Return to Joy Retreat

Return to Joy Retreat

This weekend is your invitation to rewire your brain and routines that are keeping you on the stressful hamster wheel of life and make that shift into a daily life full of JOY! Imagine hitting the reset button on life and returning home with a lighter spirit and a fresh perspective on living your one wild and precious life to the fullest, JOYfully.

Thursday, August 13 - Sunday, August 16, 2026

All-Inclusive
4-Days, 3-Nights

 

All-Inclusive Glamping Pod for One Person - $1,150, plus taxes and fees

 

25% Deposit to reserve today - remaining balance charged 30 days before your retreat!

Meet Your Hosts

ALANAPORT (1)

Alana Abdal

Yoga has helped me to understand myself, others, and the human need for love, movement, and deep reflection. Along with helping to nourish my thirst for movement and personal inquiry, it awakened a passion for listening: to the sounds of nature, to my loved ones, to strangers, and especially to myself. The practice of yoga has a profound ability to focus the mind, straighten the body, and nourish the soul. My heart has lived in teaching ever since. In my classes you'll flow, you'll breathe, you'll learn and you'll challenge yourself!

Katie (1)

Katie Hipple

Seeing how happy people were after taking a yoga class was the reward that made me passionate about sharing yoga. I switched from health care to the health and wellness industry. I sparked a deep connection to pre/ post natal yoga. During my second pregnancy I was so sick that physical practice wasn’t in my daily life but it was replaced with meditation and mindfulness . It made me slow down and appreciate all the other magical parts of yoga.

Retreat Experiences

Daily Yoga & Meditation: Movement and meditation are medicine, perfect tools to help you tap into joy and reduce life's stressors.
Hiking & Nature Connection: Feel the grounding energy of the foothills. Explore the stunning grounds at River Mountain PA.
Community & Connection: Build meaningful relationships with like-minded people.

Wellness with Nature

Resting on 150 acres, River Mountain is bordered by Sweet Root Creek, Warrior Ridge and Tussey Mountain. River Mountain's stunning spaces are designed for reflection, mindfulness, and good vibrations on your self-care journey. Creekside yoga platforms, a restored barn turned wellness space, and the calm of nature make this the ideal destination for peace and wellness.

Located just a few hours from D.C., Baltimore, and Pittsburgh, in the mountains of Pennsylvania, River Mountain is remote yet easy to access.

History

Warrior Path

Running parallel to River Mountain's eastern ridge is Warriors Path, the great Iroquois Indian highway from Six Nations country, New York, to the Catawba country in the Carolinas. The historic path along Sweet Root Creek was one of the longest and most heavily traveled land routes in eastern North America, connecting Indigenous peoples over hundreds of miles.

The Underground Railroad

Black Valley was an active route along the Underground Railroad. Local histories principally credit four, free black residents with leading the aid network in this area: Rev. John Fidler, Elias Rouse, Joseph Crawley, and James Graham. Just to the south of the River Mountain property are 13 unmarked graves of enslaved people who died traveling the route to freedom.

Accommodations

Glamping Pods

Modern Design to Align with the Body's Circadian Rhythm
Standard Glamping Pod - Sleeps 1 Guest
Located in Cabin with Other Retreat Guests
Expansive Deck with Patio Seating
Top Pod Skylights to Fall Asleep to the Stars
Bedside Windows to Nature
Nestled Among Trees, Meadow + Creek
Mountain Views of Warrior Ridge

Return to Joy Retreat

Thursday, August 13 - Sunday, August 16, 2026

All-Inclusive
4-Days, 3-Nights

 

All-Inclusive Glamping Pod for One - $1,150, plus taxes and fees

 

25% Deposit to reserve today - remaining balance charged 30 days before your retreat!

Retreat Inclusions:

All Retreat Experiences
150 Acres of Nature
Accommodations
Daily Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Access to Hot Soaking Tubs
Campfire + S'mores
Daily Housekeeping
Fresh Linens, Towels, Blankets
Fiber Internet Wi-Fi
Check-In After 3PM
Check-Out By 11AM

Retreat Policies, Payments, Deposit, and Cancellations:

DOGS ARE NOT PERMITTED ON RETREATS. This is for the safety and wellness of the dog and other guests joining the retreat.

25% non-refundable deposit to reserve. The remaining balance is automatically charged 30 days prior to the retreat start date using the initial card on file used to make the reservation and deposit. If reserving within less than 30 days of retreat start date, the remaining balance is automatically charged within 48 hours after reservation is made.

Please note that because River Mountain retreats are limited to a small number of attendees, to allow for a more personable, intimate experience, our cancellation policy is in place to help guests, hosts, and us alike work together sharing expenses that may arise from unexpected cancellations.

• All deposits are non-refundable.
• Full balance is automatically charged 30 days prior to retreat start date, unless otherwise noted.
• Cancellation requests submitted 61 days or more before the retreat start date, 50% of the total is due.
• Within 60 days of your retreat: full balance due, sorry but no refunds given, no exceptions.

Please know that our cancellation policy is designed to mitigate damages and costs incurred to retreat hosts and River Mountain in order to maintain the retreat experience and affordability for other retreat guests. Exceptions cannot be made for any reason, including weather, injury/illness, or personal emergencies. No refunds or credits for failure to attend or failure to complete the retreat, or for arriving late or leaving early.

For reservations or general questions

Give us a call

+1 (814) 259-6580

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