Calling All Widows for a "Widows Peak" Retreat June 6 to 8

BOONE, NC, April 05, 2014 (Press-News.org) Transformative and uplifting, Widows Peak is a weekend retreat specially designed for anyone who has lost a life partner and wants to take a meaningful step forward. Seven authors, experts and thought leaders are traveling to the Blue Ridge Mountains to serve as mentors for the three-day immersion. Through discussions, breakout sessions, performances and activities participants will interact closely with the mentors to gain practical tools they can take home. The retreat is June 6 to 8 at the Art of Living Retreat Center in Boone and registration is currently open at http://www.widowspeakretreat.org.

"The experiential weekend will be hands-on, intimate and, above all, inspiring," said Thomas Bell, the Art of Living Retreat Center's client relations director. "We wanted the event to go beyond traditional grief-talk, and elevate the mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of our guests."

Attendees will have free time each day to socialize, explore, stroll forest paths or tour the Retreat Center's garden. Other activities include painting, a potter's wheel, healthy cooking demonstrations and sunrise yoga and meditation for all levels. The weekend includes vegetarian dining, with ingredients picked from the garden. All participants will have access to the Retreat Center's onsite Blue Heaven Spa, which will offer three specially selected Ayurvedic spa services that work in harmony with the weekend's themes and enhance both health and well-being.

"This is an opportunity to create new beginnings," says Audrey Pellicano, a certified grief recovery specialist, stress-reduction specialist, registered nurse and author of Six Secrets to Surviving Widowhood. "It's something I wish was available for me, even years after I became a widow."

Additional retreat mentors' sessions will combine their own personal experiences and professional expertise. Double Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman, herself a widow, will contribute her own stories and songs, and lead sessions on the nature of inspiration and the magic of creativity as a path to healing. Lorna Bell, a certified hospice and palliative care nurse and author of the Happy Endings books will offer "lessons learned at the bedside of the dying." Anne Farrow, a retired registered nurse and stress expert, will share her experiences from 18 years teaching meditation and stress-relief programs for the nonprofit Art of Living Foundation. Laughter for Wellness director Debbie Ellison will lead a session based on her training with the founder of Laughter Yoga and founding the annual Laughter Yoga Conference in Atlanta.

"Widows Peak will be a great chance for people to meet one another and come home a little lighter," said the seventh mentor and Poor Widow Me author Carol Scibelli, an award-winning comedy writer, speaker and blogger.

"The range and depth of our presenters is impressive, and participants will benefit from the fact that most of these mentors are widows too. With Widows Peak, we have a unique opportunity to reach out and make a difference to those who have experienced loss -- to not only be a step on their healing journey, but to offer an extraordinary life-changing experience," continued Bell.

The Art of Living Retreat Center was created to help individuals achieve well-being and peace. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, in an area traditionally known for its healing energies and beauty, it serves as a refuge of self-renewal for its many visitors from around the world.

For more information about Widows Peak or to register, visit http://www.widowspeakretreat.org or call 1-800-219-7103.

About the Art of Living Retreat Center
The Art of Living Retreat Center is a wellness and meditation venue located in the majestic mountains of North Carolina. The Center, which features several lodging options, a dining hall, meditation facilities, a holistic spa specializing in the principles of Ayurveda, hiking trails and more, focuses on practices and techniques that reduce stress and provide an increased sense of wellbeing and inner peace. The Art of Living Retreat Center's vision is to become the North American spiritual epicenter for inner peace, personal transformation and service to humanity. The Center also regularly hosts large groups for conferences, retreats, training, meetings and more. Learn more at http://www.artoflivingretreatcenter.org.