Creative Embodiment
Writing & Yoga Women’s Retreat
With Stephanie Elizondo Griest and Betsy Bertram
October 15th-18th 2026 ~ West of Asheville
Nestled among the vibrant autumn foliage of the North Carolina mountains 30 minutes from Asheville, this transformative retreat weaves together the mindful movement of yoga with the profound practice of embodied writing. Betsy Bertram, a Kripalu certified yoga instructor, will lead daily yoga classes to nurture and nourish the body. Award-winning author and UNC professor Stephanie Elizondo Griest will lead participants in the radical act of writing from a place of bodily wisdom and power.
Each day will begin with meditation and yoga, followed by nourishing farm-to-table meals crafted from seasonal, organic ingredients. The morning will flow into Writing the Body with Stephanie. After another delicious meal, there will be time for hiking, art, reading and relaxing. The programming for the day will culminate in a final writing workshop before dinner (see the schedule below for more details).
What does it mean to write your body? To tell its truths from a place of power rather than shame or regret? We will start with an exploration of notions of pleasure derived from food, nature, sexuality, and other earthly substances and manifestations. From there, we’ll investigate notions of pain by dipping into body dysmorphia, critical illness, and other aches. Our time together will conclude with writerly ways of transcending the physical realm, such as meditation, prayer, and the arts, as well as with an examination of the life cycles of birth and death. We will write as both an act of empathy for all bodies and as a personal pledge of self-compassion.
This retreat offers a rare opportunity to reclaim narrative agency over your own embodied experience, transforming shame into strength and pain into profound creative expression. Leave feeling renewed in both body and spirit, carrying new tools for honoring the full spectrum of what it means to inhabit your unique, powerful form.
All levels of yoga experience and writing backgrounds are welcome.
Meet Your Retreat Leaders
Stephanie Elizondo Griest
Stephanie Elizondo Griest is a globetrotting author from the Texas-Mexico borderlands. Her six books include: Around the Bloc: My Life in Moscow, Beijing, and Havana; Mexican Enough; All the Agents and Saints; and Art Above Everything: One Woman’s Global Exploration of the Joys and Torments of a Creative Life. She also published the best-selling guidebook 100 Places Every Woman Should Go. Widely anthologized, Elizondo Griest has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, The Believer, BBC, Orion, VQR, and Oxford American, among others. Her work has won a Margolis Award for Social Justice Reporting, an International Latino Book Award, a PEN Southwest Book Award, and two Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism prizes, and has been supported by the Henry Luce Foundation, Lannan Foundation, the Institute for the Arts and Humanities, and the Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University. Currently Professor of Creative Nonfiction at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, she has performed on five continents in capacities ranging from a Moth storyteller to a literary ambassador for the U.S. State Department. She has been in remission from ovarian cancer since 2017.
Betsy Bertram
Betsy Bertram is a certified Kripalu yoga teacher, Reiki Practitioner, Polarity Therapist, writer, and speaker. She offers group classes, workshops, customized one-on-one sessions, and retreats. She co-produced Captain Scott B and the Great Adventure with filmmaker Matthew Chenet. Her writing and narration are the foundation of the film and woven throughout. The arc of the story follows Betsy’s physical and spiritual journey as she transforms her grief into art. She vulnerably shares her experience in hopes of helping others face loss and live meaningful lives. Betsy believes yoga is for everyone and every body of all ages, shapes, and sizes. As a yoga teacher, she strives to make the practice more accessible through a supportive, safe, and non-competitive environment that cultivates connection to self and others. Her compassion-centered classes inspire exploration, embodiment, and enjoyment. Healing on an individual and collective level is at the core of her teaching philosophy.
Betsy will also be our chef at the retreat preparing fresh, healthy, organic, locally sourced meals.
Retreat Schedule
Thursday
5 pm Welcome Circle and Appetizers
6-7pm Dinner
7-8pm Writing Workshop
Friday
8-9 am Yoga and Meditation
9-10 am Breakfast
10am -1pm Writing workshop
1-2 pm Lunch
2-5 pm Free time (explore, hike, art, read, rest, enjoy)
5-6 pm Writing Workshop
6-7 pm Dinner
Saturday
8-9 am Yoga and Meditation
9-10 am Breakfast
10am -1pm Writing workshop
1-2 pm Lunch
2-5 pm Free time (explore, hike, art, read, rest, enjoy)
5-6 pm Writing Workshop
6-7 pm Dinner
Sunday
7-8 am Yoga and Meditation
8-9 am Breakfast
9-10 am Closing Circle
Luxury Mountain Lodge
Location
Clyde, North Carolina is a Smoky Mountain version of cozy, small-town Americana. Located just 20 miles west of Asheville, Clyde has a long, rich history of providing shelter for weary Appalachian travelers—a tradition manifested today in the Southern charm you’ll find around every corner. It’s a spot to enjoy the authentic beauties of a picture-perfect mountain town: unfiltered views of the Smokies, and Appalachian culture in every store, home, and restaurant. Reach Asheville in 30 minutes or just take a scenic cruise along the Blue Ridge Parkway and explore any of the towns you come across.
Accommodations
Bedroom 1(Top Level): 3 single beds (1 single bed and 1 bunk bed, queen sleeper sofa) with an en-suite bathroom. Sleeps 4 people.
Cost: $175 per bed in this room (shared room).
Bedroom 3 (Main Level): 1 queen bed. No en suite bathroom; bathroom is shared on this level.
Cost: $825 for whole room.
Bedroom 5/Primary Suite (Main Level): 1 king bed with an en suite bathroom. Room also includes a fireplace with gas logs.
Cost: $1,000 for whole room.
Bedroom 6 (Basement): 1 queen bed. No en suite bathroom; bathroom is shared.
Cost: $800 for whole room.
Bedroom 2 (Main Level): 2 single beds with an en suite bathroom. Sleeps 2 people.
Cost: $400 per bed in this room (shared room).
Bedroom 4 (Basement): 1 queen bed. No en suite bathroom; bathroom is shared.
Cost: $800 for whole room.
Bedroom 5/Primary Suite (Main Level): En suite bathroom with jacuzzi tub.
Bedroom 7 (Main Level): 1 queen bed. No en suite bathroom; bathroom is shared.
Cost: $825 for whole room.
Retreat Pricing
This unique experience is $850, which includes all yoga sessions, writing workshops, and delicious meals throughout the retreat. Lodging is available at varying price points depending on your room preference (see accommodations section). Not able to stay overnight? No problem—day passes are available for programming-only participation for $850.
Early Bird Special: $775 if you register before April 1st
We accept check or Venmo. More payment information is included in the retreat registration form.
Email Betsy or Stephanie if you have any questions.