Program Tuition & Basic Accommodations: $2295
*Invite a friend(s) new to the Feathered Pipe and you both save $100!
Mindfulness practiced in nature can offer the best cure for the unhealthy effects of our hijacked attention in the digital age. Such practice is more than a fleeting antidote to stress. It satisfies a deep yearning to reconnect with the natural world and reawaken our truest self.
Wild, raw nature is abundant at the 110-acre Feathered Pipe Ranch. A cool mountain lake encourages solace and reflection. Nearby trails wind through wildflower-saturated hills and woods filled with aspen and aromatic pine. Mountains shape every horizon. Ravens, warblers, blackbirds, and pine siskins flit among trees and across meadows. This is a landscape that speaks in many voices.
The Mindful Unplug, a homegrown Feathered Pipe program now in its seventh running, recognizes this native landscape as our primary teacher. Within this world we find inspiration and a sense of belonging. The Unplug seeks experience of the natural realm not as a backdrop that’s separate from ourselves. Rather, as ecologist and philosopher David Abram reminds us, “We are human only in contact, and conviviality, with what is not human.”
This weeklong sensory-focused mindfulness retreat is a chance to reflect on the grace of nature through daily breath-centered yoga and mindful movement sessions, accessible meditation, lightly guided forest immersion, music and dance, contemplative practices, and life inquiry. The program weaves in generous unscheduled time for leisure and solitude, as well as time for community in a supportive and relaxed setting surrounded by untamed national forest. Plus, there’s always a satisfying, smile-inducing surprise or three along the way. Joy, inspiration, revelation, laughter, song, and camaraderie are hallmarks of the Mindful Unplug experience at Feathered Pipe!
*18 Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Program credit hours are available for this retreat.
Learn more about Feathered Pipe Ranch’s COVID-19 safety protocol.
WHO IS IT FOR?
The Mindful Unplug is a come-as-you-are retreat. No experience with any of the practices offered during the week is expected or required. We ask only that you bring your beginner’s mind, a sense of curiosity, and perhaps a willingness to jettison old habits. A sense of humor and appreciation for gentle adventure will help complete an unforgettable week.
Enhancing humanity’s capacity for compassionate action has been a cornerstone of Feathered Pipe’s mission since its inception, and this program was created with that intention in mind. We enthusiastically encourage the participation of individuals who believe in and advocate for mindful, compassionate living in their personal lives, their professional and educational careers, and within their communities.
If the experiences of past participants are any guide, you may discover that once you unplug and surrender to Nature as your nature, contentment and peace are not only your birthright, but are within reach regardless of the chaos and distractions all around.
For additional detail about this program, please also see our Mindful Unplug FAQs here.
WHAT PAST MINDFUL UNPLUG EXPERIENCE ATTENDEES SAY:
“I will be forever grateful to everyone at the Feathered Pipe including all the guides for the finest, most welcoming introduction to the world of mindful meditation, yoga, and nature appreciation. It opened the door to my journey of self-exploration and enrichment.”
“What made this an extraordinary experience were the people in our group and the Ranch. This was one of the best times of my life . . . and the others were so interesting to talk with and had such great senses of humor and humanity.”
“It was a deeply restorative experience for me. The beauty of the place, the ease of staying there thanks to the excellent staff, and the thoughtful instruction all combined to transform me. I see the world around me differently now.”
“I see and experience my world differently now.”
“Matthew and Tracy’s drumming/chanting sessions were so transportive and ‘freeing’ and I hope they will remain a significant part of FP’s experience.”
“Thank you . . . for creating a really different kind of retreat that’s not like other more predictable workshops that all focus on one person’s view of how to be mindful or do yoga.”
“It has given me strength to power through another year. Despite the challenges to the planet and our politic body, that events like the Mindful Unplug happen and that people put so much effort into this kind of work gives me hope.”
“The forest bathing and night meditation were invaluable experiences. I love the way we were guided throughout the week to our own senses and bodies.”
“You have restored in me a newfound peace. I will be forever grateful for this week and I pray that I will be able to carry the lessons I have learned with this week with me for all my days on this earth. It was a rich and varied experience — beautiful and meaningful activities, interactions with people, and physically and emotionally healing. The food, lodging, natural beauty, staff — it was all so nurturing and stimulating.”
MINDFUL UNPLUG RETREAT TIP! Extend your time in peace and beauty while savoring Western hospitality by spending some time exploring the great West’s National Park treasures either before or after your Mindful Unplug week at Feathered Pipe Ranch. Glacier National Park is a glorious and scenic 3.5 hour drive north and west of the Ranch, while Yellowstone is just a 4.5 hours drive south and east of the Ranch through some of the prettiest Western territory you’ll ever see.
YOUR 2023 MINDFUL UNPLUG GUIDES
Mindful Unplug emcee (and Feathered Pipe Foundation board president) Anne Jablonski, serves as your emcee for the week and a guide for daily yoga and mindful movement, dharma inquiry, meditation, and sensory practices in nature. Acknowledging that you are the primary architect for your own well-being, she inspires you to become fully intimate with your own inner landscape. Anne’s intention is to have you return home equipped with the tools to reset mindfully and motivated to embrace a daily personal practice of movement and meditation.
More about Anne: yogasetfree.com
Sensory awareness guide, Zane Williams, returns to The Unplug to encourage reconnection to our original teacher and to help us reacquaint ourselves with the animate powers that dwell just beyond our human community. With a keen eye for beauty and a gift for guiding others in appreciating the sensory treasures all around, Zane points attendees toward the textures, sounds, smells, and shapes of the natural landscape. Zane will serve as a guide for sensing connections between our inner/outer landscapes through small group forest immersions (based on the Japanese concept of Shinrin-yoku) and an enchanting, revelatory nightfall meditation.
More about Zane: zanewilliamsphotography.com
Our cherished and longtime Ranch friend Matthew Marsolek (of the legendary Montana Drum Brothers) and family, joins us at The Unplug again in 2023 to share heart-opening sessions built around participatory sound, rhythm practices, and voice awareness. Simple guided exercises that open and free the voice are a prelude to a song circle, utilizing chants and songs gathered from Matthew’s travels abroad and studies in World Music. Many regard the drum circle Matthew leads at The Unplug as one of the highlights of the summer season at the Ranch!
More about Matthew: drumbrothers.com
PRICING & REGISTRATION:
Program Tuition & Basic Accommodations: $2295
*Invite a friend(s) new to the Feathered Pipe and you each save $100!
Registration deposit required: A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to secure online registration. Full payment is due eight weeks before the start of the program.
Tuition fee includes: Triple Occupancy Main Lodge, Shared Yurt/Deluxe Wall Tent/Sai Condo, or Single Tipi/Tent, plus meals and use of all amenities – our bathhouse, sauna, hot tub, as well as all the Feathered Pipe Ranch facilities and grounds. Upgraded accommodation are available.
Additional lodging upgrade pricing: Click here
Full description of accommodations options: Click here
The retreat will include:
— 7-nights indoor or outdoor accommodations (upgraded accommodations require an additional fee)
— All daily classes and group sessions, suitable for all
— Delicious and lovingly prepared international cuisine
— Shuttle service from/to Helena Regional Airport on arrival/departure day
— Full access to the extensive Feathered Pipe grounds (including the hot tub and sauna)
Not included:
— Airfare
— Bodywork & Massage
— Montana Accommodation Tax $25
— Staff gratuities
— Laundry
Shuttle service: Shuttle service from/to Helena Regional Airport on arrival/departure day is complimentary (free) for all registered guests. Please note that if you are needing pick-up or drop-off on any other day, that there will be a $35 one-way charge.
Arrival and departure: Please plan to arrive at the Feathered Pipe Ranch no later than 5pm on the arrival day (Saturday, 8 July) of your retreat so you can join us for a 5:30pm walkabout tour of the grounds before dinner and our group evening orientation. Please arrange to leave the Ranch in the morning or early afternoon of departure day (Saturday, 15 July). Checkout is at 9am, and guests are welcome to stay at the Ranch until their flight leaves that day.
Interested, but still need more information? Visit our FAQ page, drop us a message including your contact details here, or give us a ring at (406) 442-8196.
Thanks and look forward to seeing you!