some art between the yoga sessions.
Blue Mountain Retreat Center
1032 Hoffmaster Road,
Knoxville, Maryland.
FAQs
Please reach us at carrie@selfcarewithcarrie.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Cancellation Policy
1
Deposit is non-refundable. Cancelation before August 1, receive a 50% refund. After that no refund is available. You are welcome to send someone else to receive this offering.
Do I need to practice yoga before retreating?
2
Not unless you want to! No yoga experience is required. We welcome all walks of life and all movers, experienced or novice, on retreat.
How do payments get collected?
3
After confirming your spot, we will send you a link for the remaining 1, 2, or 3 payments which can be scheduled monthly. We are happy to provide flexible accommodations to remove barriers for our participants.
Can by food allergies or dietary requirements be accommodated?
4
Absolutely! We will collect dietary information via intake form after registration.