The art of unwinding

A Fall Retreat of Yoga, Pottery, Poetry, and Presence

October 23-25, 2026 at Wunderland Resort, Old Fort, NC

Hosted by Becky Eschenroeder and Holly Zajur, we invite you to retreat with us in a safe, quiet space to rest, write, and play with clay surrounded by the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. We’ve designed this intimate gathering to help you slow down and reconnect with nature, with your creative fire, and with the truest parts of yourself.

WHAT?

• 3-day, 2-night restorative immersion in the Blue Ridge Mountains

• Root into the body: Begin each day with grounding yoga practices designed to open your heart, release tension, and prime your creative channels.

• Clay Play: Through tactile pottery sessions, Holly will guide you into the meditative art of working with clay, learning to shape, soften, and let go while making tiny talismans. 

• Voice & Vision (Poetry & Journaling): Through guided journaling, poetry circles, and reflective prompts, Tara will help you excavate your inner landscapes, using language as a mirror for the soul.

• Nourishing the vessel: Enjoy beautifully prepared meals that nourish both body and spirit, shared around the table in community.

• Replenish: Between sessions, you’ll have time to rest in hammocks, wander nature trails, warm in the sauna, plunge into cold water, or simply be.

WHY?

Fall is nature’s reminder to slow down, shed what isn't serving you, and make room for rest. Before the fast-paced holiday season kicks into high gear, this weekend is your chance to pause. Through yoga, poetry, and working with clay, you’ll align with the shift in seasons, unwind from the daily grind, and give yourself the quiet stillness needed to tap back into who you are.

WHO is this for?

This retreat is for you if…

• You are craving a soft landing place to unplug and reflect.

• You long to reconnect with your creative fire.

• You are navigating transition, grief, growth, or becoming.

• You desire honest connection and sacred community.

• You miss yourself.

• You do not need to be an “experienced” artist, writer, or yogi to join. You simply need a willingness to show up exactly as you are—ready to play, feel, create, and listen.

WHEN?

• Friday, October 23- Sunday, October 25, 2026

• Check in is 3pm on Friday, Oct 23 and check out is 11am on Sunday, Oct 25

WHERE?

• Hosted at Wunderland Resort, an eco-adventure resort 30 min from downtown Asheville, NC. Wunderland Resort offers eco-adventure experiences & wellness amenities in the Blue Ridge Mountains. From fire-lit evenings to grounding trails, every nook and cranny is designed to inspire, and restore mind, body, and spirit. All guests have access to our wellness amenities that includes a sauna, refrigerated cold plunge & outdoor shower.

• To get here: Wunderland is approximately half an hour east of Asheville, NC. 

  • If you will be flying into the area, the closest airport is Asheville, NC (AVL). Wunderland is approximately 30 minutes from this airport. 

  • Other nearby airports are Greenville, SC (GSP; ~1.5 hours) and Charlotte, NC (CLT; ~1.5-2 hours)

  • You will need to arrange your own transportation to Wunderland from the airport.

HOW & HOW MUCH?

• To sign up, please fill out this questionnaire.

• We will email you once your form has been reviewed and once confirmed you will have 24 hours to submit your payment via Venmo or Zelle.

• Early bird pricing (through 9/23/26)

  Single Cabin/Glamping Tent: $1148 (after early bird $1238)
  Double Cabin/Glamping Tent: $808 (after early bird $888)
  Camping Spot (pitch your own tent): $648 (after early bird $728)

Meet your Hosts

Holly Zajur

Holly is your creative wellness sidekick, dedicated to helping you slow down, tap into your creative spirit, and live with intention. A ceramic artist, wellness educator, founder of Connect Wellness, and host of the How The Wise One Grows podcast, Holly has led creative wellness retreats around the world, creating transformative spaces for people to reconnect with themselves and nature.

Currently pursuing her Master’s in Mental Health Counseling at William & Mary, Holly integrates clinical insight with grounding practices like pottery and yoga to help others navigate change and build resilience. Her relationship with clay began at age 15, leading to over a decade of teaching ceramics at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond. Her pottery, designed to bring intention and ritual to everyday moments, can be found at Zojo’s, a local marketplace where she is a founding maker.

Holly believes creativity is a vital tool for anyone looking to cultivate joy, meet life with curiosity, and intentionally shape a more connected world. She is honored to bring her global retreat experience to the mountains to hold space for you to rest, play with clay, and remember who you are.

Tara Eschenroeder

Tara (Becky) Eschenroeder(she/her)— a 500 hour E-RYT, RCYT, YACEP, CTA Certified Coach, and self-published author —is an accomplished yogi who as been voted as one of the top three yoga instructors by Richmond Magazine

Teaching was Tara’s Dharma long before she realized it. She grew up with a bow and arrow in her hands, learning to pull back with just enough aim and control to send her arrow into the abyss, knowing and trusting it would hit its intended mark. And so she enters each class, each workshop, each lesson, each experience…having prepared her body and mind to become that bow - that vessel - that lesson…letting that arrow fly... weaving its way into the provided space and landing wherever it is intended.

Tara felt that call in 2007 when she first felt the spark of a tiny flame. And instead of approaching that flame fearing the heat, she chose to approach it with love, stoking the fire that was burning within for her passion of yoga. By the end of 2009, she received her 200 hour RYT under Arlene Bjork and Grace Yoga Training Systems. She continued to follow what she knew and trusted her path to be, and she obtained her 500 hour RYT through Om On Yoga under the guidance and wisdom of Jennifer Elliott.

When practicing with Tara, no two classes, workshops, or experiences are ever the same. Students are not told what to do, they are empowered to listen to their own bodies. Her mentoring and life coaching sessions follow a similar pattern. Mentees are not told what to do but instead empowered to listen within with offered guidance- never forced, and always an open-minded invitation to explore. Tara’s Psychology degree from James Madison University, Elementary Education License from Mary Baldwin College, and coaching certification from Yoga2Life give her a studied foundation for helping others, but it’s her natural instincts and open heart that help students see the best in themselves.

Asheville, NC is Tara’s hOMe where she has the honor of teaching, guiding and presenting throughout the community. She also spends much of her time around the country and outside of holding workshops, retreats, classes, and presenting at festivals. She has also received additional teaching credentials with Project Yoga Richmond and YoKid Stretch Your Limits, as well as served as an Ambassador for Lululemon Athletica. Yet, so much of her teaching is done off of the yoga mat. Tara openly and outwardly lives the teachings has been inspired to share.

Just as she would encourage a student falling out of a pose to take themselves lightly, she does the same as she navigates through challenges. And just as she would encourage a student to trust themselves as they spread their wings into something new on the mat, she is a living example of trusting what she knew was her calling as she spread her own wings. She approaches life with that same love that she used to approach that initial flame, and she encourages each person with whom she comes in contact with to do the same. And by doing so, she is living out her truth and her Dharma of being a vessel of blessing.

“I loved everything about this retreat. The flow of the days was the perfect balance of activity, movement, art, and spaciousness. I loved that everything was optional, so I could create the schedule that felt best for me each day. Holly and Preston are intuitive space-holders and worked together beautifully. Trying different types of art, adventures, and movement each day was so freeing and powerful. I would 10000% do this retreat again.”

- Waves of Creativity retreat participant, Kelsey