A retreat at Mountain Waters is about stepping back from the busy edge of life. It involves learning, looking inward and regaining a sense of equilibrium so that you return home with a renewed capacity to live life on your own terms. As human beings we are creatures of context. Change the surroundings, and people show up in their lives in much different ways. This opens up new avenues, and new opportunities to see things from a different perspective. A retreat vacation is an opportunity to discover new sources of nourishment and the deeper values that exist below the surface of our day-to-day lives. It is a time to be still with the glow of the evening sunset, to learn something new about ourselves, or to cozy up on the couch with a good book.
At Mountain Waters we help people embrace learning and change so that they are better able to orientate toward what is truly important in their lives. We support our guests to align their outer life with their inner life. Empowering them as agents of change to bring their unique gifts to the world.
Who We Are
My name is Richard, and together with my wife Yogita, I invite you to join us for a retreat experience that inspires self-exploration, rejuvenation, peace, and well-being.
Since building Canada’s first Watsu pool 17 years ago, Yogita and I have followed an intention. This intention is to create an integrative health and wellness experience that supports each of our clients to access their own felt experience of well-being.
I find that place of well-being in nature, lying on the forest floor watching the way the sun filters through the canopy of an old forest, or listening to the sounds of Hermitage Creek as it makes its way down the mountain behind our lodge.
I notice that there is a particular kind of nourishment that our guests recieve when they experience the beauty and stillness of our retreat environment. It’s as if people get to step off the treadmill and take the time they need to connect the dots between their inner experience and the way they want their life to unfold on the outside. I believe that when we pay attention, we begin to notice what makes us feel fully alive. It is this same attention that all of us at Mountain Waters bring to our guests at the Retreat Centre.
Mountain Waters offers comfortable accommodations for up to 24 people with rooms for varied tastes and budgets, from luxury suites with ensuite washrooms, to our charming cabin accommodations and welcoming lodge rooms. For those looking to camp while staying with us we have a number of beautiful spots in the forest. Our dining and kitchen facilities are located in our main lodge. All of our retreats include delicious gourmet meals. Our private rooms are located in our main lodge building. We provide you with queen or double beds with shared washroom facilities. You will feel well rested and relaxed in our clean and comfortable rooms, with the sounds of Hermitage creek outside your window. Also available is our spacious Honeymoon Suite with a private ensuite attached.
Wonderful food is a central part of every one of our retreats. Many great conversations begin around the dinner table, where our guests enjoy the simple ritual of breaking bread together. Our meals are often described as healthy gourmet. We have a large bountiful garden and many of the vegetables in your soup or salad will have come straight from the earth that same morning. You are always welcome to get your hands in the soil if you wish to spend some time in the garden. We serve a combination of vegetarian meals and animal-based protein, usually wild fish or free range chicken. Whenever we can, we choose to buy organic, locally grown foods that taste better, are healthier for us, and support the kind of world we wish to see prosper. We are lucky to have chefs that always prepares their meals with love, the best of ingredients, and the creative talent with food that only true passion can bring.
Nelson is located about halfway between Calgary and Vancouver in the South-Eastern part of British Columbia. Highway 3 cuts across Southern BC and provides access to Nelson from both Vancouver (an 8 hour drive) and the Okanagan Valley to the West, and from the Alberta border and Calgary (a 7 hour drive) to the East. For people traveling to Nelson from the United States, we are about a 3 hour drive North of Spokane, Washington. The most direct route involves crossing the border at the Nelway border crossing (which closes at 10.00 p.m.) For guests traveling from the States please remember that you will need your passport to cross the border. Nelson has an active ride sharing community and you can both look for a ride or offer seats in your vehicle here. This is the cheapest and most eco-friendly way to get to Nelson. In addition, we encourage you to use the blogs that are connected to each of our retreats as a way of getting in touch with other participants so that you may share lifts to Nelson.