Remembering Your Voice: A Women's Music & Creativity Retreat

Join us for an immersive multi-day retreat (Wednesday - Saturday, no overnight stay) for women exploring the intersection of music, creativity, embodiment, and personal transformation.

Inspired in part by The Music Lesson by Victor Wooten, this experience invites participants into a supportive, nonjudgmental space to deepen their relationship with music as a practice of expression, connection, and healing. We will work with the great instrument of voice and any other instruments that you are learning to play or desire to play. 

Along with learning and working with our instruments, we'll explore movement practices including yoga, qigong, and Body Dialogue, along with vocal toning, singing, chanting, improvisation, music theory, ear training, and playful musical exploration. Rather than focusing on performance or perfection, we'll cultivate curiosity, presence, and the joy of making music together.

A central theme of the retreat is the profound relationship between the nervous system and the voice, including playing our instruments with confidence. Our voices and our instruments often reveal what words cannot—shifting when we feel safe, anxious, joyful, or vulnerable. Through principles drawn from Body Dialogue, Somatic Experiencing, Polyvagal Theory, and embodied vocal practice, we'll explore how cultivating nervous system regulation can lead to greater freedom, authenticity, confidence, and creative expression.

Together we'll create a space where music becomes more than something we perform—it becomes a way of listening, relating, and coming home to ourselves.

No prior musical experience is required. Participants are welcome to bring an instrument if they have one, though it is not necessary. Simple accompaniment instruments, such as harmoniums and percussion, will be available for shared exploration.

This workshop is for you if:

• You want inspiration to open up your creative energy

• You long for a safe place to explore the power of your authentic voice

• You want to learn more about playing an instrument

• You want to bring music into what you are doing professionally or in your family

  • i.e. Yoga classes, group facilitation, nonprofit sector, teachers

• You want to learn to make music and jam with others

• You are seeking a place to cultivate confidence, empowerment and inspiration

Structure

• Arrival: Wednesday evening

• Full program days: Thursday + Friday

• Saturday half day and closing Saturday evening (group share/performance)

Daily Flow (Sample)

• Daily ritual, ancestral, elemental and land connection

• Morning movement (qigong, yoga, Body Dialogue)

• Vocal warm-ups + breathing coordination

• Music exploration + foundational theory

• Songwriting + creative process sessions

• Group music-making / collaborative play

Midday:

• 2-hour lunch + rest/integration

Afternoon:

• Creative workshops

• Small group breakout sessions

• Meditation + integration practices

Evening:

• Group sharing

• Informal music + connection

Core Elements

• Music as a pathway for self-expression and transformation

• Foundational music theory made accessible and experiential

• Songwriting and creative exploration

• Nervous system support through movement, breath, and somatic practices

• Community-based learning in a supportive women’s container

Schedule: Wednesday Nov. 18 6:00-8:30 Opening Circle 

                 Thursday Nov.19 8:30-12:30 Morning Session

                                             2:30-5:30 Afternoon Session

                     Friday Nov. 20 8:30-12:30 Morning Session

                                             2:30- 5:30 Afternoon Session

                Saturday Nov. 21 9-2 Morning Session

               Saturday Evening 6-8 pm CONCERT!

https://www.madelynilana.com/

Luna Ray Music on Spotify

Madelyn ilana is a musician, teacher, somatic practitioner, energy healer, herbalist, and movement artist who has spent the past 15 years helping people reconnect with their creativity, their bodies, and their authentic voice. A violinist and singer-songwriter with three albums to her name, Madelyn believes music is something we remember rather than master. She often describes herself as a musical midwife, creating spaces where people can uncover the music that is already alive within them. Whether someone is picking up an instrument for the first time, writing a song, or simply learning to trust their creative instincts, she brings a rare combination of gentleness, clarity, and deep presence to the process. Her work is rooted in somatics and nervous system awareness, weaving together movement, breath, music, creativity, and embodied practices that support resilience, expression, and connection. She has taught with organizations including Asheville Music School, Point Center, West Asheville Yoga, AyurPrana Listening Room, Mountain School of Strings, the Florida Herbal Conference, the Southeast Wise Women Herbal Conference, Pickards Mountain Eco-Institute, Atlantic Center for the Arts, Center Street, and Rock’n’Roll Camp for Girls. She currently maintains a full private music studio and an active somatic healing practice in West Asheville, North Carolina. Madelyn is passionate about creating welcoming, encouraging spaces where women feel safe to experiment, play, and discover new parts of themselves. Her teaching invites participants to move beyond perfectionism and into curiosity, confidence, and the joy of making music together.

For over 20 years, Luna has been leading a variety of body-centered, spiritually-centered classes, sessions, workshops, and retreats locally and internationally which enhance community resilience.  She is a musician and international recording artist, and an activist for developing holistic and sustainable community collaboration. Luna has traveled extensively through Central & South America, New Zealand, Fiji, and India to learn about healing, diversity and the power of community.  Luna has a BA in Community Studies, is a founder of the nonprofit When Women Come To Pray and is a Co-Founder of True Nature Education and The Believe Service nonprofit organizations.

Cancellation & Refund Policy

All tickets are nonrefundable. If you’re unable to attend, your ticket may be transferred to another participant or exchanged for a credit toward a future When Women Come to Pray event. Credits are not redeemable for cash. Please contact us at wwc2p.whenwomencometopray@gmail.com to request a transfer or credit.