2025 Summer Retreat
The Longest Light | Illuminating Inner Radiance
A Nature-Based Mindfulness Retreat
June 21st, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
@ Rising Ranch (Oskaloosa, Kansas)
As the sun reaches its peak on the longest day of the year, you are invited to pause—to reconnect to the brilliance of the natural world and your own inner being. The Longest Light | Illuminating Inner Radiance is a day-long silent retreat thoughtfully designed to help you soften, reconnect, and remember who you are beneath the noise of daily life.
Nestled amidst the serene beauty of the land at Rising Ranch, this retreat will include periods of reflection and meditation, mindful movement, nature-based sensory exploration, a sound bath, and guided journaling.
The day will be facilitated by a team of mindfulness professionals committed to creating a safe and supportive environment while fostering a sense of shared community.
Whether you are relatively new to mindfulness or an experienced practitioner, this one-day retreat is carefully designed to offer you space and support in navigating the complexities of being human.
Let this solstice be your invitation to slow down, soften, and shine.
The Retreat Facilitators
Sami Aaron
In an era defined by growing environmental challenges, Sami Aaron recognized the urgent need for compassionate solutions, leading her to establish The Resilient Activist. This impactful organization directly addresses the stress of our changing world by empowering communities, nurturing individual resilience, and advocating for vital ecological health. Sami’s diverse background as a Climate Reality Leader, a member of the Climate Psychiatry and Climate Psychology Alliances, a guiding meditation teacher, an informed Extension Master Naturalist, and a published author on the psychological impact of climate activism (“Climate activists and psychological distress” in Ecopsychepedia) positions her as a powerful voice for change. Learn more about her crucial work by reaching out to sami@theresilientactivist.org
Rachel Rilinger
Rachel (they/them) is a Board Certified Music Therapist, Reiki Master Teacher, Accredited Tai Chi Chih Instructor, and Certified Laughter Yoga Leader.
Rachel has a variety of personal and professional life experiences that bring a unique perspective to help you on your journey. Obtaining their masters degree from the University of Iowa, Rachel is trained in ethics, mindfulness, meditation, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), neurologic music therapy (NMT), and has worked with trauma systems therapy (TST). Their professional background includes working in hospice, inpatient and outpatient mental healthcare, addiction rehabilitation, medical hospital, working with individuals with disabilities and is published in the academic journal Music Therapy Perspectives.
Amy Zoe Schonhoff
Amy (she/her), is the founder of Mindfulness in the Heartland, a certified teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction through the Mindfulness Center at Brown University, and a certified practitioner of Advanced Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness.
Amy’s mindfulness practice spans over thirty years of personal exploration. Based on her own journey, she has found the practices and principles of mindfulness to be the most instructive and transformative approach to embracing this experience of “being human.” As a result, she is particularly inspired to teach the skills of mindfulness to individuals and communities actively working to integrate and heal from personal and intergenerational trauma.
About the Venue
Rising Ranch, located in Oskaloosa, Kansas, just an hour from the Kansas City metro and twenty minutes north of Lawrence, Kansas, is a refuge, love-nest, and creative space for education innovator, Katie Boody Adorno and artist, Jay Norton.
Situated on 25 acres of beautifully maintained farmland, Rising Ranch provides scenic spaces and meandering paths ideal for reflection and contemplative practices.
Registration Fee: Suggested $120 | Supporter $150 | Reduced $90 *
Space is limited to ensure an intimate, well-supported experience.
Register by June 18th.
* To keep our registration fees as affordable as possible while still acknowledging our teaching, administrative efforts, and costs, we use a sliding scale for many of our classes and workshops. Want to learn more? Check out a description of our pricing structures HERE.