Return to the Earth: A Smoky Mountain Yoga & Mindfulness Retreat
October 8-11, 2027 (Indigenous Peoples’ Weekend)
Join Tula Yoga for a 4-day, 3-night retreat on the ancestral homelands of the Cherokee/Tsalagi people, held on 128 acres of forest, meadow, and spring-fed water at the base of the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.
Taking place over Indigenous Peoples’ Day weekend, this retreat offers a meaningful opportunity to slow down, listen, and reconnect with the earth in a spirit of humility, gratitude, and care. Surrounded by forest, natural springs, open sky, and the changing colors of fall, we’ll gather for a mindful, nature-inspired retreat rooted in embodied practice, meditation, rest, and connection with the land.
Our days together will include gentle and grounding yoga, meditation, mindful nature walks, and one day devoted to forest bathing — a slower, more contemplative way of being with the natural world. Rather than moving through the land as scenery, we’ll practice listening, noticing, and remembering ourselves as part of nature. One day of the retreat will be held mostly in silence, offering spacious time to rest, reflect, and reconnect with the body, breath, and earth.
We’ll stay in simple, rustic yurts nestled close to the land. Accommodations are cozy and minimal, inviting us to step away from the pace and comforts of daily life and return to something more elemental. Meals will be nourishing and vegetarian, shared in community. In the evenings, we may gather around the fire pit, feel the quiet of the woods, unwind in the warmth of the wood-burning sauna, and let the day settle under the autumn sky.
Fall is a beautiful time to be in Tennessee. There may be a little chill in the air, and the trees may be beginning to shift into their seasonal colors — a natural reminder of transition, release, and return. Situated near the base of the Great Smoky Mountains, this retreat also offers the possibility of extending your stay before or after our time together if you’d like to explore more hiking, scenic trails, or quiet time in the mountains on your own.
This retreat is an invitation to step out of your usual rhythm and into a slower, simpler way of being. Through yoga, meditation, silence, forest bathing, shared meals, fire, sauna, and time outdoors, we’ll create space to ground, restore, and remember our relationship with the living world.
Come as you are. Let the forest hold you. Let the season teach you. Let yourself return to the earth.
This retreat will be held at the beautiful Seven Springs Retreat Center in Maryville, TN (a 20 minute drive from the Knoxville airport).
Shared Yurt $759/Private Yurt $999
$300 (non-refundable) Deposit Saves your Spot
Cost Includes 3 vegetarian meals per day, 2x yoga and meditation per day, a guided forest bathing/hiking activity, camp fire gatherings and time in a wood burning sauna.
Cost DOES NOT include: Airline tickets or transportation to/from the airport in Knoxville (about a 20 minute taxi/car-share drive) to the retreat center.
*Option to book a Massage on-site during your stay as well for an additional fee.