Aging Naturally, Powerfully, and Beautifully
July 1, 2027 @ 2:00 pm – July 6, 2027 @ 11:00 am
For Women who are preparing for, or currently experiencing, the Change of Life
Join three experienced, older yoginis — Donna “Amrita” Davidge, Linda Rowe, Fálki Heiðdóttir — who will share their knowledge and expertise, as well as their own experiences, in a personalized, heartfelt, and safe environment.
Donna’s experience with many forms of yoga, Linda’s expertise in Ayurveda, and Fálki’s knowledge of discovering power combine to form this Aging Naturally, Powerfully, and Beautifully special retreat. You will find it to be a rich opportunity to explore tools you can use during all phases of menopause, so you can grow into aging with power and beauty.
Cost: $600 – Select “WORKSHOP: Aging Naturally, Powerfully, Beautifully” as an “Extra” when you make your Accommodations reservation
Plus Accommodations – Reserve a room for July 1-6, 2027.
Be sure to select “WORKSHOP: Aging Naturally, Powerfully, Beautifully” as an “Extra” when you book.
During the retreat, you’ll experience several styles of yoga, including Healing Passes, Iyengar, Yin, and Kundalini.
In Linda’s “Menopause through the Lens of Ayurveda” workshop you’ll gain an in-depth understanding of Ayurveda — an eastern system of medicine that encompasses daily care/prevention as well as illness — as you explore the naturally occurring process of menopause.
In Fálki’s “Menopause and Aging as a Transformative Rite of Passage” workshop, you’ll learn the how to reconsider the aging process as a positive transformation of your Self and to understand how fulfilling older life can be.
In Donna/Amrita’s “Caring for your Skin, Hair, Mind, and Body” workshop, the owner of Sewall House will call upon her 40 years of teaching (50 years of practice) experience to present proven techniques from various forms of yoga — like Iyengar, Yin, and Kundalini — that will help you with aging muscles, bones, joints, and connective tissue. She has personally used yoga to prevent full shoulder replacement surgery. In addition, Donna/Amrita will discuss some of the natural skin and hair care products she has discovered.
Honestly accept the journey into physical diminishment as the new learning curve in your life and embrace it with curiosity and beginner’s mind. Keep facing forward with a gently yielded heart; that is always the direction from which the new integration emerges.
Cynthia Bourgeault from “Ten Practical Guidelines for Conscious Aging”
Schedule / Itinerary
Thursday, July 1
Arrival
- 2:00pm Lunch
- 3:30-5:00pm Orientation
- 5:30pm KUNDALINA YOGA for energy, brain health, breathing techniques, and more with DONNA/AMRITA
- 7:00pm Evening Meal
- 8:00pm Free Time
Friday, July 2
Fálki
- 7:30am Meditation
- 8:00-9:30am HATHA YOGA and a 15-minute YOGA NIDRA with DONNA/AMRITA followed by journal time
- 10:00am Breakfast
- 11:00am-2:00pm MENOPAUSE AND AGING AS A TRANSFORMATIVE RITE OF PASSAGE with FÁLKI
Through a combination of body led movement, guided imagery and story teling, and group sharing, you’ll discover the magic and power that are inherent in women’s aging. By the end of our time together, you’ll have a new perspective on your own aging process and older life generally. - 2:00pm Lunch
- 3:00-5:30pm Free Time
- 5:30-7:00pm YIN YOGA with FÁLKI
- 7:00pm Evening Meal
- 8:00pm Free Time
Saturday, July 3
Linda
- 7:30am Meditation
- 8:00-9:30am Morning YOGA
- 10:00am Breakfast
- 11:00am-2:00pm MENOPAUSE THROUGH THE LENS OF AYURVEDA with LINDA, including Myth-Busting information
Join us for an in-depth understanding of Ayurveda — an eastern system of medicine that encompasses daily care/prevention as well as illness — as we explore the naturally occurring process we call menopause. Many of us will, or we have already experienced it in our unique, individual way.
Ayurveda offers a customized protocol based on the individual. Coming to know the signs ahead of time, what to look for and how to support ourselves are the keys to roll with this natural process, rather than try to cover it up or resist it.
We’ll address the major components of health and menopause such as Digestion, Diet, the Mind, Stress, Daily Routine, Personal History, aggravation of Vata (to be explained), the varied signs/symptoms, and management and some myth busting of both menopause and Ayurveda. You will learn general practices and suggestions to take away and implement to help you embrace your process into a new level of freedom and strength.
Tidbit Takeaway: You will receive detailed protocols to assist in easing into this life transition. - 2:00pm Lunch
- 3:30-5:30pm Private Sessions or Free Time
- 5:30-7:00pm HEALING PASSES YOGA with LINDA
This is a very structured class of six poses layered with breath, sound, and visualizations to bring inner balance, physically, mentally, and emotionally. It was created by Maya Tiwara, an Ayurvedic pioneer and Vedic scholar, and the author of several books, including “The Path of Practice”. Maya also founded Wise Earth Ayurveda. - 7:00pm Evening Meal
- 8:00pm Free Time
Sunday, July 4
Donna
- 7:30am Meditation
- 8:00-9:30am SOMATIC MOVEMENT with FÁLKI
- 10:00am Breakfast
- 11:00am-2:00pm CARING FOR YOUR SKIN, HAIR, MIND, AND BODY with DONNA/AMRITA
We’ll review various types of Yoga and Meditation for the Aging Body. We’ll also look at widely available products to help your skin and hair during the aging process, and discuss why these products, along with the yoga techniques, help. Donna/Amrita will take your questions about any mental and physical issues you may have as a result of being in perimenopause, menopause, or post-menopause (where Donna is at age 70!) - 2:00pm Lunch
- 3:00-5:30pm Free Time to book a treatment or engage in other activities
- 5:30-7:00pm RESTORATIVE YOGA with DONNA/AMRITA
- 7:00pm Evening Meal
- 8:00pm Free Time
Monday, July 5
Integration
- 7:30am Meditation
- 8:00-9:30am IYENGAR-INFLUENCED YOGA to learn techniques to strengthen bones and body with DONNA/AMRITA
- 10:00am Breakfast
- 11:00am Free time for you to enjoy activities you will find listed in our notebook, book a massage in advance, kayak on the lake, take a walk, or simply have quiet time to read, journal, or porch sit. Take this time to ponder and integrate what you’ve received into your Self.
- 2:00pm Lunch
- 3:00pm More free time.
- 5:30pm YIN YOGA for tissue tightness with FÁLKI HEIĐDÓTTIR
- 7:00pm Evening Meal
- 8:00pm Free Time
Tuesday, July 6
Departure
- 7:30am Meditation
- 8:00-9:30am IYENGAR-INFLUENCED YOGA with DONNA/AMRITA to keep joints and muscles supported
- 10:00am Breakfast
- 11:00am Departure
Be sure to select “WORKSHOP: Aging Naturally, Powerfully, Beautifully” as an “Extra” when you book.
Cost
The cost of Aging Naturally, Powerfully, and Beautifully at Sewall House in Island Falls, Maine, is $600 and does not include accommodations, meals, or transportation. Required accommodations at Sewall House Yoga Retreat — which include all meals and yoga classes — must be purchased separately.
About the Teachers
LINDA ROWE
Linda Rowe, founder of Lindayurveda, noticed perimenopausal symptoms around the age of 47, experiencing missed periods, night sweats, and mood shifting. Her approach was to drop into Beginner’s Mind, develop a new level of awareness with her body, and speak with other women who journeyed through this transformation. She feels her 31 years of yoga study and practice have been integral to moving relatively smoothly through menopause and beyond.
In 2011, Linda began another journey, the long study of Ayurveda, studying with several teachers over the years, including two Ayurvedic Practitioner Programs. She is one year away from completing an Ayurveda Doctor certification with Dr. Anusha Seghal of Boston Ayurveda, Inc, where she’ll complete a dissertation and a residency in India.
In her 60s, still teaching yoga and offering Thai Yoga Bodywork sessions and Ayurvedic consultations and education, Linda has more confidence physically, mentally, and emotionally than at any other time in her life. She has offered extensive Ayurveda education in her local community, most recently “The Matrix of Graceful Aging, through the Lens of Ayurveda”. It is her joy and passion to share with women the teachings of health and wellness through Ayurveda.
FÁLKI HEIÐDÓTTIR
Fálki has spent her entire adult life either running away or running toward her Self. That’s her truth. She has struggled with depression and anxiety, used alcohol and food to feel less, and repeatedly sabotaged her own forward motion with procrastination and quitting-before-she’s done.
She has also lived a vibrant life jumping into courage and earning her Doctorate and becoming a certified yoga teacher, breathwork healer, hoopdance teacher and life coach, a dancer, artist and performer all after she turned 40. Now, as she approaches 60, Fálki has not conquered Fear but has learned to see it with compassion and gently move it aside. Her motto is, “Courage is action in the face of Fear,” and her desire to live a Big Life is greater than her desire to hide under the bed feeding her Fear donuts and Nestle Quick.
Fálki has experience working in mental health, addictions, and coaching since 2003. She holds a PhD in Human Services/Counseling Studies and a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology. Her approach is honest, direct, and compassionate. She is no blank slate. She brings her authentic self into every session and believes that authentic, deep relationships are critical for healing and growth. A good sense of humor is important too!
Fálki is a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher and is currently studying Yoga Therapy through Breathing Deeply Yoga. She is a shamanic practitioner, a rune reader, and a gatherer of intuitive creative souls. Art, improvisation, good books, her cats, Ivar Needletooth and LouCat, exploring, and time with her wonderful partner, Steve, ground her in the joy of the present moment.
DONNA “AMRITA” DAVIDGE
At age 52, Sewall House founder Donna “Amrita” Davidge entered menopause, first experiencing hot flashes accompanied by anxiety flareups, along with skin, joint, and other body changes. In 2010 she published her “Yoga Menopause” video on YouTube (watch it below).
In 2024, a retreat guest suggested that Donna should start offering a menopause workshop, including information about which products she uses for hair and body care during this time of life. Having previously taught Aging Gracefully workshops in New York City, Donna decided to offer this workshop for the first time at Sewall House in 2025, the year she turned 70.
Donna has found that the types of yoga that promote bone strength and healthy stretching, while also supporting the tightened joints and connective tissue that come with age, have helped her physically, and breath and meditation have helped her mentally.
In addition, through her own research, Donna has discovered natural products from the “mainstream” that have become part of her beauty routine.
Be sure to select “WORKSHOP: Aging Naturally, Powerfully, Beautifully” as an “Extra” when you book.