Eating can be a deeply troubling experience to some of us. Have you noticed?
The urge to reach for food, or eat when not hungry, or think about food obsessively, or create plans to starve oneself or diet are all so difficult. A battle is underway. We are not peaceful eaters.
Eating for emotional and psychic reasons seems normal. Eating industrial foods seems normal. Food is everywhere in many of our cultures in the world. Food can be comforting, distracting, temporarily satisfying, and even feel like a drug.
It is possible to experience peace with food, eating, your body, your mind. You can stop acting on your cravings. When we eat adequately and we stop eating the foods that catch us into our over-eating patterns and when we pause the cycle of think-feel-eat….the urge or need to eat off-balance dies away.
Really.
Warning: this retreat is not about nutrition although you will address your actual way of eating on the very first day and give yourself a peaceful menu. This retreat then focuses on understanding and finding empowerment with emotions, impulses, cravings, fear, powerlessness and self-criticism. It’s a retreat about noticing, and awareness, and watching thoughts that scream at you to eat (or diet), rather than following them like they’re in charge and commanding you to comply.
Even if you’re an expert in diet and exercise….people who come to Eating Peace can learn how to work with the act of eating so they never have to over or under-eat again.
Eating concerns can dissolve for us all. There is a way any of us can find peace and balance, whether we've experienced binge-eating, anorexic restriction, bulimia, gaining and losing 10 to 100 pounds over and over again.
With a clear and peaceful balanced way with the actual food, with deep intimacy and connection with yourself through self-inquiry and dissolving stressful thought, there is no need to eat, or to think and feel, in an unbalanced way. The war you've been waging with eating, your weight and certain foods (and feelings) can end.
In the Eating Peace Retreat, you can experience a deeper approach to understanding your own behaviors, actions, cravings, and dynamic with food.
In this immersion together, I offer exercises and stories that shifted my way of thinking about food and eating. You might experience slowing down enough to truly enjoy your food and relax in your body.
Here are a few of the experiences you’ll encounter in the Eating Peace Retreat with Grace:
Experience the kindness of peaceful eating
Understand how cravings, feelings and emotions can be of service rather than torturous
working with grace
“Grace is a yummy gumdrop. On this retreat, I think I’ve trusted food for the first time.” ~ Choi
“I honestly can’t think of anything that wasn’t helpful in this experience. I love that we dove right in the first night going deep vs letting it build. Every exercise, question, writing, sharing, small journals for eating were perfectly timed. Grace simply is a master of modeling respect and love for others. I am a fan for life.” ~ Tracy
“I never thought of myself as restricting food since I’ve never been anorexic, but now I see some food being “bad” is restricting. Now I can see food as fuel for my body and not good or bad. This was a perfect blend of The Work of Byron Katie and new exercises. Grace was present, compassionate, and kept us focused. I loved how she demonstrated The Work and was willing to answer any questions.” ~ Wendy
“I can feel a deep, beautiful connection to people/women who I barely know. Life is truly beautiful without my story. I love Grace. Her bubbly personality, and giggle is warm and infectious. I cannot wait for the next retreat (I already signed up).” ~ Kim
“The underlying current of negative thoughts about myself surrounding food, weight and diet became clearer to me–particularly through the writing and meal exercises. Grace is phenomenal. She makes the retreat a 10/10; no matter what made me uncomfortable her energy and presence made it a safe environment. Her guidance and sharing of her experience were invaluable.” ~ Participant Eating Peace Retreat
“I learned that I don’t need to eat the amount I am eating, and I can slow down. Grace was excellent. She knows how to manage and use opportunities for learning. It was wonderful.” Participant Eating Peace Retreat
“Grace was awesome. Wise, insightful and available. I was very comfortable with the setting, the people, and how Grace handled everybody’s anxiety, questions and emotions.” ~ Sarah, Participant Eating Peace Experience
“I can eat mindfully. The meditation meals were very helpful. Grace was wonderful. She really knows the Work of Byron Katie and how to apply it to disordered eating. It was wonderful to meet such a wonderful group and hear their stories.” ~ Katie
SCHEDULE:
Arrive at retreat house any time after 3:00pm on March 24th.
A light supper will be available for everyone of sandwiches and salad (stocked in fridge). You'll be able to make your own.
There will also be a few things on hand for breakfasts like nut butters, a variety of teas, oats, aussie bites, and nuts.
You will learn more about how meals will work for the retreat on the first evening when we meet, but you will have breakfast daily on your own (coffee is provided by the retreat house). Nearby grocery stores are QFC or Puget Consumers Co-op Edmonds where you'll find just about everything you could possibly need or want. It is a 7-9 minute drive away to these two adjacent grocery stores. It is also a 4-7 minute drive to Trader Joes grocery store.
March 24th: our opening night begins at 6:30pm
March 25th-28th daily schedule:
breakfast on your own
9:00am-11:30am morning session
lunch 11:30am-2:00pm (you'll be going out to get your preferred meal and we'll be eating together at the retreat house)
break 2:00-3:30 pm for time on your own (walking meditation offered some days at 3pm)
3:30-5:30pm afternoon session
5:30pm-7:00pm dinner
7:00-9:00pm evening session
Saturday, March 29th
breakfast on your own
8:30am-9:30am morning session
9:30am-Noon special outing (no experience of any kind is necessary--beginner's mind is wonderful)
lunch Noon-3pm
3-5:30pm afternoon session
5:30pm-7:00pm dinner
7:00-8:30pm evening session
Sunday, March 30th
breakfast on your own
9:00-10:30am morning session
10:30am check out
Our Eating Peace Retreat March 24-30, 2025 meets at a beautiful retreat house in Edmonds, Washington. It is not too far (2.5 miles) from the beach and downtown Edmonds--a quaint and beautiful little town on Puget Sound just north of Seattle. This place is chosen to allow full relaxation and luxurious rest and space so you can nourish, respect and forgive yourself and your mind.
There are five private rooms, and one shared room with a comfortable couch and an air mattress. All linens, towels and shampoo/conditioner/shower gel are supplied, hair dryer, iron, fully stocked kitchen. There is a pool, hot tub, and sauna (bring your robe and bathing suit). You are also welcome to commute from home or nearby. If you would like to look at all the photos to reserve your own room, please write to Grace to receive the direct link to airbnb for this house at grace@workwithgrace.com.
Please choose your best option, and write to grace@workwithgrace.com to request to book your accommodation. You'll receive a link to your chosen lodging. Your stay is for 6 nights. Check-in 4pm on Monday March 24th (our program begins at 7pm), check-out at 11am on Sunday, March 30th.
Write to Grace right away to confirm your room--this is on a first come, first serve basis. You will be sent an invoice to pay for your lodging on February 19th, 2025.
Don't miss out - the countdown is on! Reserve your spot now before time runs out. Join us for an unforgettable experience.
Directions to this location
From Seatac: take the link to Mountlake Terrace station, then uber will be about $20 from the station.
From Paine Field Airport in Everett: 20 minute drive, uber is $45
We will have a WhatsApp group for everyone enrolled so people can pair up for traveling.
Suggestion is to travel so that you arrive at Seatac by 2pm on March 24th, to give you plenty of time to get to our retreat house and check in. A light supper of sandwiches and salad will be waiting for you at the Retreat House on your first evening. The first evening session will begin at 6:30pm on March 24th.
"Grace is lovely. Willing, receptive, welcoming to it all. She lives The Work. The eating process, as difficult as it was, was immensely helpful. I loved eating together and seeing how others related to food and to life." ~ Laurie
"The underlying current of negative thoughts about myself surrounding food, weight and diet became clearer to me--particularly through the writing and meal exercises. Grace is phenomenal. She makes the retreat a 10/10; no matter what made me uncomfortable her energy and presence made it a safe environment. Her guidance and sharing of her experience were invaluable." ~ Participant
"I know that speaking shame is the way to help it have less power, but to experience this around food and body was profound. It all worked for me, the content was just what I needed. Grace is amazing, She was able to meet each person just as they are." ~ Emily
© 2023 WORK WITH GRACE/EATING PEACE All Rights Reserved
