Moving With Harmony:
Women’s Retreat

Moving With Harmony: Women’s Retreat at River Mountain

With Dilla Mastrangelo and Sueann Fenchel of Harmony Studio, Pittsburgh, PA
& Alice Mastrangelo Gittler of Walk and Return Home

Specially designed and dedicated to women, our spring Harmony Women’s retreat at River Mountain will offer a nurturing space to cultivate joy, inner peace and connection with self, community and nature. The invitation is to truly pause and be present for ourselves as we enjoy movement classes, forest and meadow walks, healthy meals and star gazing.

Our deluxe modern cabin, reserved exclusively for our group’s 3-night stay, has 10 private sleeping spaces (8 twin and 2 queen beds) with two shared bathrooms. Meals will be prepared for us and dinner will be served in the main lodge. In the true spirit of retreat, there also will be ample time for quiet reflection, a soak in a cedar hot tub, restful napping and reading a book.

Your guides for the weekend; Dilla, Sueann, and Alice will be sharing a unique blend of mindful movement and nature-based practices. We will step into River Mountain’s specialized gathering places including the spacious renovated barn, the sun-filled greenhouse, open air platforms and welcoming forest trails. As guides, we foster collective group experiences that support each participant’s sense of comfort, belonging, fun and well-being. Come with a sense of openness to participate at your desired pace.

THURSDAY, April 10 - SUNDAY, April 13, 2025

All-Inclusive
4-Day, 3-Night Retreat

 

All-Inclusive Glamping Pod for One Person - $825, plus taxes and fees

 

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

Meet your hosts

ann

Sueann Fenchel

I have been passionately pursuing my love of movement, education and healing arts since I was a young child. After years of dancing and teaching in Pittsburgh, New York and Montreal; I received, in rapid succession, certifications in Massage Therapy, Pilates (Core Dynamics under the tutelage of Michele Larsson), GYROTONIC and GYROKINESIS.

Now with nearly two decades of teaching and manual therapy experience, I infuse and blend these modalities to make each lesson a unique experience for my students. I bring compassion to my teaching and use my well-trained eye and hands-on approach to adapt for individual needs and goals.

I currently reside in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh with my husband and furry babies, Layla and Shady. I love cooking, reading, gardening, and spending time with family and friends. I am a perpetual student who is forever interested in learning more!

dilla

Dilla Mastrangelo

I am a mother, dancer, movement educator and nature lover. The daughter of a scientist/artist and physician/woodworker, I grew up in western Maryland with considerable freedom to enjoy farm, forest and family life. The lens through which I look at the world is both scientific and intuitive and I am inspired by indigenous ways of knowing and being.

In college, I studied Anthropology and later earned a masters degree in dance and dance education from New York University. I am a licensed massage therapist and comprehensively trained and certified in the Pilates method, GYROTONIC, Jaguar Path Yoga, and the Franklin Method. My creative homebase is Harmony, which I cofounded with Sueann Fenchel in 2008. Harmony is both a studio and a specialized method that the two of us have created and cultivated for teaching mindful movement, self care and breathwork for all bodies.

In 2022, I graduated from The Jaguar Path School of Energy Medicine and received my initiation as Pampomesiak (Earth Keeper) by elders in the Q’ero lineage, a living tradition of indigenous healing wisdom. Today, I serve as a Jaguar Path mentor to students in the program. With still much to learn and discover, I am continuing my learning journey with MJ Renshaw and The Being Method.

alice

Alice Mastrangelo Gittler

A lifelong learner, researcher, caregiver, and now, mindful outdoor guide; I was gifted curiosity, self-sufficiency, and a love of the natural world by my parents. I spent my childhood on a farm, became an urban dweller for many years, and now, I am discovering a renewed sense of belonging and learning offered by our more-than-human world. I am a certified Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide and Association for Nature and Forest Therapy Guide in training. Inspired by the practices and ideas emerging from forest bathing, rewilding, mindfulness, ecology, systems thinking, circlework, and participatory practices, I guide outdoor wanders with invitations to go slow, notice, and reconnect to a place of belonging in the natural world.

My career began in international development work. In 2009, I transitioned to healthcare, supporting person-centered healthcare environments as a researcher, facilitator, and teacher. I am currently pursuing a PhD in systems science, focusing on multidisciplinary team decision making; alongside my relational nature therapy practice.

I share my time between two islands - Manhattan and a barrier island on the south shore of Long Island with my family, where I tend my kitchen and native gardens, three dogs, and a thousand or so oysters. I am always surprised how mindful encounters with the wind, rain, sun, rocks, trees, and living beings whether in a forest, on a beach, in a park, or in the desert are an opportunity for insight and for stillness; that each interaction can teach me something new about wholeness. I firmly believe, in the words of JRR Tolkien, that “Not all those who wander are lost.”

Retreat Experiences

GROUP MOVEMENT A rejuvenating practice that blends Pilates, Gyrotonic and Tai Chi to synchronize our alignment with our breathing while moving through through all planes and directions of motion

WAYS OF KNOWING OUR WORLD An invitation to explore multiple ways of knowing our more-than-human world through naturalist learning, plant lore and stories, and playful encounters with our plant, bird, and cloud kith and kin.

OUTDOOR WANDER OF REDISCOVERY Inspired by forest bathing and relational nature therapy, we will drop into our senses and wander along the paths at River Mountain in an invitation to go slow, notice, and reconnect the many, other than human beings around us.

CAMPFIRE SESSIONS Soothing Flicker of the Flame and Crackle of the Fire. Join in on conversation or simply unwind with s'mores. A great end to the day.

SOFT TISSUE RELEASE WORK WITH STRETCHING A meditative offering to slow down and release muscle-fascial tension with imagery, therapeutic balls and stretching.

RHYTHMIC MOVEMENT TO MUSIC An opportunity to sway or dance to music and move authentically as you feel the beat in your body

COMMUNITY FARM TABLE MEALS Community happens around the table. Enjoy a delicious evening meal gathered around our gorgeous, Amish-crafted farm tables. 

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

Moving With Harmony: Women’s Retreat at River Mountain

Thursday, April 10 - Sunday, April 13, 2025

All-Inclusive
4-Day, 3-Night Retreat

 

All-Inclusive Glamping Pod for One Person - $825, 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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