For healthcare and emergency support workers, and other frontline teams, your dedication to caring for and supporting your community is commendable. Often, you prioritize the needs of others above your own, which can lead to burnout, stress, and fatigue. The Heartlines Retreat is our remedy for these challenges.
By spending time unplugged in nature, you will experience a variety of wellness activities that engage dreamtime, adventure, creativity, and community connection. Together, we will honour our stories and generate health in mind, body, and spirit, charting a heart-strong course for hope, vitality, and purpose.
Join us in prioritizing your own mental health and wellbeing . . . Tend to the heart, experience restoration, and recover your resiliency in nature.
Who is this retreat for?
Resiliency retreats can be tailored for groups of healthcare & frontline workers in need of rest and rejuvenation—a need that is greater now than ever before. This can include:
Personal Support Workers (PSWs)
Nurses
Paramedics
Doctors
Those helping in shelters or group homes
Mental health professionals
Police officers
Firefighters
Teachers and teacher’s aides
Caregivers
If you feel this retreat is for you – we’d love to chat! We want to serve as many of these communities as we can, and it all starts with one person or organization who has the connections to arrange a group of 10+ colleagues who can benefit from this experience. This retreat can be self-funded by attendees, or planners may be able to seek funding or partnership with professional organizations in their region.
Join us in providing a much-needed retreat for those who give so much to others. Inquire today about a Resiliency Retreat for your healthcare or frontline community.
Allie Chisholm-Smith
Allie Chisholm-Smith, MES, E-RYT, has been teaching yoga and leading yoga teacher trainings and retreats for 3 decades throughout Ontario. She loves facilitating inner transformation through movement, yoga and connection. Allie is an avid student of Ayurveda and all aspects of the yoga philosophies. For her, retreats are about having time, space and quiet to hear your soul and touch others’ hearts. Like that time that you had a whole weekend with your oldest and dearest, retreats allow for the long conversations that can go on for days. Allie’s focus is on the deeply transformative nature of feeling safely held by a place and a group. In her mind, Northern Edge Algonquin is the ideal place for this alchemical process.
Tim Lucier
Operations Director, Retreat Facilitator
The son of Northern Edge Algonquin co-founders Todd and Martha, Tim has witnessed and helped to guide the evolutions of our centre from the very beginning. As our Director of Operations, Tim leads our coordinator team to work towards continuous improvement in all areas. As a facilitator & leader, Tim invites guests to live simply, dream big, and explore with curiosity. He draws on a diverse range of training and experience and is passionate about hand balancing, aerial yoga, travel, performance, minimalism, and habit development.
In short: Spaces are limited. When you book a retreat with us, a non-refundable deposit (50% of your overall balance) reserves your space and allows us to plan accordingly. Remaining balances are due 15 days before arrival.
Deposits protect our group-based experiences by acting as a commitment from our guests. If you need to cancel your visit, the timing of your cancellation will determine the level of flexibility we can offer in rescheduling your visit or holding your deposit as a credit to be used in the future. Please refer to our full deposit and cancellation policy for more information on our policies, timelines, and the commitments we make based on your registration.
Edge guests are well nourished and experience mealtime itself as a program element, with storytelling to introduce the seasonal flavours of the region and the relationships with the folk who grew and raised the ingredients close to home. Cooking at the Edge focuses on balancing globally far-flung tastes with provincially produced foods. Meals are served buffet style and are guests often enjoy lakeside dining outdoors when the weather allows it.
Over the years we have met many diverse dietary needs. Guests are invited to identify their dietary needs & preferences as a part of the registration process, and those with restrictions love the options we provide.
We offer unique, tailored experiences that flow as our facilitators respond to the interests of our guests, seasonal conditions, and special opportunities that may arise.
Each retreat at the Edge features healthy doses of dreamtime, adventure, community, creativity, time spent in nature, and a dash of surprise. Guests always have the choice to take solo or rest time in lieu of planned experiences.
While a detailed itinerary is not available, you can count on and prepare for the activities used to describe the flavour of this retreat. Meals are generally served at 8:30, 12:30, and 6pm. When appropriate, optional early-morning or late-night experiences may be offered.
Arrival time is between 2 – 3 pm with programming beginning at 3:30. We encourage our guests to arrive on time and stay to experience the full retreat, which generally ends after brunch on the final day. Please let us know if you expect to arrive after 3.
You can find us easily on Google or Apple maps, or view detailed directions here.
We’ll be spending time both indoors and out in nature, and we invite you to dress appropriately for the season to stay comfortable, warm, and dry. There’s no dress code and most guests wear their “retreat-casual”.
We encourage guests to bring a surprise to share with others – this might take the form of a game or activity, an instrument/song/poem, or a tasty treat.
Tailored retreats available for groups of 10+. Plan a Resiliency Retreat for your community.
What’s Included
What’s Not Included
Explore Accommodation Options
Canopy Cabin
Our simple, clear-roofed cabins bring participants closer to nature, just a short walk away from main programming spaces and amenities such as showers and flush toilets. Each canopy cabin features a double bed, ideal for solo travellers or couples.
Habitat Cabin
Cozy, rustic habitat cabins are located just a short walk away from main programming spaces and amenities such as washrooms and showers. Each offers a loft double bed above 2 single beds, making them ideal for sharing with friends or other participants.
Studio Cabin
Comfortable & spacious eco-friendly studio rooms are located just a minute’s walk away from main programming spaces and showers. These feature a small en-suite bathroom with a composting toilet. Both a double bed and a single bed make them ideal for couples or friends.
Log Cabin Bedroom
The luxurious and comfortable log cabin is located a bit further from main programming spaces for optimal rest, and features en-suite bathrooms with showers. Each room’s Queen bed can convert into two twin beds, providing flexibility for solo travellers, couples, or friends.
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