Virginia Retreat for Justice-Sensitive People
A restorative weekend of respite, joy & community.
November 12-16, 2026
in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Free Union, Virginia
Virginia Retreat for Justice-Sensitive People
A restorative gathering for those seeking respite, joy & community.
November 12-16, 2026
Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia
For divergent minds and deep feelers committed to social justice and collective liberation.
For divergent minds and deep feelers committed to social justice and collective liberation.
This retreat is for you.
Living with a deep sensitivity to injustice amid constant exposure to moral injury can take a toll. The vigilance, grief, and responsibility we feel can grow heavy and lead to burn out.
This retreat is an invitation to set the load down for a few days—to rest, connect, play, and strengthen our courage together.
We’ll stay in a mountaintop home outside Charlottesville, where nourishing meals, cozy fireside chats, hot tub soaks, and a slower rhythm invite your nervous system to settle.
Over five days, we’ll explore what it means to care in sustainable ways through gentle yoga, community discussion, time with nature, and creative expression.
- Reset your nervous system and nurture your body.
- Connect with others who share your care and humanity.
- Explore practices to prevent burnout and sustain your work.
- Reclaim joy, spark creativity, and return home restored.
Who Is This Retreat For?
This retreat is for deep feelers who care about social justice and feel the cumulative weight of moral injury. It offers a space to rest, process, and connect with others who understand.
You may be deeply involved in advocacy, organizing, or a helping profession. Maybe you’re newer to justice work, still exploring where you fit and how to contribute.
The scope or scale of your role doesn’t matter. What’s important is a sincere commitment to human dignity and collective liberation, paired with respect for varied capacities, strengths, and forms of contribution.
Many attendees may identify as highly sensitive, introverted, or neurodivergent. However, anyone willing to honor different needs, styles of processing, and ways of participating is welcome.
This retreat is for you.
Living with a deep sensitivity to injustice amid constant exposure to moral injury can take a toll. The vigilance, grief, and responsibility we feel can grow heavy and lead to burn out.
This retreat invites you to set the load down for a few days—to rest, connect, play, and strengthen our courage together.
We’ll stay in a mountaintop home outside Charlottesville, where nourishing meals, cozy fireside chats, hot tub soaks, and a slower rhythm invite your nervous system to settle.
Over five days, we’ll explore what it means to care in sustainable ways through gentle yoga, community discussion, time with nature, and creative expression.
- Reset your nervous system and nurture your body.
- Connect with others who share your care and humanity.
- Explore practices to prevent burnout and sustain your work.
- Reclaim joy, spark creativity, and return home restored.
Who Is This Retreat For?
This retreat is for deep feelers who care about social justice and feel the cumulative weight of moral injury. It offers a space to rest, process, and connect with others who understand.
You may be deeply involved in advocacy, organizing, or a helping profession. Maybe you’re newer to justice work, still exploring where you fit and how to contribute.
The scope or scale of your role doesn’t matter. What’s important is a sincere commitment to human dignity and collective liberation, paired with respect for varied capacities, strengths, and forms of contribution.
Many attendees may identify as highly sensitive, introverted, or neurodivergent. However, anyone willing to honor different needs, styles of processing, and ways of participating is welcome.
At a Glance
Location
Free Union, VA
(under an hour from Charlottesville)
Accommodations
Mountaintop home w/ single or shared rooms
(shared bathrooms)
Trip Length
- 4 nights / 5 days
- Check-In: Thurs, 3p
- Check-Out: Mon, 11a
Activity Level
Mild: Accessible yoga; there are a few steps and hills on the land
Group Size
9-11 participants
Retreat Cost
Starting at $995.00 USD per person
At a Glance
Location
Free Union, VA
(under an hour from Charlottesville)
Accommodations
Single or double rooms (shared bathrooms)
Trip Length
4 nights / 5 days
Check-In: Thurs, 3p
Check-Out: Mon, 11a
Activity Level
Mild: Accessible yoga; there are a few steps and hills on the land
Group Size
9-11 participants
Cost
Starting at $995.00 USD per person
Your Retreat Hosts
Your Retreat Hosts
Melissa Renzi (she/her) - Facilitator
Melissa is a social worker, yoga teacher, ecotherapy guide, and activist based in Oak Park, IL. She creates choice-centered spaces where sensitive, neurodivergent, and introverted people can feel grounded, supported, and empowered.
Her work is rooted in uplifting neurodiversity, building community, and advancing collective liberation. Through embodied practices, peer-support groups, and transformative retreats, she helps grow communities where difference is honored, agency is respected, and each person’s unique gifts contribute to a more compassionate and just world.
Melissa’s yoga classes prioritize accessibility, agency, nervous system regulation, and self-discovery. Her ecotherapy sessions use mindfulness, expressive arts, and ecological principles to process grief, build resilience, nurture reciprocal care with the more-than-human world, and inspire life-affirming action.
Since 2016, she has led over 25 retreats across 7 countries and 6 U.S. states, guiding hundreds of people to embrace their strengths and connect meaningfully with others and the lands they visit.
Anjali Sunita (she/her) - Retreat Chef
Her prior experience includes the founding of two community yoga centers and a BIPOC led non-profit wellness program in Baltimore city, a vibrant Ayurveda practice, and Village Life Kitchen, a community meal subscription service in she offered to her small town in New Zealand.
Anjali is passionate about teaching, learning, and being of service in community and views her loving work as prayer to the Divine Mother. You can learn about her background, courses, and programs at www.villagelifewellness.com.
Land + Lodging
Land + Lodging
A Cozy House in the Mountains
Our retreat takes place on 33 acres, about an hour from Charlottesville and hiking havens such as the Appalachian Trail and Shenandoah National Park.
The setting offers sweeping views and quiet refuge with a large hot tub, fire tables, a wraparound deck, and peaceful sit spots in the gardens.
The 6-bedroom, 3-bathroom home offers cozy spaces for solitude and shared gathering. You’ll find two living rooms, a fireplace, library, den, and a yoga shala.
Accommodations
Accommodations
Pricing + Registration
Pricing + Registration
The home offers single, double, and triple rooms, across three floors. Each floor has a full bathroom, averaging 3-4 guests per bathroom.
We kindly ask male guests to book a private room, or reach out to discuss prior to booking a shared room.
- A $400.00 non-refundable deposit is due at registration.
- 50% of the balance is due by Sept 12, 2026.
- Remaining balance is due by Oct 12, 2026.
Later payments will be charged to the card you use for your deposit, unless you indicate otherwise.
Rooms assigned first-come, first-served. Prices are per person in USD.
Single Occupancy: $1,595 p.p.
Double Occupancy: $1,195 p.p.
Private Room for Two: $995 p.p.
(Two guests booking together)
What's Included
Included in Your Stay
- 4 nights accommodation in a cozy mountain home
- 11 nourishing vegetarian meals (from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 5)
- 3 mindful morning yoga classes to gently energize and awaken the body
- 4 evening restorative yoga classes to unwind and support deep rest
- Daily creative and expressive practices, both solo and in community
- Hot tub access with beautiful mountain views
- Art supplies (basic items for personal creative time)
- Unlimited refreshments (coffee, freshly made tea, spring water & fresh fruit)
- Plentiful free time to rest, play & connect
NOT Included
- Flights & transport to/from the retreat
- Travel insurance (recommended)
- Gratuity for retreat chef (recommended)
- Optional massages or other activities
*Transfers to/from Charlottesville can be arranged for an additional fee (see FAQs at the bottom of this page).
Cancellation Policy
Our cancellation policy helps ensure fairness and consistency for all clients while supporting the sustainability of our retreats. Adhering to this policy allows us to cover costs related to administrative work, processing fees, non-refundable partner expenses, and the efforts required to refill cancelled spots.
Trip Cancelled by Participant
- Deposits are non-refundable/non-transferable.
- If you cancel more than 60 days before the retreat, we will issue a full refund of any payments made (excluding deposit).
- If you cancel 31 to 59 days before the retreat, 50% of payments may be applied to another retreat (excluding deposit).
- If you cancel within 30 days of the retreat, you forfeit your entire payment.
Trip Postponed by Us
We reserve the right to cancel the retreat if minimum registration is not met. In this case, we will fully refund all payments, including your deposit. We recommend booking flights only after the retreat is confirmed.
We may make reasonable itinerary changes or postpone the retreat if necessary for the safety and well-being of participants. If the retreat is postponed due to circumstances such as pandemics, weather, political unrest, or other unforeseen conditions, all payments will be applied to the same retreat on future dates.
Read the FULL policy and terms: Yoga Retreat Agreement
Sample Schedule
3:00-4:00 – Arrive & settle
5:00-6:30 – Opening circle
6:30-7:30 – Welcome dinner
7:30-8:30 – Restorative Yoga
Days 2-4: Friday – Sunday
8:00-9:00 – Breakfast
10:00-11:15 – Enlivening Yoga
11:30-12:30 – *Rotating Practice
12:30-1:30 – Lunch
1:30-5:00 – Free time
5:00-6:15 – Restorative yoga
6:30-7:30 – Dinner
Day 5: Monday
8:00-9:00 – Breakfast
9:00-10:00 – Closing circle
11:00-11:30 – Check-out
*Each day includes an optional creative or reflective practice, with time for both solo exploration and group sharing (ex: journaling, ecotherapy exercise, art expression).
*We’ll observe silent mornings until breakfast.
*Enjoy your evenings as you wish—in the hot tub, by the fireplace, with a board game, or in a book.
Optional Upgrade
King Bed in SHARED Room — $100
Enjoy the king bed in a spacious first-floor room shared with one other guest in a twin bed.
Join us for a restorative weekend in Virginia!
November 12-16, 2026
Join our a restorative retreat in Virginia!
November 12-16, 2026
The first time I traveled with Melissa, I had never experienced being with people similar to me and it was life-changing. My nervous system was able to calm down, possibly for the first time ever. The experiences are always meaningful, conversations are real, and there’s so much laughter!
Melissa’s eco-arts and yoga retreat was healing for me, due to her radiant empathy, careful planning, and competent group facilitation. I arrived a bundle of nervous anxiety and grief and left feeling hope and joy. That feeling has sustained since I’ve been back home. I am grateful to have been with this group under her guidance and would eagerly do another retreat with her.
Melissa sets everyone at ease without fuss. She arranges supportive yoga sessions and encourages adventures out on your own. I never felt rushed or overwhelmed. Lifelong friendships were forged and forever memories engraved on my heart.
FAQs
Cancellation / Refund Policy
Our cancellation policy helps ensure fairness and consistency for all clients while supporting the sustainability of our retreats. Adhering to this policy allows us to cover costs related to administrative work, processing fees, non-refundable expenses, and the efforts required to refill cancelled spots.
Trip Cancelled by Participant
- Deposits are non-refundable/non-transferable.
- If cancel more than 60 days before the retreat, we will issue a full refund of any payments made (excluding your deposit).
- If cancel 31 to 59 days before the retreat, 50% of payments made may be applied to another retreat (excluding your deposit). You forfeit 50% of your payment in addition to the deposit.
- If you cancel within 30 days of the retreat, you forfeit your entire payment.
Trip Postponed by MNR Retreat, LLC.
We reserve the right to cancel the retreat if minimum registration is not met. In this case, we will fully refund all payments, including your deposit. We recommend booking flights only after the retreat is confirmed.
We may make reasonable itinerary changes or postpone the retreat if necessary for the safety and well-being of participants. If the retreat is postponed due to circumstances such as pandemics, weather, political unrest, or other unforeseen conditions, all payments will be applied to the same retreat on future dates.
Read the FULL policy and terms: Yoga Retreat Agreement
How to Get There
Participants are responsible for the cost of their own transportation to the retreat. We can arrange transfers with advanced notice.
Location: 164 Spring Branch Lane, Free Union, VA 22940
By Car
The house is accessed via several miles of steep, gravel road. Daylight arrival is advised. A 4WD or AWD vehicle is best; sedans are okay if you’re comfortable with mountain roads. The owner will also gladly meet you at a cafe at the bottom of the mountain to guide you up.
By Plane or Train
The nearest airport is Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport (CHO), about 40 minutes away. Charlottesville Amtrak station is about 60 minutes from the retreat.
Transfer
If you prefer not to drive, transfers from the airport or train station can be arranged for an additional fee:
- $75 one-way per vehicle
- Accommodates up to 6 passengers
- The $75 rate is per vehicle (not per person). Thus, you can share the cost if arrival times align.
Check-in / Check-out
Check-Out: Monday, November 16th at 11:30 AM
Travel Insurance
We’ve partnered with InsureMyTrip to compare plans. They have many travel insurance plans and a recommendation engine to help you find the right plan. Additionally, they provide support before, during, and after your trip should you need assistance, including help with filing a claim. (We may receive a small commission if you book through the link provided. You’re welcome to purchase a policy through any provider you prefer!)
You might consider “Cancel for Any Reason” (CFAR) coverage, which covers your trip in the event you are unable or choose not to attend for any reason. CFAR insurance typically reimburses 50 or 75 percent of your trip cost if you need to cancel for reasons not otherwise covered and requires the following conditions:
- Purchase the policy within 14-21 days of first trip payment.
- Insure all prepaid and non-refundable travel expenses prior to departure.
- Cancel more than 48-72 hours prior to your departure date.
Physical Accessibility
Property Accessibility
While the property does not meet ADA standards, the space is likely manageable for many mobility concerns.
- There are steps to some bedrooms and common areas.
- The grassy areas are uneven; some parts can be steep.
- There are flat patios off the first and ground floors (hot tub on ground floor).
- The first floor offers one bedroom and one bathroom, along with the kitchen, living room, den, and deck.
- The yoga space is about 100 feet down a small hill.
If you’d like to talk through whether this retreat is a good fit for your needs, I’m always happy to connect!
Yoga & Other Activities
Yoga: Melissa teaches from a trauma-informed lens and prioritizes accessibility, choice, and the heart of yoga’s purpose. Her classes invite you to befriend your body-mind, support your nervous system, and develop self-trust. Expect slow-paced movement with a variety of options so that you can explore what feels supportive for your body. No experience with yoga is necessary. Beginners to seasoned practitioners are welcome.
Other Activities: All program activities will be held onsite in gathering spaces that consider varying mobility needs. Though no offsite recreational activities are included, you are welcome to explore in your free time!
Food, Alcohol & Drugs
Alcohol & Drugs: To support a safe and focused retreat environment and dynamic, we ask that guests refrain from bringing alcohol or other drugs. This helps maintain a clear, shared container for the group and honors participants who may be in substance use recovery. For exceptions such as medical marijuana, please reach out to discuss before the retreat.
Cell Service / WiFi
Weather
Typical Temperatures
- Highs: 50s°F-60s°F
- Lows: 40s°F-50s°F
Points of Interest
This retreat is designed for rest and connection, so no formal outings are scheduled. Many guests find it most restorative to simply relax on the property, though you are welcome to explore the area in your free time.
Nearby points of interest (within ~1 hour):
- Shenandoah National Park & Skyline Drive
- The Appalachian Trail
- Local wineries, breweries, and distilleries
Packing
- Daypack
- Hiking boots (if you intend to hike)
- Flip flops / sandals
- Slippers
- Jacket and/or fleece
- Hoodie or long sleeve shirt
- Short sleeve shirts
- Full-length pants
- Socks / underwear / bras
- Pajamas
- Comfy clothing for yoga
- Swimsuit
- Sunglasses
- Hat, gloves, scarf
- Reusable water bottle
- Headlamp or flashlight (optional)
- Toiletries
- Sunscreen
- Medications
- Ear plugs
- Ear buds
- Book, journal, pens
- Art materials (optional)
Still have questions?
Book a free 20-minute phone chat or email Melissa at info@melissanoelrenzi.com.
Travel sensitively, connect with kindred spirits, and empower your quiet strengths
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