November 21–23, 2025
The StarHouse, Boulder, CO

A somatic training for those who hold space—and want to do so with more clarity, care, and resilience.

 Come home to the kind of presence that heals—personally, relationally, and professionally.

Presence is a skill. One we rarely learn, but deeply need.

This retreat is a space to learn how to be with others and yourself, with clarity, compassion, and depth. Whether you’re holding space professionally or simply wanting to relate in a more attuned way, you’ll learn to listen without taking on, to witness without fixing, and to show up without losing yourself.

The Art of Sacred Listening isn’t about saying the right thing. It’s about becoming the kind of presence that helps others feel safe, seen, and able to hear themselves.

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Rooted in somatic awareness, trauma-informed care, and sacred ritual, this experience will help you attune to your body as a guide, offer care without depletion, and reconnect with your inner steadiness.

You’ll be held in a space that invites deep listening, shared presence, and inner connection.

Over our three days together, you’ll move through a rhythm that invites the nervous system to soften, the heart to open, and the soul to speak.

Each day includes:

✽ Morning meditation and mindful movement

✽ Somatic listening practices and co-regulation

✽ Teachings on space-holding and sacred witnessing

✽ Paired and group reflection

✽ Time for silence, integration, and ritual in nature

You’ll be guided to witness your own patterns—judgment, over-giving, the urge to fix or perform—not to get rid of them, but to welcome them with compassion. Presence deepens when we turn toward, not away.

MEET YOUR GUIDE

Wendy Black Stern

Wendy is the heart and soul behind the Center for Somatic Grieving, where her mission is to support individuals through the transformative process of grief. Her journey into this profound work began with a personal tragedy—the loss of her son Noah—which led her to a path of self-discovery and a deepened commitment to helping others.

With over 25 years of experience as a yoga student and teacher, Wendy's expertise lies in integrating yoga with grief support. She is a certified Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapist and instructor, with additional qualifications in yoga teacher training, group facilitation, Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic trauma therapy and Reiki.

Wendy's approach combines personal reflection, group sharing, and a grief-focused, somatic curriculum to guide others in their healing journeys​​.

Held at The StarHouse

Nestled in the foothills just outside of Boulder, Colorado

This sacred space was intentionally designed using sacred geometry and aligned with the cardinal directions, lunar cycles, and celestial movements. It is both a structure and a sanctuary, built to support embodied presence, spiritual connection, and the deep remembering of what is essential.

The StarHouse has been a container for transformational work for over 30 years. It sits on 200 acres of land, offering breathtaking views, walking paths, and places to sit, integrate, and reconnect with the natural world. This environment helps create a resonance field that deepens reflection and invites inner clarity.

What You’ll Learn

This retreat supports both personal and professional evolution.
Whether you’re here as a caregiver, a practitioner, or someone who longs to listen more deeply in your relationships, you will receive tools and embodied understanding to:

✽ Stay present without becoming overwhelmed

✽ Reflect others’ experiences without taking them on

✽ Hold silence and complexity with confidence

✽ Create safe, compassionate space for others to be seen

✽ Listen from the body, not the mind

✽ Offer connection without rescuing or absorbing

You’ll be invited to gently explore the hidden places—your unconscious patterns, projections, and internalized beliefs—so you can hold others with greater clarity and care.

While not exclusively grief-focused, many who attend bring their own stories of loss—or feel called to support others through grief with presence, embodiment, and compassion.

These are the foundations of sacred listening—skills that ripple through every aspect of life.

“Here’s the deal. The human soul doesn’t want to be advised or fixed or saved. It simply wants to be witnessed — to be seen, heard and companioned exactly as it is. When we make that kind of deep bow to the soul of a suffering person, our respect reinforces the soul’s healing resources, the only resources that can help the sufferer make it through.”

Parker J. Palmer

Two Paths of Participation

The Retreat Experience

This path is for those attending for personal growth, relational depth, and embodied awareness. You may be a therapist, healer, leader, or caregiver—or simply someone seeking to deepen the way you show up in the world.

You do not need to “be” anything other than human.

This experience includes:

✽ Full participation in the three-day retreat

✽ Daily yoga, meditation, and somatic practices

✽ Hands-on learning in listening, attunement, and presence

✽ Spacious time for rest, journaling, integration, and connection

✽ Ritual and nature-based practices to reconnect you to the sacred

You’ll leave with practical tools for daily life—how to remain grounded while holding space, how to listen to yourself and others without burnout, and how to stay present in difficult conversations.

This path is for you if you are ready to be nourished, to be seen, and to reclaim the healing power of deep presence in your own life.

Facilitation with Mentorship Path
(Optional)

If you feel called to bring this work forward in your practice or community—leading circles, integrating presence-based facilitation into your work, or guiding others through transformation—this path supports that evolution.

Includes:

✽ Six live group mentorship sessions with Wendy (virtual)
✽ A guided practicum where you offer and receive feedback on your space-holding
✽ One-on-one mentorship session for reflection and integration
✽ Optional professional endorsement upon completion

This is an intimate, guided experience for those who want to move from being a student of this work to someone who can carry it responsibly into the world. You do not need to decide before the retreat. If you feel called after experiencing the work, you’ll have the opportunity to step into mentorship.

Is this for you?

Many who attend are:

✽ Therapists, coaches, bodyworkers, nurses, physicians and space-holders

✽ Yoga and meditation teachers

✽ Group facilitators, community leaders, and guides

✽ Space-holders who are seeking to listen more deeply, without depletion

✽ People who have journeyed through grief or healing and are ready to show up for others

You may also be here simply because something in your heart is leaning toward this.

This work is open to all identities, all faiths, all bodies. Everyone is welcome in this space.

Retreat Details

Facilitator: Wendy Black Stern

Dates: November 21–23, 2025, Friday & Saturday, 9am-5pm, Sunday, 10-5pm
Location: The StarHouse in Boulder, Colorado
Retreat Tuition: $1,499 — Payment Plan Available

Includes:

✽ Three full days of somatic training, community, and sacred space

✽ Daily yoga, meditation, and mindfulness practices

✽ Rituals for integration and reflection

✽ Snacks and tea (lodging not included)

✽ A supportive community and intentional container

Facilitation Path Details (Optional)

Investment: Additional $599

Includes:

✽ Six virtual mentorship circles

✽ One practicum with personalized feedback

✽ One individual mentorship session

✽ Optional endorsement upon completion

This path supports those who want to offer this work in an aligned, ethical, and embodied way.

PARTICIPANT TESTIMONIAL

I have found the virtual community circle surprisingly potent for grief support.

The format is simple and supports embodied participation and deep reflection. Often participants say that their friends and family no longer wish to hear about their loss; in this circle, it is well understood that grief has no timeframe, and tears of love spring often and unbidden.

Here we practice bearing witness to one another's experience and life force, and healing takes root.”
— Julie Dolin, MA, LPC, Mindful Grieving Facilitator

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Retreat-Only Path

If you're here to deepen your presence in your personal relationships.

The retreat path offers a grounded, spacious container to reconnect with your inner clarity, expand your capacity to be with others, and embody a listening presence.

Retreat Tuition:
$1,499

Ready to Begin Your Journey?

This training offers two meaningful paths based on your goals:

A MINDFUL FACILITATION & PRESENCE RETREAT

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Facilitation Path

If you're called to carry this work forward, professionally or in community.

The certification path offers structured mentorship, practical training, and embodied guidance to support you in holding sacred space for others with integrity, skill, and deep care.

Additional Investment:
$599

Schedule Your Complimentary Discovery Session

If you're still wondering whether this is the right step, we encourage you to book a free 30-minute call.