Welcome Reflect Refresh Wonder Renew Recharge Listen Rest
What if you could give yourself the gift of a few hours to simply stop, refresh yourself and nourish your spirit?
What could that give you?
Whether you have an hour, a day or want an ongoing experience, our online and in-person Circle of Trust ® and Courage & Renewal ® retreats offer protected time and space to rest, reflect, and see the path forward.
Upcoming Retreats
Changing Seasons:
Winter's Invitation
January 22, 2026
10:00 am – 3:00 pm ET
Rosedale Centre, Toronto, ON
$50
A one-day, in-person retreat exploring life’s transitions through the wisdom of winter.
Winter has its own way of teaching us. In the quiet months, when light is scarce and the world appears stripped back to its essentials, we are invited to slow down and listen for the deeper currents moving through our lives. Winter encourages us toward reflection and rest, toward remembering our place in the long arc of time, and toward reconnecting with the stories – ancestral, communal, and personal – that shape who we are becoming.
This session in our three-part “Changing Seasons” series focuses on winter as a guide for navigating life’s transitions. What can this season teach us about pausing, reflecting, letting go, and trusting what is emerging beneath the surface? How might the stillness of winter help us discern what is ours to carry forward – and what is ready to be set down? And how does deep time, lineage, and the presence of those who came before us offer grounding and perspective as we enter the next phase of our lives?
Together, we will reflect on these questions, drawing inspiration from the wisdom of Parker Palmer, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and other elders who speak to the rhythm and mystery of change. Guided by the principles and practices of the Courage & Renewal® approach, we’ll cultivate a calm and confidential space where we can hear ourselves – and one another – more clearly.
Whether you are navigating a transition now or simply feel the pull of winter’s quiet invitation, we welcome you to join us for this in-person retreat.
“Seasons” is a wise metaphor for the movement of life, I think. It suggests that life is neither a battlefield nor a game of chance but something infinitely richer, more promising, more real. The notion that our lives are like the eternal cycle of the seasons does not deny the struggle or the joy, the loss or the gain, the darkness or the light, but encourages us to embrace it all – and to find in all of it opportunities for growth.
— Parker J. Palmer
Broken Open Hearts:
February 8, 2026
10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET
Online
Pay What You Can
A 2-hour, online Circle of Trust® exploring how we stay engaged with the world when our hearts are breaking.
How can we remain engaged with the world when our hearts are breaking?
It’s the inevitable consequence of love. If we care deeply about another, a community, a work, a life, there comes a moment when our hearts are bound to break. It may be personal, professional, political. Heartbreak can stir feelings of grief, anger, fear, and diminishment.
In this 2-hour, online Circle of Trust® retreat, we’ll look at heartbreak from a different perspective. What if heartbreak need not shatter our hearts – but break them open? Break them open, as Parker Palmer suggests, “ into largeness of life, into greater capacity to hold one’s own and the world’s pain and joy.”
In this gentle, online gathering, we’ll slow down and listen for how our hearts are responding to the world as it is. What has been broken? What might be opening? What becomes possible when present to what we love?
This is not a space for answers or analysis, but for reflection, silence, and honest listening — held within clear guidelines that support community, respect and confidentiality.
We offer this for anyone living with tenderness, grief, or concern, and wondering how to stay open, present, and compassionate.
“This is medicine for the heart and soul.”
Adiat
Retreat Participant
Contact Us
retreats@insideoutsideretreatcentre.com
We are settlers on Treaty 13 Land, the traditional territories of many Indigenous Nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples, and home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples from across Turtle Island. We are committed to honouring the history this land bears witness to, responding to the 94 Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, and walking lightly on the Earth. A portion of proceeds from all our offerings are sent to: The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and The Nii’kinaaganaa Foundation.
The Inside Outside Retreat Centre, Centre for Social Innovation (CSI), 720 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON, M5S2R4